why do some collectors hate to admit they paid a lot for a game?

[LimitedEditionMuseum]

I see a lot of that on here and especially YouTube.

[Schiggidyd]

I don't like admitting prices I paid because I pride myself in discovering the games for dirt cheap (99% of the time). I felt so bad for buying Earthbound when it was 135, that I resold it for 180 a few months later. It wasn't for the money alone, but the moral.

The most expensive game I paid for was MUSHA on Sega Genesis complete at about 184 dollars. I feel bad for that, and if I was struggling, that would be the first to go.

[o.pwuaioc]

Because it's a sign of laziness and/or lack of patience. If you wait, you'll often find it for either a good price or a great price. If you pay extra, what does that say about your character? Kind of like that guy who spent far too much on a complete PS2 collection. Anyone can pay for an overpriced good as long as they have the money in the bank. That's not the impressive bit.

[Gameguy]

Nobody wants to be this guy.




http://i50.tinypic.com/oiruv6.jpg

[understatement]

I think it has a good bit to do with upbringing, some feel stronger about it than others that it's not polite to divulge or ask about that kind of thing.

I myself don't mind saying if I payed under the going rate but if I pay the going rate it's nothing really special (in other words anyone can do it) so I don't mention it.

[Tokimemofan]

***Attention People! Tokimemofan has no problem admitting to buying Queen's Blade ~Spiral Chaos~ for $120 instead of a PC Engine Duo***

[jonebone]

Why admit it at all? Whenever someone admits they paid $x,xxx for a game, I think of them as a braggart looking for attention. Not that it is always the case, but there's really no reason to publicly admit that you spent a lot of money. People spend lots of money behind closed doors all the time.

90%+ of my collection is obtained at great deals. I don't like to admit the other 10% because yes it does show impatience sometimes. But some games are also worth being impatient :)

[JSoup]

For some reason, I clicked on this topic thinking that one of the first three posts would be someone complaining about Nintendo Age.

[IHatedSega]

They dont want people trolling them and saying they should have given the money to charity.

[tom]

I love to say I paid $270 for Mangia', or $250 for SongMate, $200 for PictureMate, I feel good about it.
But then, I sold LE The Lucky Dime Caper SMS version for $800, that made me feel even better.

[Rickstilwell1]

I'm not afraid to admit what I actually paid for what. It pisses me off more when people try to lowball me when it's time to sell x rare game I paid x for last year when they should have to pay me the same price I paid for it (as long as the condition of the item didn't degrade any). Can't even get half my money back sometimes. Common games are another story because those fluctuate in price a lot more depending on how many people want a copy of it at once. Just like Earthbound. When people stop caring about it, it will probably crash like CIB original Pokemon seems to have done. $60 for Red Version CIB 2 years ago and now it's popping up all over the place for $30. While Blue version stayed at a constant $30. It had me thinking Red sold less than Blue, or just that more people like the color red than blue.

Sometimes if you can't find a game in a store or you never go to expo's there's bound to be games you will never find a complete copy of unless you cave to ebay's high prices. There have been times where I posted threads looking for a certain game complete in box and nobody here even had one for sale, let alone for any price. (CIB Mr. Nutz for SNES comes to mind)

[Graham Mitchell]

I actually have no problem admitting that I paid a lot for something.

I went to school for a very, very long time and really suffered to have the excess income I have today. So, if a game is hard to come by and I really want it, I don't mind overpaying. I think I paid $200 for a CIB Snatcher with a Justifier. I paid $200 for Panzer Dragoon Saga. When you start collecting Neo Geo carts and arcade PCB's, your concept of "overpriced" changes a bit. I think I overpaid for a Viewpoint kit, which I got for about $250, but I don't regret it, cuz it's awesome! I recently dropped $400 on a Haunted Castle PCB as well. On the other hand, I know when somebody's overcharging for something, and I try research the going rate of things before jumping in. (Somebody wants $300 for a Neo Mr. Do kit on eBay. Ummm, no.)

The thing is, if I didn't have the excess income, I wouldn't be doing this, but I worked (and still work ;) ) really really hard to get to this point. I don't have an expensive car, or a membership to a country club, but I do like my arcade games, and they come at a price.

[Tanooki]

I think a majority of it is that if you get outside those who think games belong stuck in shiny pieces of display plastic, and those in it for the profit, and get down to the gamers they're getting hosed. You'll want something and just take the hit being impatient or really over a good span of time you just can't get it locally for whatever reason(bad area for games?) and see it inching up month over month so you nauseate yourself into just paying the price. The problem really is that it comes down to disgust with how the monetization of the hobby more recently has been ruining it going higher and higher on a heap of titles that just 3 years ago most people didn't give a crap about so the prices were long term flat, fair, and realistic. The same shit that cratered comics and cards in the early 90s is happening now to old video games. Shops on/offline popping up, greed, speculation, stupid behavior, all of it jamming up costs. More and more are falling into the trap and getting chumped.

I for one don't get that feeling because when I saw this stuff start really going down about 2 years back I set ground rules as it bugged me then, angers me now because I had those 2 other hobbies as a kid ruined by the same predators. I won't pay more than original general retail for an old console game ($50) or handheld game($30.) I will be patient, if it takes me a week, a month, a year or more to get it at the price I deem as real fair non-hype predator market value I will wait. Since things have gone 'bad' the most I've ever dropped is $50shipped on Wild Guns and EVO, $40 on Ninja Gaiden Trilogy and Dragon Warrior IV in straight cash. Last week I did a trade of 6 PAL SMS games+Climber G&W for Bomberman 2 and Bubble Bobble Pt2 and that was my largest yet but not out of pocket so I was cool with it.

[Flam]

I see a lot of that on here and especially YouTube.

I think a lot if it has to do with pride. Some of the hard core collectors don't want to feel like a poser by paying too much for a game. I on the other hand don't mind. I don't go after big ticket items, so paying $10 for a game as opposed to $5 doesn't bother me. The most I've ever paid for a game is $50 for a reproduction. Although I do want an old school world of Nintendo sign, but those seem to be too high in price (at least for what I'd want to pay)

[wiggyx]

What everyone else said. Plus, who wants to hear everyone else in whatever forum tell you that they got their copy of XXX for $.XX at a yard sale one week earlier and that "you really should just try other means besides XXX.com or XXX.com for your gaming needs", as if garage and yard sales are an option for everyone to take advantage of.

It's the exact SAME reason that everyone LOVES to tell you how little they paid for a game.

[understatement]

I won't pay more than original general retail for an old console game ($50) or handheld game($30.) I will be patient, if it takes me a week, a month, a year or more to get it at the price I deem as real fair non-hype predator market value I will wait. Since things have gone 'bad' the most I've ever dropped is $50shipped on Wild Guns and EVO, $40 on Ninja Gaiden Trilogy and Dragon Warrior IV in straight cash. Last week I did a trade of 6 PAL SMS games+Climber G&W for Bomberman 2 and Bubble Bobble Pt2 and that was my largest yet but not out of pocket so I was cool with it.

I never understand stuff like this. Unless you account for inflation you’re not really paying the same as the original retail price, $50 back in 1990 is about a $100 today. Also I don’t think cartridge games or "old console game" were ever that cheap most of the ones I remember started at $69.99+ (I don’t know about the handhelds but I suspect they were more than $30).



Also, wiggyx, I don’t think XXX.com has the kind of gaming we're talking about. :p

[LimitedEditionMuseum]

I really wasn't talking about bragging, but it just seams that everyone wants to appear to be getting great deals. I'm not a game expert but when I see a video and someone is doing a unboxing video of things they got in the mail. I know its rare to find limited edition box sets for "only $10". I see this done a lot. I know its possible to find good deals in the wild but not that common online.

[Bojay1997]

Have you ever stopped and considered the possibility that most people claiming they didn't pay a lot for something actually didn't pay a lot for something? Contrary to what you might think, there are plenty of rare games out there that people find at thrifts, swap meets, buy from other collectors on forums, find at sources other than Ebay, etc....Just because some items get a lot of attention for what they sell for on Ebay doesn't mean that's what most people have paid for them. If that was the case, this would be a hobby for only very wealthy people and that's not the case at all.

[CatTehBus]

I think they don't like to admit how much they payed for a game because they know that other people have found the same game for a better price by being patient and finding it "in the wild". They know that they couldn't wait, they we're impatient, and that they were willing to pay the price someone was asking.

[Cornelius]

What everyone else said. Plus, who wants to hear everyone else in whatever forum tell you that they got their copy of XXX for $.XX at a yard sale one week earlier and that "you really should just try other means besides XXX.com or XXX.com for your gaming needs", as if garage and yard sales are an option for everyone to take advantage of.

It's the exact SAME reason that everyone LOVES to tell you how little they paid for a game.

Got something on your mind today, wiggyxxx?

[Kiddo]

On my end of things, I don't tell people how much I pay for a specific Satellaview 8M Pack because I don't want the prices on Satellaview items to escalate higher than they already are, lest I lose many chances to obtain a rarity.

[Rickstilwell1]

I also don't like it much when people brag about how cheap they got things because it makes me jealous that I couldn't have gotten that deal instead of them.

[Aussie2B]

I don't have a problem admitting how much I've paid for game stuff, seeing as almost all my game stuff was bought at a fair price if not better since I'm patient, and, sure, I like to brag a little about my good finds. But I also like reading about other people's great finds, so as long as people aren't being rude or trying to put others down, I think we're all entitled to brag a little within reason.

[Edmond Dantes]

To be honest, for me it depends on who I'm talking to.

If I'm with fellow collectors, I won't lie about the price. But around, say, relatives, who think I waste too much money on games, I will lie through my teeth and say I got a game dirt cheap when it was actually very expensive.

Unless the game is X-Multiply, in which case my relatives can fuck themselves. If they can't see that game is a work of art that is totally worth it, then I officially disown them.

[Atarileaf]

I've found rare games dirt cheap. I've paid market value for others. I've overpaid slightly on others that I really want.

I think we've all fallen into all three categories at some point in time. For me, the days of finding games (at least for systems I collect for which is 16 bit and prior) at thrifts and yardsales are quickly disappearing. Thankfully my collection is about complete so I have no problem picking up the rest online if I must, at the going rates and I really don't see a problem mentioning it on forums or my videos.

[RJ]

Im an old-timer (41) & was raised not to ask people what they earn/make at their job, or what they paid for stuff. It just wasnt considered polite. If I do, I always say "if you dont mind my asking."

Awhile back my 4-yo was telling everyone how much his new Star Wars shirt cost, I said not to "because some people dont like to hear that."

I hear lots of price talk on certain podcasts i subscribe to. I dont really like it. I realize it's ideal to collect the most while spending the least, but i dont consider myself collecting anymore. Im not jealous or envious (I dont want half these games collectors go on about anyway), I just want to hear ABOUT THE GAME.

[mailman187666]

I also don't like it much when people brag about how cheap they got things because it makes me jealous that I couldn't have gotten that deal instead of them.

does it hurt you as much as it does me sometimes to look through the monthly finds threads? haha

Yet I still do it anyways just to remind myself that good deals are still out there. Just not the Saturn and Sega CD ones everyone seems to find for $2 a piece somehow.

[wiggyx]

I never understand stuff like this. Unless you account for inflation you’re not really paying the same as the original retail price, $50 back in 1990 is about a $100 today. Also I don’t think cartridge games or "old console game" were ever that cheap most of the ones I remember started at $69.99+ (I don’t know about the handhelds but I suspect they were more than $30).



Also, wiggyx, I don’t think XXX.com has the kind of gaming we're talking about. :p

LOL!

A lot of cart games in the 8 and 16-bit eras were in the $50 range. Only the really crazy stuff like FF3 and Chrono Trigger were more like $70. The N64 is a different story. $70 was indeed the norm for 3rd party games :(


I really wasn't talking about bragging, but it just seams that everyone wants to appear to be getting great deals. I'm not a game expert but when I see a video and someone is doing a unboxing video of things they got in the mail. I know its rare to find limited edition box sets for "only $10". I see this done a lot. I know its possible to find good deals in the wild but not that common online.

One word: exaggerate

I really think a lot of people do this to some extent. Some more than others. I mean, who's gonna prove you liar?


Got something on your mind today, wiggyxxx?

Dammit, I knew that would get me in trouble LOL Was trying to think of another way to do that, but obviously came up with bubkus.

[SpaceFlea]

I'm sure anyone could find a number of posts I've made with the full prices I've paid for things. I have no problem at all saying what I paid for something. I won't drop numbers on a whim, but if anyone asks, I see no issue with it. That is unless they're fishing for TeH RArZ! Then I'll make stuff up, and quote absurd prices!

[MachineGex]

Gamer's hate the Ebay Scalpers. They hate resellers. Admitting they paid a premium is like supporting these guys. That is what I thought most people would say....

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I have no problem admitting what I've paid for a game. In fact, I usually feel better if I've paid a fair market price rather than underpaid. It's personal pride to know that I'm not one of those jerks who bought Earthbound from a yardsale for $1 from a mother who had no idea what she had.

It's why I cannot stand to watch shows like the gamechasers or SoCalMike's hidden camera swap meet extensions. Only true assholes rip people off consistently like that.

[Aussie2B]

I have no problem admitting what I've paid for a game. In fact, I usually feel better if I've paid a fair market price rather than underpaid. It's personal pride to know that I'm not one of those jerks who bought Earthbound from a yardsale for $1 from a mother who had no idea what she had.

It's why I cannot stand to watch shows like the gamechasers or SoCalMike's hidden camera swap meet extensions. Only true assholes rip people off consistently like that.

How is it ripping someone off if people pay exactly what the seller is asking for? Following this train of logic, would you say it's okay for someone who is a fan of SNES games but has no clue about values to buy that Earthbound at $1, but if someone is a SNES fan and DOES know the value, he/she is not allowed to buy it or is obligated to inform the seller that he/she can get more for it and can only buy if offering eBay value?

[LimitedEditionMuseum]

If you look at the show American Pickers, they are honest with some dealers who don't know what they have and will offer more than the asking price. Some people still have morals.

[Aussie2B]

But then you get in the matter of how much more is enough. At what dollar amount are you no longer ripping the person off? Even those pickers are offering below market value because it's business for them and they need to turn a profit. If someone is selling a $1 Earthbound, how much extra should the buyer offer?

I'm just saying that there is way too much grey area here to start accusing people of being assholes, ripping people off, or not having morals.

[Atarileaf]

I have no problem admitting what I've paid for a game. In fact, I usually feel better if I've paid a fair market price rather than underpaid. It's personal pride to know that I'm not one of those jerks who bought Earthbound from a yardsale for $1 from a mother who had no idea what she had.

It's why I cannot stand to watch shows like the gamechasers or SoCalMike's hidden camera swap meet extensions. Only true assholes rip people off consistently like that.

Sorry, but I do not believe that for one second. Nor is it true that those guys are assholes for finding deals. That's what EVERYONE is about whether its video games, cars, antiques, or groceries - deals!

Sounds like a case of "I'm really secretly jealous of these great finds but since I never find anything like this I'll pretend I'm of a higher moral authority who looks down on those who are able to do what I secretly wish I could do"

[Atarileaf]

If you look at the show American Pickers, they are honest with some dealers who don't know what they have and will offer more than the asking price. Some people still have morals.

They do that because they're on TV, not because they have some higher moral calling.

[Gameguy]

I have no problem admitting what I've paid for a game. In fact, I usually feel better if I've paid a fair market price rather than underpaid. It's personal pride to know that I'm not one of those jerks who bought Earthbound from a yardsale for $1 from a mother who had no idea what she had.

It's why I cannot stand to watch shows like the gamechasers or SoCalMike's hidden camera swap meet extensions. Only true assholes rip people off consistently like that.
How do you even know the games still work if you buy them from a yardsale or from flea markets? I won't spend much money if I can't be sure it works, usually they're fine but I've found a few dead carts over the years. I bought a Donkey Kong Country 2 or 3 from a flea market vendor for over $10 and the thing was completely dead, he didn't want to give me a refund the next week but I wouldn't leave his booth until he did. I won't spend that much on games again at some random seller unless they're really rare games. I also bought some Gamecube AV cable for $0.50 at a garage sale I think earlier this year, it was defective so it was a waste of money. I actually needed a spare cable at the time so I was pretty annoyed with it too.

[MachineGex]

With the internet, there is no reason why sellers can't take two minutes and find out a fair value for an item. If they are too lazy to do so, I am not about to do their job for them. I can't be both seller and buyer.

[sloan]

Why admit it at all? Whenever someone admits they paid $x,xxx for a game, I think of them as a braggart looking for attention. Not that it is always the case, but there's really no reason to publicly admit that you spent a lot of money. People spend lots of money behind closed doors all the time.


Couldn't have said any better.



Have you ever stopped and considered the possibility that most people claiming they didn't pay a lot for something actually didn't pay a lot for something? Contrary to what you might think, there are plenty of rare games out there that people find at thrifts, swap meets, buy from other collectors on forums, find at sources other than Ebay, etc....Just because some items get a lot of attention for what they sell for on Ebay doesn't mean that's what most people have paid for them. If that was the case, this would be a hobby for only very wealthy people and that's not the case at all.

I think that for people who live in areas where all the speculators have grabbed everything up have a difficult time comprehending the wide availability of cheap games in other geographic regions where greed has not taken over.



On my end of things, I don't tell people how much I pay for a specific Satellaview 8M Pack because I don't want the prices on Satellaview items to escalate higher than they already are, lest I lose many chances to obtain a rarity.

This. Loose lips sink ships. There is really no valid reason to go around spouting off about paying big money for any game or system. All it does is fuel the fire of upward price inflation for those items.

[Tanooki]

I think that for people who live in areas where all the speculators have grabbed everything up have a difficult time comprehending the wide availability of cheap games in other geographic regions where greed has not taken over.

This. Loose lips sink ships. There is really no valid reason to go around spouting off about paying big money for any game or system. All it does is fuel the fire of upward price inflation for those items.

Well said on both quotes there. I just moved back to KY from being in CA for three years. I saw the greed strangle that place badly in 2011 through when I left. It used to be a real honey hole where you could do a Kentucky like flea market hit of taking a $20 bill somewhere and walking away with like up to 10 NES games. In the end it was like $5 for this, $25 for that...they all got ebay ready phones and think that asking BIN prices mean money. Then when I got back out here I started finding game shops that do $5 games again and flea market spots where people are really nice and the prices are like the old days again and even tossing in extra junk for free or a buck (though there are some trolls, it's not an idiot free zone.)

And very much so does the loose lips cost you and everyone else. It's not just bragging online how you just had to put $250 down on bubble bobble 2 to have it before the value goes up, then rattling on why it will and where it's going. It just throws gas on the fire. Speculative bullshit like that causes nothing but greed and panicked lined up victims to the wallet slaughter. Great examples of this would be how games like Zombie Nation and Gun-Nac went from like $20 or less who gives a crap titles to like $120+ and $70+ cart only games in the last 6 months or so...it's nauseating.

[LimitedEditionMuseum]

I have been collecting toys and basically everything else for over 20 years. 80s Transformers, import Macross and things like that. In that area of collecting, there are no deals unless you get lucky. I just got into games about a year ago so the buying just transferred over. I use amazon and eBay. I do compare prices between amazon and eBay but I don't know how you guys hunt for deals. I bought a vectrex mint in box with one game for $250, I don't know if that's a good deal but I'm happy with it. It's like asking a seasoned game expert with 20 years of collecting experience to go out and find a MIB Fortrace Maximus for $20.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

I see a lot of that on here and especially YouTube.

I think it's the same with anything someone buys. In essence, you don't want to look like a fool by admitting you paid too much for something, whether it be a car, or a video game.

On the other hand, if you got a good deal on something, you tend to brag more about it, since it makes you look a smart buyer (even though a lot of luck was probably involved).

I think it's just human nature.

[Robocop2]

Nobody wants to be this guy.




http://i50.tinypic.com/oiruv6.jpg

LOL! /thread

[The 1 2 P]

I also have no problem admitting what I pay for my games. The most I've probably spent on a single game is alittle over $100 for a sealed copy of Ninja Gaiden Trilogy. And I never felt ashamed of that as that would be kind of silly. But I do understand the trolling comments people were talking about on the first page. I remember that thread where a dude had a complete factory sealed US PS2 collection. You would think most people here on DP(a video game forum) would be proud of his accomplishment but unfortunately he was the victim of one of the worst trolling events I have ever seen on this forum. So I suppose thats one of the reasons why some peeps like to keep it to themselves.

[Koga316]

I dont hate to admit how much I pay but I dont boast about it either. If I'm asked, I'll answer