Someone has made an offer for my entire collection.

MSI Magus

MSI Magus

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Ok so if you hit my CML button I have my collection of like 1,000+ games up for sale. I have already managed to sell a handful of really rare games for around $700 or so and I have another $500-$800 pending. A user at another site(Gametz)had about $1,000 worth of games pending with me and then out of the blue he asked if I would be interested in selling the entire collection and if so for how much.

I really have no clue what to say. Part of me is sentimental and says no, but most of me thinks if I get a decent price I will take it. Thing is I really do not know what a decent price is! In general I look at ebay and see what the going price on completed listings are and then I knock a few bucks off to give the buyer a decent price and I still make close to ebay price after fees. With a collection this large though it would take me a freaking year to price all this though. I used to have my collection listed at IGN and it was listed at around $12,000 I believe, but I think people have said IGN overprices stuff, but at the same time that was before I added about 200 PS2 games and any of my PS3, 360 or DS games.

This is kind of a tough issue for me, so I wanted to get some more opinions. If anyone here has experience with value and is willing to take a look and give me an estimate on what they think it is worth I GREATLY appreciate it. I can not come up with a price based on just one or two of you, but I figure if I take a handful of peoples opinions as well as my own I can come up with a good rough estimate.
 
A resource that I use (in addition to the CAG price tracker) to determine the value of my collection is http://www.videogamepricecharts.com/

From their methodology page, they track prices daily across a variety of site including Half.com, Ebay, and Amazon. (An in depth description of their weighting is located at http://blog.videogamepricecharts.com/2010/09/new-pricing-algorithms.html)

Even with their daily updates, I still treat their prices as "raw" prices rather than hard-n-fast price points. Still, it's useful to be able to grab a quick pricepoint either when I'm in a rush or when I'm comparing worth across sources.
 
Usually when I'm buying up big collections that have a few games I want I'll pay up to 70% of what I think I can get for them. It's really up to you, but if you think about it unless this guy's a strange bird or a gift from heaven there's always a cost in time and effort for selling out those games individually.

Another thing you might want to check out is Amazon sales rankings, as something that lists for $30 and takes 65 million years to sell may not actually be worth $30. I'd be wary of some of the list prices right now because the supply dwindled during the Christmas rush and I'll bet they're due for a tumble in the Spring thaw.
 
With a collection this size the best you can do is just give a good estimate. I am sure the buyer will want a good discount too since there are lots of common stuff. Remember selling everything to one person will save A LOT of time and money. Just image trying to list and sell everything one at a time on ebay
 
[quote name='62t']With a collection this size the best you can do is just give a good estimate. I am sure the buyer will want a good discount too since there are lots of common stuff. Remember selling everything to one person will save A LOT of time and money. Just image trying to list and sell everything one at a time on ebay[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I'd say focus on the key items and getting the value out of those, don't sweat the $1 stuff. A lot of times I'll bundle up a key fluctuating item with a small time want to get a freebie with a flip; and following that logic there has to be some incentive for dealing with any monster lot.
 
[quote name='Hybrid5006']Becareful... it would really suck to get scammed out of your whole collection[/QUOTE]

Before I even sent the guy an offer I made it very very clear I would not be shipping stuff until I received payment.
 
if it were me id do it, but split it up a few times. have it all be one big deal, but 4 payments and 4 shipments, that way you both feel safer with the deal, what state are you in and which is he in? if hes somehow within the same state Id grab a buddy and do the sale in person
 
[quote name='help1']Seems fishy, IMO.

IF not, then you must be dealing with some rap stars son or something.[/QUOTE]

Nah I was dealing with someone who thought he could get my whole collection for half its going rate and make a quick buck. Guy ended up offering me half what I and quite a few of my friends thought it was worth. General consensus seemed to be I probably had $12-$20k worth of games and should ask for $15k. The guy ultimately only wanted to pay $8k so no agreement could possibly be reached.
 
Really you are not going to be getting full value selling stuff as a bundle. If you want to get what they are worth you are going to have to sell them one by one.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Nah I was dealing with someone who thought he could get my whole collection for half its going rate and make a quick buck. Guy ended up offering me half what I and quite a few of my friends thought it was worth. General consensus seemed to be I probably had $12-$20k worth of games and should ask for $15k. The guy ultimately only wanted to pay $8k so no agreement could possibly be reached.[/QUOTE]

Probably would have taken $12k if he would and called it a day.
 
Well I understand that, but you should not get half the going rate either. Again if people say $12-$20k then $8k is not even the low end. And to Mr Dude. Yes if he had said $12k I MAY have taken that offer assuming he did shipping. $8k is just incredibly lower then I would ever consider.
 
If people say it's worth 12-20k then I would say sell it for somewhere between 10-12k(since you are selling in bulk) and have him pay for the shipping. Selling it all to one person would save you a ton of time and some money, so selling it a bit on the less expensive end can be worth it in the long run. I'd never let go of my collection, though! :)
 
[quote name='Mixer236']If people say it's worth 12-20k then I would say sell it for somewhere between 10-12k(since you are selling in bulk) and have him pay for the shipping. Selling it all to one person would save you a ton of time and some money, so selling it a bit on the less expensive end can be worth it in the long run. I'd never let go of my collection, though! :)[/QUOTE]

Like I said $12k seems pretty understandable, but when you get under that mark it starts to be a bit much. It seems like you are giving away far more then you are getting just to avoid selling it over time.
 
When someone wants everything you have it usually is a scam, paying with a stolen CC or paypal account, don't do it !
 
Not true it depends on the user over at Gametz. If it was MegaNesMan, I'd totally believe it. LOL

That guy has a ton of cash and always buys everyone's gift cards. There are ppl on gametz that would spend quite a bit, but it depends on the user. I've been there longer than here and I know most of the time I get a better deal there then here. But I haven't been here long enough to see if the CAG ppl spend more than the GTZ ppl.
 
[quote name='Tsukinikawatte']Not true it depends on the user over at Gametz. If it was MegaNesMan, I'd totally believe it. LOL

That guy has a ton of cash and always buys everyone's gift cards. There are ppl on gametz that would spend quite a bit, but it depends on the user. I've been there longer than here and I know most of the time I get a better deal there then here. But I haven't been here long enough to see if the CAG ppl spend more than the GTZ ppl.[/QUOTE]

I have almost stopped trading here because it is so hard to work out a deal. It seems like people here expect you to discount games far more, take forever to respond and are far less understanding. The CAG community has just turned to shit IMO largely.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']I have almost stopped trading here because it is so hard to work out a deal. It seems like people here expect you to discount games far more, take forever to respond and are far less understanding. The CAG community has just turned to shit IMO largely.[/QUOTE]

I'm partially guilty of that, but it's also because a lot of people want more than I'd pay for if I walked down to Gamestop. So outside of lowballs, I hardly trade here. Even when you agree on a trade, they stop responding.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Well I understand that, but you should not get half the going rate either. Again if people say $12-$20k then $8k is not even the low end. And to Mr Dude. Yes if he had said $12k I MAY have taken that offer assuming he did shipping. $8k is just incredibly lower then I would ever consider.[/QUOTE]

It doesn't matter what anybody says, what matters is if you end up with 12K or even 8K at the end of the day. There's a big difference between squeezing $150 and $100 out of an Earthbound cartridge, or getting $4 for a Zoop game versus taking that sucker to a landfill. A game might have a $40 shipped sale price, but take it on over to Amazon and I might clear $27 after fees and shipping expenses (see how that's one third less?)

Now who might be able to get more value out of a game than that? Hrmm, maybe a brick and mortar store owner who can actually sell the item in a face to face transaction for $40, or better yet, jack the game up to $80 and wait for a complete sucker to come along. It's not surprising though that some of these folks have batshit valuations and buy prices (and then) go out of business.

Check out Videogame Rarity Guide for a sec. On 7th Saga for the SNES they have it valued at $15 for cartridge-only. Actual market is around $10, in terms of fees and all that crap one shouldn't be unhappy to clear $8 in a face to face transaction. Extrapolate that $7 difference and it's not unbelievable that the real worth of what you have could only be 50% of book value.

Take a look at Plasma Sword for the Sega Dreamcast. Here I thought this game was a semi-rarity back when it was sitting at $25. Now people are struggling to get $5 for it. Until you actually try selling everything (and figuring out which items are easy flips and which are very painful to sell) you can't really appreciate the true worth of games. You may discover in the end that 8K was very generous; and I could tell you that's far more than I would ever want to have locked up in games.
 
[quote name='Indigo_Streetlight']It doesn't matter what anybody says, what matters is if you end up with 12K or even 8K at the end of the day. There's a big difference between squeezing $150 and $100 out of an Earthbound cartridge, or getting $4 for a Zoop game versus taking that sucker to a landfill. A game might have a $40 shipped sale price, but take it on over to Amazon and I might clear $27 after fees and shipping expenses (see how that's one third less?)

Now who might be able to get more value out of a game than that? Hrmm, maybe a brick and mortar store owner who can actually sell the item in a face to face transaction for $40, or better yet, jack the game up to $80 and wait for a complete sucker to come along. It's not surprising though that some of these folks have batshit valuations and buy prices (and then) go out of business.

Check out Videogame Rarity Guide for a sec. On 7th Saga for the SNES they have it valued at $15 for cartridge-only. Actual market is around $10, in terms of fees and all that crap one shouldn't be unhappy to clear $8 in a face to face transaction. Extrapolate that $7 difference and it's not unbelievable that the real worth of what you have could only be 50% of book value.

Take a look at Plasma Sword for the Sega Dreamcast. Here I thought this game was a semi-rarity back when it was sitting at $25. Now people are struggling to get $5 for it. Until you actually try selling everything (and figuring out which items are easy flips and which are very painful to sell) you can't really appreciate the true worth of games. You may discover in the end that 8K was very generous; and I could tell you that's far more than I would ever want to have locked up in games.[/QUOTE]

This. What it is worth and what people are willing to pay is totally different. A person that pays $8k exist. A person that pays $12k proably doesn't and you would be lucky to find someone that would even paid 10k on ebay.
 
[quote name='62t']This. What it is worth and what people are willing to pay is totally different. A person that pays $8k exist. A person that pays $12k proably doesn't and you would be lucky to find someone that would even paid 10k on ebay.[/QUOTE]

Yes but just boxing up and selling individually I imagine I can get close to that amount. Hell I have made serious coin just breaking up stuff so far. Yes you will have a hard time when you get down to old NES games and what not, but hell id rather keep them then get like 50% of their value. Just because I would be WILLING to sell my collection does not mean I am looking to. End of the day I still am and probably will always be a gamer.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']I have almost stopped trading here because it is so hard to work out a deal. It seems like people here expect you to discount games far more, take forever to respond and are far less understanding. The CAG community has just turned to shit IMO largely.[/QUOTE]

Right now I'm running a lowball in the forums cause i need money and I didn't even get a b-day present this year...

I worry cause I put up a few LE boxsets. Granted they are live action Sailor Moon, but I paid about 120 for them and I worry I won't get anywhere near that amount. I was so worried about the whole lowball thing I left our some more rare items because I just am worried for getting less as though I'm giving it away.

That said, I do understand times are tough and maybe it's just a sign of the economic down turn, but IDK.
 
the bottom line is if you don't feel comfortable taking $8k for your collection, then of course you shouldn't sell it, it's clearly worth more than that to you right now.

It's tough to evaluate the worth of a collection that size, as you really can't price out what you could get for it individually without a lot of man hours of work.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Yes but just boxing up and selling individually I imagine I can get close to that amount. Hell I have made serious coin just breaking up stuff so far. Yes you will have a hard time when you get down to old NES games and what not, but hell id rather keep them then get like 50% of their value. Just because I would be WILLING to sell my collection does not mean I am looking to. End of the day I still am and probably will always be a gamer.[/QUOTE]

I know it may be frustrating always getting low balled or trying to find a medium but you have to understand too. What it's worth to you may not be worth to others, personally I don't like paying too much for any particular game. Some games I'll give up on getting not because I can't afford it but I put in perspective that I'm just collecting it and didn't really need it in the first place. I do appreciate collections like this though because if they are anything like mine, it is very well taken care of unlike ebay sellers that are there just to make a quick flip.

Personally, I don't think you should sell but maybe trim down some of it. Say your Atari stuff for example, they have compilations of this stuff on a lot of current and last gen systems. If you are ready to let go and move on from this or if if is just out of necessity I say go for it, just as long as you won't regret it too much. I've become more of a collector than a gamer as of late and I don't regret it. I've loved games ever since I was a kid and this is my hobby and won't turn from it any time soon.

Hope this helps some,

-J
 
[quote name='Tsukinikawatte']Right now I'm running a lowball in the forums cause i need money and I didn't even get a b-day present this year...

I worry cause I put up a few LE boxsets. Granted they are live action Sailor Moon, but I paid about 120 for them and I worry I won't get anywhere near that amount. I was so worried about the whole lowball thing I left our some more rare items because I just am worried for getting less as though I'm giving it away.

That said, I do understand times are tough and maybe it's just a sign of the economic down turn, but IDK.[/QUOTE]

Exactly why I did not do a low ball. I knew that I would make fast money but that is hardly what I am interested in. I made more then enough to pay the vet bills for our new rescue dog and even put a little extra in my pocket. I decided while I was at it that 90% of it really does not get played anymore and would do more good being turned in to cash in my 401k, a new tattoo and some extra cash in my bank then just sitting there. Thus I kept selling. Just because I would rather it be cash does not mean I am desperate to turn it in to cash and take lowballs. Id take less then it was worth, and naturally I expect to take less then its worth....but not vastly so!

Good luck on your low ball, I know those can be really great but also really rough! Thanks as well to those that tried to help.
 
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