Trade secrets? Tips for a greenhorn?

[Ninja Blacksox]

As this is only my third post to the board, I figure I should get to the heart of the matter... Does anybody care to share any trade secrets as to the best places to find games out there? After viewing some peoples' collections, I'm simply astounded at what you people have been able to find! A simple question, though... What's the best way for a newbie like myself to get into the market? Flea-markets? Old rental stores? Personal collections? I'm weary of using Ebay, as the prices on there reach absolutely insane levels at times... Any help would be very much appreciated... Thanks very much!

-Dave

[Mr. Smashy]

Buy low. Sell high.

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, I'm very aware of prices, but I buy with an aim to keep stuff for a long time, and never buy something thinking I'll sell it later for a profit.

Just scope out all your local thrifts, scour the edges of the internet (especially if you're looking for importa), read the classifieds (something I don't do).

[omnedon]

@ Mr. Smashy :above me:

The Force is strong in this one.


If you want to amass on the cheap, first you need patience. I spent two hours garage saleing today. I found NOTHING. That's normal. All of the hunting, is for the few good finds that do turn up.

Talk to people. Freinds, family. Ask them if they still have console XX? Do they play it? Then ask if you can have/buy it.

Network, with local collectors. Also use collector forums like thses ones, usually a bit cheaper than Ebay, but better finds than garage sales.

If you can find a game store in your area that refuses to take systems older than X, get to know the manager. Ask him if he will refer people trying to trade in the un trade-in-able to you. I got a SuperGrafx with games this way. A gift every Christmas to the store manager can help too. I gave boxed bottles of liquor to my game store owner contacts last year.

Hit the thrifts. Over and over and over. That said, the mainstream thrifting scene may have finally dried out. I've begun to see $100 used IntelliVisions at my local thrifts- AS - IS! @_@ Our hobby may be too mainstream now for thrifts to be what they once were...

[Goodwill Hunter]

Hit the thrifts. Over and over and over. That said, the mainstream thrifting scene may have finally dried out. I've begun to see $100 used IntelliVisions at my local thrifts- AS - IS! @_@ Our hobby may be too mainstream now for thrifts to be what they once were...

Yes, you'll have to put up with some insanely priced items nowadays, but if you're persistent, you'll eventually find stuff....if you hit game stuff one time out of ten you're doing good. One of my Goodwills has been dry for weeks, and then this past Tuesday (btw, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are some of your best thrifting days as this is when the weekend rummage leftovers usually make it out to the floor) there were 50 loose 2600 carts piled on a shelf, all for $1.99 each. I pulled out Bank Heist, Earth Dies Screaming and Oscar's Trash Race, but for someone just starting a collection, it would have been a real find.

If your local papers let you do online searches in the classifieds, enter "video games", "atari", "nintendo", etc. Got a $10.00 2600 rummage lot last Summer with a Tapper prototype in it that way.

Good Luck!
Rich

[digitalpress]

I've got three fast tips that will not only get you started, but will leapfrog you over most other collectors, at least the ones who haven't discovered this hideout yet.

1. Use the rarity lists we supply here. They're free and they're updated frequently. Pay no more than what we have here, sell always higher.
http://66.92.250.36:8080/DP/cmf/search.cmf

2. Monitor these forums closely. On a daily basis I learn something, and I've been doing this for awhile! If you're not sure, ask here.

3. Learn how to use your My eBay and the eBay search engine. You can find good auction deals online if you're patient. When you're not using that, check in with the online shops for deals here:
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28589

[Ninja Blacksox]

Thanks for all the help thus far, everyone... A copy of the GP Collector's Guide should be making its way to my house soon enough... I'm sure it will be an invaluable asset to my hunting...

-Dave

[wisekrak]

Here is another thread that had a lot of little secrets everyone uses while on the hunt.
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31426&highlight=

Joe, we really should make that one sticky cause it has a lot of good stuff in there.

[christianscott27]

i've created a legnthy list just for you...nah i just grabbed it from our website (never gets stale if nobody reads it!)

so you wanna collect video games?

take a moment and think about what that means, we're talking about a lot of shopping, spending, shipping and searching. if you're into it JUST for the game play i strongly suggest you go the emulation route but if you're still with me on gathering up the games themselves lets go over some basics.

1. know what you're looking for
you should consider buying a copy of digital press, its indispensable for the serious collector. how many games for the colecovision? the guide knows. whats this copy of q*berts cubes worth? the guide knows. how many dragon warrior games were made? you know the guide knows. handy boxes allow you to check off the games as you find them, allowing you to beam with pride and measure the distance to completion.

2. think tradebait
perhaps you've decided to limit yourself to just collecting for the atari 2600, fine but does that mean you should pass over all other games, no way. develop an understanding of whats rare or even just uncommon for every system and make a point to buy it when you see it cheap. make a for trade post on the newsgroup, atari age or digital press and watch the offers come rolling in. you may be an atari only collector but there are plenty omni-game collectors out there who will trade you atari carts for your rare nintendo game, now you're playing with power! trades will be your best source for filling hard to reach holes in your collection, and besides you're helping a fellow collector out at the same time. lastly if you cant trade you can always ebay it.

3. thrifting, it aint what it used to be brother!
dont be too jealous of all the thrift brags you hear about, its like finding a four leaf clover, these days you really gotta pay your dues or be damn lucky. goodwill has gone corporate all the way, they even have their own ebay now so dont expect much help from these guys. seek out the church run, charity, goofy, dusty strip mall thrifts these places still offer you a fighting chance. dont be shy, go right up and ask them for the games, mostly you'll hear "from time to time we get them" but you just might get pointed to a box of carts.

4. Ebay, friend or foe?
all things considered i wish ebay never happened but lets face it, its here to stay and major factor in every collectors quest. buyer beware is the rule of the road here, despite what the site tells you when you're screwed you're on your own. i use ebay primarily to build up my handheld collection and for that its been very good. i dont recommend going after carts on ebay because you're likely to see the total cost double when the seller tacks on shipping, to me no one cart is worth more than $10. wanna get the best price? wait till several of your desired items are up for auction at once, then go for the ugly duckling. wanna find the best goods? see whose buying all the rare items and then search them by bidder, let them do the work for you.

5.Flea Markets, where its at!
i'm a big fan of flea markets, most of my collection came from flea markets. i'm always excited by the random nature of fleas, you never know what you'll find. flea markets are one of the few places left in the world where you can actually haggle a price down. avoid the redneck mall style fleas and seek out the junk ones, how do you find the fleas that produce the goods? ask the flea market vendors themselves, they often know about little out of the way places (where the old games are waiting). as with thrift stores dont just look, ask them for the games. oh and that guy who told you he'll bring a box of games next week...forget about it.

6.The Online thing, oh you already figured that part out...
the more collectors you're in touch with the better, and you'll get some sense of how large this retrogaming scene really is. newsgroups and message boards are excellent places to get in touch with people and learn more about your hobby. dont be a lurker, it'll affect your credibility when its time to trade, if you're a known member you'll have an established name that people will feel more comfortable dealing with. make a post asking if anyone else collects in your area, its best to know and befriend your competition

[13u1313a]

the best thing that you can do is get out there and learn for yourself, there are too many small tips and tricks of the 'trade' just go buy some games and youll probably make mistakes and bad buys but thats how i learnt not to do them anymore.