Some lady bought complete Stadium Events for $8 at Goodwill

Ugh this makes me so furious, but so eager to get out and look at the same time! Imagine what it must feel like to find a $20,000 game at goodwill.....I would probably start crying knowing how much it would be able to help me...I'd consider keeping it because of how rare it is, but I don't think I'm anywhere near enough of a hardcore collector to keep something worth that much money :p
 
As I said when this was previously discussed, something about this story smells rotten to me. This woman managed to find a copy of one of the rarest video games ever produced, in Goodwill, then brought it to a local used game store where according to the store owner, she had no intention of selling the game?

First off, just the sheer statistical improbability of finding a copy of Stadium Events at Goodwill, much less a complete copy in the box, is unfathomable, it must be right up there with finding a lotto ticket with the winning Powerball numbers on the ground?

Secondly, according to the store owner, she brought the game to his store with no intention to sell unless it was for a ridiculous amount, and then announce her plans to have the game graded by the VGC (which is a crock of shit for a whole different reason), and sell it on eBay?

Call me skeptical, but part of me believes that this is a hoax perpetrated by someone looking to get some free publicity for his used game store. Maybe it's true, but until I see the copy of Stadium Events in question resurface on eBay or wherever, I remain unconvinced.
 
[quote name='Barney']here's there facebook page. I visit the store quiet a few times a month since its very close to my house
https://www.facebook.com/savepointvg?fref=ts
if you scroll down you'll see the post he made of the game.[/QUOTE]

Seriously, this guy is buying copies of In Justice from Wal-Mart and reselling him at the store? I don't know anything about this guy personally, but the impression I get just from 2 minutes of looking on his Facebook page is that he is the dirt worst scumbag scalper.
 
a few posts down he mentions reproductions and will sell them for $60. anyone know what that means? if they're flashcarts can't this guy go to jail?
 
[quote name='spmahn']Seriously, this guy is buying copies of In Justice from Wal-Mart and reselling him at the store? I don't know anything about this guy personally, but the impression I get just from 2 minutes of looking on his Facebook page is that he is the dirt worst scumbag scalper.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I saw that. Pretty lame if you run your own store and have to sell Walmart bundles (packaged as Walmart bundles).
 
Just FYI, the vast majority of Stadium Events finds have been in NC. I can see why this might be fishy, but it does line up with the previous finds.
 
[quote name='Drclaw411']http://www.ubergizmo.com/2013/04/woman-buys-rare-game-worth-15000-from-goodwill-store-for-only-7-99/

Good for her. Part of me wishes it went to a collector, as this will undoubtly end up on ebay. Still, I'm sure she can use the $20,000. Also, fuck every goodwill within 100 miles of me. $30 for Mario/Duck Hunt is a basic example of what I find, and at what prices.[/QUOTE]


The reason you find jack at your goodwill is because you're busy making posts that make people aware of the prices.

Then when you go game hunting you wonder why you find overpriced junk.
 
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[quote name='Gamer SDP']a few posts down he mentions reproductions and will sell them for $60. anyone know what that means? if they're flashcarts can't this guy go to jail?[/QUOTE]

He's talking about stuff like this: www.timewalkgames.com

[quote name='needler420']The reason you find jack at your goodwill is because you're busy making posts that make people aware of the prices.

Then when you go game hunting you wonder why you find overpriced junk.[/QUOTE]

Won't see me posting the Yahoo or Kotaku articles anywhere. Whenever I'm asked if old video games are worth anything I give an honest yet short answer. Most NES games are worthless at less than a $1-$2 a piece, some of the more valuable ones range in the $10-$50 range and the remaining dozen or so titles make up the bulk of the crazy prices you see in news articles (Stadium Events, NWC, a few of the unlicensed games, etc.).

It's not that I won't make a fair offer to buy a person's games. It's that far too often people get the idea in their head that the NES and 10 games in the closest must be worth at least $500. I won't waste my time arguing with those people. Worse yet is the person who wants 100% of the first BIN eBay auction they see and you have to explain the eBay auction was for a sealed VGA graded game and that the cart only game they initialed with permanent marker are the same in name only.
 
Isn't the real #-o moment in this story not that some lady bought the game at Goodwill for $8, but that someone else gave it away to Goodwill? :p

The real question now is, will they claim it on their taxes as a $20k donation? :rofl:
 
My Goodwill doesn't even have video games...

The most amazing part is that it has a minimal amount of yellowing/oxidation for being nearly 26 years old. My SNES is made of plastic and yellowed in about 10 years. A video game collector must have died and his/her relatives donated everything to Goodwill, although I'm wondering why Goodwill would remove the sealed/graded case if that were true.

Could also be a Chinese knockoff, though. They seem to be able to reproduce anything...
 
[quote name='Blade']My Goodwill doesn't even have video games...

The most amazing part is that it has a minimal amount of yellowing/oxidation for being nearly 26 years old. My SNES is made of plastic and yellowed in about 10 years. A video game collector must have died and his/her relatives donated everything to Goodwill, although I'm wondering why Goodwill would remove the sealed/graded case if that were true.

Could also be a Chinese knockoff, though. They seem to be able to reproduce anything...[/QUOTE]



yeah, if it's still going to be submitted to VGA, I'll give it a chance at being real. If not, I'm skeptical. It's insane that a) a bunch of rare stuff showed up at goodwill at once and b) that goodwill didn't even check the prices, considering how much stuff they list online these days. I'd be surprised if there wasn't training for volunteers or whoever on that (to look out for rare media.)
 
Guys this story is totally true. I have been a cag awhile and i have no reason to lie.. i was the one who found the family fun fitness athletic world at the same good will on the same day before she bought stadium events. I have been replaying that day back in my head forever.. i did end up selling my fffaw for 450 to a collector I am not too down..
 
[quote name='Seraphinianus']yeah, if it's still going to be submitted to VGA, I'll give it a chance at being real. If not, I'm skeptical. It's insane that a) a bunch of rare stuff showed up at goodwill at once and b) that goodwill didn't even check the prices, considering how much stuff they list online these days. I'd be surprised if there wasn't training for volunteers or whoever on that (to look out for rare media.)[/QUOTE]

Good wills in Charlotte are supposed to send all games to goodwill computer store on freedom drive but that goodwill probably received the box as a donation and just put it on the floor. If you look up my username on nintendoage forums, you will see my post about the othes games i bought but they aren't worth much but all in great shape.
 
Well if this is indeed true all it is going to do is make every goodwill check every game online and there goes the awesome deals some of us used to get. Personally it won't matter to me as I've never gotten a video game deal at goodwill. (All overpriced sports crap) but other gamers in other states are going to miss out. :cry:
 
[quote name='Lord Darias']Well if this is indeed true all it is going to do is make every goodwill check every game online and there goes the awesome deals some of us used to get. Personally it won't matter to me as I've never gotten a video game deal at goodwill. (All overpriced sports crap) but other gamers in other states are going to miss out. :cry:[/QUOTE]

goodwills in charlotte already do this.. but these fell through the cracks.. at the goodwill computer store they have conkers bad fur day for $70 and pikmin 2 for gamecube for 18 and castlevania and pokemons all at ebay prices..
 
My question is for those goodwill's who are selling games at ebay prices, are these games tested, cleaned and working, or are they off the shelf yard sale type finds where they are completely untested? If they are untested and there is no warranty or return policy you are getting a poor value, as everything on ebay comes with buyer protection at least, so you may as well just buy it there if you are going to pay the same price at GW. Most of the Pokemons have dead batteries by now unless its a DS game, some sellers on ebay replace the batteries so the games work properly, this is why they get higher prices, they have a clean, tested and working product. I don't think GW is replacing the batteries on cart GB or GBA games. This is always my attitude when it comes to places and people who seem to think that game they found in the basement is worth the highest ebay price, are you willing to do the work to get the game up to ebay standards??
 
[quote name='SaraAB']My question is for those goodwill's who are selling games at ebay prices, are these games tested, cleaned and working, or are they off the shelf yard sale type finds where they are completely untested? If they are untested and there is no warranty or return policy you are getting a poor value, as everything on ebay comes with buyer protection at least, so you may as well just buy it there if you are going to pay the same price at GW. Most of the Pokemons have dead batteries by now unless its a DS game, some sellers on ebay replace the batteries so the games work properly, this is why they get higher prices, they have a clean, tested and working product. I don't think GW is replacing the batteries on cart GB or GBA games. This is always my attitude when it comes to places and people who seem to think that game they found in the basement is worth the highest ebay price, are you willing to do the work to get the game up to ebay standards??[/QUOTE]

the goodwill has a 7 day return policy.. also they have in house ''technicians'' who work with all laptops, consoles and printers.. so they might refurbish games.. its not like a normal goodwill, its all electronics..
 
[quote name='mitemouse']the goodwill has a 7 day return policy.. also they have in house ''technicians'' who work with all laptops, consoles and printers.. so they might refurbish games.. its not like a normal goodwill, its all electronics..[/QUOTE]

Yea, I posted in the Thrift Store thread that a Goodwill employee told me that they do select repairs on video games and have dedicated personnel trained to repair.
 
[quote name='spmahn']Seriously, this guy is buying copies of In Justice from Wal-Mart and reselling him at the store? I don't know anything about this guy personally, but the impression I get just from 2 minutes of looking on his Facebook page is that he is the dirt worst scumbag scalper.[/QUOTE]
Not only that, but did you see his used game prices? 32.99 for a used Battlefront 2 for xbox? That's fucking highway robbery.
 
[quote name='CaptainJoel']Not only that, but did you see his used game prices? 32.99 for a used Battlefront 2 for xbox? That's fucking highway robbery.[/QUOTE]

Not a bad price if u want it. I recently sold 2 copies on ebay. One nice one for $53 and a refurbed one for $40. The ps2 version is the cheap one.
 
[quote name='CaptainJoel']Not only that, but did you see his used game prices? 32.99 for a used Battlefront 2 for xbox? That's fucking highway robbery.[/QUOTE]

Honestly though, as scummy as this guy and his business may be, I can't blame him. Retro gaming is hot right now, secondhand prices for NES and SNES stuff is at all time highs, and keep increasing. The demand is out there, and there's plenty of uninformed people willing to pay inflated prices even above and beyond what you'd pay online.


Granted, I'm not so sure the market is big enough to sustain the overhead costs of a retail operation, but there is certainly money to be made. Now is the time to hit up your flea markets, your tag sales, and your thrift shops folks, I predict that prices will peak this year, so act fast and beat the competition.
 
[quote name='spmahn']Honestly though, as scummy as this guy and his business may be, I can't blame him. Retro gaming is hot right now, secondhand prices for NES and SNES stuff is at all time highs, and keep increasing. The demand is out there, and there's plenty of uninformed people willing to pay inflated prices even above and beyond what you'd pay online.


Granted, I'm not so sure the market is big enough to sustain the overhead costs of a retail operation, but there is certainly money to be made. Now is the time to hit up your flea markets, your tag sales, and your thrift shops folks, I predict that prices will peak this year, so act fast and beat the competition.[/QUOTE]

I have been to this store only once and talked to the owner for about an hour about my FFF Athetic World and his business.. He started his business after being a retro collector for years. He uses http://videogames.pricecharting.com/ for his prices and that seems fair. He also pays 40% cash or 60% credit on that same price for trade ins. Also he is not very lenient about the condition of the trade ins that he accepts so his inventory is very clean. I have only met this guy once and I actually trusted him enough to call him when I was getting offers for my FFF AW to get guidance..
 
[quote name='mitemouse']I have been to this store only once and talked to the owner for about an hour about my FFF Athetic World and his business.. He started his business after being a retro collector for years. He uses http://videogames.pricecharting.com/ for his prices and that seems fair. He also pays 40% cash or 60% credit on that same price for trade ins. Also he is not very lenient about the condition of the trade ins that he accepts so his inventory is very clean. I have only met this guy once and I actually trusted him enough to call him when I was getting offers for my FFF AW to get guidance..[/QUOTE]

What I don't get, and this applys to Goodwill or gaming stores, or anyone with a brick and mortar presence, is if you expect to sell your games in store at eBay prices, why even bother having a store and the expenses that go along with it? Why not just sell your stuff online and cut out the overhead?
 
[quote name='spmahn']What I don't get, and this applys to Goodwill or gaming stores, or anyone with a brick and mortar presence, is if you expect to sell your games in store at eBay prices, why even bother having a store and the expenses that go along with it? Why not just sell your stuff online and cut out the overhead?[/QUOTE]

Goodwill has no business looking up stuff and expecting Ebay prices because all that sh1t was donated, they didnt pay a freakin penny for anything! Most GWs arent going to test anything beyond plugging it into the wall socket. They arent going to clean the item or ship the item anywhere. And they wont be paying any type of fees.

As far as gaming stores I have the complete opposite feelings. Theyre whole business is being resellers of video games. Thats the point of their store. Sure some of the prices are high but if people are buying stuff then good for them!
 
[quote name='spmahn']What I don't get, and this applys to Goodwill or gaming stores, or anyone with a brick and mortar presence, is if you expect to sell your games in store at eBay prices, why even bother having a store and the expenses that go along with it? Why not just sell your stuff online and cut out the overhead?[/QUOTE]

Having a B&M Presence has serious advantages over online selling:

1. Trade ins. Having people bring them to you as opposed to have to go out and get everything is a huge advantage.

2. Community. Building a strong gaming community in your local market. If you have a good selection and competitive prices then people will want to bring their stuff to you and buy stuff from you rather than going to gamestop or going online.

3. Getting $7.95 for a game in store is better than getting $4.95 + 3.00 shipping online. Lower priced titles that aren't typically worth the time to sell online are much more worth it to sell in store.

4. DVDs A huge anount of my sales were from DVDs last year...people love coming into the store and getting 4 dvds for $10...I could never get that online.

5. Accessories. Another major profit maker that you can get with a B&M shop as compared to selling exclusively online.

6. Stress level. Having a store and employees who do the work for you is so much less stressful than selling online that you wouldn't beleive it.

There's many more advantages but those are a few of the big ones. I've only had my B%M store for just over a year, but in that time, i've done 4x the sales than i did in my best year selling online exclusively with 1/3 of the actual work.
 
[quote name='mitemouse']Good wills in Charlotte are supposed to send all games to goodwill computer store on freedom drive but that goodwill probably received the box as a donation and just put it on the floor. If you look up my username on nintendoage forums, you will see my post about the othes games i bought but they aren't worth much but all in great shape.[/QUOTE]


I'm not doubting you as much as I'm doubting the Stadium Events find. but I guess it would make more sense to doubt both or neither. In any case, that's always my first reaction to these things, been like that through countless digipress miracle find stories :lol:

I'm glad you got $450, that's a great turnaround and still better than any find most of us have had.


[quote name='spmahn']What I don't get, and this applys to Goodwill or gaming stores, or anyone with a brick and mortar presence, is if you expect to sell your games in store at eBay prices, why even bother having a store and the expenses that go along with it? Why not just sell your stuff online and cut out the overhead?[/QUOTE]


I have a local store that more or less does this and it's great. I get to check out the item first and I don't have to wait for shipping. The guy also happens to maintain an immaculate store with a ton of stock, so it's very reliable. Occasionally things are over + underpriced depending on whether he has updated. Usually, the price I pay at his store for a complete copy is the same I would pay online for a disc only, which is usually a big difference, especially with rarer games.

I like it because in recent years, every used store in my area became ebay-aware, but they have been terrible and inconsistent at pricing. Sometimes it works in my favor, sometimes it doesn't--a half price books i went to had a SOTN guide, all messed up condition, for $75 and behind lock and key. Meanwhile, they've got a zelda guide for $5 that was worth $35--the same price that the SOTN guide is roughly worth online. :lol: More commonly, they've got something like Baldur's Gate 2 PS2 marked at $40, but no manual, a messed up insert, and covered in dried up chocolate syrup...these people just don't know what they're doing or how to attract buyers.

But I can rely on the guy who prices using common collector's prices. These aren't "online prices," they're just what these things are actually worth--what people are buying and selling them for.

But I do agree, owning a game store with overhead is risky as hell, unless you can get established and a steady stream of loyal customers and good word of mouth to bring in trades.
 
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I think it largely depends on your area, over here if I tried to set up shop it would be a disaster and I would definitely lose money. I know a big time reseller who actually pulled out of this area and have seen many other independent game shops fold during my time living here. This tells me there just isn't a market for it here. If you live in a town where there is no other independent game sellers and no pawn shops you might be able to make it, especially if there isn't a gamestop in town. Our area is just littered with hybrid cell phone shops with a rack of video games, and seedy pawn shops, and a cell phone shop literately on every street corner. However all the dedicated video game shops I have seen come to this area fail.

I visit the local flea market where electronics and video games are so overdone it would be pointless to set up shop, besides the market might be shutting down anyways so that would cause other problems. I deal with a vendor there sometimes and they don't make much money, barely enough to cover rent.

As far as prices I have no problem with a video game shop charging whatever they want to for games, if I don't want to buy then no one is forcing me to but a thrift is a different story, they are getting the stuff for free and they are supposed to be a charity. A game shop is a business and is set up as so. Even if they are refurbishing stuff there is no guarantee on the work, and it could be shoddy for all I know so I am not paying top dollar for unknown type refurbishing work. A person with the skill to actually repair these things so they will work for years to come is not going to be volunteering at goodwill for free or working for the wages that goodwill pays if they even pay at all. I have a friend into game repair and it requires very specialized equipment and skills in electronics to do it right. I expect prices to be reasonable at a thrift, I am also not expecting top quality perfect condition games, not $50 for some old game that is dirty on the outside, contacts not cleaned and rusted on the inside.
 
[quote name='Gamer SDP']so basically what I thought - personalized flash carts and not worth buying[/QUOTE]

they are pretty cool but prices are ridiculous, $60-$70 for ROMs? seriosuly?
 
[quote name='Dark Lord Greg']they are pretty cool but prices are ridiculous, $60-$70 for ROMs? seriosuly?[/QUOTE]


they are on custom made carts with high quality, full color packaging, manual, inserts, etc.

also, they're all sold out, so yes, seriously.


Bunch of news stories about Stadium Events everywhere. It's valued at $38,000 apparently? Thought it would be worth more. and of course, lots of idiots saying "lol nobody will pay that much." :roll:
 
[quote name='Seraphinianus']


Bunch of news stories about Stadium Events everywhere. It's valued at $38,000 apparently? Thought it would be worth more. and of course, lots of idiots saying "lol nobody will pay that much." :roll:[/QUOTE]

Because nobody has paid that much, that 40k auction went to someone that ditched payment :roll:
 
I'll be honest. I never even heard of this game until IGN posted a link to GameGavel.com showing that someone found one at Goodwill and is now trying to sell it.
 
[quote name='renique46']Because nobody has paid that much, that 40k auction went to someone that ditched payment :roll:[/QUOTE]



The response were like "nobody would pay that much for a video game" as in, they don't believe collectors exist.


:roll:

:)
 
[quote name='Seraphinianus']The response were like "nobody would pay that much for a video game" as in, they don't believe collectors exist.


:roll:

:)
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, collectors do exist, but the number of collectors out there with the dinero to drop on a crap video game like this has to be very, very few. This woman sounds a little crazy, but I imagine the game will ultimately sell for between 10 - 15 grand.
 
no manual, ripped box- sold for $11,500
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stadium-Events-NES-/271186315376?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3f23f6c870


of course it's only a handful of people crazy enough to do this, but you only need one to make a sale. NWC grey cart sells for $11k. Or $17k if you want a couple of extra pieces of paper and plastic that say "nintendo" on them to go with it:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Ultimat...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

of course, that one was also sold by howard philips himself, which helped.
 
I'm sure if some of the white-knights on here found this for $8 they would have informed the store manager immediately and offered $15,000 cash right?!
 
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