Local Goodwill: video game prices rising

[YoshiM]

Today I stopped at my local Goodwill store to see if they had anything interesting. I discovered that they received a small load of video game stuff. I found two Intellivision 2's, an Atari VCS six switch system, an N64 system and a boxed (not sure if it was complete) NES Silent Service game.

The systems were $9.99 each. No hookups, no power supply. Only he INTVs did have their controllers. Not a big deal but then I perused the software. Silent Service was $6, as were many dirt old DOS games not even in their original cases. What chaps my rhubharb is that not two months ago a NES game, even with its box, would go for $2 maybe $3 a pop. Software varied but usually was like $3 to $5 depending on age and if it was new (within a year) it was $15 to $20.

I have no idea if they have pricing models that they have to adhere to or if whoever was manning the price labeler was surfin' eBay or something, but it's gettin' a bit ridiculous. 3 months ago I could get Atari 2600 carts for $1. I still have the stickers on them. A month ago I saw 2600 carts, mostly in less than good condition, have stickers on them for $3 a piece. :angry:

Eh, nature of the beast I guess: store that gets donations cashing in on a new collection "fad". But I'm having a sour day so I felt like venting. Anyone else's Goodwills jacking prices up as of late?

[Funkenstein]

You'd best beleive it. All the thrift stores around here remain picked clean, and what's left is hardly worth the effort. I'm not paying five bucks for Super Mario/Duck Hunt. The prices of anything collectable in the thrift stores seems to be rising. Viny lp'sl, games, toys. I saw a holiday barbie sitting in a case for $200. My friend Meghan collects those so we went and looked it up and it was going for half of that on ebay! I could understand a pawn shop or something have jacked-up prices, but this is the Goodwill here.

[-hellvin-]

I hardly find stuff in thrift stores anymore, even with the high price tags they put on their stuff. I guess I kind of burnt myself out on it, I can't stand going on runs anymore. Their prices just seem too flaky...sometimes it will be 2 dollars, sometimes 50 cents for carts or sometimes I'll see a loose excitebike for 7.99...W.....T.....F?

[jgenotte]

I think that for the most part the prices are decided on by the employee that is going through the donations at the time. The prices at thrifts are quite inconsistant, but I find that if you are resonable with the mamager and he/she sees you in there fairly often, then they will usually bring a rediclous price down a few notches.

On the other hand, there are always the super-crazy instances like a loose zelda cart for $25. When I asked why so much, they said it was a gold cart and therefor collectable! LOL

-james

[DigitalSpace]

No surprise to me. At my local Goodwills, loose Genesis consoles go for $9.99-$12.99. Model seems to make no difference.

[kainemaxwell]

Local Salvation Army store usually prices games at $3.99, usually regardless of system, boxed or not.

[nildem]

Heh, once that Antiques Roadshow episode aired, the one that featured the 'hundred-dollar Atari console', all videogames at my local Salvation Army Thrifts have been stashed in the "collectibles" section and marked at about five times what they're worth. They seem to sell too, unless they're just thrown away. @_@ .

There's also a Thrift Store of the Blind about a block away that's had a $79.97 Genesis with Sonic 2 and a 3DO controller for about 5 years.

[Nez]

Saw a genesis for 45 dollars at a thrift today. Sadness.

[Gapporin]

I wish I even had games at my Goodwill, so I could complain about the prices. Last time I went, I only found a boxed Sonic The Hedgehog, and a Leisure Suit Larry game.

[Raedon]

thrift stores are not non-profit.

It was only a matter of time before owners figured out they could make 200% on Ebay for old systems.

[Perkar]

as far as i can tell, the prices are pretty much arbitrary, and like jgenotte said, dependant on the employee pricing the things on that given day. although i have found the cart prices generally consistent at store level. between stores is a different story. i have 4 salvation armies that frequent, 2 of them price carts at $2.99, 1 at $3.99, and 1 at $0.99. no clue why...

[Funk Buddy]

Look at the Goodwill auctions. The people there seem to bid the prices up well over value, not to mention the shipping costs. My Good will is pretty good, but the Salvation Army... that's another story. They are the $50 Genesis type.

[Simply Dave]

It must vary from store to store because my local Goodwill is still pricing the NES games at a buck a pop.

[potatobob]

My local goodwill store went out of buisness

[NintendoMan]

Yeah, I believe it. It really doesn't matter to me any though because I can't find one damn thing worth buying at mine anyway.

[JJNova]

It really doesn't bother me if a shop surfs Ebay or a price guide before labeling the prices. That's what it's worth, that's what I am willing to pay. Just hope that the dude at the flea market doesn't start this craze.

I didn't come into this fthread to say that though, I just thought i would after reading the other posts. Here, below, is my main point::

::Goodwill has always been too expensive::

It's not a new idea, or some miraculous vision...Goodwill gets their shit for free, then charges almost new prices for it. Next time you are in the Goodwill, check the prices on other stuff besides software. The clothes, The furniture, the bikes.... It's not really a bargain store. True, the implementation of Goodwill was to provide a shopping experience for lower salaried individuals, but it's not that way anymore. The stores are generally clean and fancy like mini walmarts now. This is nation wide mind you. Yes, I know your Goodwill might still be a dirty hole in the wall, but they have a system that they all run on now.

Revolt against the Will of Good, and instead support the Salvation Army (Still a cheap thrift shop) and Pawn shops global wide.

[Flack]

I saw a Sega Genesis Model I today for $2.99, connected to a Sega CD also for $2.99. No cables, but still not as bad as what you guys are seeing.

[Algol]

Interesting. I almost never saw any video game stuff at my Goodwill until just recently. Now there's almost ALWAYS something there. On my last visit alone, they had a couple Genesises (Genesii?), a loose Intellivision, a working High Impact football arcade game @_@ , a Homey Bee converter, which I got, plus a bunch of PC games.

[Jibbajaba]

The Goodwill closest to me has two Playstations (yes, original playstations) for $99.00 each, and an N64 for $49.00.

Chris

[slip81]

Rising game prices at thrifts/goodwills seems to be a growing trend. So far the one near me hasn't followed it, but they never have anything good anyway. But maybe now that I got a person on the inside that will all change :)



Yay :) post #400. Now I get another fruit :-P

[Jehuty]

My local Salvation army is quite offensive with pricing.

Atari 2600 carts: $4 boxed $30
$7 for duckhunt
Gran Turismo 3 is $30
Mario Paint boxed goes for $60
yet Saturn games go for around $3 boxed.

[Ed Oscuro]

My Goodwill is great on prices. I rarely do worse than the DP Guide.

Sorry that's not the case for y'all. o:

[Griking]

The way I look at it is that somebody must be paying these prices otherwise they would drop them when they don't sell. And if people pay the prices that they ask then why should the thrift stores lower them? Would you sell something for 1/2 of what you knew it was worth unless it was to a friend or something?

Besides, lets be honest, with ebay how difficult is it really for thrift store employees to see what people are willing to pay for something? I don't think its so much an issue that games are overpriced as much as it is that people have been spolied in the past getting games for a buck or two a pop.

[GamerTheGreek]

theres a new 2nd hand shop by me that has been rather good. a genesis with 25 boxed games ( 18 of which i needed) cost $18. wasnt a bad find XMEN 1 and 2 . and a few others .

but with good will and salvation army stores i dont mind paying higher prices for games knowing its going to a good cause. kinda like my way of giving back.

but the cash converter place forget it. the store i go to i swear they dont give an inch when you sell somethign to them . i think ive been over this before how if you have a brand new PS2 un opend they offer you 20 for it. and if you dont like that and try to get at least 50 they pretend they only know korean and cant understand english. , and when you buy that same new ps2 they want 150$ and if you try to get it for 100 and you can show them ads that are cheaper they pretend they dont understand english. kinda makes me watn to take up korean and all come back and when they act dumb start talking in their language. . . i always hear them talking in another language im sure they are just putting down the american shoppers that come in there.

good thing 5 years ago i cleaned them out weekly of all atari and nes games. cause now they dont even take them in. 1 nice korean girl still holds them to the side. she says she gives the people 50 cents even though they dont take them just so i can have them. the last time she did that i got a 2600 system in the box. she only wanted 50 cetns for it. ( which was what she paid) . very nice girl. but i dont know places like the cash converters try to screw people so you should fight and be pissed when they try to rob you. but for as other donation stores. you gotta think rent, bills, and also helping fellow man. when its all said and done if a 5$ game i dotn have boxed is 7.50 or $10 and its somethign i want and its in a dontation shop to raise money to help poor people. i dont mind.

[lendelin]

I think the most important reason for the higher prices is ebay. The last time I was at a VideogameExchange the sales guy sat in front of a PC and checked ebay prices. Wer talked about it, and it became clear that if they would get a Suikoden II it would be sold on ebay, but not in the store anymore. You get twice as much money for it.

Thrift shops are aware if that in the meantime. Games became collectibles, the game industry today is very successful, the demand for older games is there, ebay prices reflect it, and "retro-gaming'' is on the march. On the one hand we like that more people discover older games again, on the other hand with increased demand the prices go up. It comes with the territory.

Some prices went really haywire. A complete Mega man X3 for $200 to $300 is just plain nuts. (two years ago it was around $100 on ebay, and I thought this price was nuts) I'd never buy an older game for such a price. I'm glad that I have it, and I ceratinly love older games, but I'd rather be caught dead than spending so much money for it.

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm glad that I have it, and I ceratinly love older games, but I'd rather be caught dead than spending so much money for it.
Question is - would you do it if nobody caught you? LOL

[lendelin]

I'm glad that I have it, and I ceratinly love older games, but I'd rather be caught dead than spending so much money for it.
Question is - would you do it if nobody caught you? LOL

NO! NEVER EVER!!! :) (and I'm very consistent about it for the last twenty years and I won't transform into a pro-high-price-guy and anti-high-price-guy at the same time like certain presidential candidates) :)

[YoshiM]

I guess what kinda irks me more is that they used to be X price cheaper not that long ago and I swear someone is "test pricing" the stuff. Seeing how high they can go before it sits on the shelf.

[Goodwill Hunter]

It's just a bit more challenging these days, but there are still finds to be had. In addition to finding good items, you now have to find good prices on good items. Most times it seems to depend on what looks valuable to whoever is riding the pricing machine. This morning for example, Next to the taped bag of 4 TI-99 games, voice unit and wires for $19.99, I found 3 somewhat rare SMS games for $1.99 each. Next to the boxed TI-99 for $39.99, I found a pile of SMS controllers for .99 each or less.

http://img5.exs.cx/img5/2950/SMS.jpg

It's still the thrill of the hunt for me, price has just become another factor.

Good Hunting!
Rich

[Cmosfm]

I don't know what's up with Goodwill lately, but yeah, there prices are MUCH higher and games get gone MUCH faster now. I'm telling you, my area is "hot topic kid" prone and there wiping it all out. I've seen em!

Now, the one thing I don't like about Goodwill is they will never reduce the price even if you buy in bulk. Salvation army does it, all other secondhand stores do it. I once went in a Goodwill about 2 years ago, they had about 75 boxed atari, genesis, NES games marked at 1.50 each. I talked to the manager and asked him, if I were going to buy them all, Can I get a discount. Maybe, 1.00 each, or 1.25 each. Nope. I even tried the "walk out and not buy any routine". Didn't work. And I sat in my car 10 minutes debating on whether to spend that much or not...I did. LOL

But yeah, prices are up at Goodwill and Salvation Army, they are greedy as hell for a store that pays NOTHING for a single item that comes in there. If I didn't like the "every once in a while" finds I get from there, I'd tell em to kiss my ass.

[Promophile]

Where exactly does their proceeds go? Do they pay employees?

[tritium]

Goodwill is a non-profit organization helping others by providing them work. They get work contracts and jobs for people that are physicall or mentally disabled. Sometimes just the poor.

I worked at their main office for Miami, FL. The place has a huge contract with the local paper (the miami herald) to pack all the ads in the sunday paper. Very interesting.

-Tritium

[JJNova]

Are they still Non-Profit? The stores are starting to look pretty nice for still being non-profit, but yes, they employ a person with a specific handicap to repair the damaged goods that come in that are feasible to replace. I'm not hating Goodwill for what it's intent was, I just dont visit thwem often anymore. Sometimes when I am traveling and see one, I stop in, but not very long most of the time. Just look at the games, then leave. Havent bought a goodwill game in a good five years.