Where do you buy your games?

[The 1 2 P]

We've found a few more than just Power Gamer, but all are around ebay prices (and some even higher which is ridiculous!). My organization is boycotting Goodwill, so not going there.. We did get a good deal today at my favorite flea market.. $5 ea for 5 games. Including Star Fox. Excited about that.

I'm not sure how long you have been in Maryland but 5-7 years ago there were several different chains, including Game Crazy, Starland Games, Pandora's Cube, Planet Replay and one Play N Trade that closed down before I ever got there. Planet Replay was the best since they allowed me to trade in all of my penny strategy guides from Best Buy for $3-$8 each. They had several stores for a few years but finally ended up with a single store in Rosedale before closing that down last year or 2011. This is why I now use yard sales, flea markets, Goodwills and any other place I can find since around here there are no more dedicated game stores(Power Gamer isn't local to me). I'm curious why you are boycotting Goodwill. Did you have an unpleasant incident there or is it due to pricing?

[DK1105]

I mostly buy from thrift stores. I like driving around and hunting for games. Their are a few small used gaming stores I go to as well. For me a lot of the enjoyment of collecting is hunting around.

[needler420]

Mostly Flea World - a permanent, weekend flea market near Orlando with 2-3 game dealers. For a good chunk of last year I would take my son there after his gymnastics class every weekend. Every so often they'd have something good, and one place always had 8-bit games b2g1f and another place had an 'everythying $1' rack.

I do check out garage sales, although I only find something interesting every couple of years. I did find a box of Colecovision games and accessories a couple months ago, which was cool.

I'm not buying that many games anymore. I will still pick up pre-crash stuff I don't have if it's reasonably priced, or the occasional NES, SMS or Genny game I want to play, but I'm not really 'working on' the collection.

This. Everyone comes to FL with their games and grows old and forgets the value of their games. It's a vicious cycle here.

[sloan]

All the posters on this thread, and I'm the only one who hits pawn shops? There are many good deals to be had at the pawns.

[Atarileaf]

I've gotten some good deals at pawn shops. Although I don't have it anymore, I did get a fully functional Intellivision with a couple dozen boxed games for $50 a couple of years ago.

I used to go to a local place out in the county. It was just called "The Barn". It was a place that bought and sold estates and I've gotten some great deals there over the years like a loose Vulture Attack for the 2600 for $3

Unfortunately that place has been closed for about a year now and I don't know if or when it will reopen

[vrikkgwj]

A Baltimore native here as well - Power Gamer is good, their seletion is usually good, but sometimes their prices are a little odd.

[Hwj_Chim]

Online ebay and amazon.

Other than that Bookmans.

[The 1 2 P]

All the posters on this thread, and I'm the only one who hits pawn shops? There are many good deals to be had at the pawns.

I've gone to pawn shops but have found a good gaming deal once out of the 50+ times I'll visited various pawn shops. Those aren't very good odds and thats the reason I rarely hit them up anymore. Most of the good finds around here are within Goodwill or thrift stores.

[A.C. Sativa]

I've given up on retro stuff, the prices are just out of control these days, though I'll still check out any garage sales I see, and occasionally check out the local Craigslist. For newer stuff there's a little store right around the corner from me, and if he doesn't have what I need I just go to Target or Best Buy. Gamestop can eat multiple dicks, they'll never get another fucking dime out of me.

[Atarileaf]

Gamestop can eat multiple dicks.

Wow, really takes the term "corporate cannibalism" to a more literal level doesn't it.

[Daria]

Gamestop can eat multiple dicks, they'll never get another fucking dime out of me.

I feel that there's a story behind this.

[A.C. Sativa]

I feel that there's a story behind this.

Not really. It wasn't any one single incident, just too many instances of really pushy salespeople, them charging 4-5x for used games what they pay for them, and them selling defective merchandise. Mostly the first two.

[ImMelody]

I'm not sure how long you have been in Maryland but 5-7 years ago there were several different chains, including Game Crazy, Starland Games, Pandora's Cube, Planet Replay and one Play N Trade that closed down before I ever got there. Planet Replay was the best since they allowed me to trade in all of my penny strategy guides from Best Buy for $3-$8 each. They had several stores for a few years but finally ended up with a single store in Rosedale before closing that down last year or 2011. This is why I now use yard sales, flea markets, Goodwills and any other place I can find since around here there are no more dedicated game stores(Power Gamer isn't local to me).

Are any of those still around? I know Game Crazy closed before we moved here. We've not gone to Pandora's Cube yet. There's a new store nearly to PA north of Baltimore we went to... Save Point. They have stacks of $5 games and such and also a full arcade. If it weren't so far, I'd totally do my kids' birthday party there. But most of the 'big name games' they have priced above ebay prices.

I'm curious why you are boycotting Goodwill. Did you have an unpleasant incident there or is it due to pricing?

The organization I work for (ie, my day job) is boycotting Goodwill due to their paying people with disabilities subminimum wage. Some as low as $1.44/hr. (And what sucks is that it's completely legal...) Sorry, off my soap box!

[The 1 2 P]

Are any of those still around? I know Game Crazy closed before we moved here. We've not gone to Pandora's Cube yet. There's a new store nearly to PA north of Baltimore we went to... Save Point. They have stacks of $5 games and such and also a full arcade. If it weren't so far, I'd totally do my kids' birthday party there. But most of the 'big name games' they have priced above ebay prices.

Game Crazy and Planet Replay are both gone, Starland is gone(they now operate strictly from their estarland website), theres supposedly one Pandora's Cube left in College Park but I'm not sure if they are still open(I've only been to the other two stores they had...before they closed down). And theres one Play N Trade store in Lusby although I've never been there. It's always best to call ahead before venturing off to any new locations because you never know if they are still open or not.