[quote name='toneroni']i remember the really old garage sale threads. I think that was what eventually made me join CAG ;][/quote]
Same here...but just reading through it almost made my head explode, with these insane deals that I know are impossibly rare, particularly out here.
I remember going to swap meets, flea markets, etc. as a child, and getting loads and loads of old comics and toys for dirt cheap (back in the late late 70's and early 80's), but eBay has definitely killed it. You have to find the sales where the people are clueless about values of items, and that basically means they have to have never gone on the Internet.
Virtually impossible in a city such as mine, Los Angeles, unless you go to the ghetto. But there, beyond the inherent danger, the items are usually not the good stuff and usually in extra bad shape. Also everyone who has anything remotely worthwhile asks WAY too much, even for garbage, and there is WAY too much competition for the stuff.
At least now that I'm 30, I make a very good living so I can afford the trade off of paying the premium prices for in demand/rare items. But what really sucks now? I have no time for my games. My backlog is at least 200 games deep.
My best score BTW was at a flea market, when I was probably around 10 or 11 (1986). This guy's booth had his kid who was selling his comic book collection. None of it was bagged and boarded, but every issue was fine/very fine or better. Like it had been read once or twice then put aside. For a DIME A PIECE, I got Daredevil 150-175 - yes including the first Frank Miller DD (158) and first Elektra (168) - all was very fine, and various Uncanny X-Men from the high 90's through the 140's including a 95, 96, 98-103, 105, and a bunch more I can't remember the exact numbers - some were fine but most were very fine to near mint. No 94 or Giant Size 1, but oh well.
Even 20 years ago, that was a MONSTER score. I just wish he had Amazing Spider-man comics (and other items), and that I had picked up everything he had. I gave him something like 5 bucks and got 50+ comics that today are worth thousands.
Second best score was a pretty big lot of original Star Wars figures and vehicles/playsets for $15. I still have it all boxed up somewhere, but I was always more partial to GI Joe to be honest.
Third best score was probably a tie - a guy selling first wave 80's GI Joe figures for $.50 or a buck a piece, back about a year or two after they had come out...like 83 or so. I'm talking the original Snake Eyes, Scarlet, Stalker, Breaker, Cobra Soldier and Cobra Officer etc. Just a 5 gallon bucket full of them. All stiff arm. I think I got 20 or so of them for $12. No weapons or vehicles, but I already had most of the figures myself. I still have them all boxed up. The tie was another couple selling a butt load of GI Joe vehicles from the first few waves. Score something like 3 HISS tanks, a Mobat, 2 FANGs, an AweStriker, the helicopter, 2 Rattlers, and a bunch of smaller ones like the first Jeep for $25.
I've had a few game scores, but nothing that really sticks out. Probably a Chrono Trigger complete SNES for 5 bucks about 8 years ago or so.
