What do you expect to pay for games you find at Thrift Store

[Anthony1]

When you go to a thrift store to look for games or hardware or accessories or whatever, what do you expect to pay?

For myself personally, I expect to pay about 40 percent less or more than I would pay for the same item at a place like GameStop.

But it's funny cause some times it just doesn't work that way. Sometimes I will find games that are way, way cheaper than they should be, but I also find games that are way, way more expensive than they should be.

It's weird.

Also, I tend to find tons and tons of Genesis sports games. Usually way over priced too. Like $2.99 for a loose Tommy Lasorda Baseball cart for the Genny. The same game could be found at a GameCrazy for like 99 cents.

But then I will find a Super Mario Bros 3 cart for the NES for a quarter. So you never know.

But it's just hard for me to pay more than 2 bucks for a game at a Thrift Store, unless it's a game that I've been dying to get anyways. Then I would be willing to pay more for that.

As for Hardware, alot of times the hardware prices are out of whack too. Just today I saw a Genesis with no accessories for like $26.99. I could get that on Ebay for 5 bucks or less.

Of course the people making the decisions on the prices don't know anything about the value of video games, so it's understandable. They do continually lower the prices after stuff has been there for awhile, but I'm sure that alot of Used Game Store owners end up scooping up the stuff that's really worth anything.

You almost have to go by the Thrifts every other day to real stay on top of it.

Today I got Mortal Kombat for the Genesis for 99 cents. It has the case and the game but no manual. I don't necessarily consider that a score at all. That game probably goes for like $3.99 at Gamestop, so it's nice to get it for a buck, but it isn't like a home run or anything.

[digitalpress]

I expect to pay Digital Press Guide prices or less. In fact, I carry it with me to such places. When they charge me MORE, I use the Guide "hey, it says in this book that's only worth THIS much!" but when they charge me lower, I don't even know the book exists :)

[Anthony1]

I expect to pay Digital Press Guide prices or less. In fact, I carry it with me to such places. When they charge me MORE, I use the Guide "hey, it says in this book that's only worth THIS much!" but when they charge me lower, I don't even know the book exists :)

All the thrifts that I go to have signs that say that the prices cannot be changed by the employees. That if the price is to high, check back later cause prices are always lowered eventually.

I wish I could get them to lower the price.

[scooterb23]

In my area, the thrift stores seem to have a pretty standard pricing scheme:

Atari 2600 - either 50 cents or $1.91 (these are almost always text labels...since they'll say 66 games on one cart for Asteroids...they are seen as truly having more games...)
TI994A (they do pop up...) - 50 cents
NES - $2.92, occasionally they go to $3.93
Genesis - $2.92, $3.93, and at one store they are usually $4.94
SNES - $3.93
C64 - $1.91

I will state that for games I really want, I have no problem with any of these prices...better than I could do usually at Gamestop.

I generally do not buy CD games at thrift stores, because I know they haven't been treated well...but Sega CD games tend to go for $4.94

I've never seen anything from the Playstation or newer in my thrifts.



(I love the pricing scheme)

[nildem]

I usually set my limit at $3.00 for anything NES or older and $5.00 for everything else. I can sometimes make exceptions, though. :-D

[Anthony1]

In my area, the thrift stores seem to have a pretty standard pricing scheme:

Atari 2600 - either 50 cents or $1.91 (these are almost always text labels...since they'll say 66 games on one cart for Asteroids...they are seen as truly having more games...)
TI994A (they do pop up...) - 50 cents
NES - $2.92, occasionally they go to $3.93
Genesis - $2.92, $3.93, and at one store they are usually $4.94
SNES - $3.93
C64 - $1.91


(I love the pricing scheme)


Those prices seem kinda high compared to what I'm seeing, so I guess what I'm seeing isn't that bad after all.

This is what I'm seeing

Atari 2600 : Usually 1 buck. I haven't really seen too many of these though, so it might be higher or lower

NES: Anywhere from 2 bucks to 50 cents. I did get some for 25 cents when they had a half off day.

Genesis: Anywhere from 4.95 to 1.50. Typically in the 2.75 ish range.

SNES: Usually around 4 or 3 bucks.

Sega CD: For some reason they think these are worth more. They usually go for like 6 bucks to 2 bucks. But Usually around 4 or 5 bucks.

Dreamcast: I've actually seen a few Dreamcast games. They were like $4.95 and $3.95 and even $2.95.

I haven't seen any Turbo, Saturn, Jaguar, 3DO, N64 or PSX games.

Personally, when I go to a thrift, I'm looking to get a game for 2 bucks or less. I will pay up to 4 bucks, if it is a game that I would actually be interested in, and it isn't trade bait or ebay bait.

[Charlie]

I *expect* to pay no more then $5, not including tax. If I end up paying more it depends on the rarity of the game and it's condition. But for the most part $5 is the cutoff.

[scooterb23]

No Anthony, I don't think the prices you see are too high. I have to say that Columbus seems to be crawling with collectors (or probably more likely speculators) now, so the market is supporting the prices around here. As an example: I went to a thrift store a couple weeks ago, and saw a stack of 7 Genesis sports games for $3.93. I left them, as I had them all...and that's too much to spend on Genesis sports games.

I went back 2 days later because of a board game I wanted, all of those Genesis games were GONE! I guess they didn't know they could get them for about a dime at Gamestop.


I also wanted to mention thrift hardware prices here...those are very random.

Last 2 NES systems I saw - 1 was console only, no cords for $15, on another shelf in ther same store was one with full cordage, 2 dogbone controllers (sadly not a top loader system though) and SMB / Duck Hunt for $7?????

Genesis systems go for $6-8 cords or not.

SNES are almost always $5 cordless and yellow.

C64s are always $1.91 because they are not differentiated from the PC keyboards

I bought 2 of the 3 TI994As I have seem in thrift stores: the first was missing 3 keys, and I paid $15 for it (yeah I know, I'm an idiot, but I really love that system, and I really wanted it).

About a week later I went to the same store, found a complete TI with 3 games for $3.93 go figure.

I've seen one beige TI for $10 boxed, but no cords...it's the only beige TI I've ever seen. I wonder if they still have it...hmmmm


These are the only systems I've ever found in thrifts here...

[Mr-E_MaN]

When I go out to my local Thrift store I know exactly what games will cost.

NES, Sega: $5 CDN
Atari, Commodore, TI99, Intellivision: $0.50 CDN
NES, Sega Systems: $6.99 CDN
Atari Systems: $2.00 CDN


(Prices in Canadian dollars)

[Anthony1]

You know today I saw a Super Nintendo with no cables or anything, and totally dirty and about 36 different shades of yellow for 7 bucks. That puppy has had a very hard life.


I mean there are yellow SNESes, and then there are YELLOW SNESes. This puppy took the cake. I was about to get it anywyas, just to have a backup, but considering a power adapter for it would cost me around 3 bucks, do I really want to pay 10 bucks for such a dirty, smelly, super yellow SNES?

Nah.

[scooterb23]

Well if it smelled bad, then no, it isn't worth it...but I think that a majority of the SNES systems you will se in tthe wild anymore are going to be yellowed. $10 isn't so bad if it appears to be in good condition save the coloration. I am stunned that mine never turned, I don't know how, but it never did.

[kainemaxwell]

Salavation Army store in my town usually has NES or Genesis carts about $2.25. Sometimes boxed are close to $5.

[Raedon]

generic $3 Though I got THPS4 GC for $5 at one.