Interesting question about Malagai...

[landsmarra]

Hi all,

Well, if any of you don't know by now, I'm the fool who plunked down a mortgage payment for the *partially* sealed Malagai that Joe recently sold on eBay.

The *partially* sealed refers to the fact that although the box is shrinkwrapped, the sales rep made a slit or two on top to slip his business card in (nice piece of memorabilia, I guess).

So, do I open it somehow to verify the contents are as stated or do I leave it "sealed" for all eternity? How much do you guys think it would go down in value if I just opened the shrinkwrap enough to get inside the box? I realize there may be a "mystique" element that opening the box would somehow diminish.

Opinions?

Joe exclaimed to me that he is now FREE...no longer to be tortured by this vexing quandry.

I wonder what buyatari (second highest bidder) would have done? :wink: :wink: You listening, dude?

Steve

[Tempest]

Does 20 year old shrinkwrap really mean that much to people? Personally I'd just take it off and throw it away knowing that it was still a mint condition box. I'd also open the box (carefully mind you) and take the game out to display. That's just me though.

Tempest

[FABombjoy]

You could always have it x-rayed. Then you'd know for sure. No sense in opening it, since the fact that it's mostly sealed ultimately lends value to it.

Plus, if you leave it sealed, you have plausable deniability of it's contents. What if you open it up and there's a dead bat, along with a note that says "fooled you!" inside :-D

[tynstar]

Do you want to play the game? If so open it and play it. If you don't want to play it then just display it.

[landsmarra]

Do you want to play the game? If so open it and play it. If you don't want to play it then just display it.

Nah, don't really need to play it...I'm sure it's on either my multicart, my Worship the Woodgrain collection or my Cuttle Cart collection...

[Captain Wrong]

If I was plunking down that much cheddar (ummm...cheese) for a game, I'd probably put it in safe deposit box and never touch it.

Just me tho. I can understand your quandry. That's why I don't do the sealed games thing. I compulesvly open everything, even if I have no intention of playing it.

[ianoid]

Hey,

I think that it won't change the value. Discerning collectors may want to know that It's Malagai in there, and the shrinkwrap will probably feel off soon or degrade anyway.

Think about it. If you had a sealed Out of Control vs. a complete mint boxed one, would it make a different in price? Probably not. Not to mention, without things to ensure original shrinkwrap like the Nintendo 'line,' there's no way to know if is original shrinkwrap.

One example is when I bought Xman 'sealed' from a local video game shop in Chicago. It cost me $200, which was alot from a scamming local store, but probably not much in the grand scheme of eBay. As it turns out it was clearly resealed by the vendor because the price tag was UNDER the shrinkwrap. Still, not a bad deal, but what a bunch of A55holes.

Crack it if you want. I think it wont' change a thing.

On the other hand, if all you want is sealed games, you'd be silly to wonder. But I don't know anyone who is trying to complete a sealed 2600 collection. Too many of the games never had shrinkwrap.

[Buyatari]

I'd never open that.

NEVER NEVER NEVER.

1st of all its not worth playing.

2nd as far as I know its the only sealed copy known

Lots of loose carts, several complete copies only 1 sealed copy.

Why would you want to open it? I can't think of a single reason to open it.

You didn't spend that kind of money to play a game. You spent it for a rare collectable which should be preserved in the present condition that it is in.

Adam

[ianoid]

then you never really know what game is inside. And if you go to turn it over, you may or may not get full price since some consider not knowing if working cart is present is worth it. And what if a Confrontation cart was in there instead of Malagai?

By the way, anyone got a 2600 Gauntlet, Air Raid or Confrontation they're willing to sell me?

[Buyatari]

then you never really know what game is inside. And if you go to turn it over, you may or may not get full price since some consider not knowing if working cart is present is worth it. And what if a Confrontation cart was in there instead of Malagai?

Come on ! A Confrontation cart ? What would that be in there for. Why is there any reason to suspect there is anything other than Malagai in there? Lets buy all of O'sheas Space Invaders carts and open them up. Who knows there might be Quadruns inside. Come on.

Even if there was a Confrontation inside I'd still rather have a sealed Malagai than a loose Confrontation and a Malagai box. Hey maybee there is diamond ring which fell in the box by accident before they sealed it. Come on man.

What if he opens it and the cart is dead. Or worse........ PAL hehe. Then he will be hating life big time. A sealed game is considered mint and working until proven otherwise. It doesn't make sense to open it. The value can only go down.

Adam

[ianoid]

:D


Yeah, the argument goes both ways. I actually wouldn't open it. But there are resale issues. And the value is probably no different for it shrinked as opposed to complete and mint. Shrinked is just a conceptual thing for the shrinkwrap police to care about. Sometimes for a collector who plans to crack it, knowing it works is safer, particularly when you spend that much.

And again, there's no way to know if it's original shrinkwrap or reshrink, the most dispicable kind of shrink wrap.

Finally someone responded to something I wrote as though I actually wrote something! Get pissed! YES!

[digitalpress]

8-)

To everyone: the conversation between Ianoid and Buyatari is almost identical to the conversation that the two little voices in my head have been having about this game for years. By selling the game I have rid myself of the voices. I have never been more at peace :)