Flea markets better then ebay?

[Malon_Forever]

I pretty much always get a older game either from ebay, or on here. I rarely ever went to the flea market. My friends and I decided to take a trip down there this morning though to check out what they have (they were interested in other things, not games). When we got there, I went around to all the video game shops, and they have a pretty good selection, but most of the prices seem very high. Like 20 dollars for Donkey Kong 64, or 15 for Tetris (NES). Those are just some examples, but it seems like there were no good deals. Anyone else have trouble looking at flea markets around where you live(I'm in Buffalo NY)? Or are I just being a cheap @$$ (been known to be one before).

[megasdkirby]

Back in the 90's, flea markets were the best way to get classic rare stuff. In Bayamon, there was a flea market located near Sears that had loads of nice goodies. Some wickedly awesome games that appeared no where else.

Also, in the same route, there was another fleamarket that had loads of Condor Attacks, with box and manuals, for only $2 a piece. It was fantastic!

Now however, things have dried up pretty much. However, I have a gut feeling that if I go away from the metropolitan area, I may score some fantastic finds and some wicked rarities...I just need to do the trip...

So it depends. I prefer the hunt.

[maxlords]

Yeah, fleas have gotten spendier and spendier. On the upside you can get actual fleas there now.... :D

Seriously though, you almost have to leave bigger areas (metros, large cities) to find anything these days...

[megasdkirby]

On the upside you can get actual fleas there now.... :D

Hahaha! :)

That, and loads and loads of ceramic figurines!

I also notice the trend that prices in metropolitan area flea markets are much higher than outside the area...I need to do a trip!

[Sergeant Sega]

Hehe, have not found anything cool at a fleamarket for awhile. It seems like people don't give away games and such as often as they used to before.

[TheRealist50]

flea markets over here are HORRIBLE, this dude is trying to sell soul calibur for the DC for 90 dollars, no joke. I can't believe how expensive their games are, I saw the soul calibur price and I started laughing.

Pawn shops are still good, but thats it.

[Garry Silljo]

I go to a flea in Bridgeville PA called Trader Jacks where I find decent deals on a pretty regular basis. Just last week I picked up a good condtion copy of NES Marble Madness for $2. Later that same day I went to two used shops in the area, bothe were selling it for $10. That was pretty awesome. I've found others just as good.

[Porksta]

I haven't been to many flea markets, but from what I gather, yard sales are a much better place. People actually want to get rid of their stuff instead of making a profit.

[erehwon]

My area is pretty bad. We don't have any flea markets and we only have a few pawn shops, which don't carry anything older than PSX or n64. The yard sales have also dried up. It also sucks that all the yard sales generally start on Friday. I'm going to start work soon, so I won't be able to go out yard sailing on the day when you have the best chance of finding games.

[Joe West]

ebay has ruined it for us, the people at flea markets has smarted up.......no more cheap stuff

[maxlords]

Yeah, I get most of my really good stuff from yard sales these days. Luckily for me, in SW Ontario, yard sales are Saturdays from 7am to noon ONLY. No one here does multi-day sales or ones on Friday or Sunday. So I can hit ALL the sales first thing and not worry about sucking up my weekend or Friday nights.

[megasdkirby]

flea markets over here are HORRIBLE, this dude is trying to sell soul calibur for the DC for 90 dollars, no joke. I can't believe how expensive their games are, I saw the soul calibur price and I started laughing.

Pawn shops are still good, but thats it.

Then I bet the guy asks himself "Why the hell doesn't this game sell!? It's a rare game!"

-_-

[lotec25]

First post here guys. Flea markets is where i have been getting most of my stuff. Now there are a few over priced ones. Like today there was a nice game store in one. But the price of some of the stuff was crazy. A Sega Genesis CD add on for 50 bucks. a 32x for 45. Prices are a bit high but there is some stuff that is priced much better. Atari games 25Cents each. But then there are the games that are way over priced. Mario 2 and 3 for the nes 25 each. i just Laugh and walk out. Ill get them on ebay.

[TheRealist50]

Then I bet the guy asks himself "Why the hell doesn't this game sell!? It's a rare game!"

-_-

funny you should say that, he tried to sell me a outdated nascar game for the PS2 and he was claiming that its a "rare" game...20 bucks.

[Tupin]

funny you should say that, he tried to sell me a outdated nascar game for the PS2 and he was claiming that its a "rare" game...20 bucks.
That's almost as funny/sad as the woman who tried to trade in NASCAR 2001 for the PS1 at Gamestop expecting to get $40 for it.

Anyway, not many flea markets around here. I do most of my shopping at specialty stores that know how to price things, but I occasionally go to Goodwill and find a deal like Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast for $4 factory sealed.

[bb_hood]

flea markets over here are HORRIBLE, this dude is trying to sell soul calibur for the DC for 90 dollars, no joke. I can't believe how expensive their games are, I saw the soul calibur price and I started laughing.

Pawn shops are still good, but thats it.

Man thats nothing, a guy I know asked one game vendor at a flea market if he had Super Punch-Out!! (snes) and the guy's response (in a think Boston accent): "You are seeking a hundred and fifty dollar game there pal"

What a joke, i guess some people just have no clue.

[TonyTheTiger]

I'm wondering if you could pull a reversal on them. Go to that guy with a copy of Super Punch Out!! and say "Would you buy this for $75? If he really believes the game is worth $150 he'd probably jump on that. If he's decidedly reluctant then that might let you know he's BSing.

[Steve W]

Luckily, at the local flea market I go to, there's only really one game vendor. He doesn't charge ridiculous prices for anything, and since I tend to go there instead of eBay when I'm looking for something specific, he tends to give me a little bit of a break on things.

Trader's Village in Grand Prairie, TX is the one I go to whenever I can rarely get a Saturday or Sunday off, and it's pretty hit and miss. I shouldn't say this... but a lot of the vendors out there are... fairly fresh over the border. They usually don't know what they have and whether it's valuable or not. I picked up a Sears Heavy Sixer with a multi-cartridge port along with several games and joysticks for something like $20. If you keep your eyes out there, you can find all sorts of good things. You just have to make sure to turn over every proverbial rock. And go with someone, since two or three sets of eyes are better than one.

[emceelokey]

Flea markets are just so random. Ususally if a vendor is all video games at a flea market then you should expect the more ebay esque prices, but you can also find those people that are just selling a bunch of mixed stuff at a flea market and find something decent.

I tend to go to thrift stores the most. Thrift stores get a bunch of crap from everywhere and they tend to have a general, overhead pricing for games.

[maxlords]

All the thrifts here get picked clean :( I'm fairly certain that the employees are buying the stuff.

[TheRealist50]

All the thrifts here get picked clean :( I'm fairly certain that the employees are buying the stuff.

man, its the same over here too. All the thrift stores have nothing good. One time I saw Value Village had tons of Colecovision games, the wheel and a spare controller but no system. They also put it out that day because it says on the price tags when they put it out. I often think that there had to be a system, but someone either bought it already which I doubt, or it never even saw the store shelves.

[NES_Rules]

Flea markets are just so random.

Exactly. Sometimes the flea market here will be amazing, other times nothing at all. There are 3-4 vendors that sell nothing but games, they usually charge about 80% eBay prices.
However, the stands that sell a mix of stuff usually sell any game for $2-3 each.

[theChad]

I hit up the flea market and pawn shop in my town two or three times a week. NES games are 3 for $5, regardless of the game/condition/manuals/boxes etc. SNES and N64 games are all 2 for $5. I bought my first Atari there with about 25 games and a nice storage unit all for $10. Just missed out on getting another SNES there for $8, can't believe I hesitated on that.

So many more items and occasions I could mention, but it's better left said that I love flea markets and pawn shops.

[mr.soul]

I go to a flea in Bridgeville PA called Trader Jacks where I find decent deals on a pretty regular basis. Just last week I picked up a good condtion copy of NES Marble Madness for $2. Later that same day I went to two used shops in the area, bothe were selling it for $10. That was pretty awesome. I've found others just as good.

so you're the guy that's been buying all the good games!!! :grrr:

nah, i'm kidding.

but seriously, did you buy that c64 i was eyeing up and trying to decide whether i wanted to buy? :| cause i wanted it.

[mindlesspunk77]

I hit up the local fleas on sunday and I get tons of amazing stuff and yardsales maily on saturday and I always find tons of awesome shit its insane. I guess thats why I had a game store.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

When I lived in Florida about a year or so ago, I went to a few flea markets in central Florida. If you go to a game specialty booth in a flea market, don't expect to get any reasonable deals at all. Although I did get a few good prices on NES sleeves and some controllers, the games themselves were mostly overpriced. If you're looking for a few commons, it's usually not bad... but if you're looking for rare/in demand/popular titles, ecpect to pay about 20% over ebay prices for them. Hell, there are better deals here sometimes over ebay. Of course, I'm speaking about central florida prices. You may find good prices in smaller town flea markets, where people aren't as ebay savvy.

[aclbandit]

There's only a few flea markets where I live, and they sadly only usually have loose cartridges, no complete-in-box stuffs. If I could find a nice place to shop in the zone where ohio, kentucky, and WV meet up, I would be so beyond stoked :(

[murdoc rose]

It is getting harder and harder to find older games in the wild. That just makes the finds you do get more fantastic. If your like me the reason you go to a flea market is because you love the hunt. Ebay is great but its not any fun. I also feel that if your going to a flea market to just look for video games, mint cib games, or you just looking for some rare game in that stack of combats you probably shouldn't be there. They are a place where you can find anything, and that's what you should be looking for. You will also have a lot of runs that you may have picked up one thing and then there are the runs where you have to unload the car and head back out before the day is done. If you don't find anything one day go back next week get a friend to go with you enjoy your self.

Enjoy hunting while you still can.

:villagepeople:

[ryborg]

Anyone else have trouble looking at flea markets around where you live(I'm in Buffalo NY)? Or are I just being a cheap @$$ (been known to be one before).

Sup B-lo buddy. I assume you're talking about the Super Flea on Walden, which hasn't been a good place for video games since 1994. Whenever a vendor gets something uncommon in, they want 100-150% of ebay value. No thank you.

You also don't see the "junk" sellers anymore, who come in with boxes upon boxes of misc electronics and stuff and everything is up for barter. The popularity of ebay has crushed the market and now everyone thinks their cracked, dirty copy of Double Dribble with the rusty connector is worth $8.

[Haoie]

Nowadays, real flea markets [or really, most markets in general] are hard to find.

Ditto private classified ads.

Sign of the times, you know.

[old_skoolin_jim]

There's a couple of pretty good flea markets in central/western MA that I used to frequent until I moved closer to Boston (although I sometimes still make the 1½-hour drive). Rietta Ranch Flea Market in Hubbardston has been the location for several incredible finds (SNES Final Fantasy 3 for $5, boxed Crusader of Centy for $1!) and also a lot of overpriced vendors.
There's a sketchy hispanic guy with a thick moustache that has a lot of overpriced crap and also some heavy-set kid who charges ebay prices+ for all his stuff, like charging $45 for a SEALED Zelda: OoT/MQ for GC that he bought from me for $15 15 minutes earlier. Douche.
There's also another dealer there (a younger bald guy with a goatee) with honest prices and a good collection (that I've bought a good chunk of). He knows what stuff's worth, but he charges very fair prices and is always willing to negotiate if you buy more than one item. He carries stuff from pretty much every generation, and is usually there a good 80% of the time.
On a side note, the kid I bought the Crusader of Centy from for $1 was then persuaded by his friends to charge me THREE dollars for Jaws on NES because his games were "worth way more than that". I LOL'ed for the rest of the day after that.
Lancaster Flea market: Avoid like the plague. Very Few and VERY overpriced game dealers ($55 for Phantasy Star 2? STILL? Come on...), and they charge $2 admission. Crap-tacular.
Hadley flea market: I went there once (and in its defense it was a rainy-ish day). There was another pretty good dealer there, respectable prices, lots of rarities, and they sold me EarthBound for $5. Nice.
That's my book on flea markets in Central MA.

[Malon_Forever]

Sup B-lo buddy. I assume you're talking about the Super Flea on Walden, which hasn't been a good place for video games since 1994. Whenever a vendor gets something uncommon in, they want 100-150% of ebay value. No thank you.

You also don't see the "junk" sellers anymore, who come in with boxes upon boxes of misc electronics and stuff and everything is up for barter. The popularity of ebay has crushed the market and now everyone thinks their cracked, dirty copy of Double Dribble with the rusty connector is worth $8.

Yeah, the Super Flea is what I was talking about. I know what you mean since I was looking at a game, and there is just yellow stuff/rust just oozing from the connectors of a N64 cart I was looking at....

[megasdkirby]

I know what you mean since I was looking at a game, and there is just yellow stuff/rust just oozing from the connectors of a N64 cart I was looking at....

I buy the game, open it, and REALLY give it a good scrubdown! I mean, I hammer it with different items until I get a nice, shiny gloss!

This has always given me excellent results. :)

[SpyHunter]

I was at a flea market here a year back and every game had a big sticker that said E-Bay price so and so, my price such and such. Every game was priced ridiculously. One I remember was Einhander, E-Bay price $125, my price $75 and had "save $50" in red letters. I just laughed and moved on.

[old_skoolin_jim]

I was at a flea market here a year back and every game had a big sticker that said E-Bay price so and so, my price such and such. Every game was priced ridiculously. One I remember was Einhander, E-Bay price $125, my price $75 and had "save $50" in red letters. I just laughed and moved on.

Yeah, I totally got Einhander from my local (at the time) Blockbuster Video for $6. Gotta love small-town video stores. :D

[mailman187666]

There's a couple of pretty good flea markets in central/western MA that I used to frequent until I moved closer to Boston (although I sometimes still make the 1½-hour drive). Rietta Ranch Flea Market in Hubbardston has been the location for several incredible finds (SNES Final Fantasy 3 for $5, boxed Crusader of Centy for $1!) and also a lot of overpriced vendors.
There's a sketchy hispanic guy with a thick moustache that has a lot of overpriced crap and also some heavy-set kid who charges ebay prices+ for all his stuff, like charging $45 for a SEALED Zelda: OoT/MQ for GC that he bought from me for $15 15 minutes earlier. Douche.
There's also another dealer there (a younger bald guy with a goatee) with honest prices and a good collection (that I've bought a good chunk of). He knows what stuff's worth, but he charges very fair prices and is always willing to negotiate if you buy more than one item. He carries stuff from pretty much every generation, and is usually there a good 80% of the time.
On a side note, the kid I bought the Crusader of Centy from for $1 was then persuaded by his friends to charge me THREE dollars for Jaws on NES because his games were "worth way more than that". I LOL'ed for the rest of the day after that.
Lancaster Flea market: Avoid like the plague. Very Few and VERY overpriced game dealers ($55 for Phantasy Star 2? STILL? Come on...), and they charge $2 admission. Crap-tacular.
Hadley flea market: I went there once (and in its defense it was a rainy-ish day). There was another pretty good dealer there, respectable prices, lots of rarities, and they sold me EarthBound for $5. Nice.
That's my book on flea markets in Central MA.

wow, you just named off all the places that I search for games also. Lancaster is a once in a great while trip. I've found a swordquest: Waterworld for $15 from the short haired blond lady in there, and Tomba complete for $1 from somebody who was only there once. Rietta farms is a hit or miss. I got a Vectrex with 3 games for $50 from there and I actually think the hispanic guy is actually a nice guy. He has ok deals on newer games like wii, PS3, 360. The PS1 piles he has aren't so great but usually are somewhat fair (just not ones I'd buy). The bald guy with the goat-T hasn't been there at all this summer so he must have ducked out on it. There is a younger guy that sells games under the shaded areas where you first walk in but his prices have gone up since last year. A lot of my stuff has come from Rietta actually. I think every flea market I used to go to has raised thier prices on games. If I were to coose a flea market in this area, I always go to Rietta. Whats up with the Hadely Flea market, I've never been there.

[theChad]

Just got back from the pawn shop with a cool bundle for $10. Zoda's Revenge, Golgo 13, Double Dragon II, Yoshi, RoboCop, and Venice Beach Volleyball (R6 - wow) all with instruction manuals. I can't believe how often people must go there and sell NES games that every time I go back there are at least a couple new ones.

[eskobar]

Flea markets have unique items at good prices depending on the zone or the market itself .... but the variety and prices on ebay are way better than any flea market.

You can get better deals than ebay, but if you need to find "that game" you need to be very lucky to find it rare stuff in the wild. And do not forget USPS ... IMPRESSIVE SERVICE :D

[old_skoolin_jim]

wow, you just named off all the places that I search for games also. Lancaster is a once in a great while trip. I've found a swordquest: Waterworld for $15 from the short haired blond lady in there, and Tomba complete for $1 from somebody who was only there once. Rietta farms is a hit or miss. I got a Vectrex with 3 games for $50 from there and I actually think the hispanic guy is actually a nice guy. He has ok deals on newer games like wii, PS3, 360. The PS1 piles he has aren't so great but usually are somewhat fair (just not ones I'd buy). The bald guy with the goat-T hasn't been there at all this summer so he must have ducked out on it. There is a younger guy that sells games under the shaded areas where you first walk in but his prices have gone up since last year. A lot of my stuff has come from Rietta actually. I think every flea market I used to go to has raised thier prices on games. If I were to coose a flea market in this area, I always go to Rietta. Whats up with the Hadely Flea market, I've never been there.

You bought that guy's Vectrex? I *almost* bought it myself, but my g/f would've killed me as our money was tight at the time (having just moved and all...) hehe. In defense of that hispanic guy too, he is nice and I did buy Spiritual Warfare for (i think) $7 a couple years back, so I guess he's not too bad. He also knows his stuff, but I still think most of his prices are a bit high.
Yeah, I also have it in for that kid, since the first time I sold there, he and his dad raided my table before I was even done setting up, haggling ridiculously low prices on all of my good stuff (most of which was complete,) then going back and selling it at his table for over double what he paid me for it. It was a bit frustrating and I have since learned my lesson.
As for Lancaster, you found SQ:WW from that blonde lady? That's wild. She does have a lot of rare stuff, but the vast majority of her stock is more than I'm willing to pay for it, sadly. Nice find with Tomba as well. My best find there so far was Chrono Cross for $5.
Hadley was pretty good, but I don't know if I could recommend a drive all the way out there solely for the flea market. I was in the area visiting some friends, and we happened to be there so we checked it out. Not a bad place, but it was a little on the small side. My definite pick is still Rietta, though. It's too bad the goatee guy's not there anymore... maybe he got tired of haggling?
Oh, another cool Rietta side story: I was there with my girlfriend a couple years ago and I said to her, "It'd be awesome if someone was selling a Commodore 64..." and BOOM, two aisles later, a massive lot of Commodore paraphernelia (it was actually a C128), which I promptly bought for $50 and still have, although I tossed out the dozens of back issues of "RUN" magazine and a fair amount of the game boxes when I moved a couple months back.

[Ryaan1234]

Trader's Village in Grand Prairie, TX is the one I go to whenever I can rarely get a Saturday or Sunday off, and it's pretty hit and miss. I shouldn't say this... but a lot of the vendors out there are... fairly fresh over the border. They usually don't know what they have and whether it's valuable or not. I picked up a Sears Heavy Sixer with a multi-cartridge port along with several games and joysticks for something like $20. If you keep your eyes out there, you can find all sorts of good things. You just have to make sure to turn over every proverbial rock. And go with someone, since two or three sets of eyes are better than one.

Neato, another flea that I have been to. I agree with everything that was said by Steve. I've only been to the trader's village a few times, maybe 3 or 4, but there are always a ton of vendors there and I've always left with some good video game stuff. Megaman 4, 5, and Bubble Bobble for $10? Heck yeah. My first video game buy at Trader's Village was 15 Game Gear games for $15, Shining Force included. Trader's Villiage is rather large and there are a ton of Mexicans, but I don't think that's a bad thing, it beats a lot of snobby white people pushing their overpriced stuff (i.e. "antiques") at Canton.

Canton, TX is another flea that I've searched for video game stuff. If you look hard enough, you can find some deals. I found only 2 games and a Super Mario Bros. pipe phone on one of my last trips out there. Only 10-15 out of hundreds of booths had anything video game related. Canton is slowly turning into a market of people selling new Chinese-imported crap.

The "Wheel-Shaped Flea Market" located near Austin, I can't remember the market's exact name, all I can say about that one is to stay away from it, trust me.

Finally, the market I go to the most, "Treasure City" in Waco, is a flea market located on the site of an old drive-in. I know a lot of the dealers and I've gotten good prices from them. I always find something there, whether it's an Atari 7800, uncommon NES games, or a piece of 1950's Norwegian silver (which I found 3 weeks ago).

If you know what you're buying, that includes antiques and video games, (Jewelry, toys, and video games for me.), then I think flea markets can be better than eBay.

But, I'd take a weekend of garage sales during the March-May period over the flea market (except for Trader's Village, which I really want to visit again, now that I have some spare cash)

[Sudo]

Didn't realize there were so many posters from MA on this board. I lived there until I was 21 (now 23) and will be moving back next year. I used to go to a flea market in Revere, but I'm not sure if it's still there anymore.

[Gamingking]

Luckily, at the local flea market I go to, there's only really one game vendor. He doesn't charge ridiculous prices for anything, and since I tend to go there instead of eBay when I'm looking for something specific, he tends to give me a little bit of a break on things.

Trader's Village in Grand Prairie, TX is the one I go to whenever I can rarely get a Saturday or Sunday off, and it's pretty hit and miss. I shouldn't say this... but a lot of the vendors out there are... fairly fresh over the border. They usually don't know what they have and whether it's valuable or not. I picked up a Sears Heavy Sixer with a multi-cartridge port along with several games and joysticks for something like $20. If you keep your eyes out there, you can find all sorts of good things. You just have to make sure to turn over every proverbial rock. And go with someone, since two or three sets of eyes are better than one.

I go to Traders Village rarely, But when I do I find some decent games there. Some are higly priced, Others arent though.

[old_skoolin_jim]

Didn't realize there were so many posters from MA on this board. I lived there until I was 21 (now 23) and will be moving back next year. I used to go to a flea market in Revere, but I'm not sure if it's still there anymore.

Oh yeah, I hear it's still there, but I haven't been myself yet. I'm hoping to make it sometime soon, but I usually work sunday mornings so... bleh. Not good for flea marketing.

[SpaceHarrier]

Swapmeets here tend to have the exact same vendors every week for years, and of course there are the random ones with a box of NES games, but typically they have been through 2 spin cycles or were dipped in BBQ sauce.

[mailman187666]

You bought that guy's Vectrex? I *almost* bought it myself, but my g/f would've killed me as our money was tight at the time (having just moved and all...) hehe. In defense of that hispanic guy too, he is nice and I did buy Spiritual Warfare for (i think) $7 a couple years back, so I guess he's not too bad. He also knows his stuff, but I still think most of his prices are a bit high.
Yeah, I also have it in for that kid, since the first time I sold there, he and his dad raided my table before I was even done setting up, haggling ridiculously low prices on all of my good stuff (most of which was complete,) then going back and selling it at his table for over double what he paid me for it. It was a bit frustrating and I have since learned my lesson.
As for Lancaster, you found SQ:WW from that blonde lady? That's wild. She does have a lot of rare stuff, but the vast majority of her stock is more than I'm willing to pay for it, sadly. Nice find with Tomba as well. My best find there so far was Chrono Cross for $5.
Hadley was pretty good, but I don't know if I could recommend a drive all the way out there solely for the flea market. I was in the area visiting some friends, and we happened to be there so we checked it out. Not a bad place, but it was a little on the small side. My definite pick is still Rietta, though. It's too bad the goatee guy's not there anymore... maybe he got tired of haggling?
Oh, another cool Rietta side story: I was there with my girlfriend a couple years ago and I said to her, "It'd be awesome if someone was selling a Commodore 64..." and BOOM, two aisles later, a massive lot of Commodore paraphernelia (it was actually a C128), which I promptly bought for $50 and still have, although I tossed out the dozens of back issues of "RUN" magazine and a fair amount of the game boxes when I moved a couple months back.

Yeah Rietta is awesome. I actually like the older blond lady from Lancaster too. She may have high prices but she is a nice person. Plus a waterworld for 15 at a local shop is more than enough for me to be thankful to her. I also go to Game Universe in Framingham, MA. When they first opened, I bought a Chase the Chuckwagon for $5 and recently I bought Valkyrie Profile PS1 for $80. They always have weird random shit in thier store and they have game competitions with cash prizes there as well. I'm going to be selling my MVS to that store too so anybody that goes in there and sees an MVS, it used to be mine. Most of the time there are good deals in MA to be had but you have to be persistant.

[Malon_Forever]

Well this coming Saturday, I'm skipping the flea market, and try going garage sale "hunting". Wish me luck. :)

[ryborg]

Wish me luck. :)

Go to Clarence/East Amherst/Lancaster areas. Basically the "nicer" parts of town. If they end up having old gaming stuff, they'll be so happy to get rid of it, they'll essentially give it to you.

[old_skoolin_jim]

Yeah Rietta is awesome. I actually like the older blond lady from Lancaster too. She may have high prices but she is a nice person. Plus a waterworld for 15 at a local shop is more than enough for me to be thankful to her. I also go to Game Universe in Framingham, MA. When they first opened, I bought a Chase the Chuckwagon for $5 and recently I bought Valkyrie Profile PS1 for $80. They always have weird random shit in thier store and they have game competitions with cash prizes there as well. I'm going to be selling my MVS to that store too so anybody that goes in there and sees an MVS, it used to be mine. Most of the time there are good deals in MA to be had but you have to be persistant.
I've been wanting to check that place out, but I haven't been in the Framingham/Natick area in a long time now that I'm closer to the Woburn/Saugus area. Good deal on the Chuck Wagon... let me know if you ever want to sell or trade it. :D

[jjgames]

I've tried to find good deals at flea markets near me in Denver, but they are the same problem. Really high prices. There are a couple of deals here and there, but if I am looking for something in particular I would rather just get it on ebay instead of looking at a flea market. The prices won't be much different and ebay is much faster.

[megasdkirby]

I've tried to find good deals at flea markets near me in Denver, but they are the same problem. Really high prices. There are a couple of deals here and there, but if I am looking for something in particular I would rather just get it on ebay instead of looking at a flea market. The prices won't be much different and ebay is much faster.

Agreed! Over here, it's either high prices or damn ceramic dolls. Ugh, it's really damn annoying.

Hey jjgames, I think I ordered a game from you on Ebay. :)

[Malon_Forever]

Go to Clarence/East Amherst/Lancaster areas. Basically the "nicer" parts of town. If they end up having old gaming stuff, they'll be so happy to get rid of it, they'll essentially give it to you.


That will be where I am heading. Thanks :) .

[thom_m]

You guys are lucky. Sadly, the auction site is pretty much the ONLY option for us to get games here in Brazil. No flea markets, no specialized stores (as far as I know). If you're REALLY lucky, you may find something in used stuff shops, but that's about it.

Allow me a little rant on that topic, by the way. The only place I know that's got some retro systems and games is a music store right next to my dad's place. They also sell crappy intruments and old records. I entered the store once asking about a pirate game on display, and the guy ended up bringing out their storage a box full of original NES games, telling me tha he finally found someone interested in those cartridges.

I swear to God that, while I waited for him to pick up the games, something kept telling me "This guy's got a copy of Metroid here. Stay and wait for the box". He actually did have it, in one of those plastic cases they used in rental stores (all of the games were like this. No manual einther). I bought it (and a 72 to 60 pin adapter) for R$15, a good price around here. I came back a few days later and bought Megaman 5 and Mighty Final Fight. Out of cash, I left behind Kirby's Adventure and some other good games. "I'll get them next year", I thought.

This happened right after last X-mas. A few days ago, I called them (I actually live all across the country from my dad), and asked if they still got the treasure box. The guy told me he sold everything. "Seems there's a lot of people starting to collect these things now", he said. And, just like that, my one and only game result is now history.

[cosmicpsycho]

I've never used Ebay so I would have to say I prefer Flea Markets. Between the Fleas, Goodwills, and Pawn Shops I tend to find a bunch of stuff I want. I just need more cash to buy it all.

[The 1 2 P]

Are flea markets better than ebay? Complete 3DO FZ-1 for $1.00. Beat that ebay:P

[FrakAttack]

If you go waaaaay out in the sticks, like where I live, there are still sellers who know nothing about pricing guides/rarity/eBay, and will tend to sell the older stuff for less than the new because they seem to think that older means less valuable. I think a lot of old country folks have a hard time seeing "them vidya game tapes" in the same light as other classic collectibles.

[Malon_Forever]

Well, I came back from the garage sales with... nothing. There was a pretty nice find though, but I let my friend buy it. It was a Sega Genesis Model 2 with 3 complete games and 2 controllers for 5 dollars. I like garage sales a little more though. people just want to get rid of things.

[Steve W]

Are flea markets better than ebay? Complete 3DO FZ-1 for $1.00. Beat that ebay:P

I bought my first Vectrex for $5 in the wild. Choke on that, eBay!

Another thing that thrift stores and flea markets are good for is finding not only old games, but associated items. Pac-Man piggy banks, Donkey Kong Coleco tabletops, arcade game themed board games, assorted electronic handhelds. You can come across those kinds of things if you look hard enough. You might be looking for NES games that day, but you'll end up with a four foot tall Sonic plushie. That's the great thing about hunting games down in the wild - you have no idea what you're going to find, so it's an incredible thrill when you come across something totally unexpected.

[megasdkirby]

If you go waaaaay out in the sticks, like where I live, there are still sellers who know nothing about pricing guides/rarity/eBay, and will tend to sell the older stuff for less than the new because they seem to think that older means less valuable. I think a lot of old country folks have a hard time seeing "them vidya game tapes" in the same light as other classic collectibles.

That is why I need to do that road trip...I bet one can find super awesome collectibles in a non metropolitan area!

[Malon_Forever]

On another note about "the hunt". How often do some of you visit Salavation Army's, and Goodwill stores?

[NytroSkull7]

i still get lucky out in the wild and prices are seeming to go up and up because everywhere i go people are seeming to match what ebay is selling it for, but haggling a little still seems to work with me.

[Lady Jaye]

It depends on the flea market, but the one we visited today didn't have any good deals, and on top of it all, there's always the suspicion that many items are pirates (and I don't mean obvious stuff like the Twin FC)... Let's say that I wouldn't trust that place. Not to say that all flea market vendors are like that, but you gotta trust your instinct.

[GreatBazunka]

I never seem to find much at flea markets or garage sales. I check them out every once in a while and my buddy goes every saturday. I know that games are something he is looking for so since he hasnt said anything i take it they are hard to come by. I mainly depend on ebay for rare and more expensive games becuase you can find them cheaper. As for the commons and cheaper games, i will just go to the local game exchange and buy up all that i need. With the cheap games, shipping on ebay just doesnt work out. Even if you find a large lot you will have to sift through them to get the ones you want and then try to sell the ones you dont.