Thrift Store Thread 2011

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[quote name='iiinightmar3ii']For those of you who are finding stuff, how often do you visit your local GWs?[/QUOTE]

I go at least 3 times a week but I think Im going to start going everyday.
 
Going to Goodwill every day is excessive, since I'm pretty sure they only sort items and put them on the sales floor once or twice a week.
 
[quote name='spmahn']Going to Goodwill every day is excessive, since I'm pretty sure they only sort items and put them on the sales floor once or twice a week.[/QUOTE]

That may be true of your goodwill, but it certainly isn't true at the 2 closest to me currently, or the ones that I have frequented in the past.
 
[quote name='iiinightmar3ii']For those of you who are finding stuff, how often do you visit your local GWs?[/QUOTE]

You're probably okay with once every two weeks, or once a month. It's not really so much the frequency that you visit; though it wouldn't hurt to make a random stop if you're in the area or have a few boxes to donate.
 
I usually go every day, sometimes twice if I'm in the area. They change the tables every few hours at the outlet, so I usually come out with a load of stuff everytime.
 
[quote name='spmahn']Going to Goodwill every day is excessive, since I'm pretty sure they only sort items and put them on the sales floor once or twice a week.[/QUOTE]

From my experience they put stuff out all day long.
 
Picked up a copy of :gc: MGS Twin Snakes at Goodwill this morning between classes for $2.99. No manual, but the art is in great shape and the discs are scratch free. I'll have to swap it out for a newer case to make it pretty - now to find a manual.
 
I only hit up a few stores today but it was pretty successful. The Kingdom Hearts is brand new and still shrink wrapped.
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[quote name='moop2001']I only hit up a few stores today but it was pretty successful. The Kingdom Hearts is brand new and still shrink wrapped.
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[/QUOTE]

Dreamcast:drool:
 
I was thinking of buying that dreamcast for the controllers only since I have 2 dreamcast systems already, but I didn't see those games there before, did you buy those today?
 
[quote name='yoyo1316']I was thinking of buying that dreamcast for the controllers only since I have 2 dreamcast systems already, but I didn't see those games there before, did you buy those today?[/QUOTE]

The games were at other stores. The console is worth about $50 so it'll be a nice little flip.
 
[quote name='ROB64']Black Dreamcast? Am i just out of the loop, or are those somewhat rare (I've never seen one before.)[/QUOTE]

Its the sega Sports edition. Not quite rare, but uncommon.
Awesome.

Man you guys have incredible luck. The nicest thing I have ever seen at a thrift store was a Japanese Dreamcast with no cords, just the console.


I did pick up some N64 games for 2 bucks a piece though recently at a goodwill. Sigh......:roll:
 
[quote name='JediKiller24']That's not too bad of a gamble...is the warranty seal broken? Was just at my local Goodwill today, and they had a 360 console with the power cord and hook ups and a 20g HD with a sign on it "Not Working, sold as is" priced at 79.99. WTF are they thinking???[/QUOTE]

i got the power supply, the box shows 3 red rings:cry:, i started it about 8 times and on the 2nd attempt the rings didnt show up, the dashboard loaded and it worked, the other 7 times it was all red rings.

edit: so i found out that if i start up the box by pushing the eject button and then push it again before the tray is fully open the box starts right up, i did it 3 times in a row and played part of the first level of modern warfare 2
 
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[quote name='spmahn']Going to Goodwill every day is excessive, since I'm pretty sure they only sort items and put them on the sales floor once or twice a week.[/QUOTE]

The more you go, the more likely you are to find stuff. Its not just about when they put stuff out but also about beating the competition. This is why you are most likely to find sports games . . . they are the left behind games.
 
I found the DDR Mario Mix (with the mario themed pad) at a yard sale last year, but I didn't have the cash for it. I think they wanted $10, I only had a few singles. :(
 
So I was doing my volunteer duties for my local thrift store, and I was bringing out the metals for recycling to a guy's truck. I noticed a Power Glove adapter in all the jumble, and he gave me it for free! No glove to be found though :(
At least I rescued the adapter!

So stuff like that can get thrown out every day... That saddens me :(
 
[quote name='moop2001']Not too much today, but this was interesting.
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I'd never seen this before.[/QUOTE]

I have three of the Wisdom Tree games for the NES. Nothing like religious games that were designed to bypass the NES security chip.
 
[quote name='sp00ge']I have three of the Wisdom Tree games for the NES. Nothing like religious games that were designed to bypass the NES security chip.[/QUOTE]

I'm unsure of the value of this but at $1.99 I figured why not.
 
[quote name='moop2001']I'm unsure of the value of this but at $1.99 I figured why not.[/QUOTE]

that game is also surprisingly fun. (as i recall from being 6 and playing it)
 
Not sure what anyone else's experiences at the thrift stores and Goodwill have been like lately, but the stops I made today cemented my belief that the days of finding lucrative flips or even reasonably priced games for your personal collection are rapidly coming to a close.

I was in an area today where there were a few Goodwill stores, a Salavation Army, and a Savers Thrift Store. The first Goodwill had little worth noting, mostly the same crap PS2 games you see everywhere, all locked up behind the jewelry counter (I guess they are a favorite of shoplifters?). The one thing that caught my eye however was an original PS2, with a power cord, but no games, controllers, or even an AV cord. Price: $50.

It would be funny, if these outrageous prices weren't becoming more commonplace at these stores. Every time I stop in a Goodwill or other thrift store, there is at least 1 if not more PS1 or PS2 or X-Box or Gamecube, in various states of incompleteness, and always with a price tag of $20 or higher. What's even more astounding is the fact that there items are usually gone by the next time I go there. I truly can't believe however that this overpriced garbage actually sells. I assume at most Goodwills and similar chain thrift stores like Savers, a lot of items, especially consumer electronics, get shuffled around from store to store, or eventually get sold in bulk to third party wholesalers.

Anyways, the second stop was the Salvation Army, which I walked in and out of. This place never has anything worth taking a second glance at, and the shelves look like they were stocked from a garbage dump.

The third stop was Savers, another store filled with overpriced crap, console only Gamecube's and PS1's for $20 and up, toys and games that are missing essential pieces, overpriced, scratched PS2 and X-Box era sports titles, used DVD's that came out of the $5 bin at Wal-Mart but are priced at $7.99, it's a complete joke.

The final stop was another Goodwill, which at first seemed like it was finally worth the stop, but quickly turned out to be another disappointment. Behind their Jewelry counter was some crap N64 games, a copy of Wario Ware for the GBA, and some PS1 games mostly crap, but some stuff worth picking up including Tecmo Super Bowl, Crash Bandicoot 2, and Spyro Year of the Dragon, all of which would have been an easy flip on Amazon for decent money. At first glance, the crap games and Crash 2 were priced at $2.99 each, which isn't bad for Non-Sports titles. Unfortunately upon further inspection, Crash 2 contained the disc for Crash Bash, making it worthless, and Spyro 2 and Tecmo Bowl were priced at $7.99 and $14.99 respectively. When I questioned the employee as to why there was a discrepancy in the prices on these two games, she told me "that must be how much they sell for online, that's what they base the price on". I just looked at the woman like she was insane, said thanks, and left.

Now I'm not anti-capitalism, and I'm all for Goodwill wanting to charge fair market value for their items, but if you are going to price your items in comparison to Amazon or eBay, then why not just sell them on Amazon or eBay. People go to retail outlets like these because they are looking for bargains and deals, not because they want to pay inflated prices.

It's sad, but Goodwill and the thrift store business as a whole have gotten away from catering and marketing to the bargain hunters that they had previously, and are now more interested in the hipster and the upscale, dare I say wealthier, shoppers the same way most antique stores did last decade. And it's ironic too, but I have noticed in a lot of these stores, as the prices go up, the quality of the merchandise has gone way down. It used to be that Goodwill was very picky about what they would accept for donations. Now in any thrift store I go into, I would say a good 60% of the merchandise belongs in the trash, not for sale on any shelf. There simply isn't a market in 2011 for $20 VCR's, $15 cassette decks, and $40 12" SDV's.
 
one of my 3 GWs is/was like that. They went back to $4 apiece games but they still have like 20 gameboy games individually priced in the glasscase upfront for some reason. When I went in there and didnt see any games on the shelf I just didnt think they had any, walking out saw a bunch of N64, Snes, Gameboy, Genesis cartridges in the case. All different priced and waaaay more than id ever pay, asked why. Girl says "thats what they sell them for over at Slackers". Slackers is the gamestore right next door. I said "if i wanted to overpay for those games id go to Slackers, came in here looking for some good games for $4 apiece". They dont seem to use Slackers prices anymore, picked up them SNES games a few post back yesterday for $4 apiece. I think I won that round LOL.
 
[quote name='ROB64']I found the DDR Mario Mix (with the mario themed pad) at a yard sale last year, but I didn't have the cash for it. I think they wanted $10, I only had a few singles. :([/QUOTE]

fuck . . . that sucks.

I picked one up last year for $6 at Salvation Army

MarioMix.jpg


Sold it for $60 in December.

I found a complete one at a rummage sale in 2009 as well.
 
[quote name='spmahn']Not sure what anyone else's experiences at the thrift stores and Goodwill have been like lately, but the stops I made today cemented my belief that the days of finding lucrative flips or even reasonably priced games for your personal collection are rapidly coming to a close.

I was in an area today where there were a few Goodwill stores, a Salavation Army, and a Savers Thrift Store. The first Goodwill had little worth noting, mostly the same crap PS2 games you see everywhere, all locked up behind the jewelry counter (I guess they are a favorite of shoplifters?). The one thing that caught my eye however was an original PS2, with a power cord, but no games, controllers, or even an AV cord. Price: $50.

It would be funny, if these outrageous prices weren't becoming more commonplace at these stores. Every time I stop in a Goodwill or other thrift store, there is at least 1 if not more PS1 or PS2 or X-Box or Gamecube, in various states of incompleteness, and always with a price tag of $20 or higher. What's even more astounding is the fact that there items are usually gone by the next time I go there. I truly can't believe however that this overpriced garbage actually sells. I assume at most Goodwills and similar chain thrift stores like Savers, a lot of items, especially consumer electronics, get shuffled around from store to store, or eventually get sold in bulk to third party wholesalers.

Anyways, the second stop was the Salvation Army, which I walked in and out of. This place never has anything worth taking a second glance at, and the shelves look like they were stocked from a garbage dump.

The third stop was Savers, another store filled with overpriced crap, console only Gamecube's and PS1's for $20 and up, toys and games that are missing essential pieces, overpriced, scratched PS2 and X-Box era sports titles, used DVD's that came out of the $5 bin at Wal-Mart but are priced at $7.99, it's a complete joke.

The final stop was another Goodwill, which at first seemed like it was finally worth the stop, but quickly turned out to be another disappointment. Behind their Jewelry counter was some crap N64 games, a copy of Wario Ware for the GBA, and some PS1 games mostly crap, but some stuff worth picking up including Tecmo Super Bowl, Crash Bandicoot 2, and Spyro Year of the Dragon, all of which would have been an easy flip on Amazon for decent money. At first glance, the crap games and Crash 2 were priced at $2.99 each, which isn't bad for Non-Sports titles. Unfortunately upon further inspection, Crash 2 contained the disc for Crash Bash, making it worthless, and Spyro 2 and Tecmo Bowl were priced at $7.99 and $14.99 respectively. When I questioned the employee as to why there was a discrepancy in the prices on these two games, she told me "that must be how much they sell for online, that's what they base the price on". I just looked at the woman like she was insane, said thanks, and left.

Now I'm not anti-capitalism, and I'm all for Goodwill wanting to charge fair market value for their items, but if you are going to price your items in comparison to Amazon or eBay, then why not just sell them on Amazon or eBay. People go to retail outlets like these because they are looking for bargains and deals, not because they want to pay inflated prices.

It's sad, but Goodwill and the thrift store business as a whole have gotten away from catering and marketing to the bargain hunters that they had previously, and are now more interested in the hipster and the upscale, dare I say wealthier, shoppers the same way most antique stores did last decade. And it's ironic too, but I have noticed in a lot of these stores, as the prices go up, the quality of the merchandise has gone way down. It used to be that Goodwill was very picky about what they would accept for donations. Now in any thrift store I go into, I would say a good 60% of the merchandise belongs in the trash, not for sale on any shelf. There simply isn't a market in 2011 for $20 VCR's, $15 cassette decks, and $40 12" SDV's.[/QUOTE]

It depends what state/area u live in. I saw a xbox for $99.
A old flat tube sony tv for $200. I think they price depending on the area and the price they think people will buy it for. There are some people that do buy stuff, but don't know better. Remember, not everyone is bright or have education like u. These are consumers that don't make much and doesn't keep up with technology.

Goodwill is in business to make money. They need to pay for space and the workers. With ebay and other online stores, it's difficult to stay in market.

Just my 2 cents
 
Got this Demon's Crest today for $3. The label is slightly damaged up top at the title and the warning sticker on the back is torn. Overall pretty god for $3 though.
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Picked up the following
Pokemon Red, Blue, Silver, Yellow, Crystal (2x), and Gold - 4.99 each
Nintendo DS - 9.00
Secret of mana cart only - .99
Canon SD950is - 7.00
2x gameboy advance - 7.00 each
2x gameboy color - 7.00 each

photo58.jpg
 
[quote name='yoyo1316']Picked up the following
Pokemon Red, Blue, Silver, Yellow, Crystal (2x), and Gold - 4.99 each
Nintendo DS - 9.00
Secret of mana cart only - .99
Canon SD950is - 7.00
2x gameboy advance - 7.00 each
2x gameboy color - 7.00 each

photo58.jpg
[/QUOTE]

Someone's having a fun night tonight!
 
[quote name='yoyo1316']Picked up the following
Pokemon Red, Blue, Silver, Yellow, Crystal (2x), and Gold - 4.99 each
Nintendo DS - 9.00
Secret of mana cart only - .99
Canon SD950is - 7.00
2x gameboy advance - 7.00 each
2x gameboy color - 7.00 each

photo58.jpg
[/QUOTE]
Nice finds, which store was that at?
 
[quote name='yoyo1316']Salvation army and goodwill[/QUOTE]

Which one's? In the valley? I understand if you don't want to tell me but I was just wondering.
 
No not that one, maybe it's not salvation, but it's near that goodwill that you found that dreamcast. It's on grand central and there are some sega cd stuff after I left from that place
 
[quote name='yoyo1316']No not that one, maybe it's not salvation, but it's near that goodwill that you found that dreamcast. It's on grand central and there are some sega cd stuff after I left from that place[/QUOTE]

Oh, the veterans thrift store. was Rogue Squadron sega cd their?
 
It's times like these I curse being broke: my Goodwill has a black travel case with an OG Gameboy, Game Genie and one of those horrifically large and unnecessary Handy Boys, and a few games all for $15. At first I didn't see a price on it and I was going to attempt to sweet talk the lady into letting me have it for a couple bucks but no go. One of the games in it was Yoshi and I thought Mario Tennis, but apparently that wasn't on OG Gameboy so now I don't know what it was.
 
[quote name='Survivalism']It's times like these I curse being broke: my Goodwill has a black travel case with an OG Gameboy, Game Genie and one of those horrifically large and unnecessary Handy Boys, and a few games all for $15. At first I didn't see a price on it and I was going to attempt to sweet talk the lady into letting me have it for a couple bucks but no go. One of the games in it was Yoshi and I thought Mario Tennis, but apparently that wasn't on OG Gameboy so now I don't know what it was.[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't sweat it too much, it may be a cool item to have, but at $15, it's hardly a deal
 
saw trauma team sealed for 7.80...didn't pick it up but might go back tomorrow. Also saw bayonetta for 360 for 10.80 or so...might pick that up too

unfortunately, my local thrift stores never have anything classic or something that would be considered a great deal
 
Not much today. I'm hoping the Final Fantasy and Gundam's can be flipped. The SEGA collection I'm still researching. It's pretty interesting though and it's still wrapped.
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[quote name='moop2001']Not much today. I'm hoping the Final Fantasy and Gundam's can be flipped. The SEGA collection I'm still researching. It's pretty interesting though and it's still wrapped.
IMG_1034.jpg
[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure, but the only thing worth flipping is the sega classics.

What is on it? I haven't seen that before
 
[quote name='The Punisher']I'm not sure, but the only thing worth flipping is the sega classics.

What is on it? I haven't seen that before[/QUOTE]

The SEGA classics appears to be an SD Card that was supposed to be used for Palm OS devices. The games on it are, Sonic, Shinobi, Super Columns, and Shining Force 2. I'm intrigued by the SD card format of it and am dying to open it and stick it in a card reader. Here are some more pics:
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