New Flea Market, 1; Me, 0

[zdan80]

So, I decided to stop by a "flea market" a few miles from my office the other day. I was hoping it could be a nice little place for a great find, due to the location. I had driven by the strip mall this place is in many times but never yet stopped. It looked dirty from the outside and just had a sign saying "Flea Market" on the outside.

Anyway, I park outside and go in the front doors. I couldn't avert my eyes from the trainwreck in front of me. It was less of a flea market, and more of a thrift store that was not EVER cleaned. Junk was spilling off of shelves onto the floors, various piles of books, clothes, junky electronics.

I wandered around looking for things that I might want to pick up: I spotted a model 1 Genesis on the ground under a shelf, no cables or anything. Walked on by it. I meandered over to a shelf that seemed generally geared to electronic devices. Spotted an Atari 2600 cart. Basketball, non Sears. Grabbed it, just for the heck of it. Wandered around more, peering in every pile of junk. Only one more thing caught my eye, a severely yellowed SNES with again, no cables and lying on the ground under a shelf of lamps.

I walk to the front (having to squeeze between shelves, stretch over piles of junk), and this is where I start finding it hard not to laugh. Sitting in various places near the front of the store are three older (60s?) women who obviously are working or own the place.

Me: How much for this game?
Lady 1: Well, I don't know what is it....?
Me: It's an old Atari game....
Lady 2: Well, how much is it worth, I don't really know.
Me: I could probably give you 50c to a dollar for this one. I usually pay a buck for games like this one.
Lady 1: (looks thoughtful) HEY CAMILLA!! Isn't these Atari games hard to find and worth some kinda money?
Camilla: mmmmmHmmmmm. They're worth money.
Lady 1: Well son, you probably know more about this than me. How much is it worth?
Me: Again, I can give you 50c or a dollar for it.

Then she looks at me like I'm trying to rob her, and says that she better just keep it so she can "keep an eye on it."

I walked out trying hard not to just laugh at the whole situation in this crappy little junk store. I guess she showed me! She is now in sole possession of the illustrious Basketball..which most likely will now never get sold :P Maybe the next little store I come across will be a winner, this was definitely not though :)

[Terminusvitae]

Sadly, this is indeed what happens when people who have no idea what they're doing are allowed to operate a business.

They'll manage to run it into the ground eventually, but they won't be capable of recognizing that it's due to their incompetence. Perhaps if they have a "going out of business" sale, you could ransack the store with their tacit approval and hopefully find something more compelling.

[MegaDrive20XX]

Word of advice, my father gave to me. NEVER EVER bring up what the item is. Never bring it to their attention. If the person is clueless on what he/she is selling...keep it on the low-down and play dumb....that way they'll give it to you for the price you asked for.

Another example, is I almost got a Sears Tele-Star. I accidentally blurted out "Yeah I'd really like to take that off your hands" and the old man I was dealing with, backed out quickly, and said he had to talk to his son...so no dice.

A better way I could have done that, is by simply asking "Excuse me sir, how much is this?" and if he asked "What is it?" and I could have said "I dont know, but what are you asking?" Just never ever tell them what the game or system is....knowledge is deadly in the hands of a seller...

[8-bitNesMan]

I think I would have had to ask Camila some gamer questions to point out the fact the she didn't know what the hell she was talking about. Probably not even worth the effort for Basketball, but you could have had some fun with it nonetheless. Don't you love how these clueless people don't give a damn about their shitty merchandise until they think you want it? Then it somehow magically skyrockets in value. Classic supply and demand economics I guess... I was in a similiar shitty indoor flea market/oversized garbage can one day and spotted a lone Nintendo brand A/V cable. I had bought a mini SNES a short time before this and had a need for the cable. I asked the hick behind the counter how much.

Him: What izzit?

Me: Just a cord to hook up an old game tape machine. I'll give you a buck for it.

Him: A buck??? It should be worth a little more than that! How bout 5 bux?

Me: Are you serious? You have no system anywhere in here to go with it. It's really kind of useless without a system.

Him: Well, I reckon I better just hold on to it, big city boy!

Me: Suit yourself, Billy Bob...

Ahhh, greedy rednecks :)

[Kitsune Sniper]

Word of advice, my father gave to me. NEVER EVER bring up what the item is. Never bring it to their attention. If the person is clueless on what he/she is selling...keep it on the low-down and play dumb....that way they'll give it to you for the price you asked for.

Another example, is I almost got a Sears Tele-Star. I accidentally blurted out "Yeah I'd really like to take that off your hands" and the old man I was dealing with, backed out quickly, and said he had to talk to his son...so no dice.

A better way I could have done that, is by simply asking "Excuse me sir, how much is this?" and if he asked "What is it?" and I could have said "I dont know, but what are you asking?" Just never ever tell them what the game or system is....knowledge is deadly in the hands of a seller...

In my experience, they ask for MORE money if you try to play dumb. If I'm buying a PC game, I tell them "there's a disk inside" or something. That usually gets me cheap prices. But if it's a game with two CDs? They multiply the cost per CD.

I didn't want that $25 copy of Gabriel Knight II anyway. :P

[lkermel]

He he he, this happened to me many many times. They do that with everything you know. Playing dumb sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. In some cases, if you really want something, it is good to mix it up with other things...
This is also the case in second hand shops, I've seen shopkeepers who literally checked up prices on Ebay for every single Atari cartridges I brought to the counter, and that right in front of me. Awesome.

[AlanD]

Normally if they check ebay in front of me or even just mention ebay or prices there, I just tell them "OH!! Ebay has that. Never realized that. Guess I'll buy it there instead. Thanks anyway." and walk out. Generally get some evil looks as I head out the door :)

[cyberfluxor]

This doesn't happen to me often due to where I shop around and most games end up having price stickers attached or are priced at $X depending on system. The few times there wasn't a known price on the item I've watched the supervisor hop onto a computer and check eBay, where they generally can't even find a listing of it! This can boggle their mind and give up saying "It's $1."

[GnarlyNES]

I think you might have won that round my friend. I don't know much about Atari goods, but you might have saved yourself a good fifty cents.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[BocoDragon]

Normally if they check ebay in front of me or even just mention ebay or prices there, I just tell them "OH!! Ebay has that. Never realized that. Guess I'll buy it there instead. Thanks anyway." and walk out. Generally get some evil looks as I head out the door :)

Thank you.... that is so brilliant.

[zdan80]

They got offered a buck for a common 2600 and refused :o

Yeah, I felt bad just offering 50c since the place like I said was in shambles, and I hate walking out of a place like that with nothing unless there is absolutley nothing that I'm interested in :) Wasn't expecting to get denied at a buck either though!

[MegaDrive20XX]

In my experience, they ask for MORE money if you try to play dumb. If I'm buying a PC game, I tell them "there's a disk inside" or something. That usually gets me cheap prices. But if it's a game with two CDs? They multiply the cost per CD.

I didn't want that $25 copy of Gabriel Knight II anyway. :P


Understandable, but I mean, if they are ignorant on what the item is, just play along and see where it goes. Just never point out the obvious.

[Flack]

Whenever I pick up old systems and shopkeepers ask me what they are I always reply, "I have no idea, I'm thinking about making a lamp out of it." That really sets the tone of, "I really don't care about this particular item."

[Porksta]

You guys must have bad luck. Whenever I find something that has no price tag. I just ask how much and they give me an answer or ask me what I'll pay. Even if it has a price tag I will still haggle it down.

[Slate]

Normally if they check ebay in front of me or even just mention ebay or prices there, I just tell them "OH!! Ebay has that. Never realized that. Guess I'll buy it there instead. Thanks anyway." and walk out. Generally get some evil looks as I head out the door :)

Haha, Sounds great. I'll have to try that sometime.

Back OT, I've seen this before. There is a junk store in Butler, PA that is run by some guy in hi's late 60's Who needs a hearing aid. The place has junk piled on junk, And he has some game systems that he wants a fortune for. I brought a super nintendo up to him (Wich was the worst conditioned SNES I've ever seen - Yellowed and the plastic was so brittle it was coming apart in the front) And he says "Oh! Fifteen dollars!" I asked about some other stuff, Wich was $5 and up. $35 for a N64 with no controllers? Yeesh, I'd better stay away.

[PentiumMMX]

I sometimes go to a place like that. They only jack up the price on me if I'm wearing a gaming shirt, because that means I'm a collector.

Also when I buy a system from them, I can also throw in some random crap I'm needing with it and say that they go together (Atari 2600 Jr, PS2 RF Switch), because they are too stupid to know better anyway (And it saves me some monies)

[Fuyukaze]

Then she looks at me like I'm trying to rob her, and says that she better just keep it so she can "keep an eye on it."

Am I the only one who considers this to be an acusation of theft? At this point, I'd have asked if she was accusing me of stealing and requested to speak to the store manager. If she was the store manager, I'd make a scene talking rather loudly about how the store makes a policy of accusing customers of stealing for simply asking what the price of something was and how I was so sorry I WASNT a thief and had swaped prices with something much cheaper instead of doing the "honest" thing and asking instead.

I'd leave after that and never shop again.

[MachineGex]

Also when I buy a system from them, I can also throw in some random crap I'm needing with it and say that they go together (Atari 2600 Jr, PS2 RF Switch), because they are too stupid to know better anyway (And it saves me some monies)

I am not sure if I understand what you are saying, but the above quote sounds like you are stealing. :(

[DefaultGen]

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[Sammy Stephens]

You should have come on down to Flea Market Montgomery.

We only hire the most qualified employees...that have to know the product and also know how to do the Flea Market dance. Keeping you entertained while you shop! :villagepeople:

Right now, we don't carry any games, but after finding this forum, I might consider adding them to our fine selection of Living Rooms, Dinettes, Bedrooms and more!

It's just like a mini....MALL!

[Iroquois Pliskin]

You should have come on down to Flea Market Montgomery.

We only hire the most qualified employees...that have to know the product and also know how to do the Flea Market dance. Keeping you entertained while you shop! :villagepeople:

Right now, we don't carry any games, but after finding this forum, I might consider adding them to our fine selection of Living Rooms, Dinettes, Bedrooms and more!

It's just like a mini....MALL!

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

[Iroquois Pliskin]

i really really hope that the sammy stephens account isn't real.

[Pantechnicon]

There are a lot of places like that here: a sign that suggests it's some sort of thrift store in a tiny little hole-in-the-strip-mall that's actually a ruse for some deluded Antique Roadshow addict to run his/her own private little Ebay. Amid the racks of colored glass bottles, old books and loose Happy Meal toys from the 1990's there might - might - be a Model I Genesis bundled with some sports titles or an NES with no hookups. Either one will be priced far beyond the domain of common sense.

Avoid avoid avoid places like this.