Thrift Store Thread 2012

Ooh, I'd like to pick up a copy of Combat. That was one of the games I lost when my mom threw away my Atari collection. Hopefully they'll be open tomorrow while I'm out car shopping. I tried stopping by earlier today, but they were already closed. I did end up finally checking out the Goodwill down the street, though, and I was really disappointed. It looks nice from the outside, but everything inside is junk. The only games I saw were Myst and Doom 3; both were overpriced.
 
My local goodwill is picked clean of gaming items. and the few cases that are their have the disc missing from inside. Did manage to snag Inception blu ray for $2. Never seen it and neither has the wife.
 
Those graystations have been on my pass list for a long time, and I agree the ps2/3 as well as PC compatibility has definitely affected the value. Maybe in a few years when it's seen as vintage.

So here is a picture of the failing part of the laser assembly due to wear/heat
I used to cut the metal from a floppy disc and glue it along the whole strip.
sledlast.gif
This should take care of most disc and fmv reading errors.
 
I don't usually get a ton of thrift store stuff, but walking through today I just happened to see on of those scholastic book sale Mega Man 2 books. I picked it up along with two Transformers book sale books and the first Slayers Light Novel.

The Mega Man 2 book sold for $40 recently on eBay, but I think I plan on keeping it. It is just that cool.
 
[quote name='Dokstarr']I don't usually get a ton of thrift store stuff, but walking through today I just happened to see on of those scholastic book sale Mega Man 2 books. I picked it up along with two Transformers book sale books and the first Slayers Light Novel.

The Mega Man 2 book sold for $40 recently on eBay, but I think I plan on keeping it. It is just that cool.[/QUOTE]

Any chance you could post a pic of the book or direct me to what it looks like?
 
Grabbed an old BB rental copy of Castlevania: SoTN for $1 recently...it's not in great shape, but for buck, it was worth it. At the same store, I grabbed a stack of GC games for $1 each...Super Monkey Ball 2, two of the Lord of the Rings games, Wave Race, and MK: Deception.

Also picked up a PS1 1001 w/ two controllers and Tetris Plus for $6 at another store. I've already got a slim PS1, so this one will either sit in the collection or go to the girlfriend.

Haven't had a chance to check out any of the Goodwills around here, yet...haven't had a real day off in a while.
 
If you're a real nerd about those things, the PS2/PS3 and even the PSOne slim all have some compatibility/performance differences from the original fat grey PS1s.

Guess it's just a nostalgia thing for me to play it on the original 1001 console. For 99% of people PS2/PS3 will be fine though.
 
Found some neat stuff today. First off, I got some Jack McKinney Robotech books. Thrift store was running 8 books for $1 sale. There were 7 of those Robotech books with different volume numbers, so I picked up an Iron Giant kids book for my nephew to make it 8. Also got a Bubblegum Crisis screensaver CIB for $1.75. Made me forget when electronic stores used to sell screensavers, lol
 
fuck . . . I don't know why I bother.

I was at Goodwill and I checked immediately for carts of stuff just getting shelved . . . there were none. I went and shopped books for a little bit . . . I noticed some people by the cart area and as I walked over a guy was walking away with some N64 carts--looked like he had 4-6 of them.

I still managed to pick up complete copies of Zelda Windwaker and Eternal Darkness leaving behind a Turok cart ($2.99 for GC games and $1.99 for N64 games). I cruised over to the checkout and got a look as he paid . . . he bought a copy of Zelda Masterquest . . . doh! And I didn't have the heart to look any more when I saw that one of the carts was Bad Fur Day . . . fuck. That will probably be the only one I see all year . . . and I missed it by about 2 mins.
 
nothing spectacular today but i'm happy with what i found

wavebird controller no receiver $3
green original xbox controller $3
nes power adapter $3
 
Saw a GameCube today with no hookups or controller. The open button was stuck so I gave it firm push and it sounded like someone managed to spill soda and sand in it. In addition, the vents were filthy (not dusty, like actually dirty) and there was dirt under the CD lid. I don't understand why people donate shit that is ruined.

Also I noticed all of the Good Wills have now gone to glass cases full of video games. Seems like they are getting a lot more game donations.
 
[quote name='blindinglights']Saw a GameCube today with no hookups or controller. The open button was stuck so I gave it firm push and it sounded like someone managed to spill soda and sand in it. In addition, the vents were filthy (not dusty, like actually dirty) and there was dirt under the CD lid. I don't understand why people donate shit that is ruined.

Also I noticed all of the Good Wills have now gone to glass cases full of video games. Seems like they are getting a lot more game donations.[/QUOTE]

I wish :'(

I can count the amount of games i've managed to pick up from goodwill on one hand. :/
 
[quote name='ZombieToast']Ooh, I'd like to pick up a copy of Combat. That was one of the games I lost when my mom threw away my Atari collection.[/QUOTE]

Combat is one of the most common Atari 2600 games along with Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Missile Command, Super Breakout, and others I'm not remembering off hand. Trust me any time I see Atari 2600 stuff at garage sales/thrift stores/etc its an almost guarantee at least a few I just listed.
 
[quote name='blindinglights']Saw a GameCube today with no hookups or controller. The open button was stuck so I gave it firm push and it sounded like someone managed to spill soda and sand in it. In addition, the vents were filthy (not dusty, like actually dirty) and there was dirt under the CD lid. I don't understand why people donate shit that is ruined.

Also I noticed all of the Good Wills have now gone to glass cases full of video games. Seems like they are getting a lot more game donations.[/QUOTE]

A better question is why Goodwill would even put ruined shit that gets donated on the shelf. And what's the deal with the consoles that don't come with any wires, controllers, or games, priced at $20 or more? Explain that to me.
 
[quote name='spmahn']A better question is why Goodwill would even put ruined shit that gets donated on the shelf. And what's the deal with the consoles that don't come with any wires, controllers, or games, priced at $20 or more? Explain that to me.[/QUOTE]

Ignorant employees/managers that probably think "oh well we can put that out on the shelf and sell it for $20 someone will buy it."
 
[quote name='Demolition Man']Combat is one of the most common Atari 2600 games along with Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Missile Command, Super Breakout, and others I'm not remembering off hand. Trust me any time I see Atari 2600 stuff at garage sales/thrift stores/etc its an almost guarantee at least a few I just listed.[/QUOTE]
Oh, I know it's common as hell, but I'd prefer to get it locally (just more fun that way) and in the 3+ years I've lived here, I've never seen anyone selling Atari 2600 games. I'd rather not spend $4 on eBay, especially considering that I originally bought my Atari with 25 games, four joysticks, and four paddles for $5. Heh.
 
[quote name='Demolition Man']Ignorant employees/managers that probably think "oh well we can put that out on the shelf and sell it for $20 someone will buy it."[/QUOTE]

They may be ignorant, but for some reason those pieces of junk seem to sell.
 
[quote name='spmahn']A better question is why Goodwill would even put ruined shit that gets donated on the shelf. And what's the deal with the consoles that don't come with any wires, controllers, or games, priced at $20 or more? Explain that to me.[/QUOTE]

I don't get it either; I saw a dirty Dreamcast core-only for $15 AS IS. That stuff should be marked $5 and for parts.

It's getting to the point where I'm thinking of an alternative method of disposal of my For Parts/Cosmetic Issue/Questionable systems; I'd like to see people use them but I'm getting tired of these unjustified mark-ups.
 
on shopgoodwil.com, I got the xbox live starter kit for 42 total shipped. Unfortunately they cant promise if codes are or are not used. So I have have spent $40 on a chatpad...
 
Today at goodwill they had some ps1 games and a few carts. I picked up Twisted Metal 1 (PS) for 5 bucks and NBA Jam (SNES) for 95cents. I found a cool ford aluminum poster that shows all the F series pick ups from 1917-1997 (80th anniversary Fseries collectable) for 95 cents and I got a binder to put my gameboy carts in.
Do any of you thing playstation underground demos will ever be rare? That goodwill had a few of them in good condition complete
 
[quote name='yourlefthand']They may be ignorant, but for some reason those pieces of junk seem to sell.[/QUOTE]

I don't think the junk even sells, what I think happens is that the sits on the shelf for a few days or a week, then a manager inspects the store, sees the garbage on the shelf, asks the people that sort the items why they are putting trash out on the shelf, then throws it away.
 
[quote name='yourlefthand']They may be ignorant, but for some reason those pieces of junk seem to sell.[/QUOTE]

Or get stolen.... or the employees are on purpose only putting the system out while holding stuff like the cables/controllers/etc elsewhere so they can circumvent the "must be on floor" policy of the store.
 
Had my best find EVER today at a resale/thrift shop nearby. Normally they overprice systems and popular games (mario, zelda, etc) but thank god they didn't look this baby up!

GEDC0314.jpg


The price tag says $7 but I paid $5 because it was grouped with three other unrelated $5 items, and the guy just said "all for $20." I can't even believe I found this...
 
[quote name='C0dy']Had my best find EVER today at a resale/thrift shop nearby. Normally they overprice systems and popular games (mario, zelda, etc) but thank god they didn't look this baby up!

The price tag says $7 but I paid $5 because it was grouped with three other unrelated $5 items, and the guy just said "all for $20." I can't even believe I found this...[/QUOTE]

Good job, thats a $100 game, probably one of the most valuable licensed NES games that isn't Stadium Events or the Taito late release super rarities
 
[quote name='C0dy']Had my best find EVER today at a resale/thrift shop nearby. Normally they overprice systems and popular games (mario, zelda, etc) but thank god they didn't look this baby up!

GEDC0314.jpg


The price tag says $7 but I paid $5 because it was grouped with three other unrelated $5 items, and the guy just said "all for $20." I can't even believe I found this...[/QUOTE]

Your find is like a trail on Amazon leading to other wonders...

http://www.amazon.com/Bubble-Bobble-2-nintendo-entertainment-system/dp/B00004SVNT/ref=pd_sim_vg_1

http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Brothers-nintendo-entertainment-system/dp/B00004SVUQ/ref=pd_sim_vg_2
 
wow freaking awesome score on the Bonk's Adventure, so jealous here.

Today I picked up a non video game related item, an old Lego system by Samsonite 703 from 1961, the box is a little rough but there's only 1 piece missing out of 126. $5
 
[quote name='ChunLiBarbie']Your find is like a trail on Amazon leading to other wonders...

http://www.amazon.com/Bubble-Bobble-2-nintendo-entertainment-system/dp/B00004SVNT/ref=pd_sim_vg_1

http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Brothers-nintendo-entertainment-system/dp/B00004SVUQ/ref=pd_sim_vg_2[/QUOTE]

Yep, the NES has it's share of grails. 95% of its game library can be had for $10 a game or less, and 75% of that for $5 or less, but there's definitely some highly valuable games to be had.

The late release Taito super rarities I mentioned are the games Taito released in 1992 and 1993 in extremely limited numbers, and were mostly found on the rental market. These games include Panic Restaurant, Little Samson, Bubble Bobble 2, and probably the second holy grail after Stadium Events, Flintstones 2. Back in my NES collecting days when sources for the games were abundant, I at one point had 4 different Flintstones 2 carts, but they all eventually ended up on eBay, before they were worth nearly as much as they are now, but I still made $80 - $100 each for them. The box and manual for Flintstones 2 is actually worth a lot more than the cart itself.

The only other game in the same league as the Taito titles is Snow Brothers, which always had me scratching my head since it's not even a very good port, but I guess it's a rarity which is odd since Capcom was a pretty high profile developer in that era and wasn't exactly printing games in small numbers. Of course there's also valuable unlicensed stuff too like the Panesian porn games, Cheetahmen 2 (which is a game I can remember being sold for really cheap back when it first came on the market, and now it's super valuable), Caltron 6 in 1, and the ROB Stack Up pieces, but not the game itself.



Anyways, nothing good at the thrifts today, but I thought I'd share some pictures with you.

Here's one of the jewelry cases from hell I was ranting about. What the hell is in this case? Damned if I could tell you, it's piled full of random crap cell phone gadgets amongst other garbage.

caseil.jpg

Do you have a Savers chain near you? If you don't, consider yourself lucky, here's some of the deals you can find

segaj.jpg

Yep, for just $20 you too can have a Sega Genesis 2 console with just one controller and an RF switch (AC Adapter sold separately)

xboxbd.jpg

How about a console only original X-Box for only $15? They won't charge you extra for the fact that it come caked in filth either, that's a bonus thrown in for free.

Thrift stores like this make me sick...
 
[quote name='200STM']Do any of you thing playstation underground demos will ever be rare?[/QUOTE]
You can bet your ass that if so, I would've gone out to every Goodwill in town so I could snatch them up. Heh. Heck, I was still tempted just because they're cool to have, but it's not really worth the effort.


[quote name='spmahn']Good job, thats a $100 game, probably one of the most valuable licensed NES games that isn't Stadium Events or the Taito late release super rarities[/QUOTE]
It can easily be bought for $50 right now. Still a pretty good deal, though.
 
When did Snow Bros become so valuable? I got it at a thrift for a few bucks a few years ago it was worth $40 then. Now its $80 plus on ebay and it looks like its going up.
 
[quote name='Otherguy676']When did Snow Bros become so valuable? I got it at a thrift for a few bucks a few years ago it was worth $40 then. Now its $80 plus on ebay and it looks like its going up.[/QUOTE]

Snow Brothers has always been expensive. Even back in the Funcoland days when they had the price sheet in store, and 95% of the entire NES library was priced at $3 or less, Snow Brothers was still a $30 game. I guess it just had a very limited production run. It's a pretty lousy port of a lousy Bubble Bobble clone, so other than collectors seeking it, I don't understand the draw.

As for Bonk, I haven't seen one for less than $50 in almost a decade. A quick scan of eBay shows the game selling way north of $100. It's just another late release rarity of a not so great port of a so-so game.
 
[quote name='spmahn']It's just another late release rarity of a not so great port of a so-so game.[/QUOTE]

Don't you dare talk shit about Bonk.
 
You know, I used to own a copy of Bubble Bobble 2 back in the day. I ended up selling it, along with all my other NES stuff for a whopping grand total of $100. Looking back now, I miss having all that crap, but I'm especially pissed that I parted with BB2 since I legitimately love the series and will probably never get another copy of it.
 
[quote name='Chronis']You know, I used to own a copy of Bubble Bobble 2 back in the day. I ended up selling it, along with all my other NES stuff for a whopping grand total of $100. Looking back now, I miss having all that crap, but I'm especially pissed that I parted with BB2 since I legitimately love the series and will probably never get another copy of it.[/QUOTE]

I used to have it too, but I gave a 100% complete copy to my next door neighbor because she loved the game and was always borrowing it(20 years ago). Moral of the story "Games before Dames!"
 
Today I found a local video game store had a NES2 Top Loader system and were asking for $69.99 I decided to bite the bullet and bought it. It came with the rf cord, ac adapter and 2 nes brick controllers (luckily I have one NES dogbone controller found from a thrift store). I might have over paid for it but I feel since its in a great condition I got my moneys worth and I plan to play more NES games soon as my collection for the console expands I'll post a picture soon. Is 75$ (69.99+tax) worth it for a top loader?
 
[quote name='200STM']Today I found a local video game store had a NES2 Top Loader system and were asking for $69.99 I decided to bite the bullet and bought it. It came with the rf cord, ac adapter and 2 nes brick controllers (luckily I have one NES dogbone controller found from a thrift store). I might have over paid for it but I feel since its in a great condition I got my moneys worth and I plan to play more NES games soon as my collection for the console expands I'll post a picture soon. Is 75$ (69.99+tax) worth it for a top loader?[/QUOTE]

Personally I don't pay more than $25 for them at Garage Sales, but you can easily get your $75 back if you sell it down the road.
 
[quote name='200STM']Today I found a local video game store had a NES2 Top Loader system and were asking for $69.99 I decided to bite the bullet and bought it. It came with the rf cord, ac adapter and 2 nes brick controllers (luckily I have one NES dogbone controller found from a thrift store). I might have over paid for it but I feel since its in a great condition I got my moneys worth and I plan to play more NES games soon as my collection for the console expands I'll post a picture soon. Is 75$ (69.99+tax) worth it for a top loader?[/QUOTE]
Was that at Extreme Games by any chance?
 
[quote name='200STM']Today I found a local video game store had a NES2 Top Loader system and were asking for $69.99 I decided to bite the bullet and bought it. It came with the rf cord, ac adapter and 2 nes brick controllers (luckily I have one NES dogbone controller found from a thrift store). I might have over paid for it but I feel since its in a great condition I got my moneys worth and I plan to play more NES games soon as my collection for the console expands I'll post a picture soon. Is 75$ (69.99+tax) worth it for a top loader?[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure the toploader + dogbone sets sell for around $90-100 on eBay unless things have changed drastically. I'd say you did fine. At the very least I am sure you could get your money back if you chose to sell it at some point.

I stand by my opinion that the NES-101 top loader is the best model of NES if you're going to be playing NES games frequently. The fact that you can load NES games effortlessly with little blowing on carts/no blinking screens is worth the price tag alone. Some people complain about the RF lines but honestly in the heat of the game I don't notice them at all. I got mine last summer at a yardsale and I've noticed since I got mine I play NES games a ton more often. It's well worth its higher price tag.

Now if I could just find a damned dogbone controller myself...
 
@Cody thanks
@ZombieToast it was at Gamestor SW I guess they didnt know what they had because they had a grey regular NES at the same price.
 
I have thrift store withdrawal... I'll fix that in the morning unless my real sickness overtakes me.


So far there have been a few good highlights in this thread. Lets talk about the worst item you paid for.

For myself, a few months ago there were a pair of these sealed Camera's at Salvation Army that came with a 50 dollar giftcard. They were sealed, with the barcode still covered up and were 5 dollars. My girlfriend tried looking up the information, but used the wrong numbers. I figured they were probably stolen and didn't have the 50.00 loaded on them...I took the gamble and ended up with a 5 dollar crappy camera which I gave to my niece.

7b87_11.jpg
 
[quote name='C0dy'] Some people complain about the RF lines but honestly in the heat of the game I don't notice them at all. I got mine last summer at a yardsale and I've noticed since I got mine I play NES games a ton more often. It's well worth its higher price tag.[/QUOTE]
I don't know if the NES has the same kind of connectors besides the RF port, but I've found that you could use the composite cables that came with the Gamecube all the way back to the SNES at least. So if you have a GC cable around you could always try that in order to get a better picture for the system.:)

Anyway, I finally picked up something at an out of town Salvation Army store today.

:br:Wall-E(2 disc version no less)-$5

I also went to a community thrift store and passed up the following(all with only manual and disc, didn't even bother checking the discs, they were $3.93 each):

PS1: Sim City 2000, Vampire Hunter D and Running Wild
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I don't know if the NES has the same kind of connectors besides the RF port, but I've found that you could use the composite cables that came with the Gamecube all the way back to the SNES at least. So if you have a GC cable around you could always try that in order to get a better picture for the system.:)[/QUOTE]

The Top Loading NES is RF only unless you make some modifications to it. The top loding Famicom does have an AV port however. $70 for a top loading is an ok deal, it's definitely the version of the system to have for serious gamers that actually want to play the games without having to fiddle with the connector or worrying about the console crapping out mid game. The price on the top loaders has dropped quite a bit, they used to sell in the $120 - $150 range during the late 90's and early 2000's, but the price has settled down a lot and they can be had for around $60 - $70.

On the other hand, the price for the original front loading toaster style system has increased, probably due to the fact that people have more nostalgia for that version of the system than the newer one. An original NES with wires, controllers, and a couple of decent games are going for $50 - $80, where 10 years ago they were only worth about $15 - $20.
 
There are top loader Nintendos with the multi out port, they are about as rare to the top loaders, as top loaders are as rare to regular Nintendos.
 
[quote name='Theenternal']There are top loader Nintendos with the multi out port, they are about as rare to the top loaders, as top loaders are as rare to regular Nintendos.[/QUOTE]

Nintendo had a program about 10 years ago where you could send them your top loader and they would mod it to have a multi out port. The top loader was never sold in the US with a multi out port, only RF, so if you see one witha multi out port, it was either modified, or it's really a top loading Famicom (they look almost identical).
 
[quote name='Theenternal']There are top loader Nintendos with the multi out port, they are about as rare to the top loaders, as top loaders are as rare to regular Nintendos.[/QUOTE]
The top loaders weren't that rare to me back in 2000 or so, though at that time I was in my 'I don't wanna waste money to end up sitting on the items' mode(like I am now). I passed up on at least TWELVE new/sealed top loaders that a Walmart store that had moved into a temporary location down the road from me while their new store was built had put on an endcap to clearance out.....at $15 each.:shock::whistle2:#:whistle2:#:whistle2:#:whistle2:##-o
 
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