Best place to buy retro games?

In your past experiences, what are the best places to get retro games (good prices, the games actually work, good condition, etc.)? I want to start collecting NES, SNES, and N64 games, but my friends and I also want to get some good old splitscreen action on. So what do you guys prefer? Thrift shop, local game store, yard sales, flea markets, Amazon, ebay, etc.?

Save the legwork and the gas and just buy them on ebay. You could get some really good deals in the auctions.
Probably been more than a year since I see any NES or SNES game at yard sales, but I finally found some this weekend.

You have to do some homework if you want a good deal on retro-games. eBay could work, but you'll have to wait a while for the auctions. There are, of course, sites that sell retro games, but their prices are pretty high, depending on the game, though you should find some reasonable deals. These games are old, so it'll take some effort to find what you want.

Ebay or yard sales. Every other local avenue in my area charges double or more than ebay prices. You could get a deal at a yard sale but that will take patience and a lot of gas money. A lot of common games are very cheap on ebay. If you want the rarer stuff you will have to pay more no matter where you go.

https://www.gameovervideogames.com/store/

This looks like a good place to check although they charge $10 for shipping if your order is under $50. I didn't really check prices but they seemed to have a pretty good selection of games.

[quote name='TiKi2']Save the legwork and the gas and just buy them on ebay. You could get some really good deals in the auctions.
Probably been more than a year since I see any NES or SNES game at yard sales, but I finally found some this weekend.[/QUOTE]

This is basically what I've relegated myself too. Yard sales and flea markets have been huge wastes of time for me though I know many people on here get some really awesome finds.

Sure the chances of you finding a really good deal are actually a lot less but as TiKi2 said, you'll save a ton of time/effort. It's a lot worse on eBay now since they basically do anything and everything to promote higher end prices (meaning more FVFs for them) but every now and then, you can still snag some sweet gems with some luck.

Most mom & pop stores now use eBay and Amazon as a basis to price items (and then add in their own premiums) so those places are a huge waste of time.

Retro games, being an entirely secondhand market, are always YMMV. Based on where I live, versus where some of my relatives live, it generally seems to go like this- either you'll have a good selection around, but be paying a premium for it, or have terrible selection but great prices if you do find something. I live in a middle class, 'geek-friendly' area. So retro's easy to come by, just not easy to come by cheap. Most of my relatives are out in the boonies- so barely any pickin's, but since no one wants it, if you can find something it's almost always worth the price. Head north of where I am, and you get an upper class, geek friendly area- this is a lousy place to look. People want the newest and best, so there's not a lot of retro to be had... and the places that do charge more knowing they have an edge on the market. Good customer service, though.

Your best bet is to use the yellow pages/internet to find places near you that deal in secondhand media, then go check 'em out to see if its worth your time.

Check to see if you have any local flee markets or swapmeets around. Sometimes they have decent stuff.

Retro game stores won't make it around here, we are one of the urban area's where people want the latest and the greatest. If you open a store and you end up taking in trades older games for newer games you will end up with a depleted stock of newer games and a whole bunch of likely crappy, older games that will not sell. Its just a losing business proposition. As stated most stores use ebay or amazon prices, as stated then they add in their own premium for wanting it now or to cover their expenses. Some stores will price based on the highest amazon price, which is more often than not, not even close to what the game actually sells for. With ebay now you have the best offer option so its easy for a seller to look up a game and see that it is going for stupidly inflated prices and price according to that. I couldn't imagine opening a game store here, rent would be horribly high and I would probably have to sit in the store with no customers all day long. I would probably be forced to charge high prices for games like the rest of the mom & pop's. I have seen so many mom & pop game stores close here too.

[quote name='CtrlAltDft']In your past experiences, what are the best places to get retro games (good prices, the games actually work, good condition, etc.)? I want to start collecting NES, SNES, and N64 games, but my friends and I also want to get some good old splitscreen action on. So what do you guys prefer? Thrift shop, local game store, yard sales, flea markets, Amazon, ebay, etc.?[/QUOTE]

Where do you live? That might help people. Where I live there are several localish stores (KC, Oklahoma, Texas) that has good prices. Ill tell you the name if you are in that area.

I've personally had good luck selling to and buying from estarland.com, but I know that some others have had issues.

[quote name='schuerm26']Where do you live? That might help people. Where I live there are several localish stores (KC, Oklahoma, Texas) that has good prices. Ill tell you the name if you are in that area.[/QUOTE]

I'm in the OKC area. Wouldn't hurt to know where I can pick up some decent SNES/N64 titles, if you don't mind.

Have you been to Vintage Stock? They are in OKC and Tulsa. They have lots of reasonably priced SNES N64 titles. Obviously the rarer ones are going to be more expensive but they have good selection for about what you can get online after paying shipping.

[quote name='schuerm26']Have you been to Vintage Stock? They are in OKC and Tulsa. They have lots of reasonably priced SNES N64 titles. Obviously the rarer ones are going to be more expensive but they have good selection for about what you can get online after paying shipping.[/QUOTE]

I have Vintage Stocks's around me (Kansas City Metro area) and they have a really nice selection of retro games. Prices aren't too bad either.

Midwest CAGs represent!

www.estarland.com they give good trade ins on current gen that you can flip for retro.

Or yard sales and Craigslist.

[quote name='schuerm26']Have you been to Vintage Stock? They are in OKC and Tulsa. They have lots of reasonably priced SNES N64 titles. Obviously the rarer ones are going to be more expensive but they have good selection for about what you can get online after paying shipping.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I've been there a few times, seemed mostly overpriced even for low end titles. Good place to get some ideas for games you may have forgotten about though.

[quote name='HydroX']Yeah I've been there a few times, seemed mostly overpriced even for low end titles. Good place to get some ideas for games you may have forgotten about though.[/QUOTE]

Hmm. I go to TONS of stores and Vintage Stock is about as low as your going to find on vintage games in a retail environment. If those prices are to high, then probably your best bet is just hoping to find stuff at yard sales or buying bulk lots online and reselling some of the stuff to make up costs. Vintage stock really is very very reasonably priced on SNES games, PLUS the ability to get games shipped from other stores if they don't have the one you want.

Game Xchange is in Oklahoma City also. I have gotten some good deals there.

If you are looking for rare games at cheap prices, you aren't going to find any stores that have that. If you are just looking for games to play that are more common, you aren't going to find anything cheaper than Vintage Stock.

[quote name='Monoxide1986']I have Vintage Stocks's around me (Kansas City Metro area) and they have a really nice selection of retro games. Prices aren't too bad either.

Midwest CAGs represent![/QUOTE]

Im in the KC area also. Northland by Parkville. Zona Rosa is my closest Vintage Stock.

Sadly if you're looking for an ample supply of NES and SNES games at cheap or reasonable prices, you're at least 10 years too late. The well is mostly dry now, I rarely see anything pre-PS1 in thrift stores or even at tag sales or flea markets anymore.

In the heyday of Funcoland from about 1998 - 2001, you could collect nearly the entire library of NES games for maybe a couple hundred bucks, they were literally giving games away in those days. Then Gamestop took over, got rid of everything retro, retro became cool again, resellers started buying everything and anything they could get their hands on, supplies diminished, prices rose, and here we are today.

I really do miss the days of Funcoland though, that was the place to be, they had hundreds of NES games priced at under a dollar. Oh well, I'm just glad my NES collection is Pretty much. Omplete as far as games I want.

[quote name='schuerm26']Im in the KC area also. Northland by Parkville. Zona Rosa is my closest Vintage Stock.[/QUOTE]

Independence here.

[quote name='schuerm26']Hmm. I go to TONS of stores and Vintage Stock is about as low as your going to find on vintage games in a retail environment. If those prices are to high, then probably your best bet is just hoping to find stuff at yard sales or buying bulk lots online and reselling some of the stuff to make up costs. Vintage stock really is very very reasonably priced on SNES games, PLUS the ability to get games shipped from other stores if they don't have the one you want.

Game Xchange is in Oklahoma City also. I have gotten some good deals there.

If you are looking for rare games at cheap prices, you aren't going to find any stores that have that. If you are just looking for games to play that are more common, you aren't going to find anything cheaper than Vintage Stock.[/QUOTE]

I always forget that there is a Game Xchange in Norman (where I live) as I never venture down Main St. -- guess I should give it a look sometime.

[quote name='spmahn']Sadly if you're looking for an ample supply of NES and SNES games at cheap or reasonable prices, you're at least 10 years too late. The well is mostly dry now, I rarely see anything pre-PS1 in thrift stores or even at tag sales or flea markets anymore.

In the heyday of Funcoland from about 1998 - 2001, you could collect nearly the entire library of NES games for maybe a couple hundred bucks, they were literally giving games away in those days. Then Gamestop took over, got rid of everything retro, retro became cool again, resellers started buying everything and anything they could get their hands on, supplies diminished, prices rose, and here we are today.

I really do miss the days of Funcoland though, that was the place to be, they had hundreds of NES games priced at under a dollar. Oh well, I'm just glad my NES collection is Pretty much. Omplete as far as games I want.[/QUOTE]

Our Gamestop's/EB games here had tons of NES games priced at 99 cents to 2.99, combine that with a buy 2 get one free sale... From what I recall they got rid of retro once, then they decided to bring it back.

EB games/Gamestop once again also had some killer deals on retro games right before the merger of GS/EB games when they were phasing out retro games. Many a cheap game to be had, as I recall there was 50% off retro games at one point and extra 10% off with edge card which you could have gotten for $2 if you printed out the PDF on this website and sent in a check.

The well is dry on NES/SNES at yard sales but sometimes you run into a lot, you can't say the well is totally dry on it because IMO there will always be a house that has yet to put out their old games. Sometimes people decide to abandon their games due to hardship as well, so there is that possibility that a casual collector could sell because they don't want their stuff anymore. Actually come to think of it that happened to me about 2 years ago, I ran into a friend running a yard sale and proceeded to buy all her retro games, she was selling for 25 cents each, she just said it was time for her to get rid of them.

The fleamarket here has PLENTY of stock, however the dealers will not budge on prices, even when the market is set to close eventually and they have piles upon piles of carts, so you are going to be paying for crusty old carts that probably don't even work that have been sitting in that market for probably 15+ years in some cases and you will probably pay double ebay prices for them.

An avenue I haven't heard specifically mentioned is pawn shops. You have to do the leg work to find a good one though. I pick up a couple stacks of retro games at mine per month for $0.50 - 2.00 ea

[quote name='SnesGuy']An avenue I haven't heard specifically mentioned is pawn shops. You have to do the leg work to find a good one though. I pick up a couple stacks of retro games at mine per month for $0.50 - 2.00 ea[/QUOTE]

I never see anything older than PS2 at any pawn shops around here, I'm fairly certain they wouldn't have much interest in purchasing anything that old anyways.

[quote name='spmahn']I never see anything older than PS2 at any pawn shops around here, I'm fairly certain they wouldn't have much interest in purchasing anything that old anyways.[/QUOTE]

I see them fairly frequently at pawn shops. Most pawns will lowball anyone for anything.

I talked to my pawn. They said they would take them but since they sell for 2.00 or less they offer .50 or less and no one takes it.

It's really depends on the area. Here in PA, pawn shops, thrift stores and consignment shops and yardsales can have some great deals. I've never had much luck, though, with flea markets. Especially gaming-specific ones where they seem to want $5 for the crappiest of SNES/N64 games and prices going up to $25-$30.

My main advice is to check your area and other areas around you if you have the time. For instance, in my old area you could find SNES games at reasonable rates but Genesis games were scarce and usually cost a good bit more. Barely anyone around here but the Genesis it seemed.

Where I'm at now, it's far reversed. I've bought like 60-70 Genesis games in the past 6 years (actually, almost all of those in around 3-4 years.) most for $1-ish including Streets of Rage 2, Phantasy Star 2-4, Shining Force, Shadow Run and tons of others.