How Do You Afford to Collect?

[Griking]

I've seen the pictures and I've read the posts. How does everyone find the money to purchase as many games as they do? I can understand the garage sales and flea markets because you can sometimes find a great deal but for instance Joe said in another current thread that he pre-ordered every PSX game for the last year. These things are still selling $30-$40 each new. Where does one get this kind of money???

[MyNameIsBoB]

If that's all you do, collect games, then you have plenty of money to spend if you have a decent salary.

[kevincure]

I'm a poor college student, and I pay for games by selling on ebay. I have some good price databases that I made up for the modern systems, and I netted about 500 in the last 3 months, all of which was plowed into videogames for myself.

[wberdan]

i own my own business doing a really hazardous job, so thats how i get the money.
that, and male prostitution.

willie

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I work ungodly amount of overtime, which prevents me from ever getting to play any of the games I collect, but by God I can sure afford to buy 'em! :/

[maxlords]

I can't, so I've been mostly trading for games lately. But usually, I spent as much as I can afford on it. It's my only expensive hobby. Prolly 50% of my disposable income goes to it, maybe as much as 65%

[le geek]

Eat Cheap, don't go to concerts or tropical vacations, etc.

Get a decent paying job (still working on this one :) ).

Become a turkey vulture of gaming (i.e. DON'T buy Metal Gear Solid or Final Fantasy new, unless it's your favorite series. DO buy closeout Dreamcast games at $10 a pop, if they're non sports games)

Know when to say when (gotta make rent!)

Cheers,
Ben

[odysseyzine]

I just wait for prices to go down. There's hardly a game around that doesn't go down to at least $20 eventually. You just gotta ride it out and be patient. At the very least, any given game will pop up used somewhere for much cheaper than new. The only downside is that I'm always playing games that are at least a few months old.

[Felixthegamer]

Joe is no regular mortal, he is a game collecting God! That's how he does it. Don't try to figure it out, some things are not meant to be understood.

As far as myself, I go to garage sales and flea markets. I hit the clearance sections in stores and hardly buy when a game first comes out. You learn to save money to spend. I sell some on e-bay, not lately though. Look for bargains and cheap stuff. Sometimes you can find great lots on e-bay and sell or trade off what you already have from the lot.

[Charlie]

I only pay MSRP on games I actually plan on paying. Otherwise I wait for Blockbuster 2 for 1 sales to fill out modern collections. And I didn't start buying N64 and DC games by the barrel-full until those systems were being blown out by most retailers.

If you mean what my occupation is, I own a small chain of vending machines that are in the right locations lol. And I get money from the goverment because I'm legally disabled.

[Mayhem]

By having bills << income... given my good salary...

[lautje]

hm interesting question......

I have a decent salary but it's still hard to sometimes put away some money for games with all these pay-checks comin' in rent, electricity, phone etc etc everybody knows about :/

But when I see something interesting most of the time I buy it anyway :D

Sometimes overwork seems to do the trick.

[dsullo]

When I discovered ebay , I rediscovered the systems/games that I longed for as a child but could not afford. I started buying and selling as a hobby. The Digital Press Guide also inspired me to find the rare titles. I buy and sell all the time and the profits from ebay offset the few games I actually keep. I have games I would never sell as part of my personal collection, but if I see a rare game out in the Wild like a gamecube Ncaa Basketball as an example. If I can pick it up for 40 used and sell it on ebay for 80-120... guess what I just made some money to buy the games I want. I also buy everything used unless it is a game I want to have in perfect condition like Zelda Wind Waker.

[digitalpress]

Where does one get this kind of money???

I have a job (several if you include things like freelance writing) that pays well.

[ehall]

Straight Pimpin Yo. :D Actually, I still don't have any real money to throw at this hobby yet. I'm just doing some bargain shopping right now, and when the money comes, then I'll go after some hard to find stuff.

[kainemaxwell]

I collect a few new titles here and there when I got the extra cash.

[Griking]

Funny, if you forget that we're talking about videogames in this post I suspect that many people would assume that we were discussing how to fund a drug addiction.

[Keir]

My wife and I both work full time (she's a teacher, I'm an engineer) and we don't have any kids (yet). Hence, we have lots of "disposable" income.

[Raedon]

they pay me to do stuff..

[Atari7800]

:D

I have a decent-paying job, freelance money, no car, no insurance, $650 covers all of my rent & utilities excluding phone, and I'm single with no kids. A big nerd, really, but I have expendable cash. The situation may change if I decide to go down that mortgage road again or get a car (no more marriage!), but for now I'll just enjoy the meager fruits of my menial labors.

I used to spend $200+ a month on games... I've gotten a bit better now.

[toddst]

My job pays okay and the job pays most of my tuition for school (working at a University is a good thing).

Most of my collection comes from thrifts and fleas. I am cheap when it comes to buying new games so I only have a handful for my PS2 and Gamecube.

In my opinion, it is not video games where I spend too much money during the week, it's meeting friends at the pub several times a week where a pint of Newcastle costs $3.75. Damn, tasty beer....

-Todd

[chadtower]

I have two small kids, two cars, and a mortgage. My collection grows very slowly and I have nothing newer than the Saturn.

[Eternal Champion]

A question for the ages. For any collecting hobby. Why are we so obsessed with collecting? Why do we get comfort from having stuff on a shelf? A topic for another day...

I had a NES back in the day, sold it in 1990 for the cutting edge Genny--an abused 3-year-old NES with 5 games for $110!! O_O
Still have the Genny, got about a dozen games, stopped buying years ago.
Got a SNES in late 1994, had to have MKII. Why, oh why...never really got into getting SNES games, I was a college student and spent my pennies on comics now and then. No spandex, thank you very much.

Up until 6 months ago I was into comics. Then a few things happened. Storage locker burgled, bass guitar stolen, as well as my Genny 3-button controller in perfect condition, Metroid Classic Edition cart, and Blaster Master. But I didn't have a NES, you see. Well, with Renter's insurance, I thought, the hell with it, I'm getting a NES, and all the games (15 now, I'm done) I loved back then. First a top loader and new dogbone, now a refurbished toaster with new 72-pin. Then I started fortifying the SNES and Genny collections. I realized I'm a old fuddy duddy gamer. I like these systems for nostalgia, of course, but I just plain LIKE THE GAMES.
I'm selling other shit, mainly books and all my stupid spandex comics. That was the other thing--I'm giving up on collecting comics, especially anything with fetishized muscles and spandex. I'm a reader. But that's a discussion for another day. So a lot of my collection is going. And I rarely buy other things, like CDs (although music is a hobby) and DVDs.

My wife is a grad student, and we're going to Europe for 2 years, so we're poor and I shouldn't be doing this now, but my thought was that in 3 years it will be harder. So it'll all have to go into storage. Maybe I shouldn't tell anybody that. Plus my job isn't in corporate business so I ain't rich. But again, I think compared to y'all I'm small change. Not even 2 dozen games each for NES, SNES, Genny.

[brandver3]

I have no idea. I just do, much to the dismay of my fiancee.

[Bighab]

I buy a little hear and there. I make it a point to pay all the bills/mortgage whereas my wifes salary goes in the bank. If we didn't do that we would be broke. I mostly have all the games I want for the older systems(Nes,snes,genesis) I like to try and hunt down older rarer stuff and trade/sell it off for something I want. I do vow never to buy a brand new next-gen game unless its something I am dying to play. I always see the same game for less than half the price 6 months down the road.

[Kid Fenris]

Well, I've got a job, but it don't pay (I need new clothes . . .), so I'm pretty picky about the games I buy. I also sell or trade the titles that I'm not really fond of, and if I want something that's relatively old, I prowl the second-hand stores and flea markets before I resort to eBay.

Since I started my website, though, I've found myself wanting to pick up games just so I can review them. It's a dangerous temptation.

[den68]

well, the obvious answer is I have a good job.But I also pride myself on being a persistant and patient bargain hunter.

For the older stuff I limit myself to thrifts, fleas, used game stores. I think I have great luck at the stores near me. I read a lot of posts that say " I never find anything at thrifts and when I do it's Combat or SMB/Duck Hunt." I find lots of stuff so I'm either lucky or your not looking hard enough. I hit most of these stores twice a week. It may sound like a lot but that's how I've amassed a large collection cheaply. Average prices for I've paid for carts: $.50 -$3.00, systems: $4.00 - $25.00

some examples:

boxed Intellivision - $4.00
boxed Colecovision - $6.00
complete NES - $10.00
complete SMS - $10.00
complete 3DO - $25.00

for new stuff with rare exceptions (Super Puzzle Fighter, GTA Vice City) I don't buy games when they first come out. Most get marked down a few months after release anyway. I check the sales every week to see what's cheap. Target will often blow games out without advertising them too. A few I've scored this way:

Maximo - $15.00 (about 2 months after it was released)
Minority Report - $15.00
Dinostalkers - $12.00

Almost all of my Dreamcast and N64 stuff came when the retailers started blowing them out and Blockbuster buy 2 get 1 free sales.

THIS FORUM is also a great source for tips on cheap deals for new games. Checking this site ust about everyday was how I scored Halo for $14.00, Metroid Prime for $19.99 and that Outlaw Golf Xmas game that was a BB exclusive.

You can get a lot for a little if you know how to look.

[D_N_G]

Sothy and myself are male gigolos (sorry to out you like this bro) :o

[simonbelmont7]

pretty much budget myself, give myself a $50 a month to buy games, whether its a whole lot at one time, or a few here and there. Most of my games have come from flea market "lots", last year when the fleas were full of em...
mark

[Goodwill Hunter]

I funded much of my collection by wearing paths between blockbusters and funcoland back in the day. Buy the right previously-played games at BB (those funco price sheets were invaluable!), keep the books and boxes, trade the carts in for credit (remember when Funco gave you double the cash price in credit!...those were the days!), and buy the cheap games for dying systems.

I also once had a particularly good score at a Toy Liquidators that was selling Gameboy travel and language carts. Bought them new for $5.00 and exchanged them for something like $35 Jeoffery Dollars each at TRU. I then used the Jeoffery Dollars to buy NES Wizardry games new for $10 each, which were getting $20 in credit at Funco. So each $10 I spent was netting me $140 in Funco credit. I singlehandedly caused them to halve the credit value of that game within a week.

For much of the 90's I usually had between $500 to $700 in yellow funco credit slips at any one time. I blew through the last of it 3 or 4 years ago when most of their NES games could be had for a dollar or less (I would leave with 50 or 60 games that cost $40 or $50 in credit...I still have some of those 4 foot reciepts!).

Most of my pre NES stuff has come from thrifts and rummage sales. In addition to enjoying the games, I enjoy the "treasure hunt" aspect almost as much. If you're patient and persistent, cheap works fine.

Rich

[cheesystick]

Well, Im only 17 and i have a shitty job at min. wage. I mean, what the hell else am I gonna spend the money on? Besides puttting gas in the car, there isnt much else I need to buy. I had a girlfriend for about 2 years, and every penny i earned fell down that hole. But now that she ripped out my heart and left me with a bloody gapping hole in my chest, I can use the saved money to fill that hole with video games. simple, right?
I'm gonna go cry now..........
-crispy

[omnedon]

I repair game consoles for local game stores. Keeps me "in the know" with those who actually are in the know. The PS2's alone are likely going to pay off my credit card.

[l_lamb]

I work ungodly amount of overtime, which prevents me from ever getting to play any of the games I collect, but by God I can sure afford to buy 'em! :/

Gee, sounds familiar... I've bought more games in the last two years since I started my new job than I did in the last five, but I haven't really played even half of them >.< . I do clean and test all the used ones, though.

[BIGMIKE]

i have a decent job (mailman), but i am a cheap summmabiotch. i usually hit the thrift. i only recently started buying games like every week. i try to limit myself to about 10 to 20 bucks a week if i am buying anything. if it's worth buying it's bought. plus uncle sam hooked me up this year to a sum of over 4grand. :D

[Darth Vader]

Having a good job is a key for me (and having duplicates to sell to fuel the collection helps also) Goodwill and non intelligent video game stores are my best spots (when you can pick up DW 2 and 3 for $3.99, that is a good thing)

Danny

[lostsage]

Plasma and the street corner... Naw. Whenever the oppertunity arises, the conditions are right, and when the product is avialable.

Which means the 2 weeks I have when I get my tax return.

[ventrra]

Generally, I'm the family dumping ground for old technology. :D :( LOL
Usually I get the old systems that other people (who have far more $$$ than I do) get rid of when they get the latest systems.

[RetroYoungen]

How do I afford my collecting needs? I'm still in high school, and I don't have a job; allowance and collected lunch money is it for me. 8-)

Not as much as I'd like, but I guess I'm doin' alright for now.

[Anonymous]

My game playing comes from work, where I can check out any game released on a Nintendo console for free. My collection comes from a healthy "insider" source which fuels my trade bait, and an eBay buddy who buys and sells games for a living, and keeps me happy in exchange for advice on what to buy.

[le geek]

"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!"

Nice Batman quote chum!

Now where did I put the Bat Shark repellant?

[k8track]

I'm a grad student and don't have a lot of money, though I do have a bit more than last semester. I think I've gotten 3 games in the last nine months. That's it. My schoolwork and my jobs related to that keep me too busy to play games. What little free time I do have is spent doing things outside. Any free money I have I'd like to save for a European trip.

I'm at a point where I think I have enough games to last me for a while, a long while. I don't need anymore for the moment. Don't get me wrong, I go through phases where I'll go on a huge bender/buying blitz; right now, I'm in a lull.