Super Mario Bros are rare...

[DeSt-Cyr]

In Montreal, there's a store chain called GameBuzz and I went to all of those and I was surprised about the prices they ask for retro video games.

Those pictures talk by themselves :

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v272/25/43/802469347/n802469347_955555_8787.jpg


http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v272/25/43/802469347/n802469347_955597_9574.jpg


http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v272/25/43/802469347/n802469347_955565_5027.jpg


Dragon Warrior IV -> 99.99$ :
http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v272/25/43/802469347/n802469347_1062651_2566.jpg


http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v272/25/43/802469347/n802469347_955568_1073.jpg


http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v272/25/43/802469347/n802469347_1062664_43.jpg

Always in GameBuzz (any store in the chain) :

Lunars on PS1 (complete) is about 200$ each
Colin McRay 1 and 2 on PS1 = 100$ each
Bust A Move on PS2 = 150$
etc.

One of the sellers said that those games were only for exposure because they're rare, not really for sale. :hmm:

What do you think about this?

[joshnickerson]

Well, they seem to be familiar with the phrase, "There's a sucker born every minute"...

[Fuyukaze]

The better question is, how much are they willing to pay for the same games? Hey, may be surprised and have found your dumping grounds for common as dirt crap.

[Lady Jaye]

Not an awful lot. When I saw how much they asked for Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 (for PS2) (don't remember the price, but it was quite a bit higher than the average asking price for the game), I asked how much they'd give for my copy, and the clerk answered something like $10. So their markup, when they actually manage to sell their overpriced used classic games, is quite high.

It's too bad because they also sell quite a bit of licenced products, the likes of which you find on play-asia, like cell phone straps, and they do have a good selection of DS games. But their "let's get suckers" attitude makes me not want to encourage their business at all. And their regular PS2 used games prices aren't good -- not as ridiculous, but not worth it either.

[Tupin]

Wow. Just wow.

I wonder how much they would sell a game that is actually rare for.

[DeSt-Cyr]

By exemple :

Neo Geo complet in box : 1000$
http://www.gamebuzz.ca/products.html?display=product_details&category_id=4&subcategory_id=108&product_id=6944&=

NES (used) : 79,99$
http://www.gamebuzz.ca/products.html?display=product_details&category_id=4&product_id=8580

This is the link for Classic Systems page :
http://www.gamebuzz.ca/products.html?display=featured_in_category&category_id=4&=

[TheRealist50]

there is this pawn shop where I go to that sells the more popular games for 10 bucks and up, but the not so popular games for alot less. If a rare games pops up then its going to be cheap because they don't know about it so thats Pretty awesome. They sell Super Mario Brothers 3 for 15 bucks but I bought Ninja Gaiden 3 from them for 5.

but those prices...those are insane. 30 bucks for SMB 3? thats worse then the flea market over here where every dreamcast game is $100 and up.

[Ro-J]

Their website has Bubble Bobble for the NES listed at $129.99.

I hate how they place the price stickers on the labels.

[kylevoelsgen]

those prices suck where i live there is a store that has the same price for every game, and only 89 cents
they have a lot of games I spent 100 bucks there and got dragon warrior 4 for 89 cents!

[Famidrive-16]

Wtf's with Colin McRae Racing? Is it cause he's dead?

[berzerker92]

i picked up 2 nes's, with all mario/duckhunt, mario2, mario 3 and 7 other games (not remembering names right now.) for $15 so those prices are wayyy outta wack.

[DeSt-Cyr]

Wtf's with Colin McRae Racing? Is it cause he's dead?

Maybe, you know, I was in store, a costumer front of me had asking about this game and the seller search in his computer and couple seconds after he said that game is 100$ because is rare. :o

[megasdkirby]

You should go there and ask him why the games are so expensive. When he gives his halfass response, just reply (as loud as you can so other customers can hear):

"GO TO EBAY! YOU CAN FIND THOSE SAME GAMES FOR 80% LESS!!!!"

[maxlords]

I've been there. It's a BAD scam.

[Damaramu]

Commando for $9.99...? LOL

[Sabz5150]

What do I think? I think there's a gamestore I won't be spending my money at anytime soon.

EDIT: W00T! Gots me a cherry!!!

[MagicMajenta]

By exemple :

Neo Geo complet in box : 1000$
http://www.gamebuzz.ca/products.html?display=product_details&category_id=4&subcategory_id=108&product_id=6944&=

NES (used) : 79,99$
http://www.gamebuzz.ca/products.html?display=product_details&category_id=4&product_id=8580

This is the link for Classic Systems page :
http://www.gamebuzz.ca/products.html?display=featured_in_category&category_id=4&=

Lol, $1000 and it's only the Neo Geo CD system. That's sad. For $1000 it should at least be the AES system and even that too is way overpriced unless it is absolutely brand new with the box in mint condition.

[TonyTheTiger]

I see Simon's Quest for $50 and Zelda for $60 and I chuckle a little. Though I'd find it highly amusing if someone opened a store right next door and started charging half the amount for all of those games. Still would be overpriced but it would damn near put the other guy out of business.

Though I do wonder what his mindset is. He says the games are not really for sale. So that means he doesn't expect anyone to pay those prices. So that means he's ok with sitting on a whole bunch of unsellable merchandise rather than actually making a reasonable profit on them by selling them for an equally reasonable price. What kind of business does that? It's for "exposure"? What kind of exposure? "Hey, we're the store that has the stuff you want but you'd be an idiot if you paid our prices"? I fail to see the benefit. Even if he managed to sell one of the games every now and then, that wouldn't pay for all the games he's sitting on.

[Graham Mitchell]

$60 for Metal Gear is absurd. I can't believe that.

[Kid Fenris]

If you want really rare games, go to Akihabara, home of the $39 Super Mario Bros. cart.

http://kidfenris.com/akibausgames.png

http://kidfenris.com/akibajag.png

In the store's defense, their prices for Japanese games were reasonable. I found the Mega CD version of Alshark for 100 yen, and the clerk was nice enough to warn me that it wouldn't run on an American system.

[Tupin]

Please don't tell me they tried to sell that Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt as "sealed".

That's really $39? Lol.

[PixelSmasher]

If you want really rare games, go to Akihabara, home of the $39 Super Mario Bros. cart.

In the store's defense, their prices for Japanese games were reasonable. I found the Mega CD version of Alshark for 100 yen, and the clerk was nice enough to warn me that it wouldn't run on an American system.

Those are some fun pictures. Do you have any more?

[megasdkirby]

OMG...a Jaguar for 30,000 yen....

Taking a line from the AVGN... "What were they thinking!?"

[Tupin]

Well it WASN'T released in Japan, so...

$280 for a boxed Jaguar in a region it never came out in? That might be a decent deal, depending on the person who buys it.

[SpaceHarrier]

Wow, and here I thought Games-4-Less was getting "up there" for some of their NES stuff..

[guitargary75]

Looks aout like my local game shop prices.

[suckerpunch5]

stuff like this makes me glad to live in nebraska!

[jcalder8]

There are stores like this everywhere, best to check them all out and then wait for them to go out of business and dump their stock.

[Kid Fenris]

Those are some fun pictures. Do you have any more?

Sure do.

http://www.kidfenris.com/akibavectrex.png

Here's a Famicom multi-cart station and a Vectrex on display at Super Potato. Some game stores don't like customers taking photos, so I only snapped this one. I later learned that Super Potato lets people take all the damn photos they want.


http://www.kidfenris.com/akibarares.png

Some of the pricier games at another store. Note the Serial Experiments Lain game (which I'd totally take a crack at if my Japanese were better), Moon Crystal, Wild Guns, Top Secret: The Revival of Hitler (aka Bionic Commando), and, just peeking in, Dracula X and what might be one of those Front Mission 3 Millennium Collection packages. And there's Spriggan Mk. 2, which is both more expensive and far less enjoyable than the first Spriggan shooter.

http://www.kidfenris.com/akibaprices.png

I couldn't figure out if this was advertising sale prices for games or telling people how much the store would pay for used copies. Perhaps someone here can enlighten us. Either way, ten thousand yen (roughly $100) doesn't sound too bad for a copy of Rakugaki Showtime.

http://www.kidfenris.com/akibahorses.png

And here's a horse-racing simulator from an arcade.

I have more photos, but I'll try to stick them on a Flickr account.

[HYB]

Like I've said in many previous threads, if you want to see overpriced games come to Finland. All loose carts cost at least 20 eur, which is 28.5$. Don't even get me started on games like the zelda ones and smb 3, which go from 30-50 eur. Those prices are jacked up but they don't come near the prices we get here.

Only good deals I've seen are the almost mint cib journey to silius I got for 20 eur and a decent condition cib megaman x for 50 eur, those suckers are overpriced on ebay.

[Jorpho]

Always in GameBuzz (any store in the chain) :

Lunars on PS1 (complete) is about 200$ each
Colin McRay 1 and 2 on PS1 = 100$ each
Bust A Move on PS2 = 150$
etc.

Ah, Gamebuzz. Don't forget the unsealed black FFVII for $200. They wanted to buy mine for $20, bah.

I still have the loose copy of Raid 2020 that I thought I could sell to them for a quick buck. "You should sell it on eBay," he said after I rejected his pathetically low offer. "You can get lots of money for it there!" :roll:

I've never seen so many boxed 3DO games for sale, though. And I was sort of impressed by their PC games selection: it's the only place I've ever seen Grandia II, Breath of Fire III, the White Label Fallout collection (1 & 2 + Tactics), and the relatively recent re-release of FFVII and FFVIII. Of course, they were all rather heavily overpriced, but they were there. They even sold R4s for a while, the ownership of which you'd think would not be something they'd want to encourage.

[ice1605]

Super Potato is an awesome store, I went there when I was in Japan. The reason that the SMB/DH was so expensive (the Jaguar too), was b/c it was import. Not exactly rare, but a wandering native may not necessarily know that.

[CreamSoda]

$49.99 for Tetris? What a STEAL!!!

[Lady Jaye]

Note that it's the Nintendo version of Tetris, not the Tengen version...

[Insaneclown]

That game place they call "GameBuzz"...should be called "Bargain County". LoL


Now really...I know where to buy my NES games at. Haha!!!

[mailman187666]

I've already been starting to see all the overpriced sellers going out of buisiness around my area. They obviously aren't going to sell many games if any at all. People think they can get rich quick because they heard through somebody that old games are worth something now. Once I find out they are a bunch of idiots who wanna sit on thier stash until they can't afford thier bills, I stop going there. Sometimes people are just greedy and thier greed is what fails them.

[Xian042]

He says the games are not really for sale. So that means he doesn't expect anyone to pay those prices. So that means he's ok with sitting on a whole bunch of unsellable merchandise rather than actually making a reasonable profit on them by selling them for an equally reasonable price. What kind of business does that? It's for "exposure"? What kind of exposure? "Hey, we're the store that has the stuff you want but you'd be an idiot if you paid our prices"? I fail to see the benefit. Even if he managed to sell one of the games every now and then, that wouldn't pay for all the games he's sitting on.


I knew of another store like this, he had common 3DO, NeoGeo, Saturn, and PS1 import games CIB for $90 - $150 a piece. And they sat there. I said you know these are'nt going to sell right? He just made a face and said "Thats my price, you don't have to buy it"
I said, well, "NOBODY is going to buy it!" he said again, "Thats my price"
I think these people just want to show off what they have, not actually run a store. For the record, this store no longer exists.

[TonyTheTiger]

Too bad you weren't there as he closed shop for the last time. Would have been a great time to ask, "So...how did 'your price' fare?"

If you just want to show off your stuff then get a MySpace or some other blog. It's a hell of a lot cheaper.

[Li Wang]

If you want really rare games, go to Akihabara, home of the $39 Super Mario Bros. cart.

http://kidfenris.com/akibausgames.png

http://kidfenris.com/akibajag.png

In the store's defense, their prices for Japanese games were reasonable. I found the Mega CD version of Alshark for 100 yen, and the clerk was nice enough to warn me that it wouldn't run on an American system.

Hah, I've been in that place multiple times. Did you notice how everything commands 3980 yen with the exception of Acclaim titles, which are priced at just 980?

Also, the picture of that poster with prices indeed looks like a "we'll buy for this price" advetisement.

[Lady Jaye]

Sadly enough, GameBuzz has expanded over the recent past. They now have 3 stores in downtown Montreal (all with the same overpriced retro games).

[SegaAges]

stuff like this makes me glad to live in nebraska!

I second that one.

Our big local place is called Gamers. If you know what you are looking for, too bad for Gamers. Their prices I would say are in the middle. They don't give you a deal, cheaper than most new stuff, and not a rip off for most stuff. I love the fact that they forgot about checking Sega CD, so almost every single Sega CD game they have is $5. I went in once and got both Ecco's (first one and tides of time), Eternal Champions, and Final Fight CD all complete for Sega CD for $20.

SuckerPunch - DC prices on the 72nd and Dodge location are starting to drop as the section is uber small. I am waiting it out for another month and then going crazy.
/threadjack with a message to Suckerpunch over

But yeah, honestly, I feel sorry for ya having to deal with that. All we deal with in Nebraska is stuff everybody deals with (trading games in and getting practically nothing for it while dealing with mediocre prices).

[mailman187666]

I've actually been hearing a lot about people pricing things way too high and I'm starting to think that it may crash the collecting aspect as far as some values go. Its hard to find stores with good prices, but not too hard to find fair prices. All too common is finding stores with extra high prices. If too many stores go outta buisiness because of thier bad prices, I think we may see a huge drop in prices and values and all that stock will eventually recirculate back into the wild at good prices again. It really seems like everybody is looking at the prices on some of those ebay stores and are thinking thats what the games are worth. I don't see how some of these places enter into a business without learning about what they are selling to people. At this point I think if gamestop still had classic games, we'd probably see more reasonable pricing then most of these other insane priced stores. Even they sell Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 for equal or less than ebay values (last time I saw one). If everybody tried to beat ebay even if by 5-10%, everybody would stay in business.

[TonyTheTiger]

The problem with Ebay is that it's almost a different market entirely. With any non-fixed pricing like you get with auctions there are bound to be anomalies. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 (PS2) selling for $40 or something representing a weird lowball figure and Castlevania: SOTN selling for $70 representing a weird inflated figure. I just made these up but you get the idea. Most auctions of similar items tend to fall in a range of plus or minus $10 not including shipping. In general, those middling prices are what could be considered "fair market value" give or take a bit.

The problem is that too many people don't understand that in order to find a fair price for a product in a store you can't take the highball Ebay figure. You have to take a middle value. What you're really looking for is the mode of the sales. If 100 copies of Symphony of the Night were sold on Ebay over the last 6 months, what is the most common price give or take a few bones? The reason something can sell on Ebay for a high price once in a while is because there might have been 20 people around the world who were looking for that particular item at the same time. It's a rare occurrence on Ebay and probably even less likely to happen in a brick and mortar establishment.

[Xian042]

What a coincidence!

I happened to be in an area last night that used to have a decent privately owned game store. The game sales went down and the selection shrank and the owner changed his focus to his other business. The games portion almost died completely. Well I stopped in just to see and come to find out he expaned the games portion again and seems to be doing well. He had a great selection of classic stuff like lots of CIB GBA games, DC, PS1, old PC games.

but:

Dirty Turbografx 16: $99.99

Atari 2600 woodgrain /w combat: $89.99

used Nintendo Wii: $549.99

Ninja Gaiden Trilogy loose/dirty: $99.99

I was laughing at the prices, especially the TurboGrafx sitting there with all gunk on it. I asked what they pay for these systems since he charges so much. The owner wasnt there and the kid behind the counter was clueless so I really didnt have anyone to beat up over it.

I did find a loose R-Type III for SNES for $9.99, which wasnt too bad.

[Slate]

Hmm. They have Mario Bros. (Regular Mario Bros.) Marked at $7.

[mailman187666]

Hmm. They have Mario Bros. (Regular Mario Bros.) Marked at $7.

I saw that too and have to admit that it isn't such a bad deal

[undead455]

GameBuzz is very expensive. I went to the one in Montreal 2 summers ago and they had an Intellivision for $150 and a Neo Geo for the low price of $999 plus tax. :bullshit: The Neo wasn't even modded for that price. It's a nice place to look at but I don't shop there. O_O

[Coldguy]

At this point I would like to point out that my map is the perfect place to issue these complaints about these places. So if you are compelled to please leave some feedback on http://retromap.net

[Lady Jaye]

The one in Montreal? There are now 5 stores including 3 in Montreal itself. The first one on Ste-Cath near MusiquePlus, one at Eaton Centre (in the food court level) and one at the Industrielle Alliance mall (Metro level) -- yes, this means there are two stores within a 5-minute walk of each other.

[Lady Jaye]

At this point I would like to point out that my map is the perfect place to issue these complaints about these places. So if you are compelled to please leave some feedback on http://retromap.net

GameBuzz is already listed on your site.

[murdoc rose]

some people are dumb on both sides of this topic, I've actually had people tell me they would rather pay 80 bucks for a nes at a game x change instead of half the price on ebay because they weren't sure it would work.

[Coldguy]

GameBuzz is already listed on your site.

Exactly, you can add your two cents like

"This store has high prices" - Me

Any information helps.

[Jorpho]

Did I mention they were also the last place I managed to find The World Ends With You in stock after it apparently sold out everywhere else? (Of course, it was also five bucks more there than everywhere else.)

[Lady Jaye]

O RLY? I had no problems finding copies of that game at the EBGames at Les Ailes de la mode...

[fairyland]

Actually this is a lot like records shops that price their LPs with insane prices. Most of the time the records are in poor quality worth about 10 to 25% of the sticker price at best. I'm guessing they probably sell 5 items an hour if they're lucky. I think the idea is to get people to come in to sell them inventory which they then take the best of and sell on ebay or in their collectors circles while the rest is put in the shop where they don't really give a crap if it sells or not. It's pocket change to them. I think they just sit and wait for that rare $1000 LP that comes in perhaps once a week or so. It's probably the same idea for those game dealers as well.

But then again, I've SEEN people pay crazy prices for games, like $25.00 for N64 Super Smash Bros last year, so perhaps they are playing to the sucker crowd as well. A month ago I was at a flea market and there was this new game dealer. He had some sweet SNES games, including Mana and Chrono, no prices of course. Everything he had prices on was a bit high, so I asked him how much. He immediately and rudely said "what's the ebay price". I said I don't know (it's been years since I sold mine on ebay), and he said $80.00 each and offered for me to use his internet phone to check the price. I was like whatever and left. The next booth to his I found a Leasuire Suit Larry box set that I had at one time sold for $150.00 on ebay (now worth about $10 or so) for $1.00 which made me feel a bit better as getting such a bargain right next to the moron was a form of victory. I noted he did not return the next week as he probably crawled back to his hole in the wall shop after making little to no sales at his high prices. I'm really tempted to open a retro game booth at the flea market for one month with reasonable prices that pretty much undercuts everyone just to see how well I'd actually do. I've a feeling I would probably loose money on the experiment or half my inventory stolen when my back is turned. LOL!

[Jorpho]

Did I mention they were also the last place I managed to find The World Ends With You in stock after it apparently sold out everywhere else? (Of course, it was also five bucks more there than everywhere else.)

I guess a second batch must have gotten shipped out since I bought it, then.

[rupert]

This is an interesting thread. I didnt realise other countrys had it so bad for trying to source retro games. In the UK we have Gamestation who used to sell Retro games at silly low prices (Unless it was an RPG) untill they got bought out by a rival recently.

For example, I have bought perhaps 400 - 500 (maybe more) Master System games complete for £1 each from Gamestation. I luckly live in an area that has about 12 branches all within 30 minutes drive.

I even got Buster Douglas for the SMS from the most local one for £1. (For those who don't know that is the rarest of the US exclusive SMS games).





But then again, I've SEEN people pay crazy prices for games, like $25.00 for N64 Super Smash Bros last year, so perhaps they are playing to the sucker crowd as well. A month ago I was at a flea market and there was this new game dealer. He had some sweet SNES games, including Mana and Chrono, no prices of course. Everything he had prices on was a bit high, so I asked him how much. He immediately and rudely said "what's the ebay price". I said I don't know (it's been years since I sold mine on ebay), and he said $80.00 each and offered for me to use his internet phone to check the price. I was like whatever and left. The next booth to his I found a Leasuire Suit Larry box set that I had at one time sold for $150.00 on ebay (now worth about $10 or so) for $1.00 which made me feel a bit better as getting such a bargain right next to the moron was a form of victory. I noted he did not return the next week as he probably crawled back to his hole in the wall shop after making little to no sales at his high prices. I'm really tempted to open a retro game booth at the flea market for one month with reasonable prices that pretty much undercuts everyone just to see how well I'd actually do. I've a feeling I would probably loose money on the experiment or half my inventory stolen when my back is turned. LOL!

..and about flea markets. In the UK we have 'Car Boot Sales' (so called because you go in your car and sell the stuff out of your boot (trunk) on a field or car park). some people are starting to get wind that retro games can be worth abit. But in the main you can pick up stuff for next to nothing. Example.. 2 weeks ago I bought a nice boxed PSone with 25 complete games for £5 ($10). Also I actually sold 122 games last weekend at a car boot sale (mainly common master system games, mostly with no manuals and a lot of duplicates) for £75 ($150) all to one guy within 30 minutes of arriving. I coulkd have sat there all day and sold them individually and maybe shifted a quarter of them but I was happy to get shut of them for not much effort.

To sum up, I don't really feel sorry for the people who buy from the shops posted about in this thread. if your going to be spending so much money you should do at least a little bit of research.

I guess if that casual un-educated buyer gets home with his exspensive games and it sparks some kind of interest in retro games to the point of which they go online and learn more.. then, in a way, I guess it was worth it. and he wont get ripped off again. (this is how I started collecting, except I hadnt been ripped off)

These sellers do come accross as ass holes though, I don't know how they can keep a straight face ripping people off as they obviuosly know they are doing.