Why keep them sealed?

[quote name='Dazz']I am a collector because i don't have much time for gaming. [/quote]

Same thing with me. I rarely get time to play games anymore. Collecting is just another way to enjoy them. No reason to open them until the time comes to play them.

I buy games when I find them for cheap. If I decide later I will never play it, I'll sell it.
 
[quote name='reibeatall']My original question is basically: Why the shit don't you guys play games?




I'm just naive. If a friend wants to play a game I have, I don't care how much it is, I let him. I tried to sell a friend a sealed copy of Persona 3 for $25, because that's how much I got it for. He turned me down and instead paid $50. This hobby shouldn't be about the elitist who have this awesome game, but it should be about everybody playing games. This whole thing reeks of "me me me me me and you suck".[/quote]

Who says we don't play games? Those who pick up extra copies of a game to sell usually pick one up for themselves or use the cash they make to buy a game they ARE interested in. Some people just sell the games to make money for something they DO enjoy, DVDs for example.

There are 6 billion + people on the planet, and I'm not about to go cutting every single one of them a deal just so I can spread the joy of gaming. Capitalism doesn't work that way, as long as everyone fends for themselves and obeys the law, the market price will define itself. Selling ANYTHING for half of its market price simply so someone else can enjoy it is a sucker move. Helping out someone you care about is one thing, but selling things for less than you can simply on principle is a whole other matter.
 
i have tons of sealed games.

I blame CAG.

I find 100x more games for cheap now than I ever did before. I will pretty much buy anything once it's reached $5 new. I probably have 40 sealed gamecube games. One of these days I might get around to playing some of them. Probably when I retire :)
 
[quote name='SpiderLocMTGO'] Selling ANYTHING for half of its market price simply so someone else can enjoy it is a sucker move. Helping out someone you care about is one thing, but selling things for less than you can simply on principle is a whole other matter.[/quote]

Why is it a sucker move? Because I'm not a callous person who wishes to make a profit off something that's supposed to be an enjoyable hobby? Maybe the paths of conversation that opened up because I managed to get my friend a copy of Persona 3 are far more rewarding than any monetary value could be.
 
a) backlog
b) no time to play due to other obligations
c) not at the top of games list to play

Also buyers' remorse. I've boughten games that I've rented/beaten and or borrowed and beaten and could not have the heart to open the new copy, costs me money in the long run, but that's also how i've wisened up what games I buy over the past few years.
 
[quote name='reibeatall']Why is it a sucker move? Because I'm not a callous person who wishes to make a profit off something that's supposed to be an enjoyable hobby? Maybe the paths of conversation that opened up because I managed to get my friend a copy of Persona 3 are far more rewarding than any monetary value could be.[/quote]

He said helping out a friend is one thing but helping out Joe Public out of some idealistic view that someone who wants to play the game will get a chance to do so is a sucker move. A while back I bought 6 copies of Oblivion:CE for the 360 for $10 each during a Best Buy clearance. I sold 3 of them here for $15 each (to cover shipping) to people I wanted to help out and the other 3 went on eBay where I got $70 each for them. Everyone wins... except mainly I won.
 
I keep my games sealed until i get to them. No brainer because of the simple fact that a sealed game is worth more than an opened one. I occasionally sort through my backlog and see if any are selling for a crazy amount. If its something i really want to play, I just buy a used copy after I sell the sealed one. Most of the games i buy new are clearance , so I'm not emptying the wallet.

If i see a game at Kmart in a clearance bin for $3 that I know will sell for $30, i have no qualms buying it just to resell either.
 
What i hate is when i see people help someone out, but turn around and list the game on ebay and basically make there money back and then some but we as so called hoarders and collectors get criticized because we keep sealed games too look at. Collectors are like investors as someone already mentioned. I my intention is to one day sell for a meaningful profit and use the money wisely, like say take my wife and kids on a vacation since i work so damn much.
 
I recall buying a ton of games years ago from TRU during their 90% off extravaganza... stuff I figured I wanted... I enjoy buying games... at 90% off they were next to nothing in cost anyway...

Few years pass and I realized I had quite a few still sealed games left from that binge... what did I do, listed them on amazon... where a 1.50 copy of GTA2 sold for 20 bucks since it was sealed being one example... made enough off the few games sold to "pay for" that shopping binge with a little extra... it keeps my wife from complaining...
 
I mostly agree, makes no sense to me, though a few games I have twice I have one sealed, just a few of my favorites to display if I happened upon it cheap, and some just a novelty sealed japanese super mario world. Even if some things not fully sealed, I'd love to have a second copy of the 2 lunar games so I could pimp out all the display extras more thuroughly.

Also a backlog of games, I used to open everything right away and then it got backlogged, but i started waiting to opening them just in case I changed my mind or somthing. Actally my backlog has resulted in some novelties such as a sealed Xenogears, now I need to borrow a friends copy if I every have time to play it to see if its as fun to me as people say it's great and keep it if it is and sell if its not.
 
[quote name='javeryh']He said helping out a friend is one thing but helping out Joe Public out of some idealistic view that someone who wants to play the game will get a chance to do so is a sucker move. A while back I bought 6 copies of Oblivion:CE for the 360 for $10 each during a Best Buy clearance. I sold 3 of them here for $15 each (to cover shipping) to people I wanted to help out and the other 3 went on eBay where I got $70 each for them. Everyone wins... except mainly I won.[/quote]

Thanks for covering while I was gone, I couldn't have said it better myself.
 
Why keep em complete? After all you're just getting it to play so why bother with the casing when you can just put it in a wallet? Same reason some people keep em sealed, there's a higher demand for it in that condition should you ever decide you don't want to play it
 
Its funny, back when i had video game systems, i would buy games at a sale, like a big CC $5 sale or TRU clearance, and it would be because most of the games were cheap, and later i got home and I never played the bulk of them. Sure some ended up on ebay, but really i wasnt making enough on that to warrant going out of my way to put the time and energy and gas money.

I *think* that many of us will go into a store for a sale, wanting to buy some games that were part of the sale, but when we dont find that game, we buy something else that is a good deal, but we know we will never play.

Call it a buying addiction or whatever you want. The hobby for me was more about going to stores and buying games, than about playing them. I didnt really lose money because a lot of them ended up on ebay, but I didnt make much money for that matter- certainly not enough to justify the time spent and effort involved, making lists of what games are on sale, and which ones will be unmarked and whatnot
 
[quote name='kell']Care to explain the logic there?[/quote]Well to adults, action figures usually just sit as decoration. I've never seen an adult playing with action figures. Video games on the other hand, are meant to be played. I guess action figures are too, but only kids play with em.

I always open action figures so I can pose em and stuff like that, but I can understand why people would want to keep em closed.
 
sheesh those G.I. Joes are selling for a fortune these days. I think i must have smashed them together in make believe battles 25 years ago, and if only i had kept them in their boxes, i would be filthy rich!
 
I don't open games (or DVDs) until I want to play or watch them (unless I hear potential floater inside or something like that).
Especially with cheaper impulse purchases of games or dvds, I want to keep my options open to return it or sell it (this is more the case with dvds where I find a great deal on something I'm kinda interested in). None of my 360 games are still unopened except for Open Season which was part of the ESA 3 pack, and the other two games in that have been opened.
I'm not a "collector" who buys a game and keeps it unopened in hopes of doubling my money on ebay in three years (however I'm definitely not averse to selling games I have played or don't want to play and make money from them).

I opened my 'action figures' (pack in figures from DVDs) to pose them on the dvd cabinet, and to save space and get rid of all the packaging.
 
I dont have any sealed games because i rarely buy new sealed games anyways.
I usually get them cheap used.
Only game i got so far for 360 new was halo3, cod4, and lost planet.
And thats only because thanks to cag i got them dirt cheap.

But i do somewhat understand people with sealed games as i do them with music CDs.
I like buying CDs from my favorite artists and i NEVER open them.
I only collect.
My collection got pretty big too, i have spend more on it then my games honestly.
I download MP3s and dont play CDs anyways.
 
I've never understood sealed games either...
Almost immediatly upon getting in the car after buying a game, I'll unwrap it (whether or not I play it or just skim the manual depends if I have the system on me).
 
I don't open games until I play them, which is usually within a few days of purchase.

I've only ever kept one game sealed, Lunar SSSC. I got a deal when I bought it, and even though I wanted to play it the value would drop significantly if I had opened it. So I eventually traded it for a used copy in addition to some more games.
 
[quote name='SpiderLocMTGO']Who says we don't play games? Those who pick up extra copies of a game to sell usually pick one up for themselves or use the cash they make to buy a game they ARE interested in. Some people just sell the games to make money for something they DO enjoy, DVDs for example.

There are 6 billion + people on the planet, and I'm not about to go cutting every single one of them a deal just so I can spread the joy of gaming. Capitalism doesn't work that way, as long as everyone fends for themselves and obeys the law, the market price will define itself. Selling ANYTHING for half of its market price simply so someone else can enjoy it is a sucker move. Helping out someone you care about is one thing, but selling things for less than you can simply on principle is a whole other matter.[/quote]

Spoken like a true Slick Dealer. Go away, profiteer. I've sold games from the Kmart clearance at cost to CAGs before, while in the back of my mind I was thinking ' I wonder if they're going to list them on Ebay still sealed'.

Did I really care? Not really, but quite frankly that thought was always there. I was trying to help out those I could with the games they couldn't find in their own stores. Unfortunately, then I had someone request like a bajillion games and they raised some red flags that makes me break off talks on a deal, so I stopped doing it.

Only sucky part now is, I have a copy of Tales Of Legendia sitting here, but NO SEALED copies of Rogue Galaxy left locally that I could buy for myself to actually PLAY.

So basically, I helped myself out of being able to play a game I finally decided I wanted to play.
 
Ooh my FAVORITE subject:D

I'll start first by answering the OP's basic question of "why don't you play them?".....though it has been answered numerous times in this thread, people seem to keep glossing over the fact that it is IMPOSSIBLE to play 150+ games at the same time! I'm the same way with DVD's, as I have even more unopened waiting for a spare moment to enjoy and I can't watch them all at the same time. No one here has that much time on thier hands, I hope. If I or any other CAG'er is in this situation, what you're suggesting is that we sit down one night with a knife and start tearing the seal off all our games/dvd's just because? What good or purpose would it serve to commit such an act?

I, like many others here, buy games/dvd's when we see them on sale, catch a good clearance deal, Amazon DOTD, and most importantly for the collector, when we think they may go OOP. I'd rather pay a small pittance today, instead of having to deal with over-inflated Ebay/Amazon prices in the future or even worse the dreaded GH/PC crap cover editions.:nottalking: I would love to have no other responsibility than sit around all day gaming and watching anime, but life won't permit it. In the meantime, I can be purchasing what I may like to play/watch in future and sit back comfortably knowing when time permits, I'll have a HUGE smogasboard to select from. If a financial crisis arises, I then have the option of going to Ebay/Amazon and becoming the over-inflated seller and making most if not all of my money back;). What I don't understand is how can anyone see anything wrong with this philosophy....? "Open and let sit on shelf while value plummets like a rock as the seal has been broken?" or "Keep sealed on shelf until ready to enjoy and possibly make all chedder back because it's still NEW if I have to sale?" Seems like common sense to me....
 
I never did get the whole 'I hate that ugly Players Choice/ Platinum Hits/ Greatest Hits cover' thing. I mean, you PLAY the GAMES, right? Who cares if the covers are red, blue, purple, orange or green? If you're so riled up by the thought of getting a diff color cover, print up a replacement from online or just buy a whole jolly grouping of games with those covers/cases, so that you can group them together and not have them stand out so much.

What gets me most is that the non GH versions of games are sometimes largely unplayable due to glitches and bugs that may be fixed in the GH version. So, what people who are picky about those versions are saying is that they LIKE their games buggy just for the sake of not messing up their color scheme for their entertainment room.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I never did get the whole 'I hate that ugly Players Choice/ Platinum Hits/ Greatest Hits cover' thing. I mean, you PLAY the GAMES, right? Who cares if the covers are red, blue, purple, orange or green? If you're so riled up by the thought of getting a diff color cover, print up a replacement from online or just buy a whole jolly grouping of games with those covers/cases, so that you can group them together and not have them stand out so much.

What gets me most is that the non GH versions of games are sometimes largely unplayable due to glitches and bugs that may be fixed in the GH version. So, what people who are picky about those versions are saying is that they LIKE their games buggy just for the sake of not messing up their color scheme for their entertainment room.[/quote]

Well if your a gamer that has a system+tv set up that was just thrown together on a whim and have disc in whichever cases and everywhere, then yea PH copies wont phase you.

I don't have many games and i buy most of them used but i would never buy a incomplete or PH version if i can find the complete original version just as easy.
Your right it is just because of looks.
Like putting up your game collection on a nice shelf and seeing all your games complete and matching.
This is all personal preference so i understand if you don't care much for it, but others do.
IF finding a original version that is not that much more expensive and not too hard to find like rare titles then why not do it?

You buy a car to drive right? so who cares if it got dirt and bird crap all over it and smells like crap?
personal preference again.


and for the buggy first version thing ... i can't really think of a game on top of my head thats like that but i'm sure there are.
But unless it MAJOR MAJOR ... ehh i don't mind.
 
Believe me, when I had a massive collection of games, they were in their right cases and properly stored out of my way since I didn't have any urge to 'display' them.

I still plan on keeping any games I buy now stored in my closet in my room up and out of my way, but still accessible enough that I can just go in and find a game to play whenever I want to.

I'm nitpicky when it comes to condition on games, but will go so far as light surface scratches as long as it's complete. But, to me, if a GH/PH/PC game has extra characters/levels that the original versions did not, I'll always choose the 'ugly' red/green/whatever covered ones over the originals.

As for the tv setup, I have a 20" sdtv I play my games on, it suits my needs well and it gets the job done. How does having a certain tv/setup have anything to do with how you keep your games or your preferences though?
 
[quote name='liono55']Ooh my FAVORITE subject:D

I'll start first by answering the OP's basic question of "why don't you play them?".....though it has been answered numerous times in this thread, people seem to keep glossing over the fact that it is IMPOSSIBLE to play 150+ games at the same time! I'm the same way with DVD's, as I have even more unopened waiting for a spare moment to enjoy and I can't watch them all at the same time. No one here has that much time on thier hands, I hope. If I or any other CAG'er is in this situation, what you're suggesting is that we sit down one night with a knife and start tearing the seal off all our games/dvd's just because? What good or purpose would it serve to commit such an act?

I, like many others here, buy games/dvd's when we see them on sale, catch a good clearance deal, Amazon DOTD, and most importantly for the collector, when we think they may go OOP. I'd rather pay a small pittance today, instead of having to deal with over-inflated Ebay/Amazon prices in the future or even worse the dreaded GH/PC crap cover editions.:nottalking: I would love to have no other responsibility than sit around all day gaming and watching anime, but life won't permit it. In the meantime, I can be purchasing what I may like to play/watch in future and sit back comfortably knowing when time permits, I'll have a HUGE smogasboard to select from. If a financial crisis arises, I then have the option of going to Ebay/Amazon and becoming the over-inflated seller and making most if not all of my money back;). What I don't understand is how can anyone see anything wrong with this philosophy....? "Open and let sit on shelf while value plummets like a rock as the seal has been broken?" or "Keep sealed on shelf until ready to enjoy and possibly make all chedder back because it's still NEW if I have to sale?" Seems like common sense to me....[/QUOTE]
My thoughts exactly. I dont have time for over 4000 games on many systems and a DVD/Blu-ray collection that is in the hundreds. I do like all the games I have ( I wouldnt have bought them if I didnt), I just dont have the time to sit and play/watch that many media. I have played about half my games over the last 20 years, and I am getting to more each month ( I just played GOW1 and 2, enjoyed them tremendously) and I am probably gonna start Lost Odyssey next. I would say about a third of my games are still sealed, and half my movies. I do plan on playing/watching the rest whenever I can (I am only 35 so I have the rest of my life for it) but with CAG helping me to find great deals, I will always have a backlog. I keep buying because I love gaming, collecting, the hunt for deals, etc and my wife loves gaming along with me. ( Big Plus) Sorry for the long rant......back to work, gaming, and my wife....but maybe not it that order. :)
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I never did get the whole 'I hate that ugly Players Choice/ Platinum Hits/ Greatest Hits cover' thing. I mean, you PLAY the GAMES, right? Who cares if the covers are red, blue, purple, orange or green? If you're so riled up by the thought of getting a diff color cover, print up a replacement from online or just buy a whole jolly grouping of games with those covers/cases, so that you can group them together and not have them stand out so much.[/quote]

It's like you answered your own question in a sense. The reason I care (as do most collectors) is what I stated in my previous post....I might not EVER get to play the game. If something forced my hand into selling it though, guess what I have? A NEW, SEALED, NON-GH/PH/PC copy, that gulp, collector's DESIRE (like me!). Nothing speaks value to a collector like an original copy of something. It's simply worth more money in the end, so why short myself with some crappy GH/PH/PC junk cover that a collector such as myself, wouldnt even look twice at on Ebay/Amazon??.....it's no good to us.

I've said in the past and I'll say it again....I admire real cheap-ass gamers such as yourself who could waltz into EB/GS or even worse, Blockbuster and accept thier covers for games sitting on your shelf. I cringe just thinking about letting someone borrow one of my open games/dvds just for the fact that they may not handle it properly and get fingerprints or scratches on it, while noticing you said you can handle "light surface scratches" (EGAD!), so you're obviously not a collector. You guys save a lot more money than me in the end, but for me collecting isn't about saving money all the time nor playing the game. It's about obtaining something in it's original mint state, untouched/unopened by others straight from the manufacturer to my shelf. It looks better, it feels better and if a time arose to sell, it would BE the better option to have.
 
I don't collect games.. I buy them to play them... now I do have two games that are still sealed.. Breakdown and Oddworld Strangers Wrath. I plan on opening Breakdown. But I will not open Oddworld until it's up on the bc list.
 
PH/GH vs. 'original'....that's a whole other debate :)
My system isn't just "tossed together". My games are kept on shelves, spines facing out. I don't have a lot of people over who know a lot about games, and even those who do aren't likely to care, so I'm not trying to impress anyone, and it doesn't matter to me if there's five black splotches and two red splotches of 1" size on my shelf.
I really don't care about original vs. PH/GH. If I like the game enough to buy it early, new, before many price drops, I'll usually get the original. If I wait, I eventually get it for 20 (30) bucks as a PH/GH. Given the choice and all other things being equal, I'll buy the original just to have an "early edition", but otherwise, I won't pay extra for it.
That said, I do want *some* cover and instructions, I won't buy games without cover and instructions; those selfprinted covers or EB covers are just ugly and of course they sell it for the same price when resale value is drastically reduced. The only game I have without a cover is a used 2.00 copy of Pandemonium for PS1, which has little to no resale value now anyway.

I feel games are to play. They're not "investments". I have a 401k for that. Even if I didn't open my Digital Devil Saga 1/2 packages and later resold them, any "profit" off of those would be vastly outweighed by the massive "losses" on virtually every other game (unless I sell/trade it within a month of getting it). That said, I do like to keep all my stuff (games, books, car, etc) in as good a condition as possible.
 
I open everything right away. I don't sell my games (not before playing them anyway) so I don't see the point in keeping them sealed. Besides, I have to inspect the product; make sure it's complete and undamaged (because new/sealed games aren't always in pristine condition).
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I never did get the whole 'I hate that ugly Players Choice/ Platinum Hits/ Greatest Hits cover' thing. I mean, you PLAY the GAMES, right? Who cares if the covers are red, blue, purple, orange or green? If you're so riled up by the thought of getting a diff color cover, print up a replacement from online or just buy a whole jolly grouping of games with those covers/cases, so that you can group them together and not have them stand out so much.

What gets me most is that the non GH versions of games are sometimes largely unplayable due to glitches and bugs that may be fixed in the GH version. So, what people who are picky about those versions are saying is that they LIKE their games buggy just for the sake of not messing up their color scheme for their entertainment room.[/QUOTE]

That's more or less because I'm OCD about my things... everything has to look nice and clean to me. I'm the type of guy who notice the slightest differences. Hell, most of electronics from 5 or 10 years ago still look brand new.

I once received a PS1 game with a printed out backcover. It was done with a color laser printer and most people probably wouldn't notice. To me though, I noticed it as soon as I saw it.:whistle2:|
 
Went through my Amazon sales list, and thought id provide some examples why leaving sealed if you aren't planning on playing them right away is a good idea. All of these are FAR less money used for when i want to play them later.
Some of these titles aren't something you would think OMGZ RAREZ to either. I just looked thru my sealed games and the going rate for stuff I knew i could get used cheap.

Star Wars KOTOR xbox - Sold for $60 shipped - Bought for $2 Kmart
Metal Gear Solid 1 GH - Sold for $87 shipped - Bought for $2 Blockbuster
Fire Emblem : Path of Radiance - Sold for $71 shipped - Bought for $2 BestBuy
EYe Toy Antigrav - $40 shipped - Bought Kmart $5
Metal Gear Solid 2 - $64 shipped - Bought for $10 Kmart
Evil Dead : Regeneration - $56 shipped - Bought for $10 TRU
Suffering 1 - $43 shipped - Bought $7 Microcenter
Tenchu :Fatal Shadows - $51 shipped - Bought $10 TRU
Punisher - $38 shipped - $10 at Kmart
Prince of Persia : Warrior Within - $47 shipped - $10 at Kmart
....list goes on
 
I have been burned once by keeping games sealed.

I bought Codename: Kids Next Door: Operation S.O.D.A. for my son's Game Boy Micro. I kept it sealed for about 6 months and gave it to him for a minor holiday. However inside was Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. I went so far as to contact the developer and ask them what the heck happened -- they said they would replace it... but the cost to ship them the bad game, + the service fee was more than I paid for the game in the first place.
 
[quote name='kell']I make a better margin from the games I do sell than I do in the stock market. It is easier for me to tell whether a game will appreciate than a stock in most instances.

I use the profits from selling games I bought, and then realized weren't for me, to buy different games. I don't use the money to pay the bills. It's a hobby, not a living.[/QUOTE]


thats a lie.. there was no way you could have predicted all those crappy GH PS1 games skyrocketing in price (a la Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania symphony of the night) there were millions upon millions of them printed.. no way you could have predicted it..

you can make a lot of money in the stock market in a relatively shorter amount of time. especially if you are into currency trading and futures..

if I had enough start up money I would trade stocks around in the market.. much easier to make money then video games..

although I have been known to make a few offsales of video games that i purchased solely to resale.. but if you would have told me I could sale some random sealed game from a 2 dollar kmart sale for 40 bucks i would have laughed and called shenangins..

along with my previous comments on "greatest hits".. when I had all my cases displayed (now they are all in storage due to how many I have) I had them all lined up according to color (so all my original copies were displayed, then my greatest hits, all based on color of the "spines") it looked nice it didn't look "weird" it looks weird if there was a random silver box in a sea of green.. but if you organized them by color they look nice and organized.
 
I think many of us have a backlog of games due to the fact we pick them up at cheap prices. I for one keep them sealed until I play them. Sometimes I'll even return them if I know I won't play them or haven't in a month or so.
 
[quote name='urzishra14']thats a lie.. there was no way you could have predicted all those crappy GH PS1 games skyrocketing in price (a la Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania symphony of the night) there were millions upon millions of them printed.. no way you could have predicted it..[/quote]

No lie. Could I have told you back then about the PS1 games? No. I wasn't really into gaming much back then; I had better things to do in college. But, yes there are trends that you can pick up on that can predict a games value. It won't always hold true, but if you are smart about it you shouldn't lose money.

For example, sequels tend to spur demand for the original game. And if that game is sealed it can go for quite a bit. Now this doesn't hold true for every game or sequel, but it usually does for popular games like Metroid Prime.

I found some MP 2 games on clearance for $5. I bought a few, sold and traded a couple here and sold some on Ebay. At the time I was getting about $15-18 for one. Now with MP3 out they tend to go for $30+ (some of the demand is because you can't find them in the stores anymore).


[quote name='urzishra14']you can make a lot of money in the stock market in a relatively shorter amount of time. especially if you are into currency trading and futures.. [/quote]

It is also much easier to lose money on stocks in a very short time. I am not saying buy a $50 game and wait for it to hit $100. It is rare for games to go above $50. But plenty go for $20-30. You just have to be smart about what you buy and how much you pay for it. Even a $10 game is good investment if you can net $20 from it, you just doubled your money in less time than stocks will. Granted you only made $10, but the margin is better. Look at Pookymeister post above, he is making some good money off clearance finds. Again it's a hobby, not a living.

There are more outside forces that affect stock prices than there are with games. Of course your time and money are better spent in the stock market in the long run than trying to cherry pick games to sell. But that doesn't mean you can't make money from it.
 
With the current stock situation, it's not surprising. If you're smart with games/know which company's games tend to go out of print etc etc, it's very easy to turn massive profits IF YOU ARE DEDICATED AND SCOUR AROUND. For me, the hassle would be way too much and not worth the effort. I could use that time I am spending to searching for games to things like studying and sleep. Just my personal preference :).

I think I'm at -300$ since last may when I bought my first stocks; GE has burned me in the short run but in the long run it's an amazing company and will consistently pay me dividends over the years, so I am happy I went conservatively and will just weather out this storm. MSFT has tanked, too. AAPL is close to the break even price I bought it at, so no complaints there. Only 3 stocks I own...will buy some shares of Johnson and Johnson next from the money I will make working over the summer...slow and steady wins the race.
 
[quote name='urzishra14']thats a lie.. there was no way you could have predicted all those crappy GH PS1 games skyrocketing in price (a la Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania symphony of the night) there were millions upon millions of them printed.. no way you could have predicted it..

you can make a lot of money in the stock market in a relatively shorter amount of time. especially if you are into currency trading and futures.. [/quote]

i was all set to agree with you until you mentioned currency trading. I guess it would be easy to predict the hyper inflation of the USA dollar and the looming recession due to the combination of Bush's stimulus package and the lowering of the interest rate by the federal reserve board- but short term currency trading has got to be one of the worst investments, either the currency will go up relative to other


if I had enough start up money I would trade stocks around in the market.. much easier to make money then video games..
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While i think it is a bad investment to buy videogames with the plan to resell them later for big bucks, i think the stock market is the last place you would want to put your money, the dow jones has really taken a beating ever since bush took office.

I didnt realize people on amazon actually pay through the nose for sealed shitty games. Generally i would say that an item is worth only what it sells for on ebay, no more, no less. But with the idiots on amazon marketplace, all bets are off.
 
well i have 2 copies of ace attorney, one sealed and one opened. The only reason why I have 2 is because i bought the used one at game stop 2 weeks before finding a deal for a new one. Too late to return so I just kept the used one. The new one is for collecting purposes. 5 years from now the games can be really hard to find or rare so prices can fluctuate pass it's initial value.
 
[quote name='dtcarson']I feel games are to play. They're not "investments". I have a 401k for that. Even if I didn't open my Digital Devil Saga 1/2 packages and later resold them, any "profit" off of those would be vastly outweighed by the massive "losses" on virtually every other game (unless I sell/trade it within a month of getting it). That said, I do like to keep all my stuff (games, books, car, etc) in as good a condition as possible.[/quote]

Which is why, thank God, I don't buy them for "investment" purposes. I, as do many others here with real jobs, have a 401k as well for true investing to increase one's potential gains in the future. Your misconception is not how I view what I'm doing in making my purchases. I collect games/dvd's that I may want to watch in the future. That's all. Because the potential ALWAYS exists that something could go wrong finacially, I like to keep them sealed until I have time to enjoy them. If that crisis ever arises, I like my chances getting most of my money back with what I have, as opposed to some used, crap cover, lighlty scratched junk others here take pleasure in owning.

The whole point of "collecting" something, is to KEEP IT! I would never sell anything I own, unless I was forced into that decision. I too think that if you are purchasing games/dvd's as your ticket for a better future, you need to get your head examined as there are better options available. Please stop confusing actual "collector's" for SD/FW/CAG/Ebay/Amazon hoarders looking to make a profit....we are not the same.
 
[quote name='liono55']

I've said in the past and I'll say it again....I admire real cheap-ass gamers such as yourself who could waltz into EB/GS or even worse, Blockbuster and accept thier covers for games sitting on your shelf. I cringe just thinking about letting someone borrow one of my open games/dvds just for the fact that they may not handle it properly and get fingerprints or scratches on it, while noticing you said you can handle "light surface scratches" (EGAD!), so you're obviously not a collector. You guys save a lot more money than me in the end, but for me collecting isn't about saving money all the time nor playing the game. It's about obtaining something in it's original mint state, untouched/unopened by others straight from the manufacturer to my shelf. It looks better, it feels better and if a time arose to sell, it would BE the better option to have.[/quote]

If I can find a game for cheap enough brand new to be able to grab it and be the first and ONLY owner of it, I'll do it. But as for the accepting the covers from GS/EB/BBV, that's a negatory as I DEMAND an original cover for ANY games I may buy used.

If they don't have the original cover/manual and case, I most times will walk out without buying it. Although, during some sales I may actually just try to find the cover/manuals later and use my spare PS2/Xbox cases I have laying around if they're in some generic crap case.

I do have a kiniption when I have lent out my games to friends and got them back with scratches or fingerprints on them, but then I realize that it was my own damn fault for expecting them to treat my stuff with the same care I do(like when my buddy borrowed San Andreas from me and I got it back scratched up, he dropped it and it ROLLED across the floor).

Hell,90% or more of the games I just sold as a lot on CAG were mint/near mint and complete, with only maybe a dozen or so being less than that on condition. So, I definitely DO cherish my games, but I don't have a puppy if I can't find some 'zomg original print' version of a game because I intend to play the games and I don't even intend on selling/trading them.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']
I do have a kiniption when I have lent out my games to friends and got them back with scratches or fingerprints on them, but then I realize that it was my own damn fault for expecting them to treat my stuff with the same care I do(like when my buddy borrowed San Andreas from me and I got it back scratched up, he dropped it and it ROLLED across the floor).

[/quote]



Well at least you get them back.
I remember one time i lend a friend two of my games.
He returned it a couple of weeks later and when i open them they were both empty.
Yes case and manuals are intact but no freaking game disc.
I was like "WTF man?"
"Ohh man i had no idea... i didn't even play it that much.. i'll look for them for you"
yea.... I never got it back
They weren't worth very much but still.

Anyways, sorry that was my own personal little rant :bomb:
 
That's quite alright, as I was just as annoyed when I've lent stuff out and didn't get it back either. It happens, but then you know who your real friends are and who you can and can't trust.
 
[quote name='Pookymeister']Went through my Amazon sales list, and thought id provide some examples why leaving sealed if you aren't planning on playing them right away is a good idea. All of these are FAR less money used for when i want to play them later.
Some of these titles aren't something you would think OMGZ RAREZ to either. I just looked thru my sealed games and the going rate for stuff I knew i could get used cheap.

Star Wars KOTOR xbox - Sold for $60 shipped - Bought for $2 Kmart
Metal Gear Solid 1 GH - Sold for $87 shipped - Bought for $2 Blockbuster
Fire Emblem : Path of Radiance - Sold for $71 shipped - Bought for $2 BestBuy
EYe Toy Antigrav - $40 shipped - Bought Kmart $5
Metal Gear Solid 2 - $64 shipped - Bought for $10 Kmart
Evil Dead : Regeneration - $56 shipped - Bought for $10 TRU
Suffering 1 - $43 shipped - Bought $7 Microcenter
Tenchu :Fatal Shadows - $51 shipped - Bought $10 TRU
Punisher - $38 shipped - $10 at Kmart
Prince of Persia : Warrior Within - $47 shipped - $10 at Kmart
....list goes on[/QUOTE]

I'm most shocked by MGS2. That's the regular MGS2 that sold for that much?

The TRU here had a copy of MGS3 for $9.99, I passed it up like numerous times. Maybe I should pick that up for the future.
 
I guess it is profit to pick up games that will be rare one day. Like the MGS series, now that the 4th is coming out everyone is looking to get 1-3 and they got for high prices if sealed(collectors thing), I could imagine that mass effect might be the same way if by the time the 3rd one comes out for ps4 or xbox3 :p
 
[quote name='liono55']I've said in the past and I'll say it again....I admire real cheap-ass gamers such as yourself who could waltz into EB/GS or even worse, Blockbuster and accept thier covers for games sitting on your shelf. [/quote]I do that, and then print a cover for them off of The Cover Project. ;)
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Hell,90% or more of the games I just sold as a lot on CAG were mint/near mint and complete, with only maybe a dozen or so being less than that on condition. So, I definitely DO cherish my games, but I don't have a puppy if I can't find some 'zomg original print' version of a game because I intend to play the games and I don't even intend on selling/trading them.[/quote]


While I may not pass any pups, I most certainly will not accept anything less than an original. I too intend to play/watch everything I own, but in that happen chance that some terrible financial crisis blows my way and I'm forced to sell them, I like my chances getting most of my money back, as I have original, sealed copies. If that happened, I'm sure any collector's looking at my auctions/sales, would be glad to get those over any GH/PH/PC/store covers any day.:)
 
Not to get too far off topic, but the stock market is supposed to be long term. There has never been a five year period where the market did not go up (as a whole). I think a major contributor (though, yes, not the only one) to the market woes of the past decade and a half was the rise of instant day trading, and the practice of 'buy at 1000, sell at 1400' where people treated the market like a craps table or a trip to Vegas rather than long term investment in companies they believed in. Similar to the issue going on now with the housing market, in addition to people not being able to afford their mortgages (because some of them bought when they were "making money" daily in the stock market thanks to the brief rise of Pets.com, you have people buying and "flipping" houses like hotcakes, thus massive artificially altering the market.
Some people like to have "originals" over "reprints". I personally would not pay a premium for that, but I can see where those people are coming from. Some people buy them in the hopes of reselling them later, and while I have done that, I generally do it only when I find a title at a price and I *know* I can pretty much immediately sell it for a profit (Futurama, Fire Emblem etc.), I don't buy a game at or near full price and hope/plan to resell it on Ebay or Amazon in two years. Buying the game for 2, 5, 8, even 10 dollars, well, that's not much of a risk, so odds are with you that you could at least recoup your cost, or break a little more than even, I have done that as well.
 
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