Stoopid Goodwill! (A Rant)

[joshnickerson]

My local Goodwill used to be a prime place to pick up some cheap classic gameage, but in the past couple of years, it's been going downhill. First they raised the price of cartridge based games from $1.01 to $3.03, then they started applying the price tags directly on top of the cart label. Now in the past couple of months, they've gone an extra step, and actually put packing tape over the price tag and cart label! I was just in there tonight, and I spotted a boxed copy of Tetris in the jewelry case, but upon closer inspection, they had it completely wrapped in more damn packing tape! And it wasn't even out on the floor, it was IN THE DAMN GLASS CASE! What are they thinking? I can see that some people wouldn't care too much about the condition of the game, or if there was a price tag perminately affixed to the cart label, but as a collection, it brings my piss to a boil.

Has anyone else had this experience with Goodwill?

[BetaWolf47]

At least that can be removed, unlike my local ones which write their prices directly on the games in sharpie markers.

[Ryaan1234]

My local Goodwill used to be a prime place to pick up some cheap classic gameage, but in the past couple of years, it's been going downhill. First they raised the price of cartridge based games from $1.01 to $3.03, then they started applying the price tags directly on top of the cart label. Now in the past couple of months, they've gone an extra step, and actually put packing tape over the price tag and cart label! I was just in there tonight, and I spotted a boxed copy of Tetris in the jewelry case, but upon closer inspection, they had it completely wrapped in more damn packing tape! And it wasn't even out on the floor, it was IN THE DAMN GLASS CASE! What are they thinking? I can see that some people wouldn't care too much about the condition of the game, or if there was a price tag perminately affixed to the cart label, but as a collection, it brings my piss to a boil.

Has anyone else had this experience with Goodwill?

I haven't had this specific experience with Goodwill, but the one which used to be my Goodwill of choice has gone downhill. They used to have NES games for $1.99 and sometimes $0.99. Now it's impossible to see any game for less than $3.99. Another thing that bothers me is that they don't take off any previous prices from the game/CD/DVD in question. A lot of stuff that goes to Goodwill are rejects from garage sales, you see, and it really gets to me when I see a $7.99 price tag on a game that didn't even sale for $1 at a garage sale.

I remember years ago when this Goodwill used to hold on to games for my dad. He got on one occasion a box of 70+ Atari games including Qbert's Cubes and the Stella Gets a New Brain CD for $19.99. Now it seems that anything of interest is sent to "headquarters" (as they say, but that's probably code for "we put it up on eBay")

[bigred5687]

Now they also have a web site where they sell any thing good and it is just like ebay.
here is the web site.
http://www.shopgoodwill.com

[Tupin]

I just laugh at the date on the $25 bare Genesis that has been there for three months. And then it will go into the garbage when no one buys it at that price, they never lower prices.

Blame the recession, people who never used to shop at Goodwill are now, so they are raising prices.

[Baloo]

yeah, but you can actually get some really good deals on Shopgoodwill, it's not very eBayish at all, I've seen Sega CDs go for less than $20 on there, although stuff is in very limited quantity.

[Steve W]

Blame the recession, people who never used to shop at Goodwill are now, so they are raising prices.
That's the thing I've noticed, a bunch of Goodwill stores I've been to in the last year have had a whole lot more customers than I've seen in the past. The other day, I had a hard time getting a parking space, all of them were filled and people were randomly parking in any spot they could. It's mainly Goodwill stores I've seen this at, and not the little independent stores as of yet. I think it's because people who have never ventured inside a thrift store before will probably only hit the ones they know are going to be clean and decent inside.

[Dr. Dib]

Hey, just be happy your Goodwills get anything at all. The one by me seems to never have any games when I go. Usually they just have a few games they got from a store that could not sell them. The coolest thing I ever got was Mario Teaches Typing 2, which was all sticky so that's saying something.

[Therealqtip]

Goodwill: Your one stop shop for Madden '95 for $10!

[exit]

I went to the new Goodwill in my area the other day and I grabbed 3 Dreamcast controllers. Funny thing is two of them were green and so the girl charged me for only one, I'm assuming it was because she thought it was a set. The other one had a UMV in it and of course I didn't say a thing, so I scored thanks to the idiocy of their employees.

[skaar]

"OMG THE CHARITY IS TRYING TO MAKE MONEY."

Goodwills don't exist to feed your need for cheap games, they raise money for needy causes. Good on them for catching on they could raise more money and do more good rather than you getting $0.99 games you can flip for $40 on ebay - why SHOULDN'T they pay attention to what comes in?

I see your complaint about writing on the games directly - sure that's valid. Just don't bitch them out for trying to make a buck when they've been getting the shaft for so many years.

Jeez.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodwill_Industries

[jb143]

At least that can be removed, unlike my local ones which write their prices directly on the games in sharpie markers.

That'll come right off with alcohol and maybe something a bit scrubby...like the back of many kitchen sponges.

The goodwills around there price almost every cart game at $4.00 regardless of what it is. Usually for the ones I pick up it's a decent deal. Sometimes a Gameboy game might be $2.00 and I usually snatch them up. A few weeks ago though I found a Game Gear game with a $2.00 sticker on it but at the register they told me it was $4 and that was a garage sale sticker and asked if I still wanted it. I pretty much told them that I barely wanted to pay $2 for it so why would I pay twice as much for a garage sale reject.

[Ryaan1234]

"OMG THE CHARITY IS TRYING TO MAKE MONEY."

Goodwills don't exist to feed your need for cheap games, they raise money for needy causes. Good on them for catching on they could raise more money and do more good rather than you getting $0.99 games you can flip for $40 on ebay - why SHOULDN'T they pay attention to what comes in?

I see your complaint about writing on the games directly - sure that's valid. Just don't bitch them out for trying to make a buck when they've been getting the shaft for so many years.

Jeez.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodwill_Industries

Originally the main purpose of Goodwill was to employ the disabled. My Goodwill has a staff of perfectly sane, able people. I'm just sayin.

My complaint is that I haven't gotten a decent game there in at least a year. I think that everything that looks like it has any value is sent off to be sold at shopgoodwill.com. Goodwill is a 100% profit organisation, aside from the regular expenses such as bills and payments for employees. 95% of their product is received at no expense to them. I just feel a little bothered that I've been shopping at the same Goodwill for over 3 years and they've more than tripled the price on games. I wouldn't be bothered if it was, say Super Metroid or Earthbound or something for $3.99, but when I see John Madden 93 for $3.99 or more it bothers me. It bothers me that I can get games cheaper at a flea market than at Goodwill.
(btw, $3.99 is the lowest I've seen video games here. They had some original Xbox sports games for $12.99, with $4.99 GameStop stickers grr...)

It's not just video games, I've seen price hikes on everything. Paperback books used to be $0.29 and now they're $0.99 among other things.

Say what you want about the "OMG BBQ They're raising the prices at Goodwill and I can't get anything good.", but I do expect something from them every once and a while.

Salvation Army, on the other hand, has had awesome prices and I've gotten some decent stuff over there recently. $4.99 Atari 2600 system FTW.

[sebastiankirchoff]

Yah I know how you feel. I went to Goodwill a couple of weeks ago and they had Xbox Demo Discs for 15 bucks each. Yah, and they had regular games on the other rack for 5 bucks. I don't get their pricing sometimes.

I can understand if they are a charity and trying to raise money for a good cause, but if they overprice their stuff so much, they aren't going to make any money at all. Seriously, why price a bare-bones Genesis for 30 bucks and not have it sell for 6 months when they could sell 10 Genesi for 10 bucks each in that same amount of time?

[Ed Oscuro]

If you're having an issue with tape or (!) marker being written directly on games, talk to the manager about it. Frankly I'd offer to pay more if they promised to use a real price sticker.

On packing tape, I've only seen it used to keep game boxes closed. It's a stupid thing to have to do, but people will open the games and fool around with the contents (or steal them outright). I haven't seen that in a while at mine, though. Packing tape may be hard to get off, but I generally don't see the need to mess with it once it's in place. The only thing I'm worried about with tape is the possibility of residue discoloring the box. Other than that, it's almost like an extra layer of protection.

[Gameguy]

My local Goodwill used to be a prime place to pick up some cheap classic gameage, but in the past couple of years, it's been going downhill. First they raised the price of cartridge based games from $1.01 to $3.03, then they started applying the price tags directly on top of the cart label. Now in the past couple of months, they've gone an extra step, and actually put packing tape over the price tag and cart label! I was just in there tonight, and I spotted a boxed copy of Tetris in the jewelry case, but upon closer inspection, they had it completely wrapped in more damn packing tape! And it wasn't even out on the floor, it was IN THE DAMN GLASS CASE! What are they thinking? I can see that some people wouldn't care too much about the condition of the game, or if there was a price tag perminately affixed to the cart label, but as a collection, it brings my piss to a boil.

Has anyone else had this experience with Goodwill?
I've seen some game boxes in display cases that were missing the games for some reason, somehow they were stolen even though they were in a case. They wouldn't give me the boxes that they would otherwise throw out because it's against company policy, but they would sell them to me. This wasn't at Goodwill though, that's not really near me so I don't go so often.


"OMG THE CHARITY IS TRYING TO MAKE MONEY."

Goodwills don't exist to feed your need for cheap games, they raise money for needy causes. Good on them for catching on they could raise more money and do more good rather than you getting $0.99 games you can flip for $40 on ebay - why SHOULDN'T they pay attention to what comes in?

I see your complaint about writing on the games directly - sure that's valid. Just don't bitch them out for trying to make a buck when they've been getting the shaft for so many years.

Jeez.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodwill_Industries
I wouldn't mind so much if thrift stores tested the stuff out before selling it, or allowed returns for broken products(not just exchange). I've seen plenty of stores asking for the full going ebay rate only the stuff wasn't tested or guaranteed. I've found some games cheaper at Microplay and they came with a 6 month guarantee which would give me a full refund if there were any problems. It's rare but I've come across a few dead carts over the years which is why I'm careful with what I buy.

Anyway, I used to find lots of stuff a few years ago at thrift stores but not so much lately. I used to go almost daily, but now maybe once a week and I pretty much come out empty handed. Either people aren't donating as much good stuff now, or other people beat me to it. I remember years ago getting handfuls of NES games pretty regularly.

[Ed Oscuro]

I wouldn't mind so much if thrift stores tested the stuff out before selling it, or allowed returns for broken products(not just exchange). I've seen plenty of stores asking for the full going ebay rate only the stuff wasn't tested or guaranteed.
My goodwill allows a seven day return period, no questions asked. They don't charge eBay prices for broken stuff either.

[Jehusephat]

I worked for Goodwill for more than three years. No, I'm not a criminal or otherwise unemployable--it was just a good job at the time and I needed one. I am amused by how many people think they're "helping" Goodwill by donating all of their useless junk to them. I was a donation attendant, and whenever myself or anyone else refused their "help" because it was clearly garbage, heads would roll. Most people treat Goodwill as a free alternative to the garbage dump, and most Goodwill stores consequently have garbage bills adding up to thousands of dollars a month. Even if you place signs on all of the doors saying "we kindly ask our patrons not to donate after hours," you will inevitably find 600 pounds of trash lying in front of the doors the next morning -on a good day-. Nothing made me angrier than waking up on a Saturday around 5 AM, arriving at work, and then immediately being told I had to carry two soiled mattresses, a couch, some useless particle board "furniture," five broken televisions and about 100 pounds worth of broken concrete weights to the trash compactor BY MYSELF within five minutes of being there. A lot of people were even less subtle about it, and would just leave five or so garbage bags literally full of garbage and soiled diapers right next to the door. One woman actually had the nerve to throw a vomit-soiled shirt in my face, just for laughs, and a lot of other people would throw or push pieces of furniture at me in dangerous ways just because they were angry I wouldn't accept something they intended to get rid of. I preferred the ones who just threw bags of clothes at me, because at least they were soft. Confront people about the garbage they're leaving you and they will scream at you, and all of the nerve you must have for daring to insult them after their gracious act of charity. You would think that only a small portion of people were like this, but I'd say roughly 1 in 4 people donating were consciously aware of the fact that absolutely nothing they were donating was of any use to anyone. The best we could do was to simply let them give us their trash if they seemed like they wanted to cause trouble, and let the garbage bills rise as a result. This ultimately led to higher prices for everyone shopping in the store. To sum it up, the Goodwill raises the prices of things you want to buy in order to pay for having to get rid of your junk, among other expenses. Think about what you donate before you leave it at the door. If you don't want it, chances are they won't either. Goodwill does not repair, clean or refurbish anything, so anything that isn't in good, working condition goes straight to the dump.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: don't blame Goodwill. Blame the people who abuse Goodwill and take advantage of the system. They're why your games cost more, in part, though I can't help but say I'm a little annoyed by the price increases, too.

Tupin is right, though. I saw some pretty awesome stuff go into the compactor, and I've personally thrown some pretty cool things in there, just because they set the prices too high and no one could afford to buy them. the general excuse for not lowering prices on expensive goods is that if they did so, no one would buy them at their original prices, and would wait until the prices for everything went down before buying anything. That makes sense, but in my opinion they would save a lot of waste if they just set the prices lower to begin with. It broke my heart to destroy some of that stuff, but I guess that's why I got paid.

As for finding games at Goodwill, I just walked out of my local one last week with a boxed copy of Ogre Battle 64. Other good finds I've had include two separate copies of Lunar (PSX and Sega CD), Breath of Fire 3, Wild Arms, a Master System with about 20 games for about $20, and a sealed copy of Dr. Mario. I know that last one isn't very impressive, but I thought finding a sealed NES game was pretty cool. It had been years since I had even seen one for sale outside of an actual gaming store. I got my half busted PS2 there for $20 a year or two ago, too (it doesn't play CDs, and I'm too dumb to take it apart without detaching that little ribbon that connects the two halves). Goodwill isn't as good of a place to find games as pawn shops are, but I like shopping at mine because I'm probably the only person who goes there to look for games anymore.

Aslo, a quick addition that I forgot. The games (and pretty much everything else in the store) are primarily expensive if the employee working in the electrical department is an idiot. That employee is also the reason why there was packing tape on your game. That's about the only reason. They have set prices that they try to use for games and other items, but most of the pricing usually ends up reflecting whatever the person pricing something thinks it's worth. There's just too much stuff to price in a day to refer to a list every five seconds. If the electrical person doesn't know a thing about games and doesn't care, they tend to sell for next to nothing, or the going rate for that store. If they think they know something but really don't, then you'll find a lot of bad games for high prices. If they actually know what to look for, you'll never find a good game in that store, because it will be sent somewhere else.

[Gameguy]

My goodwill allows a seven day return period, no questions asked. They don't charge eBay prices for broken stuff either.
I guess it varies between different locations. I don't go to Goodwill to often, but when I travel to one particular one they put "No Exchange" stickers on some electronics. I've seen some PC games priced high, like a disc only copy of Myst for around $10. This store used to be at another location that had less people attending and it was better priced with more stuff, now it's not that great to find stuff as anything decent is kept in the display case as it's "valuable".

With Salvation Army it can depend on the store, one location just sells video games in silent/live auctions which I find really stupid with how they're set up. They have a book where people can record their bids, then they have a live auction day and start the bidding on an item using the highest bid in the book as a starting point. If nobody bids at the live auction, they then call the person who wrote the bid in the book and he can purchase it if still interested. Most Salvation Army locations aren't like that, but prices do vary somewhat(like VHS tapes at my local one being $1.99 each, and at another location at $0.49 each). My local one had an original xbox for $99.99 a few weeks ago, I think that's pretty expensive now.

[Ed Oscuro]

I worked for Goodwill for more than three years.
That's one heck of a story.

We (me and my folks) occasionally leave little bags of stuff (NOT junk) at the local GW after hours - of course it's always possible that somebody will come by and just steal it, but that doesn't rattle us.

I think part of the difference here is that we're in a more rural area, sounds like you're in the inner city or something. Not everybody around us is rich, but it seems to me that they have enough sense not to take absolute garbage to Goodwill. That said, there's usually something out in the dumpster behind the store.

[Blitzwing256]

I find it hilarious that people are bitching that they raised the prices a couple bucks...I mean come on, its going to a good cause, and zelda is still a deal at 4$ ,quit crying ;-)

[Jehusephat]

That's one heck of a story.

We (me and my folks) occasionally leave little bags of stuff (NOT junk) at the local GW after hours - of course it's always possible that somebody will come by and just steal it, but that doesn't rattle us.

I think part of the difference here is that we're in a more rural area, sounds like you're in the inner city or something. Not everybody around us is rich, but it seems to me that they have enough sense not to take absolute garbage to Goodwill. That said, there's usually something out in the dumpster behind the store.

I live in a semi-rural area (about 20,000 people, up to 30,000 when school is in session), so I was surprised to see how many people behaved like this in my town. I think the perception is different from the outside because you never get to see exactly what's in all of those bags people are giving the store. Open a few of them up, and you'll find skid-marked underwear and clothes yellowed from cigarette smoke. We even found one used dildo a month, with surprising regularity. It's not often you get to throw a floppy purple dildo at someone you work with without being charged with sexual harassment. Anyway, nasty clothes are great if you're struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and I'm sure the batteries from a dildo could power your game boy for an hour or two, but in terms of what people will buy used in the real world, there are limits. There are two kinds of Goodwill stores, though. Some are just little thrift stores, and the bigger ones are distribution centers. The little stores take a few donations, but generally receive their goods from donations which have already been sorted and processed at the larger distribution centers. That's why there's less junk at and outside of the smaller stores.

[jb143]

Originally the main purpose of Goodwill was to employ the disabled. My Goodwill has a staff of perfectly sane, able people. I'm just sayin.


The purpose isn't to employ the disabled directly but to raise money to help the disabled find jobs. There's a difference there.

But yeah...I have noticed that sometimes it seems like they forget they're a THRIFT store. There have been many times I've seen them selling used items for more than you can get it new elsewhere. I mean, come on, sure it goes to a good cause but they paid nothing for the stuff. It was all donated so selling it for any amount is a profit. People shop there to get good deals. If they just wanted to help a charity they'd give directly.

I still find good deals though on occasion and feel better about where my money goes than, say, if I shopped at Walmart.

[yoshilime53]

Someone i know sadi that goodwill ships things over seas to sell in other countries...who know's if that's actully profit. And, well, Zelda isn't there everytime. what if i wanted just a copy of super mario, but it was 4 bucks? terribad.

[Steve W]

Anyway, I used to find lots of stuff a few years ago at thrift stores but not so much lately. I used to go almost daily, but now maybe once a week and I pretty much come out empty handed. Either people aren't donating as much good stuff now, or other people beat me to it. I remember years ago getting handfuls of NES games pretty regularly.
Just look at the How Much Is It Worth? thread here to see why. "I only bought this to flip it." "How much do you think I can get for this on eBay?" People scoop up anything game related at thrift stores regardless of whether they actually want the stuff or not, and then sell it on eBay. "It's how I can afford to buy stuff for my collection". Personally, if I don't want something, I leave it alone. Maybe someone who'll come in after me will be looking for that particular game. I could be greedy and scrape every thrift store clean of video game related gear, but I know that I get mad when I hit the same thrifts repeatedly and there's never anything there because all the eBay speculators have wiped the shelves out before I got there. I want to be considerate to the other patrons. Consideration is one of those things that seems to be dying out in our society.

[NayusDante]

I must say that Goodwill price stickers have the most annoying adhesive I've ever seen. It never comes off clean.

I haven't had them write on games yet, that's the independent shops that are too cheap to use price stickers. I've bought enough $1 vinyl from there that they can get some cheap price stickers...

Their prices on games is kinda random, but it hovers at $3.06. I got some N64 stuff for $1.06/each a little while ago, but they got more in and they're $3.06 now. PC games are usually $3.06, but console games vary a little more. CDs are $3.06, and that bothers me, because they have CRAPPY music there. For about a month they had a special, $1.06 for CDs, so I got a few but nothing amazing. I come in again and the sign is still up, and I find Peter Gabriel's So. Of course, the promotion is over, they just forgot to take the sign down. I paid and they thanked me for reminding them.

They also have no return policy. Period.


Salvation Army feels more human. I find neat stuff there far more often, and it's ALWAYS priced better. CDs are $2, and games usually are too. They don't get gaming stuff nearly as often, and it's still mostly PC stuff, but their price stickers are easy to remove. Still, I've seen some awful prices in there too, like the $60 8-track player and the $80 Xbox. Goodwill got an Xbox and they asked $20, and it took weeks to sell, but that $80 Xbox was at SA for one week.


Sometimes, you have to step back and realize that you're criticizing the policies of THRIFT SHOPS. They're charities run by volunteers, old people, and people that generally don't know what the stuff really is. These are people that don't realize that half the CDs on their racks are illegal bootlegs that some teenager burned and labelled with a Sharpie. When I find Stadium Events CIB with tape and stickers all over it with a price written on each side, THEN I'll complain to management.

[BetaWolf47]

Steve W, I highly agree with you. It really annoys me that people scour places just for stuff to resell. I've seen games for less than they're worth, but left them so that people who want it can have it. The worst case I've seen is that one guy who buys every bargain-priced copy of FF7 in his town. IIRC he said he's acquired some 50+ copies of the game.

[Haoie]

Reading this doesn't impart much faith in mankind's good nature.

[Starwander]

I find it hilarious that people are bitching that they raised the prices a couple bucks...I mean come on, its going to a good cause, and zelda is still a deal at 4$ ,quit crying ;-)

I would absolutely agree with you, if raising prices resulted only in additional profits, although this is not the case. Goodwill throws out more stuff than you can believe. Good stuff that people would have loved to own, although were not willing to pay ridiculously high prices for. I just feel that it is extremely said to see reusable items being sent to the dump because Goodwill wouldn’t sell it for less.

[darkslime]

Just look at the How Much Is It Worth? thread here to see why. "I only bought this to flip it." "How much do you think I can get for this on eBay?" People scoop up anything game related at thrift stores regardless of whether they actually want the stuff or not, and then sell it on eBay. "It's how I can afford to buy stuff for my collection". Personally, if I don't want something, I leave it alone. Maybe someone who'll come in after me will be looking for that particular game. I could be greedy and scrape every thrift store clean of video game related gear, but I know that I get mad when I hit the same thrifts repeatedly and there's never anything there because all the eBay speculators have wiped the shelves out before I got there. I want to be considerate to the other patrons. Consideration is one of those things that seems to be dying out in our society.Flipping games is a large source of income for me, and I don't understand how it is inconsiderate? Sure, I am annoyed when I go out looking for games and come home empty handed, but you snooze you lose. With flipping games I can afford to buy more things for my collection. :)

[vintagegamecrazy]

My local Goodwills haven't gone up much in price thankfully and they seem to be reasonally uniform with pricing but it still varies. What bugs the heck out of me is the stupid management lately. They have hordes of PS2 and XBox game under the counter for $9.99 each but leave every CD case empty on the shelves and keep the discs in back. The display glass cases are usually crammed with junk but the shelves remain empty, no uniformity there. Too many times there are old shoulder cam corders under the case for a ton of money that block the view of other stuff and the price tags are always hidden because the employees are too lazy to put it in the case right. Game consoles are usually the same way, just crammed in without the price visible, then I ask to see it and it's just a bare bones console with maybe a power cord for always around $12.99 to $20, sadly the complete consoles are the same price which is reasonable. Would it be too much to take a quick look through the stuff before just blindly slapping tags on everything? The employees are that lazy lately. They had an $80 XBox recently too.

Salvation Armys are another story, all but one near me are complete hellholes that are impossible to find stuff in. When stuff turns up it's usually filthy but mostly reasonable prices but not worth the time to look through now. They also leave old garage sale stickers on things then tell you that's not the price even though they never even priced it in the first place and that's just plain lazy.

[ryborg]

Just look at the How Much Is It Worth? thread here to see why. "I only bought this to flip it." "How much do you think I can get for this on eBay?" People scoop up anything game related at thrift stores regardless of whether they actually want the stuff or not, and then sell it on eBay. "It's how I can afford to buy stuff for my collection". Personally, if I don't want something, I leave it alone. Maybe someone who'll come in after me will be looking for that particular game. I could be greedy and scrape every thrift store clean of video game related gear, but I know that I get mad when I hit the same thrifts repeatedly and there's never anything there because all the eBay speculators have wiped the shelves out before I got there. I want to be considerate to the other patrons. Consideration is one of those things that seems to be dying out in our society.


Steve W, I highly agree with you. It really annoys me that people scour places just for stuff to resell. I've seen games for less than they're worth, but left them so that people who want it can have it. The worst case I've seen is that one guy who buys every bargain-priced copy of FF7 in his town. IIRC he said he's acquired some 50+ copies of the game.


Reading this doesn't impart much faith in mankind's good nature.

wah wah wah, you guys sound like a bunch of butthurt babies.

I'm sure you all would pass up a huge stack of rare factory sealed games you already owned at a thrift FOR THE GOOD OF THE HOBBY AND OH ALSO HAVE I MENTIONED HOW VIRTUOUS I AM?

If you want the good stuff at thrifts, find out when they restock and go there then. It's not hard; most stores restock around the same times on the same days. Hell, be nice to the old ladies and ask if they have any video game stuff in the back that's not ready to be shelved yet.

[DigitalSpace]

One of the local Goodwills always has their disc-based video games marked as audio, which is non-returnable. Wish they'd knock that off and mark them as electronics or electrical (which can be returned) like the other local Goodwills do.

[Robocop2]

Around here both Goodwill and The Salvation Army store are pretty much bare any time I go. Good will did have a dirty well worn NES toaster for 40.00 one time though...

[joshnickerson]

Yipes. I didn't expect my little rant to get a response. For the record, I *have* found some good things at Goodwill (such as a sealed Kirby's Adventure, and a copy of Super Mario RPG for $3) and I still think it's a good place to find bargains. I just wanted to vent my frustrations with my local store, because on the rare occasion they DO have any video games, they are covered with labels, sharpie and packaging tape. I guess I really can't blame them... on more than one occasion I have found empty DVD and game cases on the shelves, so obviously theft is a problem. But there is a fine line between protecting merchandise and defacing a product.

[garagesaleking!!]

ya one time my dad walked into a thrift store on his lunch break and the lady was putting out a whole cart filled with nes games all complete in box. They had to put a sticker on each one for 1.99, and the person dragged out their nines in marker off the stickers and onto the boxes on some. Its like what a great time to write numbers in a fancy way. i got about 70 nes games complete in box so its hard to complain though.

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

wah wah wah, you guys sound like a bunch of butthurt babies.

I'm sure you all would pass up a huge stack of rare factory sealed games you already owned at a thrift FOR THE GOOD OF THE HOBBY AND OH ALSO HAVE I MENTIONED HOW VIRTUOUS I AM?

If you want the good stuff at thrifts, find out when they restock and go there then. It's not hard; most stores restock around the same times on the same days. Hell, be nice to the old ladies and ask if they have any video game stuff in the back that's not ready to be shelved yet.

Depending on the price of the rare factory sealed games, sure I might leave them behind. I think the point that some people are trying to make is that it bothers them when people who are buying things only to flip them complain that they aren't getting their stuff cheap enough.

Much the way some people feel about those who, no matter how good a deal they are offered, have to try and get it cheaper. Example: A boxed SNES with a complete set of the Final Fantasy series, plus a sealed Earthbound for $10 and they have to try and get it for $5.

JY

[darkslime]

Much the way some people feel about those who, no matter how good a deal they are offered, have to try and get it cheaper. Example: A boxed SNES with a complete set of the Final Fantasy series, plus a sealed Earthbound for $10 and they have to try and get it for $5.
What's wrong with that. When I sell those I will make $5 more and if they're willing to do it, why the hell not?

[klausien]

I've never had much luck finding good retro stuff at Goodwill, but occasionally you can catch a great deal on something more current. I got a brand new, Logitech wireless PS2 controller for $10, and they were $30 at the time. I guess I did have a small retro score that day with a flawless gold N64 controller for $5, but that was the only time. Getting that Logitech for so cheap was a nice surprise. Needle in a haystack though, and it was at a rural Upstate NY Goodwill in my wife's hometown. Have been there about 10 times over the last 10 years, and that was the first time I saw a good grab.

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

What's wrong with that. When I sell those I will make $5 more and if they're willing to do it, why the hell not?

I don't know. I guess that maybe I have reached a point in my life where I can be satisfied and not always wanting, "just a little bit more".

When your parents took you out and offered to buy you a toy, were you grateful and accepted it? Or did you have to try to talk them into a bigger toy, or maybe two toys? I mean, if they're willing to do it, why not?

Also, I have noticed people gleeful buying stuff on the cheap and commenting about the stupid people who didn't know what they were selling. But. God forbid these same people do research about what they are selling and try to get the almighty eBay price for it. After all, it's a yard sale or flea market for crying out loud. Stuff is supposed to be cheap. 'Cuz if people start charging street prices for stuff, how will you ever make any money?

JY

[Cornelius]

Anyway, I used to find lots of stuff a few years ago at thrift stores but not so much lately. I used to go almost daily, but now maybe once a week and I pretty much come out empty handed. Either people aren't donating as much good stuff now, or other people beat me to it. I remember years ago getting handfuls of NES games pretty regularly.
So, would you say you find about 1/7th as much as you used to? ;)


I wonder what ebay prices would be like if there were no flippers...

[darkslime]

I don't know. I guess that maybe I have reached a point in my life where I can be satisfied and not always wanting, "just a little bit more".

When your parents took you out and offered to buy you a toy, were you grateful and accepted it? Or did you have to try to talk them into a bigger toy, or maybe two toys? I mean, if they're willing to do it, why not?

Also, I have noticed people gleeful buying stuff on the cheap and commenting about the stupid people who didn't know what they were selling. But. God forbid these same people do research about what they are selling and try to get the almighty eBay price for it. After all, it's a yard sale or flea market for crying out loud. Stuff is supposed to be cheap. 'Cuz if people start charging street prices for stuff, how will you ever make any money?

JYWhat's wrong with wanting to get a bit more in a situation like that? I don't understand how my parents offering to buy me a toy as a child compares to this situation.

We don't want people to price things at ebay prices at yard sales because yard sales are for people looking for good deals. If I wanted to buy stuff at ebay prices I wouldn't leave my house, just order them off ebay. And if you've ever sold on ebay, you would know it takes a lot of tedious time to list things, and they take either 8% or 15% of your money depending on whether its auction or BIN. Plus the stuff is usually in a lot better condition than what is found at a yard sale.

[NayusDante]

I wonder what ebay prices would be like if there were no flippers...

They might actually be higher, if you think about it. With fewer people listing those games, supply and demand kick in.

[swlovinist]

I have in the last five years completely filled out some holes in my collection due to Goodwill having some great valued games. For that I am grateful. I know that they help alot of people. I dont blame them for making some $$$ to support their cause. I do get a little frustrated when they get busted for paying their CEO too much over a loosely regulated salary law. I like my money going for programs to help the needy, not to stuff some already rich CEO. The prices on their items are very hit and miss. It is still worth checking out, although I do feel that their prices have gone up way too fast and too high on some things. I used to pay 99 cents, now games are like $6.99 for Xbox and PS2 games. I have used shopgoodwill too, but for many things it is overpriced on many things. I am not here to bitch that I have not scored some AMAZING stuff from the store, I am just clearly stating that I think that there should be some sort of balance in their pricing scheme. $22.99 for a bare Genesis deck is insane.

[Ed Oscuro]

Salvation Army feels more human. I find neat stuff there far more often, and it's ALWAYS priced better. CDs are $2, and games usually are too. They don't get gaming stuff nearly as often, and it's still mostly PC stuff, but their price stickers are easy to remove. Still, I've seen some awful prices in there too, like the $60 8-track player and the $80 Xbox. Goodwill got an Xbox and they asked $20, and it took weeks to sell, but that $80 Xbox was at SA for one week.
I got my Atomic Runner cartridge at the Hilo Harbor Salvo (in Hawaii), but locally, the SA is a bit farther away, and it's in one of those places with a huge floor space and warehouse-like high ceiling - and is usually pretty empty. I've picked up a few items at it over the years, but it usually seems to have little of value when I go by.

[ryborg]

I don't know. I guess that maybe I have reached a point in my life where I can be satisfied and not always wanting, "just a little bit more".

That's nice that your life is a bed of roses, but if you honestly don't understand that selling on ebay is a prime source of income for a lot of people and every dollar DOES count, that's awfully naive.

[Ed Oscuro]

A thrift's mission is to provide the best opportunities for the money to lower-income customers, mainly. So while a lot of the stuff there is really only worth $5, if they sold higher-priced game items at their true cost that'd help them serve their customers better.

Still, people who buy and flip items are making use of knowledge that would be expensive for a thrift to try to properly utilize, AND they take on a share of risk (that Goodwill would have by trying to stock games and other desireable items with a fair-but-theft-promoting price).

A flipper isn't really doing a thrift a public service, but when the thrift starts charging more for commons than they're worth, that's disadvantaging people who might go there to buy an old game cheap because it's all they can afford. In either case, I think it would cost the thrift more money than they make to try to turn their workers into talented appraisers. Even I get Goodwill price estimates wildly wrong at times.

/tencents

[Gameguy]

If you want the good stuff at thrifts, find out when they restock and go there then. It's not hard; most stores restock around the same times on the same days. Hell, be nice to the old ladies and ask if they have any video game stuff in the back that's not ready to be shelved yet.
I know when they restock the stuff at Value Village, only I'm at work then. That's also why I don't go as often anymore. I used to ask if anything else wasn't put out yet but was always told that everything sorted was already out.


What's wrong with that. When I sell those I will make $5 more and if they're willing to do it, why the hell not?
Because you'd be really greedy and cheap? I remember someone posted in the finds thread that they haggled down the price of a somewhat big Genesis lot with a little kid, I thought that was pretty low. There have been times when I actually offered to pay more for stuff than the asking price, and it wasn't because other people were also wanting to buy it. It was still at a good price though, it's not like I only pay the going rate for stuff. It's just that if something was already priced well, I won't try to haggle it even lower.


So, would you say you find about 1/7th as much as you used to? ;)


I wonder what ebay prices would be like if there were no flippers...
:-D

Actually, I'm finding less than that. It can be months now before I actually find something worth buying from a thrift store. I pretty much just bought things for myself to keep(if I didn't like the game I'd try to sell it though), though if I found something really good I'd get it to trade for other rare games, or sell it cheaper to friends of mine, or bundle it with a bunch of extras I ended up getting so I can finally get rid of some and break even. On another forum I'm on a member found a loose copy of Earthbound at the thrift near me for $2.99 and just flipped it on ebay. Some things I'd just pick up because someone else would just flip it on ebay anyway, I just try to keep things local when I'm selling stuff.


What's wrong with wanting to get a bit more in a situation like that? I don't understand how my parents offering to buy me a toy as a child compares to this situation.

We don't want people to price things at ebay prices at yard sales because yard sales are for people looking for good deals. If I wanted to buy stuff at ebay prices I wouldn't leave my house, just order them off ebay. And if you've ever sold on ebay, you would know it takes a lot of tedious time to list things, and they take either 8% or 15% of your money depending on whether its auction or BIN. Plus the stuff is usually in a lot better condition than what is found at a yard sale.
Actually, the purpose of a yard sale is for the owners to clear out a bunch of stuff as quickly as possible, while still trying to get as much as they can for their items. They usually price things cheap because they want it all to sell quick and don't mind losing out a bit as they really want to make space quickly. They don't sell things cheap to help out other people looking for bargains, or they'd just give it all away for free instead of selling it.


That's nice that your life is a bed of roses, but if you honestly don't understand that selling on ebay is a prime source of income for a lot of people and every dollar DOES count, that's awfully naive.
It would be nice to make enough to support yourself just through ebay, but most people actually WORK at a JOB with long hours to support themselves. They're basically making a profit on the loss of other people, other people bought the items at a higher price and sold it cheap or donated it, and the ebayer is making a profit while the previous owner is taking a loss. I'm thinking that's another main reason why people don't like the ebayers.


A thrift's mission is to provide the best opportunities for the money to lower-income customers, mainly. So while a lot of the stuff there is really only worth $5, if they sold higher-priced game items at their true cost that'd help them serve their customers better.

Still, people who buy and flip items are making use of knowledge that would be expensive for a thrift to try to properly utilize, AND they take on a share of risk (that Goodwill would have by trying to stock games and other desireable items with a fair-but-theft-promoting price).

A flipper isn't really doing a thrift a public service, but when the thrift starts charging more for commons than they're worth, that's disadvantaging people who might go there to buy an old game cheap because it's all they can afford. In either case, I think it would cost the thrift more money than they make to try to turn their workers into talented appraisers. Even I get Goodwill price estimates wildly wrong at times.

/tencents
That's what I don't like about Value Village, they buy things from actual charities and sell them for a profit, they're helping charities the same way an ebayer would(by buying something from a charity and flipping it).

I personally feel that thrift stores should be a place for people with a low income to shop at, but they're pricing things so high that those people can't afford to shop there, where else should they go? When I see worn out frying pans selling for more than a new one at Zellers I wonder who would actually buy it.

As for thrift stores throwing stuff out instead of lowering the prices, this is why I don't like to donate stuff to them. Why would I help out a place that would rather throw something out than let me have it at a better price? If someone else was willing to pay that much I wouldn't mind them getting it, but if nobody was willing to pay that much I don't get throwing it out. That just ads to landfills while raising costs for the store. Instead of getting a bit less for something they're getting nothing at all, and they have to pay to get rid of it. There's one independent thrift near me that I like, it actually has a free bin outside for stuff that doesn't sell, and everything is in good shape and priced well. I haven't found any games there though, just some books.

[darkslime]

Because you'd be really greedy and cheap? I remember someone posted in the finds thread that they haggled down the price of a somewhat big Genesis lot with a little kid, I thought that was pretty low. There have been times when I actually offered to pay more for stuff than the asking price, and it wasn't because other people were also wanting to buy it. It was still at a good price though, it's not like I only pay the going rate for stuff. It's just that if something was already priced well, I won't try to haggle it even lower.As someone else said, ebay is a large source of my income, and those extra $5 do help. I don't see how haggling the price down is being greedy and cheap? If they are willing to sell it to me for that price, and were too lazy to take the time and figure out how much their item is worth then that's their problem. By your logic, you are just as greedy and cheap by not telling them how much the item is worth and paying them that price.



:-D

Actually, I'm finding less than that. It can be months now before I actually find something worth buying from a thrift store. I pretty much just bought things for myself to keep(if I didn't like the game I'd try to sell it though), though if I found something really good I'd get it to trade for other rare games, or sell it cheaper to friends of mine, or bundle it with a bunch of extras I ended up getting so I can finally get rid of some and break even. On another forum I'm on a member found a loose copy of Earthbound at the thrift near me for $2.99 and just flipped it on ebay. Some things I'd just pick up because someone else would just flip it on ebay anyway, I just try to keep things local when I'm selling stuff. All you did in that post is try to justify yourself. Selling locally is still flipping just like selling stuff online. And it doesn't matter if you use the money for your collection. I use a lot of my extra money after necessities to fund my collection.



Actually, the purpose of a yard sale is for the owners to clear out a bunch of stuff as quickly as possible, while still trying to get as much as they can for their items. They usually price things cheap because they want it all to sell quick and don't mind losing out a bit as they really want to make space quickly. They don't sell things cheap to help out other people looking for bargains, or they'd just give it all away for free instead of selling it.And your point is?



It would be nice to make enough to support yourself just through ebay, but most people actually WORK at a JOB with long hours to support themselves. They're basically making a profit on the loss of other people, other people bought the items at a higher price and sold it cheap or donated it, and the ebayer is making a profit while the previous owner is taking a loss. I'm thinking that's another main reason why people don't like the ebayers.If you don't consider selling on ebay work or a job, you have NO FUCKING IDEA what you're talking about. I have to get the items, research prices, list them, ship them out when they're bought etc. That takes a large amount of time.



That's what I don't like about Value Village, they buy things from actual charities and sell them for a profit, they're helping charities the same way an ebayer would(by buying something from a charity and flipping it).When I buy things at charity thrift stores, I don't buy them to help out the charity. I donate my old stuff and some money every year to charities to help them out. I buy stuff to flip and don't see anything wrong with that.


I personally feel that thrift stores should be a place for people with a low income to shop atThen quit shopping at thrift stores. You're part of the problem.

[Ed Oscuro]

lol, haggling at thrifts, and then getting mad about it on the internet

SOME BUNNY got D: by this thread in a major way.

Another potential difference between my local thrift and others is that they don't seem to trash stuff that often. I know that, at least a year or two ago, they were selling old computers in bulk to somebody when they couldn't sell them at the store. Didn't outright trash 'em.

[CelticJobber]

The thrift store near me seems to use eBay to set the price most of their games and vintage items (toys, vinyl records, etc.). So they can get pretty pricey sometimes.

[tubeway]

I wrote a longwinded rant, but deleted it. I'm just going to say this:

Don't be a douchebag and take advantage of people.

Trying to get a bargain, and trying to talk down a child to fifty cents when they're only asking $1 for that $50 PSX RPG you plan to flip are two completely different things. The latter is greed.

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

I'll address the replies to my points later, after I have had some sleep so I am more coherent. But to speak about cheap, I work with some of the cheapest. Shopping sales, using coupons, buying in bulk, recycling aluminum and plastic; those I understand and can appreciate. But one guy I work with used to, and may still, take his kids out to the local Mega-Super-Grocery store on Saturdays and have them make the rounds of the people giving out food samples. He has them make 2 trips to each, and that is their lunch.

As for the haggling at a thrift, near me is an organization that provides temp housing and treatment for men who are alcoholics or drug addicts. They also have a temporary shelter for women and children. As one of their fund raisers they run a couple thrift stores and every couple months have a huge sale out at their location. I go there whenever I can because I am familiar with the organization and I support the work they do. In fact, the minister who runs the place is my step-son's godfather.

I was at one of their sales and there was a guy in front of me waiting to pay for his stuff. They were adding it up and he got upset that they wanted $4 for one of those lights that sit on a pole in the front yard. It was brand new and still in the box. They ended up giving it to him cheaper, but come on, if $4 is going to break you, then there are probably more important things that you should be spending your money on.

JY

[phreakindee]

Maybe I'm lucky, but I have had almost nothing but great experiences at the Goodwills in my state (NC). The vast majority of my PC games collection came from there, as well as many old computers, several game consoles (N64s, SNES, Genesis, Saturns, PS1s, Gameboys, Ataris), and plenty of random hardware and cartridges for nearly every system I collect for. Now, granted, most often it is loose/JC-only PC games I find, but even then I have found some good ones, but I don't go and buy every one I see. Anymore anyways. That got expensive, and flipping them tends to take time which I have less of. Still, it's a good addition to the flea market and eBay, and has served me well.

The price stickers, here anyways, are very very simple to remove. Those in South Carolina though were absolutely HORRIBLE and I could never get them off. They do use packing tape at one or two stores here, but thankfully I have found these items when the tape was still fresh and easy to remove with time and patience, even on cardboard boxes.

Just got several complete boxes of Heroes of Might and Magic games the other day, as well as DC and Saturn controllers, and some Genesis titles and even game guides. Loose games are $3 (same as CDs), boxes are usually $4-6, sometimes $10 if it's a really big box (like Lotus 1-2-3 haha), but consoles are normally over $30. Many of these end up at the local Goodwill Clearance Center and I can then get them for $1/pound - and yes, somehow they survived all of that and still work, so far

[NayusDante]

I think it might be time to put together a set of rules for thrift-hunting etiquette.

[kai123]

I think it might be time to put together a set of rules for thrift-hunting etiquette.

The first rule of thrift-hunting is "You do not talk about thrift-hunting!".

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

The first rule of thrift-hunting is "You do not talk about thrift-hunting!".

But then someone will make a movie called, "Thrift Hunting" and everyone will know about it.

JY

[Gameguy]

I guess I got you mad at me since many of my replies weren't even directed at you yet you felt they were. I'll try my best to respond to them.


As someone else said, ebay is a large source of my income, and those extra $5 do help. I don't see how haggling the price down is being greedy and cheap? If they are willing to sell it to me for that price, and were too lazy to take the time and figure out how much their item is worth then that's their problem. By your logic, you are just as greedy and cheap by not telling them how much the item is worth and paying them that price.
I said haggling down the price on something already priced extremely well was being greedy and cheap, not just haggling in general. Did you forget the example you replied about which is why I replied to your response?

"Example: A boxed SNES with a complete set of the Final Fantasy series, plus a sealed Earthbound for $10 and they have to try and get it for $5."

You said there was nothing wrong with haggling the price down for that lot, is $10 really too much for all that stuff? There's a slight difference with paying someone's asking price and still haggling it even lower, it's a fine line that I wouldn't cross. I do feel that it's the seller who should research the value for whatever they have, and I ask them what they want for what they're selling. If what they want is a good price I'll get it. If the games were really shitty looking and I'd doubt that they'd still work, I might want a lower price but it really would depend on the situation(it would also depend on how polite and friendly they are). I wouldn't haggle for a lower price every time just because I can. And as I said, there have been times when I offered to pay a higher amount than their asking price without it being because someone else was looking to buy it, the stuff was worth more than they were asking so I offered more.




All you did in that post is try to justify yourself. Selling locally is still flipping just like selling stuff online. And it doesn't matter if you use the money for your collection. I use a lot of my extra money after necessities to fund my collection.
At a gaming swap meet I priced some complete NES games cheap, only another vendor bought them and put them for sale at his table. I wanted to give a deal to another collector who'd want them, not to help out a reseller who lied to me to get them(he said it was for his personal collection). Now I just price things for what they're worth to keep that from happening again. I bought that stuff for my personal collection and decided to clear stuff out because of space concerns, I didn't just buy the stuff with the plan to immediately flip it.



And your point is?
That yard sales are meant to mostly benefit the owners having the sale, not to benefit resellers. Stuff shouldn't just be dirt cheap because it's a yard sale, if some stuff is priced higher than what I'm willing to pay I just leave it for someone else.



If you don't consider selling on ebay work or a job, you have NO FUCKING IDEA what you're talking about. I have to get the items, research prices, list them, ship them out when they're bought etc. That takes a large amount of time.
You could almost invest the same amount of time and effort in a better job, higher education for a better job, or starting an actual business.

I know it takes work and time to sell off extras(it can be fun at times too IMO). I still don't try to turn it into a job, I like to enjoy it as a casual hobby and enjoy whatever great stuff I happen to come across. I don't go out looking for games hoping I'll find something I can flip, I'm hoping I can find stuff that I'm wanting to ad to my collection. If I come across something great that I personally wouldn't want, it's a bonus.




When I buy things at charity thrift stores, I don't buy them to help out the charity. I donate my old stuff and some money every year to charities to help them out. I buy stuff to flip and don't see anything wrong with that.Ok then, different people enjoy different things.



Then quit shopping at thrift stores. You're part of the problem.
And you're assuming I have a high income because....? In any case, I leave most stuff behind even when I know I could make a few bucks on it. I just purchase stuff now for my personal collection that I intend to keep, I don't have space to store stuff until I can sell it. That's pretty much what I've always done, the main reason I have so many extras now are because to get the few games I personally want, I end of buying someones entire collection to get them(not all that huge, maybe someone has a dozen games on craigslist).

[darkslime]

If the parts about haggling at thrift stores are about me, I won't haggle at thrifts but will haggle at yard sales, swap meet etc, sorry I didn't clarify that. I agree that it is wrong to try to bargain at thrift stores.

[Sonicwolf]

The thrift store near me seems to use eBay to set the price most of their games and vintage items (toys, vinyl records, etc.). So they can get pretty pricey sometimes.

One of my local thrift stores actually prints out ebay pages and attaches them to the items to justify high prices.

[BetaWolf47]

Really, people just need to realize that turning something into a business can ruin things for people who treat it as a hobby. The main deal is that it comes off as greedy. Let me just ask you guys something: do you guys use the money to pay bills, or are you just fattening up your wallet for more collectibles? If it's the former, I apologize about any negative assumptions I had. If it's the latter, that's surely the definition of greed.

I even know a pawn owner who sells NES and Genesis games for $3 and SNES and N64 for $5, often fully aware that some of the games he sells are worth more.

I'll confess, if I saw a valuable game for flip, I'd probably do it. However, I'd sell it for less than it's worth, and only to someone who wants it for their collection.

[Cornelius]

For you folks that are so anti-flipping, or those that would only do it if it was a lot of money involved, what do you see as the key difference(s) between a 'flipper' and a game store owner?

[NayusDante]

For you folks that are so anti-flipping, or those that would only do it if it was a lot of money involved, what do you see as the key difference(s) between a 'flipper' and a game store owner?

http://mortystv.com/showcards/flipper_box_250.jpg

They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning,
No-one you see, is smarter than he,
And we know Flipper, lives in a world full of wonder,
Flying there-under, under the sea!


On a more serious note, game store trade-ins are flips. You get a few bucks, and they make a 50% or more profit margin.

[Atarileaf]

One of my local thrift stores actually prints out ebay pages and attaches them to the items to justify high prices.

They could shave the price a bit but now have to jack up the prices because they're wasting so much money on paper and ink.
And if they aren't using completed auctions with items that actually sold, I'd call them on it.

[Atarileaf]

For you folks that are so anti-flipping, or those that would only do it if it was a lot of money involved, what do you see as the key difference(s) between a 'flipper' and a game store owner?

I'm not anti-flipping. There was a store near me that I hit 3 times because of their NES games for $2. A little family owned place that you could barely move in with all the junk there. I would buy say 6 or 7 at a time. Keep 3 or 4 then sell the rest on Kijiji for $5 a piece (not really gouging IMO). I'd take that profit and return, buy some more, keep some, sell the rest, rinse and repeat. I ended up with a bunch of games for my collection and $15 once I'd cleared the place out.

Now this was just for fun, not to make a bunch of money. $15 wouldn't even fill half my tank in a week, but I got games out there to other collectors who also think they got good deals, which they did. Some of the ones I flipped for $5 were SMB3 and Zelda II so I could have maybe got more for these and others but it wasn't my intention to do so. Just make enough profit to get a few games and pay for the bit of gas to go there a few times.

[Ed Oscuro]

But one guy I work with used to, and may still, take his kids out to the local Mega-Super-Grocery store on Saturdays and have them make the rounds of the people giving out food samples. He has them make 2 trips to each, and that is their lunch.
What the hell?


They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning,
No-one you see, is smarter than he,
And we know Flipper, lives in a world full of wonder,
Flying there-under, under the sea!
I was thinking of that as I wrote "Flipper," heh heh.

[BetaWolf47]

For you folks that are so anti-flipping, or those that would only do it if it was a lot of money involved, what do you see as the key difference(s) between a 'flipper' and a game store owner?

That's a good question, one which I'm not sure I can justify. All I can say is that a store owner doesn't necessarily harm people who enjoy hunting for their games.

[jb143]

One of my local thrift stores actually prints out ebay pages and attaches them to the items to justify high prices.

I've seen this as well. And when I went home and looked up completed listings, they only used the one that sold for a lot and conveniently ignored all the ones that sold for much less(or not at all).


I'm not anti-flipping. There was a store near me that I hit 3 times because of their NES games for $2. A little family owned place that you could barely move in with all the junk there. I would buy say 6 or 7 at a time. Keep 3 or 4 then sell the rest on Kijiji for $5 a piece (not really gouging IMO). I'd take that profit and return, buy some more, keep some, sell the rest, rinse and repeat. I ended up with a bunch of games for my collection and $15 once I'd cleared the place out.

Now this was just for fun, not to make a bunch of money. $15 wouldn't even fill half my tank in a week, but I got games out there to other collectors who also think they got good deals, which they did. Some of the ones I flipped for $5 were SMB3 and Zelda II so I could have maybe got more for these and others but it wasn't my intention to do so. Just make enough profit to get a few games and pay for the bit of gas to go there a few times.

This is similar to what I'd do as well. I would buy the games from Goodwill(help a chaity), keep them for a while to play myself(fun for me), sell what I didn't want to keep on eBay(help a collector). Then use any profits to repeat the process. Win/Win for everyone...except perhaps these potenial future customers that won't be getting the good deal I did(and might be be a flipper anyways...and probally one that doesn't even care about the games). More often that not though, if I've passed on something it was still there later. And often times if it had the box or instructions, they'd get smashed, bent, or torn by all the lookie-loos and stupid kids who think the store is a play area. An eBay buyer would appriciate them much more. I've always regretted not getting things in those situations and it happens all the time. Just a few months ago I passed on about 10 boxed Intellivision games. The next week they were trashed.

[jonnyutah]

it really depends. some thigns they really don't have any idea what it's worth. I remember someone saying that they found a neogeo system at good will for about really cheap. cana't remember if it was on these forums or not. can you imagine running into a neogeo boxed at goodwill? haha.

[betamax001]

The goodwill by me had practically nothing.

I did buy this VCR for 5 bucks....i dosent turn on o.O

[sebastiankirchoff]

The other day when I went to Goodwill, they had "World Championship Poker" on Xbox used for 5 bucks, when I found that same game brand new at the 99 cent store for (can you guess?) 99 cents. Whats funny is that the 99 cent store was only a few blocks away, and I guess nobody at Goodwill noticed that, even though there were at least 50 copies there.

[Steve W]

The other day when I went to Goodwill, they had "World Championship Poker" on Xbox used for 5 bucks, when I found that same game brand new at the 99 cent store for (can you guess?) 99 cents. Whats funny is that the 99 cent store was only a few blocks away, and I guess nobody at Goodwill noticed that, even though there were at least 50 copies there.
Many times I'll see an original Xbox in a thrift for around $100, when there's a GameStop across the street that had them used for $50-$60. And GameCubes are usually less than $20 in thrifts. That's because the people in most thrifts I go to tend to be middle aged women who know nothing about electronics, so they price the huge and heavy console really high because that size and weight means it's better than the tiny cube shaped console that looks kind of toy-like.

I haven't really weighed in on the whole 'flipping' thing since my first statement, because I hate to read all the arguments and justifications for what they do. I'll just say that I have frequently passed on boxed NES games and a few factory sealed ones in the past. Why? Because I don't care for Nintendo or their games. If I don't collect for that machine, I leave it alone rather than get dollar signs in my eyes. I don't want to monetize my hobby and turn games into a commodity to be bought and sold without being able to enjoy them for what they are.

[Porksta]

There is this one guy that shops at the store where I work that comes in and buys records. Now the lady that is in charge of the records has a pretty good eye for valuable records ($10 or so or more), and puts those in the case, throws away any scratched up/ratty records, and the rest she puts on the floor. This guy though comes in periodically to buy records, but when he really buys is on record sale days. He comes in the day before the sale near closing time and goes through all the records. He then lumps all the records he wants in one section so that when we open at 10am he walks right in, grabs his records, and pays. Since he owns a music store he counts as a dealer so we have to (we don't volunteer, he demands) no tax. No tax on 50 cent records. When that day they are 75% off, making them 13 cents. Nobody in the store likes him but hey, he buys a lot of records.

Bottom line - don't be like this guy. Especially at a thrift store. The employees will remember you and despise you.

[Ed Oscuro]

can you imagine running into a neogeo boxed at goodwill? haha.
That is pushing it, somebody probably died or just stopped caring.

I've found some pretty incredible PC games and some rares across other systems (i.e. the time I got an instant 3DO starter collection, including Star Control 2, all mint, and I've found good CDs on occasion too, i.e. a $30 soundtrack (http://www.amazon.com/Poirot-Movies-Murder-Orient-Express/dp/B000003QS5)).

Y'know, my problem with flipping is that every time I get something to flip, I end up just keeping it - like the two GBA SPs I recently found.

[Ryaan1234]

I've found some pretty incredible PC games and some rares across other systems (i.e. the time I got an instant 3DO starter collection, including Star Control 2, all mint, and I've found good CDs on occasion too, i.e. a $30 soundtrack (http://www.amazon.com/Poirot-Movies-Murder-Orient-Express/dp/B000003QS5)).

Y'know, my problem with flipping is that every time I get something to flip, I end up just keeping it - like the two GBA SPs I recently found.
Honestly, the best thing I've ever gotten at Goodwill was the one time when I got The Neverhood in great shape in the original jewel case. I didn't even know what it was. It just looked cool. Most of the time when I see a good game that I already have, I pass it on to my dad, who ends up flipping it on eBay.