Selling off your collection... [Archive]

Kitsune Sniper

07-16-2007, 12:53 AM

I'm in a bit of a bind. My computer is dying. So I'm thinking, "Man, I have to sell many of my games to get enough money to fix it!"

But the more I dig to find stuff, the more I don't want to do it. I mean, most of my collection is made up of old PC games... And I have somewhat valuable stuff in there. I've beaten many of these games, and just don't feel like keeping them...

So why do I find it so hard to actually get the nerve to SELL them? I don't play them anymore, so why is it bugging me so much?

(On that note, I feel the same about my comic book collection. What gives?!)

FVJVMVP

07-16-2007, 01:07 AM

This is pretty normal. I have the same attachment to my games as well. When you're in a bind, though, it's a good idea to go boot camp on your games and decide what's bare minimum. Regrets may occur but it may be the only way.

That's my only tactic. Maybe others can give you better ideas

qbertandernie

07-16-2007, 01:28 AM

ive been thinking about dumping my stuff, more for space than anything, but feel the same way. i havent been in my game room in weeks, and i dont find new stuff because i have so much, which has taken a lot of the fun out of the hobby. ive never been one to play many of the games i have, but still have that attachment where i dont want to sell this stuff...i think it may be due to my inability to acquire these items again for the same cost, and some of it is not replaceable...and maybe the fact ive spent so much time at acquiring it.

i dont know, this is the same thing that comes up with a different forum member about every three months it seems....i never understood it until now. it always seemed a cut and dry thing - sell it or dont - but here i am, on the fence, like so many before me...

sorry this is absolutely no help to you. i just couldnt sleep so figured id chime in too :)

Barbarianoutkast85

07-16-2007, 01:36 AM

I've had this problem before during college, I was in a bind for money and thought about selling off some games. I then looked threw the collection and decided I just couldnt. So what I did was, beside my normal job. In the morning I went to the local "Labor Ready" which is a temp work service. Where you show up at the office in the morning, they send you out to a work site. Four to Eight hours later when your finished you return to the office, show the person working your "Work Slip" and they print you a check out right there! Labor Ready has gotten me threw a few binds.

suckerpunch5

07-16-2007, 01:56 AM

I then looked threw the collection and decided I just couldnt. So what I did was, beside my normal job.

Man, these 2 sentences confused me for longer than I'd like to admit!

OK, you know what, I bet if you just sell the stuff, you will feel like a weight has been lifted off of you. If you have to think "Do I really want this?" then sell it. I bet you will feel better. If it's something you legitimately want, and you have no questions, then keep it. But everything else . . . "bye bye!"

It'll feel great, espescially when you get $$

ghostangelofcky

07-16-2007, 02:05 AM

Man, these 2 sentences confused me for longer than I'd like to admit!

OK, you know what, I bet if you just sell the stuff, you will feel like a weight has been lifted off of you. If you have to think "Do I really want this?" then sell it. I bet you will feel better. If it's something you legitimately want, and you have no questions, then keep it. But everything else . . . "bye bye!"

It'll feel great, espescially when you get $$

and then after words you feel like you've been "suckerpunched!"
sorry, couldn't resist.

The best advice I can give is to never make a hastey descision but on a dire situation, especially one that may seem dire only in the here and now.

Many people's biggest regret is loss. The grass always seems greener on the other side. These phrases are catchey because of the truth they hold.

If you need more advice about loss go listen to some country music, it's always full of people that make bad descisions.

Barbarianoutkast85

07-16-2007, 02:11 AM

OPPS! Yea I'm not sure where I was going with that...lol Sorry to many beers.

jcalder8

07-16-2007, 03:10 AM

I've never had much of a problem selling items from my collection espically if there is something that I want to play. There are a few games that I own that I really don't want to get rid of either because of sentimental reasons or because of value. But the items I do sell I sell with the intention of it going to someone who will have fun and enjoy it and in turn I will be able to get something that I will get more use out of.

At least thats how I look at it.

kaedesdisciple

07-16-2007, 09:38 AM

I've been giving it serious consideration myself. Not necessarily selling off the whole collection, but big chunks of it can probably go. I got a little ADD when I was collecting seriously a few years back, and so my collection has no real, well I guess you would call it "focus." Since I realized that I've been going through my spreadsheet red-lining the ones that may do better in other people's collections. I don't often take out those systems, they sit in boxes most of the time and I'm not attached to the games themselves. Therefore, I wouldn't feel bad about letting them go.

There are games that can't leave simply due to sentimental purposes, like the Atari, Coleco, NES and Genesis games. The others that are really enjoyed by my fiancee and I will stay and the rest are expendible. If I miss them that much, I can get them back later on. I have more important things to worry about now (wedding, work, grad school) and I just don't have the time or money to be as "hardcore" as I used to be.

Don't get me wrong I'm not completely selling out, I'm just planning to cut some of the fat.

classicb

07-16-2007, 12:01 PM

maybe this will help since i had to and did sell off most all of my games. A little over a year ago i moved to Nicaragua and was faced with what do I sell, what do I take and what do I store at moms house.

I sold more less everything that I didn't have a sentimental attachment too. I had a pretty good sized collection too at this point probably over 500 games.

The sentimental stuff went to moms house for storage which were old favorites and things i got as gifts (like from DP Santa) Not really the most rare games or expensive since I couldn't sell Wall Street Kid for the NES.

All I took with me was my PS2 and a handful of random games that I was playing a lot at the time or was looking forward to playing. I have a Wii and a DS now though that a friend brought me when visiting.

One big reason why it wasn't much of a problem for me to sell my games was because for me hunting and looking for the games was at least half the fun. So I know if I end up back in the states someday and want to start collecting again I'm going to have a lot of fun looking for all my old games I used to have in my collection.

le geek

07-16-2007, 12:07 PM

I say trim the fat. The first round is:

Is it a game you'd like to play again? If not, trade or sell...

Cheers,
Ben

FoxyGamer

07-16-2007, 12:54 PM

Videogamerdaryll

07-16-2007, 04:21 PM

Right now I am in the works of selling off most of my Gaming Collection..I already got rid of my Tekken 3 Arcade Machine(still have the monitor)

I want to get my collection down to bare bones..

I've been listing stuff on Ebay daily,trying to work stuff off my shelves,closet.Creating lots of items to make it easier to list and ship.....I have so much stuff that I haven't made a dent yet..I've Really piled stuff up over the years..:frustrated:

Sadly somethings don't sell and I'll wind up eventually chucking them....A lot of stuff I list for a buck and the buyer is only paying for shipping,yet they don't sell..

I started mainly listing my handheld game collection as most of it sits on the outer parts of my collection and takes up several shelves.

Video game Magazines I have boxes and boxes of...I don't know what to do with them..I'm going to have to chuck them..I'd be happy if I knew of a place just to drop them off and them be used.

Somethings I go to list then just click out of Ebay(change my mind)..I don't want to sell everything,I'm trying to keep somethings..but it's hard to decide.

I'm keeping my 2 Big Red Neo Geo MVS Acade Machines,Candy Cab and Pinball Machine..I may sell the Woodgrain Neo Geo 2 slot and Klax Mini Cab....
I just don't have the time to consider shipping them nor the time for someone to come look at them..

I might even sell the Virtual Boy Display Unit,it's so heavy though..Something I would not want to ship NOR take a dump on..

Frustration sets in with this..I can only list so much,pack it up,ship it all takes time.
I try to list it then pack it up right away to save time..I'm getting headaches from looking at the computer screen too long..
With trying to sell all this stuff I haven't did-had much fun.It's all I do...I'm in a rush to get rid of it all..If I could make a couple thou on it I'd be happy in that way..I'd pay a Credit Card off..

New system stuff I'm keeping...

Digging through some stuff I find things I forgot I had...

I have to sell.Right now I have no choice..I have picky Landords and a baby on the Way..I need to make room Fast thus it's gotta go..

Am I happy or Sad about selling I dunno..:?...I just don't know yet..

Kitsune Sniper

07-16-2007, 06:03 PM

Dude. The amount of money I've had to spend to replace what I'd lost...
/shudders

anyhoo, I make up for the lack of cash with more jobs! I have a full time job, then a part time at a game store for the discount, then I teach at the community college, sometimes I do freelance work- you know, whatever comes my way.

The only tough part is finding the time to play games... hmmm- maybe there is a flaw in my plan...

Here's the thing - THERE ARE NO JOBS WHERE I LIVE. I've been trying to get out of this dump and go somewhere where the jobs available don't involve having to spend ten hours under the sun, picking crops. If I had a job this wouldn't be a problem at all. But I don't. The job market here is so messed up I can't even get a job at McDonald's. I can survive off of my eBay sales, but I can't do anything without a computer, y'know? :|

cyberfluxor

07-16-2007, 06:34 PM

Here's the thing - THERE ARE NO JOBS WHERE I LIVE. I've been trying to get out of this dump and go somewhere where the jobs available don't involve having to spend ten hours under the sun, picking crops. If I had a job this wouldn't be a problem at all. But I don't. The job market here is so messed up I can't even get a job at McDonald's. I can survive off of my eBay sales, but I can't do anything without a computer, y'know? :|
I knew right away this was the type of sitution you were in. :( :(

How exactly is your computer dying? Are certain things just acting up, are you unable to upload pictures/scans? Is the internet service dropping you often? Depending on the issue I'm sure some of us can help you with it somehow and keep from you losing your collection.

Kitsune Sniper

07-16-2007, 06:55 PM

I knew right away this was the type of sitution you were in. :( :(

How exactly is your computer dying? Are certain things just acting up, are you unable to upload pictures/scans? Is the internet service dropping you often? Depending on the issue I'm sure some of us can help you with it somehow and keep from you losing your collection.

My hardware is old. I see no point in just upgrading parts of it, so I'm going to buy new RAM, a new CPU, motherboard, hard drives, and graphics card. That will ring up around $600 more or less. Everything started when the power supply blew up - then it all started going downhill. I started getting random 100% CPU spikes when rendering stuff on screen. It's not the video card since I tried out another one, and it's not the CPU since it's still working.

I'm just tired of dealing with all this crap. So I'm building a new system I can actually work with.

cyberfluxor

07-16-2007, 07:31 PM

Ahhh. Nothing I can help you out with there but I'd bet there are a few on the forum that can hook you up with some deals for newer hardware. Goodluck with that, and try not to sell off your stuff unless the computer just gives and there's no other resort.

samael64

07-16-2007, 09:49 PM

I agree with kaedesdisciple. In January I decided to scale back my collection in order to focus it on specific things (Nintendo, Xbox, and some Sega; hockey and comic book related games), rather than just buying anything and everything that I found that was video game/dev related that peeked my interest. It has been nice so far, but also a bit slow. I've gotten rid of some items I really didn't need (why did I find the need to own 3 Sonic NFR carts?), and have made some extra money. I recommend it. I'm happier with my collection now that it has focus.

Moo Cow

07-16-2007, 09:59 PM

drewbrim

07-16-2007, 10:01 PM

I purged most of my collection recently. With emulation and all there are very few games of the 1000 ish I sold that I couldn't pick up and play anyways. I still have everything from last gen and forward. The only "retro/vintage" stuff I kept was my Turbo Grafx/Duo stuff, and my complete Zelda and Final Fantasy Collections.

It's pretty nice actually, I'm suprised how little I miss everything else, and the money went towards a down payment on a house.

Kitsune Sniper

07-16-2007, 10:37 PM

well, if you must sell of your collection, I'd recomend first getting the duplicates. Try bunching the things that won't sell with the ones that will for auctions and try to only sell things you could get back. For instance, if you have Guardian Heroes, you could sell it and in a year you could probably still find a complete one. Now, finding that complete Eli's Ladder is going to be troublesome to say the least. Also, listing things under Buy It Now can command better prices.

I don't have any dupes other than The 7th Guest (one boxed DOS copy, one jewelcase Windows 95/DirectX 3 version) and The 11th Hour (both boxed, different releases). Well, and those copies of DDR Konamix and Metal Gear Solid GH I can't seem to get rid of. I do have some games I won't play again - my Diablo/Diablo2/D2 Expansion, and Starcraft/Brood War sets. And possibly my Gabriel Knight collection... I beat those games ages ago. I haven't felt like replaying them in years.

...

I find it so difficult to get rid of these... ;_;

Steven

07-17-2007, 05:54 AM

So why do I find it so hard to actually get the nerve to SELL them? I don't play them anymore, so why is it bugging me so much?

(On that note, I feel the same about my comic book collection. What gives?!)

I'd venture to guess it's something of a pack-rat mentality. Tell me if this rings a bell. You look at item X. You want/need to sell to make some $$, but you can't bring yourself to selling item X because you swear you JUST MIGHT want to play it some day (or whatever it may be, listen to if it's a CD). You know you probably won't ever, but then again you really DON'T know. What if on some magical rainy night where you had all the time in the world to kill you suddenly had the urge to play item X but because you sold it in improper haste (hindsight is 20/20) and kicked yourself?

*whew, scuse this 3 AM rambling*

I know that's how I feel sometimes. But in the past couple years I been real good at letting go of items I know 95% I would never play (again). You just have to put your foot down and say YES or NO. Don't lean on the fence, but if you do, keep it. Fortunately for me I got tired of seeing certain games clog my room that there was little fence leaning.

Dunno if this reply helps you at all, but hey I had fun posting this. Not really but you get the picture

ssjlance

07-17-2007, 01:18 PM

I've been trying to sell some of my games lately, as I'm in need of money and I'm running out of room for all of them. But, every game I pick up to sell makes me sad, lol. So far all I have been able to sell is a broken XBox, a spare Gunstar Heroes, and a spare Legend of Zelda. And some Quiet Riot records, but I can't say I was sad to see them go, lol.

Iron Draggon

07-18-2007, 10:37 AM

this reminds me of my recent decision to sell off all my old board games... I never play them anymore, and they've all been sitting up in my attic just gathering dust for many years now... but after getting them all down and cleaning them all up, I just couldn't bring myself to sell off a single one of them... so they all went right back up in my attic again to continue gathering more dust, after I spent quite a bit of time wiping all the dust off of them...

so apparently it's just a natural part of nostalgia... you think you want to sell it, or you should sell it, but upon trying to prepare it for sale, you just can't bring yourself to go through with it... that old nostalgia kicks in and says no fucking way... don't you dare sell me, or my memory will haunt you forever!

boatofcar

07-18-2007, 07:39 PM

If you read all the replies, you'll notice they fall into two groups: people who think about selling some stuff for some cash, and people who need to sell their stuff for some specific reason, i.e. baby on the way, buying a house, etc. I fall into the latter camp.

For a long time I considered selling my video game collection because I found it just taking up room. I never did though--just couldn't bring myself to do it because I always invisioned a time in the future when I would have the time to play everything I had. In January, I decided to move to Korea, and knew that I wouldn't be able to keep everything because of the size of the storage unit most of my furniture is going into. Selling stuff became a lot easier then, because I knew that for the semi long-term, these games were just going to be dragging me down if I didn't sell them. I've sold more than 500 games on ebay in the past year (check my auctions ;) ) and it's been a lot of work, but very rewarding to finally rid myself of games that I know I'd never play. And face it, whatever you end up selling you'll be able to replace, thanks to ebay, and probably not spend too much more than the price that you sold it at.

Retromangia

07-19-2007, 01:16 PM

Fox Gamer, I totally agree with you..

I've recently found a new job and money really isnt an issue anymore.. so i've been tag saling like a fiend.. I found some REALLY good deals.. Suikoden V for a $1 anyone? =) sorry had to brag about that one.

anyhow.. now I have this HUGE collection of games.. and ZERO time to play any of them...

i keep telling myself... one day.. one day. =) My plan is when I'm 50 to retire early and move to a deserted island with just my TV, Games, and a bag of pron.

but about selling off your collection... honestly, Sell the doubles.. you don't need them.. and if your on the fence about it.. think about the deal you got for it like someone else mentioned.. if you don't think you'll ever get it for that great price again.. just keep the damn thing =) it can't hurt.

cbroddy

03-22-2010, 08:27 PM

I was thinking about selling off most of my collection 2 or 3 years ago. But I hesitated and decided not to. I am not going to my game room downstairs in the basement as much as in the past. My cousins are coming for a while this upcoming spring. They might enjoy some systems to bring back with them.

Kitsune Sniper

03-22-2010, 09:50 PM

Whereas I am considering selling my entire collection because I'm almost bankrupt and there's no jobs here.

Shadow Kisuragi

03-22-2010, 09:52 PM

To be honest, Kitsune, selling the collection doesn't help in that regard. It's only a stopgap. :(

Kitsune Sniper

03-22-2010, 09:54 PM

It keeps me out of the streets.

That's a bonus.

stonecutter

03-23-2010, 02:03 AM

how long does it keep you out of the streets? then whats next after that? just a thought.

UK Collector

03-23-2010, 08:14 AM

guitargary75

03-23-2010, 08:37 AM

I'm going to be buried with mine!!

tom

03-23-2010, 09:06 AM

I just sold my Lynx collection (complete) and my Atari Jaguar (45 games) collection.

obesolete

03-23-2010, 09:07 AM

if you've already thought about selling your collection, think about what other skills you may have to offer the online market.

I for one sell toys online, and it brings in not a whole lot of money, but it's a good chunk for what i do.

Can you do graphic work? can you create things? There's always money to be made all around, you just have to be creative about it sometimes.
I hear you that there's no jobs around. it took me 3 months to find a part time job after i graduated college and it's no where even close to my field, but hey... it's something.

as for the computer problem, do you NEED a full desktop or can you get away with a laptop? I picked up one of those little netbooks when they first came out for a couple of hundred bucks and it works great if all you need is documents and internet. I'm sure you can find early releases for dirt cheap since you can pick up machines that rival some desktops now. mine is the 2nd earliest model eeepc and it works great for what I do.

just a thought...

Orion Pimpdaddy

03-23-2010, 09:17 AM

Kitsune Sniper

03-23-2010, 10:28 AM

I dont mean to sound rude, but what is stopping you going to the crop picking jobs? I know they may suck, but you sound really desperate. If it gets you enough money to pay the rent then get a new comp, then do it for a couple of months. Its not that long when you get going, and you might even end up enjoying it.

Let's see...

I have no experience doing that sort of work. I have no physical endurance to do that sort of work. I have no -friends- or family in that work anymore (most are retired) so I can't land a job there. And of course... there's the kicker that crop picking is almost gone in this region.

If I could even land a job as a janitor or cleaning bathrooms I would take it in an instant. But there's not even a job for that. My US hometown has a 20~% unemployment rate... and I'm not going to go work somewhere in Mexico for five dollars a day. The "good" jobs require experience, experience that I can't get because z0mg I CAN'T GET A JOB.

As for any other talents, I'm a fully licensed English / Spanish translator, but I can't even do that job because of the aforementioned "experience" bullshit. I have more skills than a lot of people and nobody even cares. And I've tried to start up a small company but I can't do this when I have no money.

pseudonym

03-23-2010, 11:09 AM

Have you considered moving? If you can't even get a janitor type job where you live, which is pretty low on the menial work rung to begin with, you should consider it.

megasdkirby

03-23-2010, 11:10 AM

The "good" jobs require experience, experience that I can't get because z0mg I CAN'T GET A JOB.

Kitsune, I can't agree with you enough. This shit totally pisses me off as well.

Jobs want experience, yet they don't give you a chance to gain experience! I once had an interviewer tell me that even though I had almost all qualifications the company needed, they could not hire me because "I did not have enough experience". I told her "Well, how can I get that experience if companies like the one you work with don't give a chance to obtain it?". She replies "You can always start low, with tier 1 (it was a computer related job), so that..." and I interrupt stating "Which also requires experience, even for a entry job. Can you explain that for me, please?". The interviewer could not respond.

Really, companies should give a person a break, even if it's for a low-salary job, internship, or what not. Thankfully, Sears gave me a shot (thanks to my background in teaching and computing) to be a sales consultant. But not every company is as generous, which boggles my mind.

As for any other talents, I'm a fully licensed English / Spanish translator, but I can't even do that job because of the aforementioned "experience" bullshit. I have more skills than a lot of people and nobody even cares. And I've tried to start up a small company but I can't do this when I have no money.

You should "challenge" them. State that you are willing to do a few jobs for free ON THE CONDITION that if you do a great job, and they demonstrate that you do/did, that you will get the job. That way, the company gets free work from you, you gain experience, and if you do a great job, they will hire you. I know a few people who have done this and succeeded.

Unfortunately, you have to manipulate the interviewer and not let the interviewer manipulate you.

Shadow Kisuragi

03-23-2010, 11:39 AM

Kitsune, move to Florida. We NEED Spanish translators until the country has fully been taken over by Spanish speakers...in which case, your English translation skills will come in handy :)

In all seriousness, I grew up in South Florida and Spanish has now been fully integrated as a second language. Even street signs are starting to have both languages...
Every company is looking for an English-Spanish speaker in order to harness that sector of the business.

Kitsune Sniper

03-23-2010, 03:00 PM

Have you considered moving? If you can't even get a janitor type job where you live, which is pretty low on the menial work rung to begin with, you should consider it.

See that part about being almost broke. I have $6 to my name right now.

Kitsune, move to Florida. We NEED Spanish translators until the country has fully been taken over by Spanish speakers...in which case, your English translation skills will come in handy :)

In all seriousness, I grew up in South Florida and Spanish has now been fully integrated as a second language. Even street signs are starting to have both languages...
Every company is looking for an English-Spanish speaker in order to harness that sector of the business.

I almost landed a job in Washington a few years back, but I was turned down because I can't speak properly and tend to get nervous when talking to people. Which is funny because the job involved nothing but WRITING AND TRANSLATING WRITTEN TEXT.

*bashes head on wall*

carlcarlson

03-23-2010, 03:54 PM

You probably already do this, but keep your eye out for job postings online from around the country. If you're qualified enough they'll pay to relocate you. My current job came about because of an online application, followed by a phone interview. That went well enough that the company flew me out for an in-person interview, and then in the end paid me to relocate.

And for what it's worth, I'd sell my collection in a heartbeat if I needed money. I would keep a few sentimental pieces here and there, but most of it could easily be reacquired.

Good luck with whatever you end up doing.