Thrift Store Thread 2011
- Thread starter elessar123
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[quote name='TheAngryCAG']I've completely given up on my local thrift stores and good wills. When they price loose NES games at $18.99 each, you know it's time to give up.[/QUOTE]
that sucks. goodwill stores around here have a fixed price on game.
$5.99 for vintage games (snes, nes, ps1, dreamcast, genesis, ps2, gamecube, etc.)
$14.99 for newer games (ps3, wii, 360, etc.)
that sucks. goodwill stores around here have a fixed price on game.
$5.99 for vintage games (snes, nes, ps1, dreamcast, genesis, ps2, gamecube, etc.)
$14.99 for newer games (ps3, wii, 360, etc.)
thegreatjuanito
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yeah my trips to goodwills have turned into like once every couple months if even that, i dont bother anymore
after i mentioned earlier on this thread that they are shipping a lot of games out to their auction site or other large resellers its been horrible out there
nothing makes it to the floor anymore... goodwill sold out...literally
i dont see how it will be good for them in the long run but whatevs
we dont dare donate anything to goodwill and we tell everyone we can NOT to donate to goodwill
they arent about their community anymore
after i mentioned earlier on this thread that they are shipping a lot of games out to their auction site or other large resellers its been horrible out there
nothing makes it to the floor anymore... goodwill sold out...literally
i dont see how it will be good for them in the long run but whatevs
we dont dare donate anything to goodwill and we tell everyone we can NOT to donate to goodwill
they arent about their community anymore
slowdive21
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I hit a goodwill for a few minutes and it was packed. I saw a couple of guys that I know are resellers, which instantly reminded my why I avoid that store. I did pick up a Madonna Truth or Dare Laserdisc for $1.
I saw something at Savers today which really pissed me off. As I was checking out, an employee came from the back with a box filled with NES, SNES, PS1, and Gamecube games that looked like they had just been donated. The games clearly had not been sorted, priced, or placed on the shelf, and immediately went from the back into this employees hands. For the whole box, he only charged himself $60, which is way below the value of what Savers normally charges for that type of stuff. It's no wonder when you walk into Savers all you see is overpriced crap that looks like it has already been picked over. What the hell is the point of even staying in business if you're going to allow your employees to cherry pick anything of even marginal interest or value to your customers?
I know Goodwill does this on occasion for their own purposes, which is fine since they run the business, but I know for a fact it's against their policy for employees to purchase items unless they have been on the shelf at least a day or two. Normally I don't get this angry, but seeing this really bothered me a lot, enough even to shoot a nasty e-mail about the situation to their corporate office. It's bad enough that Savers prices nearly all of their video games at or above the market price on Amazon, but this is just too much.
I know Goodwill does this on occasion for their own purposes, which is fine since they run the business, but I know for a fact it's against their policy for employees to purchase items unless they have been on the shelf at least a day or two. Normally I don't get this angry, but seeing this really bothered me a lot, enough even to shoot a nasty e-mail about the situation to their corporate office. It's bad enough that Savers prices nearly all of their video games at or above the market price on Amazon, but this is just too much.
V
Virtua
Guest
Thrift shops suck because every dipshit with a computer thinks all games made before 1997 are worth money
Another good tag of Target returns at Goodwill. Got Forza 4 for 360 and Battlefield 3 for PS3 for $25 each and Family Feud 2012 for Wii for $15. With Amazon's fee's being so outrageous, the profit margin on this stuff is starting to get thinner and thinner, but since most items I flip sell real quick and it doesn't take much effort to stick them in a bubble mailer and bring them to the post office, it's still worth it even if I'm only making $7 - $10 per item in profit.
[quote name='spmahn']Another good tag of Target returns at Goodwill. Got Forza 4 for 360 and Battlefield 3 for PS3 for $25 each and Family Feud 2012 for Wii for $15. With Amazon's fee's being so outrageous, the profit margin on this stuff is starting to get thinner and thinner, but since most items I flip sell real quick and it doesn't take much effort to stick them in a bubble mailer and bring them to the post office, it's still worth it even if I'm only making $7 - $10 per item in profit.[/QUOTE]
Amazon fees aren't that bad, if you're a Pro Merchant. It's well worth the $40/mo to save $1 per sale if you sell more than 40 things a month. the problem is everyone and their mother hoarding and flipping now that's driving the prices down on Amazon.
Amazon fees aren't that bad, if you're a Pro Merchant. It's well worth the $40/mo to save $1 per sale if you sell more than 40 things a month. the problem is everyone and their mother hoarding and flipping now that's driving the prices down on Amazon.
[quote name='sp00ge']Amazon fees aren't that bad, if you're a Pro Merchant. It's well worth the $40/mo to save $1 per sale if you sell more than 40 things a month. the problem is everyone and their mother hoarding and flipping now that's driving the prices down on Amazon.[/QUOTE]
My biggest gripe with Amazon is that they won't do anything to increase the amount they allocate you for shipping to make it even close to realistic. Hell, it's not even consistent from one item to the next. I've sold action figures that cost $6.00 + a 60 cent box from Wal-Mart to ship that they only give me $2.99 in shipping expense for, while I've sold games in CD Jewel cases that I threw in a bubble mailer and sent out for less than $2, and Amazon provides me $5.99 for shipping. I have no idea where they come up with their rates, but it's just outrageous, shipping is only getting more expensive and is slowly eroding any profits you might make. At least they're not bad as eBay who tries to convince sellers to list with free shipping so they can profit from higher final value fees. What a scam.
My biggest gripe with Amazon is that they won't do anything to increase the amount they allocate you for shipping to make it even close to realistic. Hell, it's not even consistent from one item to the next. I've sold action figures that cost $6.00 + a 60 cent box from Wal-Mart to ship that they only give me $2.99 in shipping expense for, while I've sold games in CD Jewel cases that I threw in a bubble mailer and sent out for less than $2, and Amazon provides me $5.99 for shipping. I have no idea where they come up with their rates, but it's just outrageous, shipping is only getting more expensive and is slowly eroding any profits you might make. At least they're not bad as eBay who tries to convince sellers to list with free shipping so they can profit from higher final value fees. What a scam.
IAmTheCheapestGamer
Banned
[quote name='spmahn']I saw something at Savers today which really pissed me off. As I was checking out, an employee came from the back with a box filled with NES, SNES, PS1, and Gamecube games that looked like they had just been donated. The games clearly had not been sorted, priced, or placed on the shelf, and immediately went from the back into this employees hands. For the whole box, he only charged himself $60, which is way below the value of what Savers normally charges for that type of stuff. It's no wonder when you walk into Savers all you see is overpriced crap that looks like it has already been picked over. What the hell is the point of even staying in business if you're going to allow your employees to cherry pick anything of even marginal interest or value to your customers?
I know Goodwill does this on occasion for their own purposes, which is fine since they run the business, but I know for a fact it's against their policy for employees to purchase items unless they have been on the shelf at least a day or two. Normally I don't get this angry, but seeing this really bothered me a lot, enough even to shoot a nasty e-mail about the situation to their corporate office. It's bad enough that Savers prices nearly all of their video games at or above the market price on Amazon, but this is just too much.[/QUOTE]
This was the ONLY reason I wanted to get a job a while ago with one of the local Salvation Army stores. I can only imagine the level of shit that DOESN'T make it to the sales floor since I have a feeling a few of their employees are doing the same thing you witnessed.
To me that is a perk of working for the place. But what I would get annoyed about would be if employees were holding shit for their friends/family. I saw a ton of that when some of the Blockbuster stores were going through liquidation sales around here and entire drawers were overloaded with virtually every recent game or Blu-Ray/DVD.
[quote name='spmahn']My biggest gripe with Amazon is that they won't do anything to increase the amount they allocate you for shipping to make it even close to realistic. Hell, it's not even consistent from one item to the next. I've sold action figures that cost $6.00 + a 60 cent box from Wal-Mart to ship that they only give me $2.99 in shipping expense for, while I've sold games in CD Jewel cases that I threw in a bubble mailer and sent out for less than $2, and Amazon provides me $5.99 for shipping. I have no idea where they come up with their rates, but it's just outrageous, shipping is only getting more expensive and is slowly eroding any profits you might make. At least they're not bad as eBay who tries to convince sellers to list with free shipping so they can profit from higher final value fees. What a scam.[/QUOTE]
This is why I only sell the higher priced items I have on Amazon, since I can just make up for the lower shipping costs($3-4 for a Black Ops Prestige edition) by jacking up my price a bunch.
Of course, when I do sell those higher priced items on there I also do signature confirmation from whichever shipping service I used(USPS, UPS, etc).
I know Goodwill does this on occasion for their own purposes, which is fine since they run the business, but I know for a fact it's against their policy for employees to purchase items unless they have been on the shelf at least a day or two. Normally I don't get this angry, but seeing this really bothered me a lot, enough even to shoot a nasty e-mail about the situation to their corporate office. It's bad enough that Savers prices nearly all of their video games at or above the market price on Amazon, but this is just too much.[/QUOTE]
This was the ONLY reason I wanted to get a job a while ago with one of the local Salvation Army stores. I can only imagine the level of shit that DOESN'T make it to the sales floor since I have a feeling a few of their employees are doing the same thing you witnessed.
To me that is a perk of working for the place. But what I would get annoyed about would be if employees were holding shit for their friends/family. I saw a ton of that when some of the Blockbuster stores were going through liquidation sales around here and entire drawers were overloaded with virtually every recent game or Blu-Ray/DVD.
[quote name='spmahn']My biggest gripe with Amazon is that they won't do anything to increase the amount they allocate you for shipping to make it even close to realistic. Hell, it's not even consistent from one item to the next. I've sold action figures that cost $6.00 + a 60 cent box from Wal-Mart to ship that they only give me $2.99 in shipping expense for, while I've sold games in CD Jewel cases that I threw in a bubble mailer and sent out for less than $2, and Amazon provides me $5.99 for shipping. I have no idea where they come up with their rates, but it's just outrageous, shipping is only getting more expensive and is slowly eroding any profits you might make. At least they're not bad as eBay who tries to convince sellers to list with free shipping so they can profit from higher final value fees. What a scam.[/QUOTE]
This is why I only sell the higher priced items I have on Amazon, since I can just make up for the lower shipping costs($3-4 for a Black Ops Prestige edition
) by jacking up my price a bunch.Of course, when I do sell those higher priced items on there I also do signature confirmation from whichever shipping service I used(USPS, UPS, etc).
[quote name='spmahn']My biggest gripe with Amazon is that they won't do anything to increase the amount they allocate you for shipping to make it even close to realistic. Hell, it's not even consistent from one item to the next. I've sold action figures that cost $6.00 + a 60 cent box from Wal-Mart to ship that they only give me $2.99 in shipping expense for, while I've sold games in CD Jewel cases that I threw in a bubble mailer and sent out for less than $2, and Amazon provides me $5.99 for shipping. I have no idea where they come up with their rates, but it's just outrageous, shipping is only getting more expensive and is slowly eroding any profits you might make. At least they're not bad as eBay who tries to convince sellers to list with free shipping so they can profit from higher final value fees. What a scam.[/QUOTE]
Well, being a larger seller, I have packing supplies out the wazoo, buying in bulk is huge money-saver. In the past few months I went from overusing priority boxes to (unless the item is of high value) giving them a good wrapping with bubble wrap (the bubble size varies depending on the potential fragility of the item) and tossing them in a sealable poly bag. Cuts down on weight and most of my stuff makes it under the 13oz first class cut-off.
I have yet to have a single complaint about it, and I actually get a lot of "well-packed" feedback.
Well, being a larger seller, I have packing supplies out the wazoo, buying in bulk is huge money-saver. In the past few months I went from overusing priority boxes to (unless the item is of high value) giving them a good wrapping with bubble wrap (the bubble size varies depending on the potential fragility of the item) and tossing them in a sealable poly bag. Cuts down on weight and most of my stuff makes it under the 13oz first class cut-off.
I have yet to have a single complaint about it, and I actually get a lot of "well-packed" feedback.
I found some odd things at my thrift over the holidays (foreign CD's, but we won't get into it here), you can still find things at the thrift but you have to be careful and you will not find things you can profit on often. The resellers and employees can't catch everything, so valuable stuff does make it to the shelves it might just not make it to the shelves in the places you think it will. You also have to consider the whole thrift, not just one department.
Electronics and games are probably the most picked over items for reselling, so those probably go first, thus you have less of a chance of finding stuff in there. However I would pillage the clothing racks and stuffed animal bins, my local SA charges .29 for any stuffed animal and I recently got a cool 1981 pac man plush there. If you can find brand name older stuffed animals with tags on them then you can do well, thrift store employees also aren't going to be able to spot that rare stuffed animal either. If you can get a brand name pair of jeans in great condition for $5 then sell them for $30 on ebay then you are doing well. There are clothing resellers out there but I don't think they are as rapant as game resellers, as clothing takes considerably more effort to list on ebay and pick out from the store but if you are willing to make the effort then there are finds to be had. You also have to be really picky about condition as people on ebay won't buy clothing if it has damage and you have to look very closely at clothing since clothing buyers are extremely picky.
Electronics and games are probably the most picked over items for reselling, so those probably go first, thus you have less of a chance of finding stuff in there. However I would pillage the clothing racks and stuffed animal bins, my local SA charges .29 for any stuffed animal and I recently got a cool 1981 pac man plush there. If you can find brand name older stuffed animals with tags on them then you can do well, thrift store employees also aren't going to be able to spot that rare stuffed animal either. If you can get a brand name pair of jeans in great condition for $5 then sell them for $30 on ebay then you are doing well. There are clothing resellers out there but I don't think they are as rapant as game resellers, as clothing takes considerably more effort to list on ebay and pick out from the store but if you are willing to make the effort then there are finds to be had. You also have to be really picky about condition as people on ebay won't buy clothing if it has damage and you have to look very closely at clothing since clothing buyers are extremely picky.
IAmTheCheapestGamer
Banned
One of my parents went back to school to learn how to run a computer to do basic stuff when they were laid off in the late 90's and their teacher at the school used to eBay clothes from the thrift stores around here.
One thing I get a chuckle over is the sheer numbers of Ty Beanie Babies that I've seen floating around various Salvation Army/Goodwill stores as of late. People used to hoard those and then the bottom fell out of the market on them I guess. The one SA store here had a whole collection of them for $1.50 each along with multiple magazines/books on the 'value' of each.:lol:
One thing I get a chuckle over is the sheer numbers of Ty Beanie Babies that I've seen floating around various Salvation Army/Goodwill stores as of late. People used to hoard those and then the bottom fell out of the market on them I guess. The one SA store here had a whole collection of them for $1.50 each along with multiple magazines/books on the 'value' of each.:lol:
[quote name='SaraAB']I found some odd things at my thrift over the holidays (foreign CD's, but we won't get into it here), you can still find things at the thrift but you have to be careful and you will not find things you can profit on often. The resellers and employees can't catch everything, so valuable stuff does make it to the shelves it might just not make it to the shelves in the places you think it will. You also have to consider the whole thrift, not just one department.
Electronics and games are probably the most picked over items for reselling, so those probably go first, thus you have less of a chance of finding stuff in there. However I would pillage the clothing racks and stuffed animal bins, my local SA charges .29 for any stuffed animal and I recently got a cool 1981 pac man plush there. If you can find brand name older stuffed animals with tags on them then you can do well, thrift store employees also aren't going to be able to spot that rare stuffed animal either. If you can get a brand name pair of jeans in great condition for $5 then sell them for $30 on ebay then you are doing well. There are clothing resellers out there but I don't think they are as rapant as game resellers, as clothing takes considerably more effort to list on ebay and pick out from the store but if you are willing to make the effort then there are finds to be had. You also have to be really picky about condition as people on ebay won't buy clothing if it has damage and you have to look very closely at clothing since clothing buyers are extremely picky.[/QUOTE]
I always check out the obscure CDs, as those have more potential value than anything that was popular (and sold millions of copies).
Plush is definitely a profitable way to go, as long as you know what you are looking for. One GW around here always has an overabundance of plush, and usually has a big pallet sized box filled with them for .25/ea. I've found (and sold) a few plush worth $100 or more. The downside of plush is their tendency to retain odor, so you need a strong nose and a good method for disinfecting/deodorizing.
As far as reselling clothes, there are a few people that hit up the GW outlet that do that. One family will snatch up 90% of the shoes when they get put out, literally piling 3-4 cartloads of shoes with each go. I recently found out they take them to one of the bigger flea markets out of state and sell them for $5/pair, after paying roughly $.60-1.00 per pair.
Electronics and games are probably the most picked over items for reselling, so those probably go first, thus you have less of a chance of finding stuff in there. However I would pillage the clothing racks and stuffed animal bins, my local SA charges .29 for any stuffed animal and I recently got a cool 1981 pac man plush there. If you can find brand name older stuffed animals with tags on them then you can do well, thrift store employees also aren't going to be able to spot that rare stuffed animal either. If you can get a brand name pair of jeans in great condition for $5 then sell them for $30 on ebay then you are doing well. There are clothing resellers out there but I don't think they are as rapant as game resellers, as clothing takes considerably more effort to list on ebay and pick out from the store but if you are willing to make the effort then there are finds to be had. You also have to be really picky about condition as people on ebay won't buy clothing if it has damage and you have to look very closely at clothing since clothing buyers are extremely picky.[/QUOTE]
I always check out the obscure CDs, as those have more potential value than anything that was popular (and sold millions of copies).
Plush is definitely a profitable way to go, as long as you know what you are looking for. One GW around here always has an overabundance of plush, and usually has a big pallet sized box filled with them for .25/ea. I've found (and sold) a few plush worth $100 or more. The downside of plush is their tendency to retain odor, so you need a strong nose and a good method for disinfecting/deodorizing.
As far as reselling clothes, there are a few people that hit up the GW outlet that do that. One family will snatch up 90% of the shoes when they get put out, literally piling 3-4 cartloads of shoes with each go. I recently found out they take them to one of the bigger flea markets out of state and sell them for $5/pair, after paying roughly $.60-1.00 per pair.
TheAngryCAG
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I'd like to complain about stuff never making it to the floor of a thrift store or goodwill, but I honestly can't. When I was an employee of a game store, any time a good trade-in game in or we got a copy of Tetris DS in sealed, I bought it for myself.
My big complaint is the price mark up and not ever for myself. I always thought that Goodwills and thrift stores were for less fortunate people, so I hate to see a Gamecube with 1 controller for $60, especially if it's unknown if it works and you can't return it if it doesn't.
I rarely venture to the thrift stores or goodwills around me anymore, though I've thought about doing it more often so I can try and turn the selling online thing into an actual living. My biggest problem is my limited knowledge, I'm pretty good with games, cameras (which you'll rarely ever find anything good at a thrift store or goodwill) and a bit about toys.
My big complaint is the price mark up and not ever for myself. I always thought that Goodwills and thrift stores were for less fortunate people, so I hate to see a Gamecube with 1 controller for $60, especially if it's unknown if it works and you can't return it if it doesn't.
I rarely venture to the thrift stores or goodwills around me anymore, though I've thought about doing it more often so I can try and turn the selling online thing into an actual living. My biggest problem is my limited knowledge, I'm pretty good with games, cameras (which you'll rarely ever find anything good at a thrift store or goodwill) and a bit about toys.
Had a decent day at Goodwill after a few weeks of it being dead.
20.xx for everything. Should make it back plus a little bit on the human anatomy learning game. The Saturn cords and controllers seem to have walked off, but if they turn up they said they'd put them aside for me. Hoping some games came in too, so I'll be stopping back tomorrow.
20.xx for everything. Should make it back plus a little bit on the human anatomy learning game. The Saturn cords and controllers seem to have walked off, but if they turn up they said they'd put them aside for me. Hoping some games came in too, so I'll be stopping back tomorrow.
[quote name='TheAngryCAG']
My big complaint is the price mark up and not ever for myself. I always thought that Goodwills and thrift stores were for less fortunate people, so I hate to see a Gamecube with 1 controller for $60, especially if it's unknown if it works and you can't return it if it doesn't.[/QUOTE]
This is a common misnomer with people. Goodwill and Salvation Army stores aren't intended to be shopping destinations for the poor, in fact it's usually the opposite, when you go into these stores now, it's usually older middle class women shopping there looking for bargains. Lately when Goodwill opens new locations, they're usually located in middle to high end shopping plazas in high income localities.
Neither the Salvation Army nor Goodwill mention anything about poor people in their mission statements or business objectives. Goodwill uses their retail stores to provide funding and outlets for job training for the mentally challenged. Salvation Army was originally founded as a Christian ministry and still retains a religious identity in their business practices today but they do a wide variety of different things, including helping the poor, but it's hardly what they do exclusively.
My big complaint is the price mark up and not ever for myself. I always thought that Goodwills and thrift stores were for less fortunate people, so I hate to see a Gamecube with 1 controller for $60, especially if it's unknown if it works and you can't return it if it doesn't.[/QUOTE]
This is a common misnomer with people. Goodwill and Salvation Army stores aren't intended to be shopping destinations for the poor, in fact it's usually the opposite, when you go into these stores now, it's usually older middle class women shopping there looking for bargains. Lately when Goodwill opens new locations, they're usually located in middle to high end shopping plazas in high income localities.
Neither the Salvation Army nor Goodwill mention anything about poor people in their mission statements or business objectives. Goodwill uses their retail stores to provide funding and outlets for job training for the mentally challenged. Salvation Army was originally founded as a Christian ministry and still retains a religious identity in their business practices today but they do a wide variety of different things, including helping the poor, but it's hardly what they do exclusively.
juangrande386
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I do agree with the whole "employees keeping the good stuff" but that doesnt stop me from going because they obviously still miss stuff. The GW that tries to individually price games that arent sports obviously didnt bother to see what my GAME&WATCH goes for online. Sometimes I see employees there who worked at other GWs before and they still price stuff like their old place. ($5-$20 for a system, $1-$4 for a game VS $20-$50 for a system and price match the gamestore on games).
Picked up some meh PS1 games at another thrift today for $1 each, The Next Tetris, Battlestations, and Frogger, along with a Greatest Hits copy of Crash Bandicoot also for $1. The Crash Bandicoot sold almost instantly on Amazon for $14.99
Also, my $25 copies of Battlefield 3 and Forza 4 sold for $35.99 and $41.99 respectively, so I didn't do too bad there either.
Also, my $25 copies of Battlefield 3 and Forza 4 sold for $35.99 and $41.99 respectively, so I didn't do too bad there either.
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Was at Goodwill this morning and spotted some SNES boxed games but then I saw the titles . . . Monopoly, Vegas Stakes, Yoshi Safari, Gameboy Player, Wheel of Fortune . . . all marked .99.
Of course the main question is what games did they have that I missed out on?
I picked up Yoshi and the Gameboy player. At the checkout I said "these are pretty neat." The clerk says, "yeah, we've had a ton of these Mario-type games lately." but then didn't have specifics.
So, now I'm haunted by what I missed . . . if someone scooped some great complete games for .99 each (who knows what they got), they should've had the decency to spend another $5 and pick up everything.
Game stuff goes instantly at my local stores.
[quote name='sp00ge']I always check out the obscure CDs, as those have more potential value than anything that was popular (and sold millions of copies).
Plush is definitely a profitable way to go, as long as you know what you are looking for. One GW around here always has an overabundance of plush, and usually has a big pallet sized box filled with them for .25/ea. I've found (and sold) a few plush worth $100 or more. The downside of plush is their tendency to retain odor, so you need a strong nose and a good method for disinfecting/deodorizing.
As far as reselling clothes, there are a few people that hit up the GW outlet that do that. One family will snatch up 90% of the shoes when they get put out, literally piling 3-4 cartloads of shoes with each go. I recently found out they take them to one of the bigger flea markets out of state and sell them for $5/pair, after paying roughly $.60-1.00 per pair.[/QUOTE]
I have been washing plush in the washing machine for pretty much as long as I have been around, and when I was too young to wash them my mother washed them for me. Most come out looking great, you just have to watch with the ones that have very fine fur, I don't usually buy them if they are white or have fine fur that will ruin in the machine. I have a ton of smurfs from the 80s that I probably should have unloaded when the movie came out but I bought them from a friend very cheaply and I kinda like them so I didn't really want to just sell them off. You can't really lose with plush as here you are paying 29 cents each no matter which one it is so if you suspect something rare its probably a good idea to get it.
The shoes and clothing isn't that cheap here, most shoes are at least $5 a pair, and I find it hard to believe you could make a profit on those. In fact oddly enough the shoes and clothing are some of the most expensive items in our thrift store. You would have to be 100% sure of making a decent amount on your selected item for it to be worth your while. I have also never seen other people buy shoes at the thrift and I have been to enough of them, so I can't imagine how many pairs of used shoes they are actually selling so for these people to take all the shoes is probably a godsend for this thrift.
Our thrift store, the one closest to my house has actually gotten better with prices, I think its because there are different workers there, as I don't seem to see the same workers I used to see there.
Plush is definitely a profitable way to go, as long as you know what you are looking for. One GW around here always has an overabundance of plush, and usually has a big pallet sized box filled with them for .25/ea. I've found (and sold) a few plush worth $100 or more. The downside of plush is their tendency to retain odor, so you need a strong nose and a good method for disinfecting/deodorizing.
As far as reselling clothes, there are a few people that hit up the GW outlet that do that. One family will snatch up 90% of the shoes when they get put out, literally piling 3-4 cartloads of shoes with each go. I recently found out they take them to one of the bigger flea markets out of state and sell them for $5/pair, after paying roughly $.60-1.00 per pair.[/QUOTE]
I have been washing plush in the washing machine for pretty much as long as I have been around, and when I was too young to wash them my mother washed them for me. Most come out looking great, you just have to watch with the ones that have very fine fur, I don't usually buy them if they are white or have fine fur that will ruin in the machine. I have a ton of smurfs from the 80s that I probably should have unloaded when the movie came out but I bought them from a friend very cheaply and I kinda like them so I didn't really want to just sell them off. You can't really lose with plush as here you are paying 29 cents each no matter which one it is so if you suspect something rare its probably a good idea to get it.
The shoes and clothing isn't that cheap here, most shoes are at least $5 a pair, and I find it hard to believe you could make a profit on those. In fact oddly enough the shoes and clothing are some of the most expensive items in our thrift store. You would have to be 100% sure of making a decent amount on your selected item for it to be worth your while. I have also never seen other people buy shoes at the thrift and I have been to enough of them, so I can't imagine how many pairs of used shoes they are actually selling so for these people to take all the shoes is probably a godsend for this thrift.
Our thrift store, the one closest to my house has actually gotten better with prices, I think its because there are different workers there, as I don't seem to see the same workers I used to see there.
Had a few decent finds again today. Goodwill was almost a bust, aside from a (nearly)brand new 2005 AMT Ertl Death Star model for $2. Shrink wrap was gone, but all pieces/paints were still polybagged. Also picked up a mint Napoleon Total War CE for $3.
As far as Target games, they still had the same overpriced (2-3x the Target clearance price) games as they did two weeks ago. Nothing new to note.
The other small chain thrift store nearby is usually a sure thing, as the owner doesn't allow his people to buy things until it's been on the floor for 24 hours. A few weeks ago, I found a few sealed GBA RPGs for ~$3/ea.
Today's biggest finds were a sealed (WB stamped shrinkwrap) Pokemon The First Movie DVD for $1.60. There is only one available on eBay with a BIN of $69.xx, the going rate on Amazon is similar. Another good find is Digimon Season 1 (13 episode, single disc edition) for 1.60. Going rate is about $43 on Amazon. Also picked up Dr Who Series 1 Vol 1-4 for about $7 and Dr. Who The complete Second Series for 3.60. The series 1 set was a bit more because it is a 4 disc set, with each disc in it's own case, priced at $1.60/ea.
But the best find, despite being of relatively low value, is by far the most obscure:
That's right, the Ultimate Warrior bank! This bad boy is going to get some use.
As far as Target games, they still had the same overpriced (2-3x the Target clearance price) games as they did two weeks ago. Nothing new to note.
The other small chain thrift store nearby is usually a sure thing, as the owner doesn't allow his people to buy things until it's been on the floor for 24 hours. A few weeks ago, I found a few sealed GBA RPGs for ~$3/ea.
Today's biggest finds were a sealed (WB stamped shrinkwrap) Pokemon The First Movie DVD for $1.60. There is only one available on eBay with a BIN of $69.xx, the going rate on Amazon is similar. Another good find is Digimon Season 1 (13 episode, single disc edition) for 1.60. Going rate is about $43 on Amazon. Also picked up Dr Who Series 1 Vol 1-4 for about $7 and Dr. Who The complete Second Series for 3.60. The series 1 set was a bit more because it is a 4 disc set, with each disc in it's own case, priced at $1.60/ea.
But the best find, despite being of relatively low value, is by far the most obscure:
That's right, the Ultimate Warrior bank! This bad boy is going to get some use.
[quote name='SaraAB']I have been washing plush in the washing machine for pretty much as long as I have been around, and when I was too young to wash them my mother washed them for me. Most come out looking great, you just have to watch with the ones that have very fine fur, I don't usually buy them if they are white or have fine fur that will ruin in the machine. I have a ton of smurfs from the 80s that I probably should have unloaded when the movie came out but I bought them from a friend very cheaply and I kinda like them so I didn't really want to just sell them off. You can't really lose with plush as here you are paying 29 cents each no matter which one it is so if you suspect something rare its probably a good idea to get it.[/QUOTE]
Washing machine is always an option, but we actually come across alot of plush still with tags, so that takes some creativity. Lots of airing out, Febreeze and a tumble in the dryer usually does the job. And any spot cleaning, if necessary.
Washing machine is always an option, but we actually come across alot of plush still with tags, so that takes some creativity. Lots of airing out, Febreeze and a tumble in the dryer usually does the job. And any spot cleaning, if necessary.
[quote name='schultzed']
Was at Goodwill this morning and spotted some SNES boxed games but then I saw the titles . . . Monopoly, Vegas Stakes, Yoshi Safari, Gameboy Player, Wheel of Fortune . . . all marked .99.
Of course the main question is what games did they have that I missed out on?
I picked up Yoshi and the Gameboy player. At the checkout I said "these are pretty neat." The clerk says, "yeah, we've had a ton of these Mario-type games lately." but then didn't have specifics.
So, now I'm haunted by what I missed . . . if someone scooped some great complete games for .99 each (who knows what they got), they should've had the decency to spend another $5 and pick up everything.
Game stuff goes instantly at my local stores.
[/QUOTE]
Don't sweat it too much, I go to Thrift Stores and such A LOT and 9 times out of 10, when stuff like this gets put out, that's all that was donated. When you see piles of junk games and sports titles for classic systems, it usually means that was all the person had left that they were unable to sell on eBay or Amazon or Craigslist and make enough money to make it worth it.
Everyone has the Internet now, and everyone knows what everything is worth. There are a lot of valuable games out there that are not the least bit rare or even hard to find, but you hardly ever find them amongst the pile of junk games at the thrifts, and it's not because collectors are snapping them up right away. Even Grandma sells on eBay and Amazon now, and mom isn't throwing away that box of baseball cards or comic books anymore without first finding out if they are valuable.
The other reason is my theory that as of now, 95% of everything worth owning video game wise Pre-PS1 is already in collectors hands. The only time you see a lot of obscure or popular titles these days is online, and it's usually being sold by one collector to another. You ever see any stories of people coming across Neo Geo AES consoles at a yard sale or thrift store? I sure haven't, and I'm been lurking in video game collectors circles since the pre-Internet days of Usenet. Stuff like that was only ever bought by collectors in the first place, and never left their hands.
So don't fret too much when you see stuff like this. Finding really good scores is 90% luck, 10% perseverance.
Was at Goodwill this morning and spotted some SNES boxed games but then I saw the titles . . . Monopoly, Vegas Stakes, Yoshi Safari, Gameboy Player, Wheel of Fortune . . . all marked .99.
Of course the main question is what games did they have that I missed out on?
I picked up Yoshi and the Gameboy player. At the checkout I said "these are pretty neat." The clerk says, "yeah, we've had a ton of these Mario-type games lately." but then didn't have specifics.
So, now I'm haunted by what I missed . . . if someone scooped some great complete games for .99 each (who knows what they got), they should've had the decency to spend another $5 and pick up everything.
Game stuff goes instantly at my local stores.
[/QUOTE]Don't sweat it too much, I go to Thrift Stores and such A LOT and 9 times out of 10, when stuff like this gets put out, that's all that was donated. When you see piles of junk games and sports titles for classic systems, it usually means that was all the person had left that they were unable to sell on eBay or Amazon or Craigslist and make enough money to make it worth it.
Everyone has the Internet now, and everyone knows what everything is worth. There are a lot of valuable games out there that are not the least bit rare or even hard to find, but you hardly ever find them amongst the pile of junk games at the thrifts, and it's not because collectors are snapping them up right away. Even Grandma sells on eBay and Amazon now, and mom isn't throwing away that box of baseball cards or comic books anymore without first finding out if they are valuable.
The other reason is my theory that as of now, 95% of everything worth owning video game wise Pre-PS1 is already in collectors hands. The only time you see a lot of obscure or popular titles these days is online, and it's usually being sold by one collector to another. You ever see any stories of people coming across Neo Geo AES consoles at a yard sale or thrift store? I sure haven't, and I'm been lurking in video game collectors circles since the pre-Internet days of Usenet. Stuff like that was only ever bought by collectors in the first place, and never left their hands.
So don't fret too much when you see stuff like this. Finding really good scores is 90% luck, 10% perseverance.
Survivalism
CAGiversary!
Just the other day I was looking at Beanie Babies at the Goodwill and remembering when some of them used to go for tens of thousands of dollars. I thought I'd look on eBay real quick to see how the market for them is, and there are a bunch of the Princess Di bears on eBay with asking prices from one dollar two two million. So now I actually have less of an idea how the market is.
[quote name='Survivalism']Just the other day I was looking at Beanie Babies at the Goodwill and remembering when some of them used to go for tens of thousands of dollars. I thought I'd look on eBay real quick to see how the market for them is, and there are a bunch of the Princess Di bears on eBay with asking prices from one dollar two two million. So now I actually have less of an idea how the market is.[/QUOTE]
There isn't a market. Don't buy them.
There isn't a market. Don't buy them.
yourlefthand
CAGiversary!
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[quote name='schuerm26']There isn't a market. Don't buy them.[/QUOTE]
This.
It seems that many of the hard to find ones ended up getting counterfeited.
This.
It seems that many of the hard to find ones ended up getting counterfeited.
I agree, definitely don't buy them. The only way you can make money on beanies is if you buy them for 10-25 cents each and sell them in lots, and they all have to have tags on them in order to get anything for them and even then its probably not worth your time. If you find them at a "fill a bag" sale then they are worth picking up if your bag is not full yet and the beanies are in good condition.
[quote name='spmahn']The other reason is my theory that as of now, 95% of everything worth owning video game wise Pre-PS1 is already in collectors hands. [/QUOTE]
I think you're right, but I'd put the estimate at more like 80%--which means I might've gotten some good stuff. I probably would've been less pissed if the clerk hadn't made the comment about selling a bunch of SNES games lately.
The oddball was the gameboy player cart (boxed with instructions). Hard to believe anyone with knowledge of value would donate it. On the other hand, hard to believe another buyer (the possible person who bought the mystery games) would've passed on it for .99. So, maybe I didn't miss out on anything.
I stopped back this morning and the couple super super crappy games I didn't buy . . . Vegas Stakes!?! . . . were now gone. Even the bad stuff goes fast.
I think you're right, but I'd put the estimate at more like 80%--which means I might've gotten some good stuff. I probably would've been less pissed if the clerk hadn't made the comment about selling a bunch of SNES games lately.
The oddball was the gameboy player cart (boxed with instructions). Hard to believe anyone with knowledge of value would donate it. On the other hand, hard to believe another buyer (the possible person who bought the mystery games) would've passed on it for .99. So, maybe I didn't miss out on anything.
I stopped back this morning and the couple super super crappy games I didn't buy . . . Vegas Stakes!?! . . . were now gone. Even the bad stuff goes fast.
ZombieToast
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[quote name='Survivalism']Just the other day I was looking at Beanie Babies at the Goodwill and remembering when some of them used to go for tens of thousands of dollars. I thought I'd look on eBay real quick to see how the market for them is, and there are a bunch of the Princess Di bears on eBay with asking prices from one dollar two two million. So now I actually have less of an idea how the market is.[/QUOTE]
There are a few that can still bring in about $50, but you're most likely not going to run into them at a thrift store. At this point, it's not really worth trying. 'Tis a shame, really, because I still have a hope chest full of about 200-300 beanies, including several that used to be worth hundreds of dollars. Thankfully, I managed to sell quite a few bears (Diana, Erin, Valentino, etc.) when they were hard to find and I made a very nice profit. One sale basically paid for the entire collection and then it was all profit after that.
Disney beanies used to be a hot item as well. My family once spent an entire day getting "signed" Merlins (one per person, so we had to wait in the massive line all over again...at least three times). It was miserable, but so worth it when we started getting hundreds of dollars for each one. Ah, those were the days...
There are a few that can still bring in about $50, but you're most likely not going to run into them at a thrift store. At this point, it's not really worth trying. 'Tis a shame, really, because I still have a hope chest full of about 200-300 beanies, including several that used to be worth hundreds of dollars. Thankfully, I managed to sell quite a few bears (Diana, Erin, Valentino, etc.) when they were hard to find and I made a very nice profit. One sale basically paid for the entire collection and then it was all profit after that.
Disney beanies used to be a hot item as well. My family once spent an entire day getting "signed" Merlins (one per person, so we had to wait in the massive line all over again...at least three times). It was miserable, but so worth it when we started getting hundreds of dollars for each one. Ah, those were the days...
I
Indigo_Streetlight
Guest
[quote name='schultzed']
Was at Goodwill this morning and spotted some SNES boxed games but then I saw the titles . . . Monopoly, Vegas Stakes, Yoshi Safari, Gameboy Player, Wheel of Fortune . . . all marked .99.
Of course the main question is what games did they have that I missed out on?
I picked up Yoshi and the Gameboy player. At the checkout I said "these are pretty neat." The clerk says, "yeah, we've had a ton of these Mario-type games lately." but then didn't have specifics.
So, now I'm haunted by what I missed . . . if someone scooped some great complete games for .99 each (who knows what they got), they should've had the decency to spend another $5 and pick up everything.
Game stuff goes instantly at my local stores.
[/QUOTE]
A Super Gameboy in box will actually flip for around $15; I'm amazed people still want these things with the Gamecube Adaptor and GBAs out there.
The last thing I've seen SNES-related was a yellowed system in a beat to hell storage case, with such rarities as cart-only Super Mario World and Tecmo Bowl :lol:
Was at Goodwill this morning and spotted some SNES boxed games but then I saw the titles . . . Monopoly, Vegas Stakes, Yoshi Safari, Gameboy Player, Wheel of Fortune . . . all marked .99.
Of course the main question is what games did they have that I missed out on?
I picked up Yoshi and the Gameboy player. At the checkout I said "these are pretty neat." The clerk says, "yeah, we've had a ton of these Mario-type games lately." but then didn't have specifics.
So, now I'm haunted by what I missed . . . if someone scooped some great complete games for .99 each (who knows what they got), they should've had the decency to spend another $5 and pick up everything.
Game stuff goes instantly at my local stores.
[/QUOTE]A Super Gameboy in box will actually flip for around $15; I'm amazed people still want these things with the Gamecube Adaptor and GBAs out there.
The last thing I've seen SNES-related was a yellowed system in a beat to hell storage case, with such rarities as cart-only Super Mario World and Tecmo Bowl :lol:
[quote name='spmahn']Don't sweat it too much, I go to Thrift Stores and such A LOT and 9 times out of 10, when stuff like this gets put out, that's all that was donated. When you see piles of junk games and sports titles for classic systems, it usually means that was all the person had left that they were unable to sell on eBay or Amazon or Craigslist and make enough money to make it worth it.
Everyone has the Internet now, and everyone knows what everything is worth. There are a lot of valuable games out there that are not the least bit rare or even hard to find, but you hardly ever find them amongst the pile of junk games at the thrifts, and it's not because collectors are snapping them up right away. Even Grandma sells on eBay and Amazon now, and mom isn't throwing away that box of baseball cards or comic books anymore without first finding out if they are valuable.
The other reason is my theory that as of now, 95% of everything worth owning video game wise Pre-PS1 is already in collectors hands. The only time you see a lot of obscure or popular titles these days is online, and it's usually being sold by one collector to another. You ever see any stories of people coming across Neo Geo AES consoles at a yard sale or thrift store? I sure haven't, and I'm been lurking in video game collectors circles since the pre-Internet days of Usenet. Stuff like that was only ever bought by collectors in the first place, and never left their hands.
So don't fret too much when you see stuff like this. Finding really good scores is 90% luck, 10% perseverance.[/QUOTE]
Not everyone has the internet, there are still tons of people in the USA without online access. As far as selling online these days its a lot more work than it used to be in the ebay boom days. A lot of people don't even want to bother with it these days, and I think most people have abandoned those days of getting rich quick on ebay. Ebay, where you will undoubtedly get the most money for your games if you ship internationally hands down has put a lot more restrictions on selling electronics and games for new sellers. You need access to paypal, a bank account and credit cards which a lot of people do not have access to. If you are a new seller they don't give you the money right away either, they put a hold on it. You can't just take a money order in the mail like you used to be able to and get instant money.
I would venture to say a lot of the really collectible stuff that is not in the hands of collectors is also sitting in those overpriced retro game stores and flea markets across the USA, so its in the hands of resellers, who will have an awful hard time getting rid of it at the prices they are selling for. There is a very limited market for this stuff, and most collectors aren't willing to pay way more over the going rate for something just because it happens to be in a store. No one is going to pay $200 for a loose copy of Chrono Trigger these days because if you really want to play the game its available on a large range of platforms for a lot less than that and a lose copy certainly doesn't go for $200 on ebay these days. The people that don't sell on ebay or don't want to bother will likely end up trading it into one of these stores where it will sit for years unsold and possibly become non-working, unless they just throw the stuff out (see below). This stuff could be sitting in these stores for like 20 or more years unsold. Especially if its old stuff their kids just happened to have left behind to them. I have stuff sitting around here and things seem to magically go bad while sitting in my closet, just because you test something once and put it away doesn't mean it will be working 5-10 years later...
Then you have the issue of just throwing things out... rich people get frustrated with the amount of stuff that accumulates in their houses and kids outgrow games fast and move right onto the next games... so the old games get bagged and dumped into the trash because they don't have time for the act of reselling it in any way. No I am not lying here either, I have personally seen it happen.
If you want to get really into it what happens to a collector's stuff when they die? Eventually, though sadly, that will happen because you can't take your stuff with you. Because of this collectible stuff will eventually become available, provided that the person doesn't have family that wants to keep all their stuff for themselves and in most cases of this happening the family does not want to keep all of the person's stuff.
Everyone has the Internet now, and everyone knows what everything is worth. There are a lot of valuable games out there that are not the least bit rare or even hard to find, but you hardly ever find them amongst the pile of junk games at the thrifts, and it's not because collectors are snapping them up right away. Even Grandma sells on eBay and Amazon now, and mom isn't throwing away that box of baseball cards or comic books anymore without first finding out if they are valuable.
The other reason is my theory that as of now, 95% of everything worth owning video game wise Pre-PS1 is already in collectors hands. The only time you see a lot of obscure or popular titles these days is online, and it's usually being sold by one collector to another. You ever see any stories of people coming across Neo Geo AES consoles at a yard sale or thrift store? I sure haven't, and I'm been lurking in video game collectors circles since the pre-Internet days of Usenet. Stuff like that was only ever bought by collectors in the first place, and never left their hands.
So don't fret too much when you see stuff like this. Finding really good scores is 90% luck, 10% perseverance.[/QUOTE]
Not everyone has the internet, there are still tons of people in the USA without online access. As far as selling online these days its a lot more work than it used to be in the ebay boom days. A lot of people don't even want to bother with it these days, and I think most people have abandoned those days of getting rich quick on ebay. Ebay, where you will undoubtedly get the most money for your games if you ship internationally hands down has put a lot more restrictions on selling electronics and games for new sellers. You need access to paypal, a bank account and credit cards which a lot of people do not have access to. If you are a new seller they don't give you the money right away either, they put a hold on it. You can't just take a money order in the mail like you used to be able to and get instant money.
I would venture to say a lot of the really collectible stuff that is not in the hands of collectors is also sitting in those overpriced retro game stores and flea markets across the USA, so its in the hands of resellers, who will have an awful hard time getting rid of it at the prices they are selling for. There is a very limited market for this stuff, and most collectors aren't willing to pay way more over the going rate for something just because it happens to be in a store. No one is going to pay $200 for a loose copy of Chrono Trigger these days because if you really want to play the game its available on a large range of platforms for a lot less than that and a lose copy certainly doesn't go for $200 on ebay these days. The people that don't sell on ebay or don't want to bother will likely end up trading it into one of these stores where it will sit for years unsold and possibly become non-working, unless they just throw the stuff out (see below). This stuff could be sitting in these stores for like 20 or more years unsold. Especially if its old stuff their kids just happened to have left behind to them. I have stuff sitting around here and things seem to magically go bad while sitting in my closet, just because you test something once and put it away doesn't mean it will be working 5-10 years later...
Then you have the issue of just throwing things out... rich people get frustrated with the amount of stuff that accumulates in their houses and kids outgrow games fast and move right onto the next games... so the old games get bagged and dumped into the trash because they don't have time for the act of reselling it in any way. No I am not lying here either, I have personally seen it happen.
If you want to get really into it what happens to a collector's stuff when they die? Eventually, though sadly, that will happen because you can't take your stuff with you. Because of this collectible stuff will eventually become available, provided that the person doesn't have family that wants to keep all their stuff for themselves and in most cases of this happening the family does not want to keep all of the person's stuff.
[quote name='SaraAB']
If you want to get really into it what happens to a collector's stuff when they die? Eventually, though sadly, that will happen because you can't take your stuff with you. Because of this collectible stuff will eventually become available, provided that the person doesn't have family that wants to keep all their stuff for themselves and in most cases of this happening the family does not want to keep all of the person's stuff.[/QUOTE]
Most collections won't last until their owners deaths. What always seems to happen, even with the most dedicated collectors, is that eventually life catches up with you, you get married, buy a house, have a family, get bills etc. Eventually we've all got to make a choice, continue to collect stuff for whatever neurotic reason we all have, or sell it to make money and have room for more stuff. Whether it's dolls, or toys, or games, eventually everyone parts with their stuff, but when that day comes they don't just drop it all off at Goodwill, they sell it to the highest bidder.
If you want to get really into it what happens to a collector's stuff when they die? Eventually, though sadly, that will happen because you can't take your stuff with you. Because of this collectible stuff will eventually become available, provided that the person doesn't have family that wants to keep all their stuff for themselves and in most cases of this happening the family does not want to keep all of the person's stuff.[/QUOTE]
Most collections won't last until their owners deaths. What always seems to happen, even with the most dedicated collectors, is that eventually life catches up with you, you get married, buy a house, have a family, get bills etc. Eventually we've all got to make a choice, continue to collect stuff for whatever neurotic reason we all have, or sell it to make money and have room for more stuff. Whether it's dolls, or toys, or games, eventually everyone parts with their stuff, but when that day comes they don't just drop it all off at Goodwill, they sell it to the highest bidder.
Some people do keep all their stuff, I have been to plenty of estate sales where the family is selling off the collection of the deceased. I have definitely been to estate sales where the deceased has more stuff than myself. Usually though they bring in a 3rd party when its a large collection to sell it off. But in rare cases the family does run the estate sale themselves.
Its quite difficult to ship everything you own by selling on ebay because that takes a lot of time and effort even if you listed in one giant lot. In my area local auctions are extremely uncommon so you would have to travel for one (which would be quite impractical for a large collection), I was told this was because NY has some kind of law against shill bidding which means anyone who is interested in auctions is in the next state over where they are making more money due to shill bidding. The craigslist market isn't very hot here either, of course you would be able to get a buyer for video games but they definitely wouldn't be paying full value for a large lot.
Regardless you are gonna get some stuff that is dumped at goodwill even if its just old sports games.
Its quite difficult to ship everything you own by selling on ebay because that takes a lot of time and effort even if you listed in one giant lot. In my area local auctions are extremely uncommon so you would have to travel for one (which would be quite impractical for a large collection), I was told this was because NY has some kind of law against shill bidding which means anyone who is interested in auctions is in the next state over where they are making more money due to shill bidding. The craigslist market isn't very hot here either, of course you would be able to get a buyer for video games but they definitely wouldn't be paying full value for a large lot.
Regardless you are gonna get some stuff that is dumped at goodwill even if its just old sports games.
juangrande386
CAGiversary!
Question- When did the Atari Flashback like double in price? I see one every now and than at GW for like $15, mine was $25 brand new at Target. People on CL are trying to get $50+??
I
Indigo_Streetlight
Guest
On the topic of most retro games being in the hands of collectors and resellers; I'd have to disagree. I can't tell you how many people I talk to at yard sales who still play that "old system" now and then. There's a lot of casual gamers who hold onto the stuff for pure use value; not because they think it would be worth a lot of money if they went and sold it.
I also disagree with the thought that desirable pre-PS1 games are all in the hands of collectors. I wouldn't have found two R9 games (Star Fox Championship and Bounty Bob Strikes Back) in the wild if that was the case (for $3 each no less). I've also found several R8s and a smattering of R7 games - you just have to look in the right place for this stuff. Hell, just a few weeks ago I picked up Ogre Battle and Secret of Mana for $2.99 each at a thrift shop.
Of all collectible stuff, video games are some of the easiest to find cheap because people really haven't caught on to their value yet (like they have with toys, comics, baseball cards, and other collectibles).
I'd be willing to bet that only 40 - 50% of the good pre-PS1 stuff is in the hands of collectors. The other 60 - 50% is in people's basements, attics, or closets waiting to be let loose into the wild at some random point in time. The common thought I've found with people is that "If Gamestop doesn't take it, it must be worthless." (which is one of the major reasons I find valuable PC games on an incredibly frequent basis).
Of all collectible stuff, video games are some of the easiest to find cheap because people really haven't caught on to their value yet (like they have with toys, comics, baseball cards, and other collectibles).
I'd be willing to bet that only 40 - 50% of the good pre-PS1 stuff is in the hands of collectors. The other 60 - 50% is in people's basements, attics, or closets waiting to be let loose into the wild at some random point in time. The common thought I've found with people is that "If Gamestop doesn't take it, it must be worthless." (which is one of the major reasons I find valuable PC games on an incredibly frequent basis).
[quote name='Doomstink']I also disagree with the thought that desirable pre-PS1 games are all in the hands of collectors. I wouldn't have found two R9 games (Star Fox Championship and Bounty Bob Strikes Back) in the wild if that was the case (for $3 each no less). I've also found several R8s and a smattering of R7 games - you just have to look in the right place for this stuff. Hell, just a few weeks ago I picked up Ogre Battle and Secret of Mana for $2.99 each at a thrift shop.
Of all collectible stuff, video games are some of the easiest to find cheap because people really haven't caught on to their value yet (like they have with toys, comics, baseball cards, and other collectibles).
I'd be willing to bet that only 40 - 50% of the good pre-PS1 stuff is in the hands of collectors. The other 60 - 50% is in people's basements, attics, or closets waiting to be let loose into the wild at some random point in time. The common thought I've found with people is that "If Gamestop doesn't take it, it must be worthless." (which is one of the major reasons I find valuable PC games on an incredibly frequent basis).[/QUOTE]
I forgot to mention that I disagree as well, there is no way 95% of pre-PS1 stuff is all in the hands of collectors...
Retro game stores, at least here, don't survive. I have seen at least 5 or 6 come and go and probably a lot more, including a very large one that went recently, that wasn't all that bad on prices. Therefore people have no where to trade in this stuff, and ebay is a hassle as I have mentioned before so they are more likely just to keep it or hand it down to someone else or someone else's kids. Hand me down systems are big amongst parents and kids. If they want rid of it they will sell it at a yard sale, trade it in if they can find a place that takes it etc.or donate it if they are cleaning.
You hit on the head most of the stuff I find at sales and in the wild is stuff that Gamestop does not take. Heck now they are on the verge of not taking PS2 and GBA stuff anymore so that stuff should be ripe for the picking soon. Another thing is GS gives very paltry trade in values for older games, pennies on the dollar, furthering the perception that some games are worth almost nothing. The reason you see a lot of sports and invaluable games is probably because when the person sold their system back in the 90's or whenever the sports games were just as invaluable back then as they are today so they likely didn't want to trade in a game for the paltry value so they didn't trade it in but they traded in the better games that were worth something and that is why you don't always find those.
Try to find someone who will give up a SNES, they won't, its easily the system that has the most retention value. Especially now that the first generation of gamers is now old enough to have children, they will pull those old games out of the attic and hook them up for their kids to play again. Games on the SNES and NES are also being re-released, which gives the younger kids exposure to those games, then they are begging for daddy to pull his old video games out of the attic to play. The games have now gotten 2 generations of use and will probably not be sold since they are in use by the original gamers kids. A lot of these games are still relevant today, my cousins who play nothing but Xbox 360 spent Xmas eve at my house playing ET on the Atari 2600 and they were happy... don't ask.
Of all collectible stuff, video games are some of the easiest to find cheap because people really haven't caught on to their value yet (like they have with toys, comics, baseball cards, and other collectibles).
I'd be willing to bet that only 40 - 50% of the good pre-PS1 stuff is in the hands of collectors. The other 60 - 50% is in people's basements, attics, or closets waiting to be let loose into the wild at some random point in time. The common thought I've found with people is that "If Gamestop doesn't take it, it must be worthless." (which is one of the major reasons I find valuable PC games on an incredibly frequent basis).[/QUOTE]
I forgot to mention that I disagree as well, there is no way 95% of pre-PS1 stuff is all in the hands of collectors...
Retro game stores, at least here, don't survive. I have seen at least 5 or 6 come and go and probably a lot more, including a very large one that went recently, that wasn't all that bad on prices. Therefore people have no where to trade in this stuff, and ebay is a hassle as I have mentioned before so they are more likely just to keep it or hand it down to someone else or someone else's kids. Hand me down systems are big amongst parents and kids. If they want rid of it they will sell it at a yard sale, trade it in if they can find a place that takes it etc.or donate it if they are cleaning.
You hit on the head most of the stuff I find at sales and in the wild is stuff that Gamestop does not take. Heck now they are on the verge of not taking PS2 and GBA stuff anymore so that stuff should be ripe for the picking soon. Another thing is GS gives very paltry trade in values for older games, pennies on the dollar, furthering the perception that some games are worth almost nothing. The reason you see a lot of sports and invaluable games is probably because when the person sold their system back in the 90's or whenever the sports games were just as invaluable back then as they are today so they likely didn't want to trade in a game for the paltry value so they didn't trade it in but they traded in the better games that were worth something and that is why you don't always find those.
Try to find someone who will give up a SNES, they won't, its easily the system that has the most retention value. Especially now that the first generation of gamers is now old enough to have children, they will pull those old games out of the attic and hook them up for their kids to play again. Games on the SNES and NES are also being re-released, which gives the younger kids exposure to those games, then they are begging for daddy to pull his old video games out of the attic to play. The games have now gotten 2 generations of use and will probably not be sold since they are in use by the original gamers kids. A lot of these games are still relevant today, my cousins who play nothing but Xbox 360 spent Xmas eve at my house playing ET on the Atari 2600 and they were happy... don't ask.
[quote name='SaraAB']I forgot to mention that I disagree as well, there is no way 95% of pre-PS1 stuff is all in the hands of collectors...[/QUOTE]
My grounds on that theory is based on my years of yard saleing and thrift store shopping. About 10 years ago or so, when you would find SNES, NES, or Genesis games being sold second hand, you would frequently find a variety of different titles, not necessarily titles that were rare, valuable, or in demand, but just real oddball stuff that you weren't always familiar with. Over the last decade this has changed however, now when I see video games being sold second hand, I could probably narrow down maybe two dozen or so non Sports titles that I see constantly, the same games over and over, in different stores. It's must less common that I will see any real unusual titles anymore.
It's not just here either, even when I read reports on this or other boards, it's usually the same story, there's a core set of maybe 20 or 25 games on the SNES, Genesis, and NES which were over produced in very high numbers, which now have zero demand, and which comprise probably 75 to 80% of what's left out there as far as the population of classic games that aren't already in collectors or resellers hands. And by Collectors, I really mean anyone who isn't interested in selling their games and getting the maximum amount of money for them, not just the hardcore types like us.
These days you don't walk into Goodwill and find for example Palamedes, Thunder and Lighting, and M.C. Kids for NES. You find Duck Hunt or Wrestlemania, or RBI Baseball. The population of classic games out there is getting thinner and thinner, we all see how competitive it is going to Yard Sales and Thrift Stores these days, and it's not getting easier.
I know you say that not everyone has the Internet and looks up prices on eBay, but even if they don't, shows like Pawn Stars or Antiques Roadshow or Storage Wars are showing people that the stuff in your basement that you would throw away as being junk might actually be worth something, and ultimately THAT is what's going to kill the market for just about all cheap second hand merchandise. Hell, look at the Yard Sale threads here, you can argue all you want, but eBay has had a detrimental effect on the Yard Sale market over the last decade. Just read the stories, for every one great score someone finds, you read five about how some guy thought his brick Gameboy and Tetris cartridge was worth $150, and wasn't willing to budge on the price.
My grounds on that theory is based on my years of yard saleing and thrift store shopping. About 10 years ago or so, when you would find SNES, NES, or Genesis games being sold second hand, you would frequently find a variety of different titles, not necessarily titles that were rare, valuable, or in demand, but just real oddball stuff that you weren't always familiar with. Over the last decade this has changed however, now when I see video games being sold second hand, I could probably narrow down maybe two dozen or so non Sports titles that I see constantly, the same games over and over, in different stores. It's must less common that I will see any real unusual titles anymore.
It's not just here either, even when I read reports on this or other boards, it's usually the same story, there's a core set of maybe 20 or 25 games on the SNES, Genesis, and NES which were over produced in very high numbers, which now have zero demand, and which comprise probably 75 to 80% of what's left out there as far as the population of classic games that aren't already in collectors or resellers hands. And by Collectors, I really mean anyone who isn't interested in selling their games and getting the maximum amount of money for them, not just the hardcore types like us.
These days you don't walk into Goodwill and find for example Palamedes, Thunder and Lighting, and M.C. Kids for NES. You find Duck Hunt or Wrestlemania, or RBI Baseball. The population of classic games out there is getting thinner and thinner, we all see how competitive it is going to Yard Sales and Thrift Stores these days, and it's not getting easier.
I know you say that not everyone has the Internet and looks up prices on eBay, but even if they don't, shows like Pawn Stars or Antiques Roadshow or Storage Wars are showing people that the stuff in your basement that you would throw away as being junk might actually be worth something, and ultimately THAT is what's going to kill the market for just about all cheap second hand merchandise. Hell, look at the Yard Sale threads here, you can argue all you want, but eBay has had a detrimental effect on the Yard Sale market over the last decade. Just read the stories, for every one great score someone finds, you read five about how some guy thought his brick Gameboy and Tetris cartridge was worth $150, and wasn't willing to budge on the price.
I
Indigo_Streetlight
Guest
[quote name='spmahn']My grounds on that theory is based on my years of yard saleing and thrift store shopping. About 10 years ago or so, when you would find SNES, NES, or Genesis games being sold second hand, you would frequently find a variety of different titles, not necessarily titles that were rare, valuable, or in demand, but just real oddball stuff that you weren't always familiar with. Over the last decade this has changed however, now when I see video games being sold second hand, I could probably narrow down maybe two dozen or so non Sports titles that I see constantly, the same games over and over, in different stores. It's must less common that I will see any real unusual titles anymore.
It's not just here either, even when I read reports on this or other boards, it's usually the same story, there's a core set of maybe 20 or 25 games on the SNES, Genesis, and NES which were over produced in very high numbers, which now have zero demand, and which comprise probably 75 to 80% of what's left out there as far as the population of classic games that aren't already in collectors or resellers hands. And by Collectors, I really mean anyone who isn't interested in selling their games and getting the maximum amount of money for them, not just the hardcore types like us.
These days you don't walk into Goodwill and find for example Palamedes, Thunder and Lighting, and M.C. Kids for NES. You find Duck Hunt or Wrestlemania, or RBI Baseball. The population of classic games out there is getting thinner and thinner, we all see how competitive it is going to Yard Sales and Thrift Stores these days, and it's not getting easier.
I know you say that not everyone has the Internet and looks up prices on eBay, but even if they don't, shows like Pawn Stars or Antiques Roadshow or Storage Wars are showing people that the stuff in your basement that you would throw away as being junk might actually be worth something, and ultimately THAT is what's going to kill the market for just about all cheap second hand merchandise. Hell, look at the Yard Sale threads here, you can argue all you want, but eBay has had a detrimental effect on the Yard Sale market over the last decade. Just read the stories, for every one great score someone finds, you read five about how some guy thought his brick Gameboy and Tetris cartridge was worth $150, and wasn't willing to budge on the price.[/QUOTE]
Eh, frequency is a whole different animal; take for example Magician for the NES. I saw that sucker first in Nintendo Power and never saw it locally for decades afterward. Then all of the sudden I pick up one in a yard sale lot; another one CIB (from Amazon, for about $10)--plus I notice the comics store down the street has one.
Sure, I do think you have situations where some lots are picked over and that causes the homogeneity of undesired titles. Best to find bundles fresh, offered by people who simply want them gone. However, even unsearched lots can be filled with commons; for instance you're much more likely to find Super Mario World or Mario Kart than say a KOEI title--let's face it, back in the day if you had Aerobiz you were a freak
I think if anything the internet has been a great equalizer...instead of spending countless hours and resources on local searches, there's many uncommons that can be had online for $10. This is within the range of the casual nostalgia-eer, and if they ever need to sell chances they still won't have that sense of inflated value; as Sarah mentioned there are many who are still conditioned by the crappy trade-in values...
It's not just here either, even when I read reports on this or other boards, it's usually the same story, there's a core set of maybe 20 or 25 games on the SNES, Genesis, and NES which were over produced in very high numbers, which now have zero demand, and which comprise probably 75 to 80% of what's left out there as far as the population of classic games that aren't already in collectors or resellers hands. And by Collectors, I really mean anyone who isn't interested in selling their games and getting the maximum amount of money for them, not just the hardcore types like us.
These days you don't walk into Goodwill and find for example Palamedes, Thunder and Lighting, and M.C. Kids for NES. You find Duck Hunt or Wrestlemania, or RBI Baseball. The population of classic games out there is getting thinner and thinner, we all see how competitive it is going to Yard Sales and Thrift Stores these days, and it's not getting easier.
I know you say that not everyone has the Internet and looks up prices on eBay, but even if they don't, shows like Pawn Stars or Antiques Roadshow or Storage Wars are showing people that the stuff in your basement that you would throw away as being junk might actually be worth something, and ultimately THAT is what's going to kill the market for just about all cheap second hand merchandise. Hell, look at the Yard Sale threads here, you can argue all you want, but eBay has had a detrimental effect on the Yard Sale market over the last decade. Just read the stories, for every one great score someone finds, you read five about how some guy thought his brick Gameboy and Tetris cartridge was worth $150, and wasn't willing to budge on the price.[/QUOTE]
Eh, frequency is a whole different animal; take for example Magician for the NES. I saw that sucker first in Nintendo Power and never saw it locally for decades afterward. Then all of the sudden I pick up one in a yard sale lot; another one CIB (from Amazon, for about $10)--plus I notice the comics store down the street has one.
Sure, I do think you have situations where some lots are picked over and that causes the homogeneity of undesired titles. Best to find bundles fresh, offered by people who simply want them gone. However, even unsearched lots can be filled with commons; for instance you're much more likely to find Super Mario World or Mario Kart than say a KOEI title--let's face it, back in the day if you had Aerobiz you were a freak
I think if anything the internet has been a great equalizer...instead of spending countless hours and resources on local searches, there's many uncommons that can be had online for $10. This is within the range of the casual nostalgia-eer, and if they ever need to sell chances they still won't have that sense of inflated value; as Sarah mentioned there are many who are still conditioned by the crappy trade-in values...
I really don't think there is any dispute here other than the made-up (way too high) percentage of 95%.
Clearly, more and more of the available collectible games end up in the hands of collectors (or resellers).
Yet there is some really nice stuff out there in the wild (and in the hands of clueless owners). It is just hard to say how much but it can be found.
Back to my original post . . . if there were some good games in the bunch I saw (maybe basic good stuff like Mario Kart or rare great stuff like Mario RPG) they would be snapped up the fastest. The point that we mostly see commons doesn't mean they are the only games that get donated.
I do agree that the TV shows (Storage Wars, Pawn, Pickers) are really, really bad news for those who have been flipping collectibles--they give away many secrets but also inflate expectations.
Clearly, more and more of the available collectible games end up in the hands of collectors (or resellers).
Yet there is some really nice stuff out there in the wild (and in the hands of clueless owners). It is just hard to say how much but it can be found.
Back to my original post . . . if there were some good games in the bunch I saw (maybe basic good stuff like Mario Kart or rare great stuff like Mario RPG) they would be snapped up the fastest. The point that we mostly see commons doesn't mean they are the only games that get donated.
I do agree that the TV shows (Storage Wars, Pawn, Pickers) are really, really bad news for those who have been flipping collectibles--they give away many secrets but also inflate expectations.
[quote name='Indigo_Streetlight']A Super Gameboy in box will actually flip for around $15; I'm amazed people still want these things with the Gamecube Adaptor and GBAs out there.
[/QUOTE]
This is why I bought it
I think $15 ($20ish with shipping) is pretty cheap for such a nifty collectible.
[/QUOTE]
This is why I bought it
I think $15 ($20ish with shipping) is pretty cheap for such a nifty collectible.
[quote name='spmahn']
I know you say that not everyone has the Internet and looks up prices on eBay, but even if they don't, shows like Pawn Stars or Antiques Roadshow or Storage Wars ...[/QUOTE]
Storage Wars actually taught people the opposite about video games - the only time a retro console appeared on the show it turned out to be a flop (an old NES was appraised at roughly $10).
As I mentioned before, I find TONS of rare and unusual games (and once again, these are things with rarity ratings 7 and above) in the wild all the time at dirt cheap prices. Most people truly do believe that their games are worthless.
I know you say that not everyone has the Internet and looks up prices on eBay, but even if they don't, shows like Pawn Stars or Antiques Roadshow or Storage Wars ...[/QUOTE]
Storage Wars actually taught people the opposite about video games - the only time a retro console appeared on the show it turned out to be a flop (an old NES was appraised at roughly $10).
As I mentioned before, I find TONS of rare and unusual games (and once again, these are things with rarity ratings 7 and above) in the wild all the time at dirt cheap prices. Most people truly do believe that their games are worthless.
[quote name='spmahn']My grounds on that theory is based on my years of yard saleing and thrift store shopping...........[/QUOTE]
This is well said, I agree with most if not all of it, one thing I don't agree with is putting M.C. Kids with the other 2 games. It's not rare or more so on the uncommon side but it is one I tend to see almost once every year in the wild around me so I would consider it to be uncommon to a much lighter degree then your other two examples (out of the both of them I've personally only found Thunder & Lightning once in the wild and the other never in so many years of hunting in the wild for old games). A game like Thunder & Lightning I've came up with the term which probably ain't the best way of putting it in "Rental Rare" as in it's the kind of game that you probably didn't own or know somebody that bought it new or owned it back when you could still find it new in B&M stores but you might have rented it or know somebody that rented it. These games don't have a ton of demand behind them or sell for much online so you typically won't see people saying these games are rare while they may consider a game like Conker's Bad Fur Day or Chrono Trigger to be rare just because of what they go for online. These are the same kind of games your thinking of that as you mentioned you don't see around so much after a certain system is old enough. The NES for obvious reasons was the system I did best with finding a variety of less common/uncommon games for last year and probably every year.
The SNES for me would be a good example of mostly running into the same games in just about every lot. Super Mario World, All-Stars & Kart along with Donkey Kong Country seem to be the only good games I expect to run into at some point for sure every year.
It probably gets a little harder to find older games at yard sales and at the flea market every year around me and more average joes (as buyers) are interested in this stuff also every year I would guess but the biggest downer to bargain hunting for video games for me is probably that when I do find this stuff it's more likely that somebody getting rid of it (or actually selling would be a better way of putting it) even at a yard sale or the flea market will be more likely to want what they figure it to be "worth" and will just keep it if they can't get a buyer in that ball park today then say 5-10+ years ago.
@Doomstink I think it should be noted finding deals on "TONS of rare and unusual games" is really going to be dependent on where you live, in some areas I'm sure it's a task and a half to find common games while in other areas you can go to the flea market or video game stores and see a large selection of cart games for the older systems that were really popular, find a diamond in the rough for a few bucks, or find this stuff at yard sales more often (be it not cheap or you have to be a really early - early bird to get to it if said area has a lot of vultures at the yard sales).
[quote name='Indigo_Streetlight']On the topic of most retro games being in the hands of collectors and resellers; I'd have to disagree. I can't tell you how many people I talk to at yard sales who still play that "old system" now and then. There's a lot of casual gamers who hold onto the stuff for pure use value; not because they think it would be worth a lot of money if they went and sold it.[/QUOTE]
I hear this a lot also as evidence from just about any post in the yard sale thread from me lol Also if these same people decided to get rid of said older system they been hanging on to that they like because they finally figure they rarely if ever use it and/or could use the money they are rarely if ever going to be putting it all in a box and just wanting to be rid of it for $5-20 like somebody else that has no sentimental attachment to something.
This is well said, I agree with most if not all of it, one thing I don't agree with is putting M.C. Kids with the other 2 games. It's not rare or more so on the uncommon side but it is one I tend to see almost once every year in the wild around me so I would consider it to be uncommon to a much lighter degree then your other two examples (out of the both of them I've personally only found Thunder & Lightning once in the wild and the other never in so many years of hunting in the wild for old games). A game like Thunder & Lightning I've came up with the term which probably ain't the best way of putting it in "Rental Rare" as in it's the kind of game that you probably didn't own or know somebody that bought it new or owned it back when you could still find it new in B&M stores but you might have rented it or know somebody that rented it. These games don't have a ton of demand behind them or sell for much online so you typically won't see people saying these games are rare while they may consider a game like Conker's Bad Fur Day or Chrono Trigger to be rare just because of what they go for online. These are the same kind of games your thinking of that as you mentioned you don't see around so much after a certain system is old enough. The NES for obvious reasons was the system I did best with finding a variety of less common/uncommon games for last year and probably every year.
The SNES for me would be a good example of mostly running into the same games in just about every lot. Super Mario World, All-Stars & Kart along with Donkey Kong Country seem to be the only good games I expect to run into at some point for sure every year.
It probably gets a little harder to find older games at yard sales and at the flea market every year around me and more average joes (as buyers) are interested in this stuff also every year I would guess but the biggest downer to bargain hunting for video games for me is probably that when I do find this stuff it's more likely that somebody getting rid of it (or actually selling would be a better way of putting it) even at a yard sale or the flea market will be more likely to want what they figure it to be "worth" and will just keep it if they can't get a buyer in that ball park today then say 5-10+ years ago.
@Doomstink I think it should be noted finding deals on "TONS of rare and unusual games" is really going to be dependent on where you live, in some areas I'm sure it's a task and a half to find common games while in other areas you can go to the flea market or video game stores and see a large selection of cart games for the older systems that were really popular, find a diamond in the rough for a few bucks, or find this stuff at yard sales more often (be it not cheap or you have to be a really early - early bird to get to it if said area has a lot of vultures at the yard sales).
[quote name='Indigo_Streetlight']On the topic of most retro games being in the hands of collectors and resellers; I'd have to disagree. I can't tell you how many people I talk to at yard sales who still play that "old system" now and then. There's a lot of casual gamers who hold onto the stuff for pure use value; not because they think it would be worth a lot of money if they went and sold it.[/QUOTE]
I hear this a lot also as evidence from just about any post in the yard sale thread from me lol Also if these same people decided to get rid of said older system they been hanging on to that they like because they finally figure they rarely if ever use it and/or could use the money they are rarely if ever going to be putting it all in a box and just wanting to be rid of it for $5-20 like somebody else that has no sentimental attachment to something.
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I run into a lot of same games for the N64, fortunately most of these titles still sell really well on the resale market, I could buy many copies of the N64 Nintendo made games and do well selling all of them. Ironically after many years not one copy of Pilotwings 64 yet.. you would think someone would have bought it.
Over here most people don't care about selling on ebay, you run into the very occasional obvious reseller but what I run into more is someone who had a store and is now trying to sell out the contents of what was in that store because the store closed down and it was not successful or someone who was once an ebay seller and who does not want to put up with the hassles of it anymore so now all their merchandise is on their front lawn.
I also saw a large amount of video game stuff donated to our thrift store at one point, unfortunately the person in front of me had most of it in their basket, but this was obviously the donation of a collector or a store that closed up and just wanted rid of their stuff. So it does happen.
To get the more rare stuff you have to head into a rich neighborhood, because the person had to buy it first in order to have it available for reselling. That or you need a really big city. The kids in the more poor neighborhoods never had the opportunity to get a coleco tabletop game that cost $80 in the 1980's so therefore the stuff they have to resell at a yard sale isn't as good. These people may have bought the more common stuff like the NES, SNES and Genesis as Xmas presents or got it as a hand me down system from other families but they didn't go for the more obscure or rare stuff because they could not afford it. If they had a genesis the family would not be buying the nomad for example, thus the nomad becomes very hard to find. Yes you will probably pay more in the rich neighborhoods in some cases, but there is also more selection and better merchandise to be had.
The fleamarkets have selection here, however you will be paying more than ebay prices for it, you are better off just waiting and bidding it out on ebay because the price will definitely be cheaper and the quality of merchandise will be better. Some of the fleamarket booths here are massive, but their prices are horrible, and like I said you are better off on ebay.
Lets not forget the quality of merchandise found in the wild. Rarely do I ever get a game that works on the first try straight from a yard sale, instead 99% of the stuff I get are cruddy, filthy games that need to be opened up and completely cleaned out. Games won't come handing themselves to you at 50 cents a pop in perfect working condition, you have to work for it. Though stuff from the fleamarket comes in about the same condition as stuff from a yard sale. If something isn't worth a whole lot of cash then you also have to hold onto it until it becomes valuable. Then again I am extremely picky about the cleanliness of my games.
It is very dependent on where you live though, there may very well be areas out there where finding games is nearly impossible. We really don't know what is out there and there is really no way to predict how many people have old games sitting in their basements just waiting to be put out at a yard sale.
Over here most people don't care about selling on ebay, you run into the very occasional obvious reseller but what I run into more is someone who had a store and is now trying to sell out the contents of what was in that store because the store closed down and it was not successful or someone who was once an ebay seller and who does not want to put up with the hassles of it anymore so now all their merchandise is on their front lawn.
I also saw a large amount of video game stuff donated to our thrift store at one point, unfortunately the person in front of me had most of it in their basket, but this was obviously the donation of a collector or a store that closed up and just wanted rid of their stuff. So it does happen.
To get the more rare stuff you have to head into a rich neighborhood, because the person had to buy it first in order to have it available for reselling. That or you need a really big city. The kids in the more poor neighborhoods never had the opportunity to get a coleco tabletop game that cost $80 in the 1980's so therefore the stuff they have to resell at a yard sale isn't as good. These people may have bought the more common stuff like the NES, SNES and Genesis as Xmas presents or got it as a hand me down system from other families but they didn't go for the more obscure or rare stuff because they could not afford it. If they had a genesis the family would not be buying the nomad for example, thus the nomad becomes very hard to find. Yes you will probably pay more in the rich neighborhoods in some cases, but there is also more selection and better merchandise to be had.
The fleamarkets have selection here, however you will be paying more than ebay prices for it, you are better off just waiting and bidding it out on ebay because the price will definitely be cheaper and the quality of merchandise will be better. Some of the fleamarket booths here are massive, but their prices are horrible, and like I said you are better off on ebay.
Lets not forget the quality of merchandise found in the wild. Rarely do I ever get a game that works on the first try straight from a yard sale, instead 99% of the stuff I get are cruddy, filthy games that need to be opened up and completely cleaned out. Games won't come handing themselves to you at 50 cents a pop in perfect working condition, you have to work for it. Though stuff from the fleamarket comes in about the same condition as stuff from a yard sale. If something isn't worth a whole lot of cash then you also have to hold onto it until it becomes valuable. Then again I am extremely picky about the cleanliness of my games.
It is very dependent on where you live though, there may very well be areas out there where finding games is nearly impossible. We really don't know what is out there and there is really no way to predict how many people have old games sitting in their basements just waiting to be put out at a yard sale.
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Ok, I'm bored at work and I'm going to write about my various experience in the last 2 1/2 years of hitting up thrift stores. Hopefully some of this will be useful to my gaming brothas
In the past I would only go into thrift stores to look for Halloween clothes, or maybe stop randomly like once a year.
So 2 1/2 years ago I moved to a new place and had a thrift store about a block away from my house which I would stop at coming from work, this basically got me hooked on thrift stores.
Now usually once a week I'll do a quick run of 2-7 thrift stores. I have the most success at the Humane Society thrift store and the least at Goodwill. Its not just things that I pick up, but they seem to have more and better donations. Probably because people who donate are more into helping animals.
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(MY FINDINGS)
Prices Bought/Sold
Console Games:
-The Rarest by digitpress standards two Turbo Grafix 16 items Splatterhouse complete and another game...without the game but the case and manual. These were very easy to spot as the the spines are distinct.
-The most expensive game was probably a black label ff7 ($2/$55)
-The most expensive game type item was a boxed nes/snes storage center ($2/80)
-I would put the game distribution for what I've seen as this Nes 25% PS1 25% PS2 15% Snes 10% Gens 5% other 20%
-I don't think I've ever paid more than 5, average is less than 2.
-Game systems are usually priced 5-20 with last gen usually being @ 20. I did get a N64 for a dolla. I usually won't buy most systems unless its around 5-10 complete. I already have multiples of non current gen systems.
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Non Game items
-Found a sealed Box 1986 GI Joe Cobra Fang and a mini vehicle and bought at 1.75 I sold these on ebay for 360.00 (If the boxes were in better shape I could have gotten much more)
-Late 1800's Silver Plated Victorian platter/stand type thing. I gave this to my girlfriend for valentines day.
-Guitar bought @ 25 and sold for 350 (Had to tape multiple boxes together to ship it, and was going to be charged 90 to ship it. I had to rush home and cut two inches off the box and it cost me 20 to ship.
-Other toys that I kept to join my collection He-man, Thundercat
-1st Print J.R.R. Tolken Simarillion (Not really valuable but sorta cool)
-A Blizcon exclusive Starcraft Warpig for .49....If someone went through the trouble of getting this why did they get rid of it?
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My Advice and info
-Go during the weekdays about an hour or two after opening. Gives them a chance to restock the shelves and you won't be competing with a bunch of other people on the weekends.
-Take clues from your finds, If you find a system go check the cd's/videos section for the matching games.
-Become friends with the employees, greet them, get some small chat going. I had one girl that would call me whenever any old games would come in. I also would learn about who I was competing with and when they would come in.
-Don't limit yourself to games, learn about other items, watch some pawn stars, american pickers, storage wars etc. yea a lot of it is hyped up for TV. But it helps you become more diverse. I flip jeans, books, toys, instruments, sunglasses, sports/motorcycle gear.
-Don't feel compelled to come home with something if its not your price.
-When you bargain give a reason and state it first, (don't bargain all the time)
-Small items add up, I usually do come home with a few things to flip and it pays for my time. My last trip I spent 2 dollars on a little people 1971 school house and 2 sunglasses cases, about 40 on ebay.
-As far as where all the games are, I would say many are in the hands of two types of collectors, first someone on here that has a decent collection and then the casual gamer with a small collection. With most people I know that play games get rid of most of the old stuff and will keep or hunt for a favorite or two. Goldeneye, Brawl, MK, etc
Collectible stores /resellers/ebay hold a good bit too. I would say at least 20% of what I have is to flip/trade/horde.
Then a small amount are the ones left at parents houses and the kids outgrew them and don't care. This will be less and less with dlc though
In the past I would only go into thrift stores to look for Halloween clothes, or maybe stop randomly like once a year.
So 2 1/2 years ago I moved to a new place and had a thrift store about a block away from my house which I would stop at coming from work, this basically got me hooked on thrift stores.
Now usually once a week I'll do a quick run of 2-7 thrift stores. I have the most success at the Humane Society thrift store and the least at Goodwill. Its not just things that I pick up, but they seem to have more and better donations. Probably because people who donate are more into helping animals.
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(MY FINDINGS)
Prices Bought/Sold
Console Games:
-The Rarest by digitpress standards two Turbo Grafix 16 items Splatterhouse complete and another game...without the game but the case and manual. These were very easy to spot as the the spines are distinct.
-The most expensive game was probably a black label ff7 ($2/$55)
-The most expensive game type item was a boxed nes/snes storage center ($2/80)
-I would put the game distribution for what I've seen as this Nes 25% PS1 25% PS2 15% Snes 10% Gens 5% other 20%
-I don't think I've ever paid more than 5, average is less than 2.
-Game systems are usually priced 5-20 with last gen usually being @ 20. I did get a N64 for a dolla. I usually won't buy most systems unless its around 5-10 complete. I already have multiples of non current gen systems.
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Non Game items
-Found a sealed Box 1986 GI Joe Cobra Fang and a mini vehicle and bought at 1.75 I sold these on ebay for 360.00 (If the boxes were in better shape I could have gotten much more)
-Late 1800's Silver Plated Victorian platter/stand type thing. I gave this to my girlfriend for valentines day.
-Guitar bought @ 25 and sold for 350 (Had to tape multiple boxes together to ship it, and was going to be charged 90 to ship it. I had to rush home and cut two inches off the box and it cost me 20 to ship.
-Other toys that I kept to join my collection He-man, Thundercat
-1st Print J.R.R. Tolken Simarillion (Not really valuable but sorta cool)
-A Blizcon exclusive Starcraft Warpig for .49....If someone went through the trouble of getting this why did they get rid of it?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Advice and info
-Go during the weekdays about an hour or two after opening. Gives them a chance to restock the shelves and you won't be competing with a bunch of other people on the weekends.
-Take clues from your finds, If you find a system go check the cd's/videos section for the matching games.
-Become friends with the employees, greet them, get some small chat going. I had one girl that would call me whenever any old games would come in. I also would learn about who I was competing with and when they would come in.
-Don't limit yourself to games, learn about other items, watch some pawn stars, american pickers, storage wars etc. yea a lot of it is hyped up for TV. But it helps you become more diverse. I flip jeans, books, toys, instruments, sunglasses, sports/motorcycle gear.
-Don't feel compelled to come home with something if its not your price.
-When you bargain give a reason and state it first, (don't bargain all the time)
-Small items add up, I usually do come home with a few things to flip and it pays for my time. My last trip I spent 2 dollars on a little people 1971 school house and 2 sunglasses cases, about 40 on ebay.
-As far as where all the games are, I would say many are in the hands of two types of collectors, first someone on here that has a decent collection and then the casual gamer with a small collection. With most people I know that play games get rid of most of the old stuff and will keep or hunt for a favorite or two. Goldeneye, Brawl, MK, etc
Collectible stores /resellers/ebay hold a good bit too. I would say at least 20% of what I have is to flip/trade/horde.
Then a small amount are the ones left at parents houses and the kids outgrew them and don't care. This will be less and less with dlc though
Invicta 61
CAGiversary!
- Feedback
- 7 (100%)
I would say that the area where you live makes a difference. I can't find much of anything here in the midwest (I live in a college city of about 70k with the surrounding area being rural). Every once in awhile I get lucky, but it's mostly the same garbage or nice stuff that is grossly over priced.
I visited a relative in Florida and found plenty of nice games for decent prices. I found a lot of about 25 SNES games with controllers, A/V and power hookups (was supposed to come with the system but was nowhere to be seen) for $25. This included games like FFIII, MarioKart, Super Mario World, Super Mario All-Stars, Super Metroid, etc. There were only about 3 sports games. Flea markets had decent titles for about $3 each.
I visited a relative in Florida and found plenty of nice games for decent prices. I found a lot of about 25 SNES games with controllers, A/V and power hookups (was supposed to come with the system but was nowhere to be seen) for $25. This included games like FFIII, MarioKart, Super Mario World, Super Mario All-Stars, Super Metroid, etc. There were only about 3 sports games. Flea markets had decent titles for about $3 each.
- Status
bread's done