Classic video game stores suck.

[Zthun]

It amazes me when I go shopping at the mall and I walk into a store like Hot Toys. The store clerks there (probably also the owners) hate me. Why? It's not because I do any damage, but I can't help it but to laugh when they have a boxed NES that comes with mario/duck hunt for $150. So the NES in there has a 150% mark up off the original price when it was brand new and around a 180-200% mark up from eBay. Wonderful.

I can make the same complaint about flea markets and the goodwill, but at least with those places, you can find deals with people selling their old collections. It's much easier to find a copy of Mario RPG or Secret of Mana for $10 at a flea market rather than $40-$50 that most mom and pop stores run. I can bet my left arm that most of these places use eBay to get their inventory, as if nobody else can.

I've seen stories on here about people beating their heads into the wall over thrift stores and not being able to find anything. Do you ever get this feeling about classic video game stores as well, or do you just go in with the expectation that they will have outrageous prices and unreasonable inventory (mind you that the games in these stores do tend to be in pretty bad shape)? I've seen stories on here about thrift store success as well. I have never seen a success story about a classic video game store.

[Enigmus]

Yes. Very yes.

I went to a flea market recently, and there was a stand full of games. I saw a copy of Mario 3 in a Funcoland case for the dirt cheap price of... $15. There was a sign listing prices, and it vaguely said "Atari-- $5." I saw a four-switch VCS below it, and asked if I could see it. They handed it to me, and I noticed a sticker proclaiming $40. Not only that, but I was going to buy a three-button Genesis controller to use on my 2600 Jr., and they wanted $8 for the fricking controller. Then, I noticed a case full of Game Boy Colors and a lot of games, with a copy of Pokemon Gold for $35. What. The fuck. And right below the games were handguns. I kid you not.

Needless to say, I now have proof that the idiots running the stand shouldn't be allowed within 40 ft. of a NES. This overpricing crap may work on others, but this pissed me off for a few days. In short, idiots shouldn't use eBay to price copies of Mario 3.

[Kitsune Sniper]

The only local "retrogaming" store in my US hometown finally closed its doors last month.

Imagine someone selling PS1 Greatest Hits games for $70 because they're still new. Even though they're sunfaded from being left in the store window for the past three years. I hated that store a lot, especially because the guy had a habit of clearing out every single retail store with a clearance bin (like Target) just to resell at his crappy store.

Anyway the building it was in was kept under lock and key for close to four months after the huge earthquake from last Easter. They were finally slapped with an eviction notice and thrown out two weeks ago.

[jb143]

I must be lucky in that I have several stores in the area that offer fair prices. The one local chain that is somewhat overpriced still isn't too over the top. I still get most of my stuff from thrift stores though, when they aren't pricing stuff crazy high that is. Yesterday I saw a loose Mario Party 3 at Goodwill for $30 and a loose Goldeneye for $20.

[frogofdeath]

So the NES in there has a 150% mark up off the original price when it was brand new and around a 180-200% mark up from eBay. Wonderful.
Wait, I'm confused. Wasn't the original NES released at the $200 mark? Maybe even higher? I was just a wee lad, but I could have sworn the NES wasn't exactly a cheap piece of equipment back in the '80s. Sorry, maybe I am reading this wrong, but now I'm curious as to the original NES launch price.

[hellraiser]

LOL!!!

i went to a local flea market this past weekend and some one wanted 20 bucks for a loose copy of super mario land with a messed up label on gameboy because"they dont make them anymore"!!!!

[Gameguy]

I've seen stories on here about people beating their heads into the wall over thrift stores and not being able to find anything. Do you ever get this feeling about classic video game stores as well, or do you just go in with the expectation that they will have outrageous prices and unreasonable inventory (mind you that the games in these stores do tend to be in pretty bad shape)? I've seen stories on here about thrift store success as well. I have never seen a success story about a classic video game store.
I rarely go to dedicated stores, the ones that were close by are now out of business. There is a decent one that's north of where I am but it's not like stuff is dirt cheap. I did get a complete copy of Gunstar Heroes for $4.99(plus tax) well over a year ago which is what thrift stores were charging for old games at the time, but I mostly walk out empty handed.

Craigslist and Kijiji are where I find most of my finds now.

[GrandAmChandler]

I understand some stores selling overpriced merch, but guess what? In this economy indie stores need to survive too. A genny controller for $8 is a decent deal at a brick & mortar store. In fact I sold two at that price last Saturday. Super Mario 3 constantly sells for $15, because that's the only game every one wants when they buy an NES. A refurbished 2600 for $40 is a good deal. I understand being frustrated about not getting dirt cheap stuff, but a retro game store is not the place for $5 systems, it's a place to obtain easily something that is only sold online. You are paying for convenience. Now if the staff of the store is a bunch of dicks, then don't support them. Just don't take them for granted, or they will be gone.

It's all Supply and Demand, and it varies in your area. Somethings in our area don't sell at all compared to other areas. But I can get $15 for Super Mario 3 from any Joe Schmoe off the street any day of the week.

[skaar]

Hey fuckwad, this forum is brought to you by the owner of a classic video game store that happens to not suck. I'm sure he'd appreciate this thread.

Don't judge 'em all.

[Baloo]

Yeah, I agree. It's one thing overpricing products to outrageous levels, such as say, $130 for Kolibri (That was a real Brick and Mortar price up at a store in the Poconos). But in economics, the goal is to make as much money as you can. And you can price things as high as you want as long as it sells. If Super Mario Bros. 3 is selling at Next-Level Videogames for $15 and we can't keep any in stock then well, that's saying something now isn't it?

Really, you can't get all the games for dirt-cheap. Brick and Mortar stores aren't flea markets, they're actual businesses trying to stay open. And if Super Mario Bros. 3 is selling at $15 and it helps your revenue, then why price it any lower? And the collector isn't going to want Super Mario Bros. 3 anyway, chances are they already have it.

Stop complaining.

[PapaStu]

Dirt cheap and at prices that I want them to be or GTFO!

Seriously? We've done this 'argument' more than a few times. Just because they've got a price up, doesn't mean you can't offer less for it. Worst that will happen is that they'll go to their videogame store owner forums and bitch that some customer wanted to ONLY spend 5 bucks on a game that they sell for 15 all day long.

[shopkins]

It's not because I do any damage, but I can't help it but to laugh when they have a boxed NES that comes with mario/duck hunt for $150. So the NES in there has a 150% mark up off the original price when it was brand new


You fail math forever. :)

I do notice some classic game stores aren't exactly the place for deals. There's one in my area that always charges significantly over Ebay for most things. They're super high, like $100 for a loose Dragon Warrior 3 high. I like to go in there and look around and all but, you know, I have a computer. I know where fleamarkets are. I can get most of their stuff easily for a quarter of the price, I just can't see paying as much as they're asking for it unless I have to. So I don't. Also, they do this thing where they "update" the prices but don't update the game on the shelf, so you'll take it to the register and find out it's a lot more than the sticker. That annoys me, I don't mind the updating the price but it shouldn't officially be updated until someone puts the new price on it.

Now, there's another guy, conveniently closer to me, who sells classic games. He isn't giving the stuff away but his prices are fair, usually a little lower than online, and you get a square deal from him. He sold me Dragon Warrior 3 loose for, I think it was about $15. No, it's not an amazing deal that would have people oohing an ahhing in the finds thread here, but it wasn't a ripoff either.

So simply saying "classic game stores suck" isn't fair, because they're not all like that.

[cyberfluxor]

I'm not seeing anything too far off on the prices there. It's a bit on the higher end, but yes this is a B&M you're tracking through that specializes in video games. As stated above, the casual shopper that just wants to pick something up might not mind the $15 for a one-time shot, but a collector that buys to fill shelf space for that system and holds onto it longer might avoid buying Mario 3 for that price as they already own it or dedicate the time to shop around. If it is an uncommon game I would certainly pluck a few bucks down knowing I won't spend countless hours digging through garbage sports at a thrift store or elsewhere just to not find it. Remember, if you already own it you can always look to resell a duplicate. :)

[Gameguy]

Since there's a lot of "dirt cheap" talk after I posted using those words, maybe I should clarify what I said(I'm not sure if the posts following mine were aimed at me or not).

The stores that used to be near me charged around $30 for a loose copy of the original Dragon Warrior, $10-$20 for common titles that most people wouldn't care about like Top Gun, Mach Rider, Star Voyager, or Total Recall. At the same time they would give maybe $3-$5 in trade for those titles if you wanted to trade them towards other overpriced games. These stores are the ones that closed up. The closest one that closed up got me to pay $40 for a loose copy of Excitebike before I knew any better about prices, I'm still upset about that. This was around 9 years ago, and the label was covered in masking tape which I had to clean up.

The store that's still open is about a half hour drive north of where I am, I actually like this store. Sports games for NES, SNES, and Genesis are usually $0.49 each. I see some SNES, Genesis and N64 games at $0.99-$2.99 each, which is very good. The popular games are priced higher but I already have those so I don't need to worry about them, and they still sell fast whenever they're in stock. Used games are guaranteed for 6 months, if there's any problems they can be exchanged or returned. The reason why I don't buy much there is because the games I'm still looking for aren't usually in stock. I don't have a lot of space so I don't just buy any game that's at a good price, I would only buy a game that I'd want for myself. Sure there are plenty of common NES games for $4.99 each, but since there's nothing that interests me I don't buy anything. The good stuff sells fast so unless I keep checking the store daily I'll miss out on stuff, it's too far away for me to do that so I don't visit it unless I happen to be passing by. I think the last time I was there I picked up some DS games, that's it.

I don't have anything against stores that price things fairly and if I was close to Jersey I would visit the DP store. Still, no matter where I am I'd only buy something at a fair price if I personally want it. I don't have money to burn so I can't just buy whatever to support someone else.

[DuckTalesNES]

I've found a mixed bag at the store near me. They use a pricing scheme where a loose copy of Super Mario 3 and a boxed copy are the same price. I scored a boxed Super Mario 3 in awesome shape for $14. Also scored a Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition with Codes intact for $40. It can be a mixed bag, but it is nice to be able to see the product all in one place rather than driving to 1043821098320318 flea markets hoping to find one game. Personally, my time is more valuable.

[Zthun]

Wait, I'm confused. Wasn't the original NES released at the $200 mark? Maybe even higher? I was just a wee lad, but I could have sworn the NES wasn't exactly a cheap piece of equipment back in the '80s. Sorry, maybe I am reading this wrong, but now I'm curious as to the original NES launch price.

After doing some research, you are correct and I am wrong. The original NES retailed for $199. I could have sworn to Christ all these years I got mine for $99 retail, but I didn't remember since I was around 6 years old and my mom spent the $50 I had saved up for several years in pennies and quarters. My bad.

I think a lot of you misunderstand what I'm talking about. $15 for Mario 3 is reasonable and not too far off of the market price; you can usually sell it for $7-$10. Add in the cost of shipping, and you're almost there. My problem comes is with stores charging somewhere between $40 for Mario 3 (yeah, I've seen this). I'm sorry, but a store that does that just sucks.


In this economy indie stores need to survive too

No store NEEDS to survive. The earth is not going to implode because an indie store goes out of busniess.

My point is that classic gaming stores eventually die because there is simply no market for these games. Collectors like you and I like old games, but were just a speck. The vast majority of gamers trade in their old games and never even give a second thought to playing them again. Sometimes they like to talk about them, but that's about as far as that goes.

Gamestop survives because of it's used games market. The shop I described survives because it sells way more than just video games (also sells figures and other collectibles at OK prices). Outside people's private collection, the only way FOR a raw B&M video game store is to blow up the price of any game to well beyond any reasonable market price. If I found a copy of Mario Kart in decent condition at one of these stores for $20, I can give them the benefit of the doubt. In my experience, however, these stores will be charging $40 for the game. Surviving or not surviving, that doesn't mean they don't suck.

[megasdkirby]

Gamestop survives because of it's used games market.

Not really true. It depends on location. The retro store near me sells quite a bit and has been around for a few years.

And not only that, I do get customers at work that request parts for older consoles. I recall one lady come in asking if we sold N64 AC Adapters. :)

I agree that stores need to make revenue too. But if they have an item that has sit on the shelf for years and does not sell, that should ring a bell to the owner to reduce the price. Or sell it on Ebay. Or let it rot there for many more years to come. It's their decision.

[digitalpress]

I think people who say "Classic video game stores suck" suck.

http://www.digitpress.com/images/store/091127_005.jpg

[GrandAmChandler]

No store NEEDS to survive. The earth is not going to implode because an indie store goes out of busniess.

My point is that classic gaming stores eventually die because there is simply no market for these games.

Surviving or not surviving, that doesn't mean they don't suck.


I think people who say "Classic video game stores suck" suck.


http://www.thefivecount.com/images/ohsnap.gif

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2/grandamchandler/alabama_Leprechaun.gif

[TwinChargers]

One of my greatest finds came from a B&M classic video game shop. I got Master Builder (R8) for the 2600 for $3. The one in my area has (or had, I haven't been there in awhile) all Atari carts for $3 no matter what the title or rarity.

Granted there prices are quite high, higher than ebay even, on most of there other stuff.

[Icarus Moonsight]

There has never been a batch of classic game stores around here really. But I have gotten some good stuff at GameCrazy before they went off the classic-plastic and went belly-up and I've also made killer scores at one of the Play-n-Trades that used to be around here. The only surviving indy store I know of is a long drive away. It just opened earlier this year and I can only manage to get down there once a month at best. Got good things there too.

The thing is, someone operating a classic game store is going to know their market (if they want to survive). You're not going to take them to the woodshed value-wise and cherry pick on the cheap like you can the pawns or the flea vendors. They're specialized! That has got to be worth something. Finds are much more consistent to boot, thanks to them knowing what is in demand and such. I'd post a supply/demand/price intersect here, but that's a little overkill.

I'm not saying they're all good at all. Most the Play-n-Trades were pathetic by report and by what I saw myself. There are good ones out there, even if they are hard to find as they have been for me.

[punkrockdave]

At least you get to go to a dedicated classic video game store, I'd pay a little extra to dig through physical copies of carts. Maybe it's because I'm all about instant gratification.

[DDCecil]

I think people who say "Classic video game stores suck" suck.

:rocker:


http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/1166/zzzzzstorelgr9.png


The earth is not going to implode because an indie store goes out of busniess.

The earth might not, but I did - and have yet to recover.

[Zing]

Wait, I'm confused. Wasn't the original NES released at the $200 mark? Maybe even higher? I was just a wee lad, but I could have sworn the NES wasn't exactly a cheap piece of equipment back in the '80s. Sorry, maybe I am reading this wrong, but now I'm curious as to the original NES launch price.

In my area, the SNES launched at $199. The NES "zapper set" was priced at $109.

[Zthun]

There has never been a batch of classic game stores around here really. But I have gotten some good stuff at GameCrazy before they went off the classic-plastic and went belly-up and I've also made killer scores at one of the Play-n-Trades that used to be around here. The only surviving indy store I know of is a long drive away. It just opened earlier this year and I can only manage to get down there once a month at best. Got good things there too.

The thing is, someone operating a classic game store is going to know their market (if they want to survive). You're not going to take them to the woodshed value-wise and cherry pick on the cheap like you can the pawns or the flea vendors. They're specialized! That has got to be worth something. Finds are much more consistent to boot, thanks to them knowing what is in demand and such. I'd post a supply/demand/price intersect here, but that's a little overkill.

I'm not saying they're all good at all. Most the Play-n-Trades were pathetic by report and by what I saw myself. There are good ones out there, even if they are hard to find as they have been for me.

This is what I'm talking about. Most classic stores that have any form of decent prices will go belly under in the long run. The ONLY way for a pure classic video game store to stay afloat is to charge way above market price for games. I probably shouldn't have mentioned flea markets and thrift stores. That seems to have confused everyone.



I think people who say "Classic video game stores suck" suck.


I've never been in the DP store, so I don't know the prices. From what I've seen at the online rarity guide, if that's the prices you charge, some are really good, some are spot on, some are majorly under priced, and some are majorly over priced.



The earth might not, but I did - and have yet to recover.


My point exactly. Any decent classic gaming store with great inventory generally doesn't last. Any one that does usually has something else going for it.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Funny that you take up on agreement with my post, because I thought I was rebutting you. LOL I don't think any of the evidence out there indicates what you are saying at all.

GameCrazy closed because they were run by marginally-functional retards and had the dead weight of a parent company video store that killed any good they could have managed to scrape together on their own.

Play-n-Trade is/was a total crap shoot. The only good one that I knew of was run out by their neighbor businesses buying their lease out from under them, forcing them out. That is why you never allow your business to become the local teenage human garbage hangout spot... I loved the store itself, but some of the kids that seemed to nearly be permanent fixtures were beyond obnoxious, loud as hell and half of them could be considered scene kid rejects that try to hard to be liked or hated, never settling for anything between.

The new indy store that I have been going to for about half a year now has a great selection and the prices range from a bit less than going to a smidge more. Rare is it you find something super stupid cheap or laughably expensive. Plus, the best thing going for this one is the owner. He is simply an awesome guy. I'm working to try to get a local gamer meet established with his store as the gathering beacon (yes, something somewhat like NAVA). He tells me that he was surprised by the reception his store has had as he was certain the first year or two would be a tooth and nail fight against red ink and overhead. I took that as his venture was doing much better than planned, if not outright well.

It takes something of a miracle to keep a poor enterprise going for long, but one disastrous thing can take down an otherwise healthy one... A store with fair pricing and good selection does have a lot going for it rather than against it though. Those are merely the fundamentals. Many other things can go to pot, and many of those are outside of operators direct control in some cases too.

[Sothy]

I have not seen a store that carries 8 and 16 bit games in over 2 years. Quit bitching nancy.

[understatement]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2/grandamchandler/alabama_Leprechaun.gif

If that damn leprechaun would ever give up his gold I would buy way more games at B&M shops.

[Gooch3008]

Oh man. It sucks that you don't have anything reasonable in your area. BUT. In Virginia Beach there is a store called COOL STUFF.

This place is the friggin BOMB. The prices are reasonable. It is like a pawn shop for movies and video game stuff. I HATE HATE HATE driving to va beach from hampton cause of the damn tunnel traffic here. But as soon as I stride through the front door of that place, it all washes away. Remember when you were a kid and you couldnt wait to go to a certain store??? Thats how this place is and I am 27 years old. Ok, I am done plugging this place, I just wanted to say don't give up finding a good retro game shop!

[Matt-El]

Open your own store, mark SMB3 for 5 bucks, ???, Profit? or not?

Tell me how that goes, thanks.


BTW, Captain Obvious here!:deadhorse: My work is done! Up, Up and all that! WHOOOSH!

[DreamTR]

Yeah honestly this works both ways.

You complain you can't find Secret of Mana for $10, why? If you want to find amazing classics for $10 and resell them, it's for your own "needs", so it should not carry over to your hatred to game stores for doing research.

As a collector of course I looked for cheaper stuff elsewhere, but if I needed something at a classic game store, I would pay market value.

Complaining about not being able to find crazy deals on stuff at classic game stores is kind of wtf....

Trying running one and then having to pay someone 30% of their value for stuff and see how they react to that, LOL....

I'm pretty fair on pricing and I have tons of 50 cent cheap crap bins and $1 boxes, but I am selling every single Mario/Zelda popular title at market value because they always sell at those prices and I pay decently to bring them in. No point in changing it...

It's like the guy who was complaining our Final Fantasy VIII for PS1 was $17.99 CIB

Him: You can buy it new on Amazon for that!
Me: Go ahead and buy it on Amazon then!

We're also here for convenience you know...stores have that luxury and there are fewer and fewer these days for such a thing.

[cyberfluxor]

Now, there's another guy, conveniently closer to me, who sells classic games. He isn't giving the stuff away but his prices are fair, usually a little lower than online, and you get a square deal from him. He sold me Dragon Warrior 3 loose for, I think it was about $15. No, it's not an amazing deal that would have people oohing an ahhing in the finds thread here, but it wasn't a ripoff either.

So simply saying "classic game stores suck" isn't fair, because they're not all like that.

I discovered a Dragon Warrior II CIB for $2 in awesome condition 3 years ago. Gave the box+inserts to Daria and the cartridge to a friend, no regrets.


One of my greatest finds came from a B&M classic video game shop. I got Master Builder (R8) for the 2600 for $3. The one in my area has (or had, I haven't been there in awhile) all Atari carts for $3 no matter what the title or rarity.

Granted there prices are quite high, higher than ebay even, on most of there other stuff.

About two years ago I saw a copy of Karate on the 2600 at a retro gaming shop and I knew some print of it was rare, but just not sure how to identify it. So I thought it was the Ultravision and ended up as the far more common Froggo Games release. It's all good since I did pick up Meteorites from them for $5 CIB and very nice condition.


Oh man. It sucks that you don't have anything reasonable in your area. BUT. In Virginia Beach there is a store called COOL STUFF.

This place is the friggin BOMB. The prices are reasonable. It is like a pawn shop for movies and video game stuff. I HATE HATE HATE driving to va beach from hampton cause of the damn tunnel traffic here. But as soon as I stride through the front door of that place, it all washes away. Remember when you were a kid and you couldnt wait to go to a certain store??? Thats how this place is and I am 27 years old. Ok, I am done plugging this place, I just wanted to say don't give up finding a good retro game a bushop!

Cool Stuff is alright. They have a lot of inventory that is cheap at the moment due to their own mismanagements and same "hardcore" gamers behind the counter for years. Don't get me wrong, I buy from there every few months (grabbed a dozen SMS games a few weeks ago CIB/$1 each) but there are a bunch of other great places to look around on the South Side; if that was the only place you dug then I'm sorry. Check out the following next time:
X-Treme Media (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Virginia-Beach-VA/X-Treme-Media/98782757852)
Replays (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Virginia-Beach-VA/Replays/115642238452509)
Video Game Heaven (http://www.videogameheaveninc.com/)

There are also a ton of typical Game Stop, Play 'n Trade, and Game Crazy stores along with lots of pawn shops and thrift stores to rummage through.

[bartre]

I must be lucky in that I have several stores in the area that offer fair prices. The one local chain that is somewhat overpriced still isn't too over the top. I still get most of my stuff from thrift stores though, when they aren't pricing stuff crazy high that is. Yesterday I saw a loose Mario Party 3 at Goodwill for $30 and a loose Goldeneye for $20.

I'm in this boat too.
We've got 3 stores, one local chain dedicated to games, another regional chain that also does movies and cds, and then one local guy who also runs a thrift store.

the local guy isn't going to give you anything that'll blow your socks off, price-wise, but he's an awesome guy, knows his stuff, and is decently cheaper than ebay.

the regional chain mostly bases its stuff off ebay, but the area manager tells everyone to price em a few bucks lower than a comparable copy (I know this because I just started working with him)

as for the local chain, this place is just freaking awesome! I've never seen anything overly overpriced there, and i've even found some pretty sweet deals there, like Mega Man legends 2 for $18 CIB :rocker:

as for the whole B&M pricing, it's generally done by what sells, hence the $15 mario, hell, i can't find one locally for less than $18, and it ALWAYS sells, same thing with all-stars and world on snes, those are both ~$20

[Glitch695]

Hmmm, I feel I should chime in here. While I'm only a mere walk from the Midwest Gaming Expo when it's going on (just West of Milwaukee), there's not really squat for game stores here. We've got several mega Media Exchanges that sell games for the usual at or above online prices, ex: 5 copies of FF7 in their case for $70 a piece, $30 Mario Karts, etc.. basically the places college kids go to buy 'old school N64's, man'.
Oconomowoc has a store (not sure if I should name it? If you live in the area you'll know) that just plain sucks. It's about half DVDs, half games, but the shelves are loaded with nothing more than dozens of SNES and Genesis sports titles, and innumerable copies of Mario/ Duck Hunt and other crap. This place really sums up the terrible side of some old game stores.
One afternoon I was looking in their glass case up front, thinking it odd how they NEVER get any good games in, when I see a giant stack of games on the floor: Klonoa, the Suikodens, sealed Saga Frontiers, etc. I asked if I could see them and the girl said sure and put the stack on the case. After excitedly looking through all of them, I asked her for the prices, and she told me 'Oh, they're NOT FOR SALE, but I could get their Ebay name and buy them on there'. I was flabergasted, and naturally left, but I decided to go back the next day and see if someone else with any sense was working. Sure enough the owner was, and he told me the same thing. I asked him what advantage I had over any other item on Ebay and he said 'well, I guess you could save on shipping.' Then I asked him for a reason that I should ever revisit his store and he just shrugged. What a crock. Now WHILE I'm standing in there, 3 hipster kids come in with a copy of FF7 and tell the guy they need beer money. He offers them $5 for it, and they say sure. Well, I told them I would give them $6. The owner got furious and threw us all out, and I've never been back. I did get the $6 FF7 and they got their beer. I think.
The most ironic part is that THAT SAME NIGHT 3 kids broke into his store and stole a few hundred worth of cash. I had an idea of the suspects. But I digress. I know that a game store has to survive somehow and that Ebay is a part of many businesses, but the problem here is that 1- there is no reason to physically go INTO the store, 2 - the store is set up and displayed very poorly regardless of his stock, and 3 - the owner was just a prick with NO customer service skills whatsoever, and didn't care if he lost a potential customer.
The sad part is that for every place that's run like Digital Press is (and I would LOVE to have a place like that by me, don't get me wrong) you have 5 places like this, that instead of having any reverence or love for the hobby itself only want to make a quick buck.

[DuckTalesNES]

I love that every other letter of the word Oconomowoc is an O. I'm in Madison, WI but I haven't been to the particular store you're talking about, but we do have a store here in Madison that has taken that all one step further. You can't even buy games there. You can sell them games, and then they put them on ebay. That's it. And I agree, knowing that you can't buy stuff that is there for sale is just plain offensive.

I can see a store selling something on eBay if their inventory gets too high or if it has been sitting on the shelves for a while. And I would hope that these stores are also looking on ebay for ways to find new product cheaply (this is certainly what I would do if I was running a store), but unfortunately not all store owners are logical.

We have a few preplayed video game stores here in Madison that I frequent because I do find good deals there (in box Super Mario 3 for the same price as the cartridge, complete mass effect 2 collectors edition are some examples). But it blows my mind when they have 10 copies of Final Fantasy VII at $50+ each. The economist in me realizes that when you have excess supply, perhaps lowering the price will make these not sit in inventory for eternity.

[Steve W]

I've found some impressive deals at some stores, and then they'll have prices on something that are totally out of whack with the rest of the world. At local Movie Trading Company stores (owned by the Vintage Stock chain) I've bought Rescue Terra I for the 2600 for $1.99, Lunar for the Sega CD for $19.99, several others that I can't recall off the top of my head too. Then one location will have Atari 2600 Space Invaders marked up to $9.99 in their expensive game case for no real reason, but have thirty on their regular shelf for $1.99 each.

Sure there are some classic game places that tend to overcharge, but not all of them. You know, when I really started collecting more than casually, around 2003, there was only a stall out at the local flea market that had any old games. I had to dig through loads of grungy thrift stores to find anything, but I did end up with a whole lot of good stuff that way. Now, all around the Dallas area there's heaps of shops with classic games in them. There's 13 Movie Trading Company locations, four Console Game Exchange stores, two Play N' Trade stores (with a third one opening up soon), two FX GameExchange stores, and four local independent stores, along with the aforementioned guy out at the flea market. In my area, we are absolutely spoiled as far as classic gaming goes. It's a damn good time to be into retro gaming around these here parts. :) Sorry if it sounds like I'm rubbing your nose in it, it's just that I'm pretty happy about it.

[j_factor]

A classic game store near me has a different problem -- shitloads of games are out with no price marked. I sure as hell am not going to stand there and ask "how much is this one? and this? and this?" How do they expect to sell anything? Also their loose N64 games are on a rack with the sides of the carts facing out, and the titles written in sharpie on every single cartridge. Really? They couldn't have stuck little labels on? :frustrated:

[GameDeals.ca]

The sad part is that for every place that's run like Digital Press is (and I would LOVE to have a place like that by me, don't get me wrong) you have 5 places like this, that instead of having any reverence or love for the hobby itself only want to make a quick buck.

This is completely true. As an owner of a good retro game store, it baffles me when I shop around and see these idiots consistently running their stores into the ground. The only saving grace is that when the market for retail games crashes (very soon), most of them will be gone and only the good ones that can adapt will remain.

[Zthun]

Yeah honestly this works both ways.

You complain you can't find Secret of Mana for $10, why? If you want to find amazing classics for $10 and resell them, it's for your own "needs", so it should not carry over to your hatred to game stores for doing research.


I used bad examples. I shouldn't have mentioned flea markets and cheap prices.



As a collector of course I looked for cheaper stuff elsewhere, but if I needed something at a classic game store, I would pay market value.


No you wouldn't. You would probably pay twice or three times the market value. That's what my claim is based on.



Complaining about not being able to find crazy deals on stuff at classic game stores is kind of wtf....

Trying running one and then having to pay someone 30% of their value for stuff and see how they react to that, LOL....


That's my point. These stores can't really profit unless they have something else going for them. The only way for a classic gaming store to stay afloat is to charge ridiculous prices, like $45 for Mario All-Stars.



I'm pretty fair on pricing and I have tons of 50 cent cheap crap bins and $1 boxes, but I am selling every single Mario/Zelda popular title at market value because they always sell at those prices and I pay decently to bring them in. No point in changing it...

It's like the guy who was complaining our Final Fantasy VIII for PS1 was $17.99 CIB

Him: You can buy it new on Amazon for that!
Me: Go ahead and buy it on Amazon then!

We're also here for convenience you know...stores have that luxury and there are fewer and fewer these days for such a thing.

And what's market value for those Zelda games to you? My guess is you probably charge over market value. That's what I've found the majority of these stores to do.

[dendawg]

You would probably pay twice or three times the market value. That's what my claim is based on.


If somebody's willing to pay that price, then it IS the market value.

[Icarus Moonsight]

If you knew it was 2-3x over market then why on Earth would you buy it? :help:

The game market never has short sharp inclines... Not many long sharp inclines either. Ignorance is the key.

[gum_drops]

A classic game store near me has a different problem -- shitloads of games are out with no price marked. I sure as hell am not going to stand there and ask "how much is this one? and this? and this?" How do they expect to sell anything? Also their loose N64 games are on a rack with the sides of the carts facing out, and the titles written in sharpie on every single cartridge. Really? They couldn't have stuck little labels on? :frustrated:

I have one of those near me also, nothing is priced, they have to consult the computer on each item. I pretty much just go in to browse now while waiting for my chicken teriyaki order to finish.

[Steve W]

A classic game store near me has a different problem -- shitloads of games are out with no price marked.
There's a hole-in-the-wall shop near me selling DVDs and old games (they want $99 for an Atari 2600 and a dozen common games) and they had a bunch of import Dreamcast games, lots from Japan and a few from Europe. None priced, of course. I wanted the late British releases, so they went to look them up on the computer. It was fairly obvious they were looking for them on eBay. But since they never came out over here, they couldn't find the games on US eBay, so they refused to sell them to me. I mentioned the Japanese imports to 98PaceCar, and he went there and bought a huge stack of games for a total of $45. Because the titles were in Japanese, and therefore unsearchable, they just stuck an arbitrary price on the lot. After hearing that, I went back and tried to buy those UK games again, hoping they'd worked out a price. Again, they went to look them up on US eBay and couldn't find them, so yet fucking again they wouldn't sell them. They had to make sure to price gouge me personally, even though they give other people cheap deals on games they couldn't locate on eBay. Useless people.

[Zthun]

If somebody's willing to pay that price, then it IS the market value.

But most of the time, people aren't willing to pay that price. One person who overpays for a game or system does not set the market price.

Often time, these games and systems just accumulate on the shelves and don't go anywhere. I've seen stores that have their games on the shelves for years cause nobody wants them for the price they want.



t was fairly obvious they were looking for them on eBay


I would actually be OK with that if they didn't charge 2-3 times what you can find on eBay.

[DreamTR]

But most of the time, people aren't willing to pay that price. One person who overpays for a game or system does not set the market price.

Often time, these games and systems just accumulate on the shelves and don't go anywhere. I've seen stores that have their games on the shelves for years cause nobody wants them for the price they want.



I would actually be OK with that if they didn't charge 2-3 times what you can find on eBay.

Something you aren't realizing is that retail brick and mortar pricing "market" value is completely different than online auction pricing.

We sell Zelda III for $19.99 and Super Mario World for $17.99 and Super Mario All-Stars for $24.99.

I can't get that on ebay for those all the time and with our high sales tax those come out to be much higher than ebay, but they are competitive and we sell them. All the time.

Yes, that is what makes our money, but again, your whole idea for this post was to complain about classic game stores and the main reasoning was that you can't get deals at them. You can. Like any place. You just have to "look" for them. If they have Mario for $45 but boxed Super Turrican 2 for $5, you obviously have a deal there. Most game stores don't bother with unpopular game pricing unless they are run by collectors or are corporate and keep up with value.

[drtomoe123]

I work at a small chain of video game stores in Southwest Virginia, and we're pretty reasonable when it comes to prices. I mean, trust me, I'm one of those people who HATES going into a retro store and seeing stuff marked up.

We have TONS of retro games that we sell for a flat price of $4.99, and that goes for anything from the NES/Master System up to the original Xbox. Of course, for some stuff, that's a bit overpriced, but for lots of games, it comes out even considering shipping.

Of course, the "harder to find stuff" gets marked up a bit, but that's mainly the BIG titles like Mario, Metroid, FF, and your other mainstream games. If we end up getting stuff in that's relatively unpopular, we still sell it for cheap. For example, I've been able to pick up stuff like MUSHA for the Genesis complete for $14.99. :O I'm a big PS1 collector, so it's crazy when we get stuff like Jurassic Park Warpath for $4.99, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne for $4.99 or Suikoden 2 for $49.99. However, of course, we currently have a disc-only copy of Monster Rancher for $19.99. Ugh. You've just got to know what's worth what.

Of course, it sucks because it all depends on trade-ins. We get web orders, but where we're a small little chain, we don't have a huge amount of retro stock at all times. I mean, we usually have TONS of Genesis/NES/SNES/N64 stuff, but Dreamcast/PS1/Saturn/3DO/T16/etc... stuff comes in every so often. So it's always good to check back.

One bonus, though, is that when we take in cart-based games, if the label/cart is physically damaged (worn label, etc.), we sell them for $4.99. I amassed a large part of my SNES collection this way over the summer.

[Kevincal]

i dont see how any brick and mortar game store can survive these days... best ways seems to be sell online..

[kupomogli]

I don't mind high prices as long as they're fair. Like $10 markup is fine I think. Something for $80 or 90 when you can buy it for $50 normally is something I don't like to see. Like the one guy I saw on Ebay selling disc 2 of FF7 for $20+.

[Gameguy]

Something you aren't realizing is that retail brick and mortar pricing "market" value is completely different than online auction pricing.

We sell Zelda III for $19.99 and Super Mario World for $17.99 and Super Mario All-Stars for $24.99.

I can't get that on ebay for those all the time and with our high sales tax those come out to be much higher than ebay, but they are competitive and we sell them. All the time.

Yes, that is what makes our money, but again, your whole idea for this post was to complain about classic game stores and the main reasoning was that you can't get deals at them. You can. Like any place. You just have to "look" for them. If they have Mario for $45 but boxed Super Turrican 2 for $5, you obviously have a deal there. Most game stores don't bother with unpopular game pricing unless they are run by collectors or are corporate and keep up with value.
I just want to mention that your pricing is actually very reasonable, I don't see a problem with pricing games like that. The stores I've been to would price Zelda III for around $40 loose, and Super Mario All-Stars for $60 loose. Most of these stores already closed down, there might have been a couple that priced those games even higher than what I mentioned. Keep in mind that there would also be tax added, and the sales tax a couple years ago was 15% where I am. Most of the stores somewhat close to me aren't worth visiting, I don't bother with the ones located in Toronto as the transit fees would cost me over $10 just to visit them.

[rpepper9]

I used to think the same way about the thrift stores in my area. I mean, who is going to pay 60.00 for a N64 with one controller and Mario 64? Not me I can tell you that, however someone is willing to pay that price, because the next time I was at that same thrift store, it was gone! Now maybe someone picked it up for half price on the "color of the week" price tag, but even 30.00 for that setup it over what I would pay. But it just goes to show that someone out there is willing to pay those prices, so the store might as well keeping marking them up to that price.

[Gameguy]

I used to think the same way about the thrift stores in my area. I mean, who is going to pay 60.00 for a N64 with one controller and Mario 64? Not me I can tell you that, however someone is willing to pay that price, because the next time I was at that same thrift store, it was gone!
That reminds me, the Value Village near me had an N64 with 1 controller and an RF switch(no AV cable) for $30 in one of those EB Games pre-played system boxes. A woman was looking it over wanting to buy it, so I went over and offered to sell her one I had with all hookups and an AV cable(instead of RF) for $20 as I never used it anymore. She told me "no thank you", and then bought the untested system from Value Village for $30 plus tax. I seriously think most average consumers are idiots.

[Dr. Dib]

That reminds me, the Value Village near me had an N64 with 1 controller and an RF switch(no AV cable) for $30 in one of those EB Games pre-played system boxes. A woman was looking it over wanting to buy it, so I went over and offered to sell her one I had with all hookups and an AV cable(instead of RF) for $20 as I never used it anymore. She told me "no thank you", and then bought the untested system from Value Village for $30 plus tax. I seriously think most average consumers are idiots.

For whatever reason, I think I remember you telling this story before.

Anyway, I'm going to go with the convenience factor as being a good reason to shop at retro video game stores with it actually happening in action to me this past weekend.

My local game stores usually sell their games for a reasonable price (they usually look up the current price trend and base it off that), but I tend to remain cheap and not spend more than $10 on most games. Well I went in and saw The Lost Vikings for $12. I decided to purchase it because I really wanted it. True I could've actually saved a few bucks by buying it on Ebay or could have waited for it to turn up in the wild, but I know my game is guaranteed to work and the quality it comes in. Plus I have the game today instead of having to wait a little bit to play it.

[Kitsune Sniper]

That reminds me, the Value Village near me had an N64 with 1 controller and an RF switch(no AV cable) for $30 in one of those EB Games pre-played system boxes. A woman was looking it over wanting to buy it, so I went over and offered to sell her one I had with all hookups and an AV cable(instead of RF) for $20 as I never used it anymore. She told me "no thank you", and then bought the untested system from Value Village for $30 plus tax. I seriously think most average consumers are idiots.

I suppose Value Village has some sort of warranty. A random guy who moves in on her hoping for a sale ... won't.

So she might not have been that much of an idiot.

[drtomoe123]

I suppose Value Village has some sort of warranty. A random guy who moves in on her hoping for a sale ... won't.

So she might not have been that much of an idiot.

Yeah...this.

I mean, I'm a big reseller, so I completely agree with you...I hate seeing people come in and buy some overpriced game/system when I know they could get it for tons cheaper online or at a yard sale...but you don't have the warranty, security, or immediacy of a store.

[JSoup]

One of the longest lasting classic gaming stores in my city went out of business last moth, with the other one cutting back on store hours. Another one in a neighboring city has taken to being open four days a week.

I wouldn't say that any of these stores suck, they just had a lack of business. The first store I mentioned had the same copy of Pilotwings 64 on the shelve, in the same spot, since it's day of release. It wasn't expensive by any definition, just no one that wanted a copy of Pilotwings 64 happened into the store.

[drtomoe123]

I used to think the same way about the thrift stores in my area. I mean, who is going to pay 60.00 for a N64 with one controller and Mario 64? Not me I can tell you that, however someone is willing to pay that price, because the next time I was at that same thrift store, it was gone! Now maybe someone picked it up for half price on the "color of the week" price tag, but even 30.00 for that setup it over what I would pay. But it just goes to show that someone out there is willing to pay those prices, so the store might as well keeping marking them up to that price.

There's another local chain around me that overcharges for EVERYTHING. They still charge $90 for FFVII, $80 for Suikoden 1, and even $50 for Mega Man Legends 1.

However, they've got such a huge selection at any given time, and it's one of the few retro stores around, so they sell through tons of their overpriced shit. :(

[Gameguy]

I suppose Value Village has some sort of warranty. A random guy who moves in on her hoping for a sale ... won't.

So she might not have been that much of an idiot.
No refunds, 7 day exchange only. Now all video game stuff(same with videos, DVDs, books, CDs)is marked No Exchange/Final Sale. Not much of a warranty.

The Microplay that's 30 minutes north sells stuff with a 6 month guarantee and offers refunds or exchanges. I could see someone buying stuff there instead as everything is guaranteed properly. N64s are either $30 or $40 there.

Edit: I didn't mean she's an idiot for not wanting to buy my N64, it just seems to me most consumers aren't that good with shopping around for most purchases. I see plenty of stuff selling at big box stores for double what they would be at Wal-Mart or other discount stores, yet plenty of people are still buying them. Even stuff like DVDs, it's not like paying more for them at Best Buy will mean you'll get a better quality one than what's at Wal-Mart. A few dollars more wouldn't get me to notice, but actually almost double does make me notice. I also see plenty of people trying to sell their used DVDs on craigslist for $2-$3 each and nothing sells for months, DVDs at the Salvation Army that are beat up for $3 sell fast and DVDs at Value Village still sell at $4.99-$9.99 each. I've seen used DVDs priced higher than what they're priced new at Wal-Mart and Zellers, yet they still sell. Why?

[MachineGex]

B&M store prices should be higher than ebay, because you get to have it now, see the item, get a warranty..... and the stores over-head is higher. If you want to wait one to two weeks, take a chance on condition, and save alittle cash, go to ebay.

I believe B&M stores should price their items in the middle(compared to ebay). You can't expect a store to compete with individuals selling on ebay or at flea markets. That is comparing apples to oranges. People on ebay and at flea markets(and garage sales) are pricing their stuff to sell fast cuz they want to get fid of it(in most cases).

People who compare B&M store pricing to ebay pricing, just dont get how a REAL business works. Plus, just like buying a candy bar, a car, or a house, if you dont like the price, no one is holding a gun to your head....just dont buy it.

[retroman]

the only one i know of in my area is PowerGamer in the Glen Burnie Mall, and they are not that bad on prices...Sometimes even shock me at what they have in stock..A lot of stuff you have to ask for because they keep it behind the counter and in the back..

[goatdan]

All right, as a guy who runs a classic gaming store, albiet not a brick and mortar one, a little bit of a quick lesson about those stores that do exist.

As others have mentioned, the popular games are popular because they sell, and they sell well. I think I could probably sell 100 copies of the Mega Man titles, or Mario titles for the NES at double or even triple the price most people think they are worth collection-wise, because for people buying the games at a store (or even online when browsing) it is less about finding it for the absolute cheapest price and instead because they want it right then.

Obviously, there is a tipping point for this. I can sell Super Mario Bros All-Stars on GOAT Store all day for $15, but I'd never have them in stock. At $20ish, we find we can keep them in stock while they still sell well. If I priced them at $40, we would very rarely sell them and if I was a B&M store, I'd find myself having issues meeting my month wages and whatnot.

Resell stores need to have enough of a sell-through rate to make money. But, at the same time, resell stores need to price things so that they keep inventory on hand so that when people come in, there isn't just five things in stock.

Meeting that ratio is a pretty difficult thing to do for anyone in this business -- it's definitely tough for us, and we've plowed a TON of money into keeping titles in stock that we sell -- but once you have it you become pretty solid.

If you don't like the prices some store is charging for something, don't buy it. If the rest of the market feels the same way, and the store isn't stupid, they will eventually lower their prices.

As for the original suggestion that $150 for a boxed NES set was too much, if it was in perfect condition I think that is about spot-on for a real world sale of those where you have a guarantee about what you're getting. I'm always willing to buy in the real world at a slight premium, so long as I can see the item I'm buying first. I've never been disappointed by the condition of an item I bought that I could hold first, but I have many times been disappointed with games I bought from eBay.

[shopkins]

I work at a small chain of video game stores in Southwest Virginia, and we're pretty reasonable when it comes to prices. I mean, trust me, I'm one of those people who HATES going into a retro store and seeing stuff marked up.

We have TONS of retro games that we sell for a flat price of $4.99, and that goes for anything from the NES/Master System up to the original Xbox. Of course, for some stuff, that's a bit overpriced, but for lots of games, it comes out even considering shipping.

Of course, the "harder to find stuff" gets marked up a bit, but that's mainly the BIG titles like Mario, Metroid, FF, and your other mainstream games. If we end up getting stuff in that's relatively unpopular, we still sell it for cheap. For example, I've been able to pick up stuff like MUSHA for the Genesis complete for $14.99. :O I'm a big PS1 collector, so it's crazy when we get stuff like Jurassic Park Warpath for $4.99, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne for $4.99 or Suikoden 2 for $49.99. However, of course, we currently have a disc-only copy of Monster Rancher for $19.99. Ugh. You've just got to know what's worth what.

Of course, it sucks because it all depends on trade-ins. We get web orders, but where we're a small little chain, we don't have a huge amount of retro stock at all times. I mean, we usually have TONS of Genesis/NES/SNES/N64 stuff, but Dreamcast/PS1/Saturn/3DO/T16/etc... stuff comes in every so often. So it's always good to check back.

One bonus, though, is that when we take in cart-based games, if the label/cart is physically damaged (worn label, etc.), we sell them for $4.99. I amassed a large part of my SNES collection this way over the summer.

Hey, G2K Games. That place is all right, I stop over there whenever I go that way and don't spend all my money at Cavalier Comics. One time someone who was working there unloaded all their Atari 2600 stuff on me for like 50 cents each, I guess no one had been buying it. And I found a boxed and complete Krion Conquest in the $5 stuff you're talking about. Other things are overpriced there, though, it's a bit of crapshoot whether you'll hit a deal or not.