Why would someone donate this to Goodwill?

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

I was looking at the auctions at shopgoodwill and found this package:

This is 9 Super Nintendo games, included are Chrono Trigger (no case), Lufia & The Fortress of Doom (no box), Lufia Rise Of The Sinistrals, Ultima The False Prophet, The 7th Saga, Buster Busts Loose, Illusion of Gaia, Secret of Evermore and Super Mario RPG Lengend of the Seven Stars. Some of these have the booklets and some don't. They all appear to be in good condition, with chips or cracks.

Why would someone donate this treasure trove to Goodwill? The auction is already over $100, so of course I won't be buying it.

They also have a Final Fantasy package: This is 5 Final Fantasy games, 1 of them is for Super Nintendo, it is Final Fantasy 3, the others are for Playstation and they are Tactics, 9, 8 and 7. The FF3 appears to be complete and the PS versions are all black label and not Greatest Hits.

JY

[FABombjoy]

Somebody didn't.

Somebody's mom did.

[Dangerboy]

They most likely didn't, but someone else did.

My father works at a goodwill down in Florida, and he said many donations often come from deceased owners, when the caretakers have no idea what to do with any of it.

When I was still in Maryland, I stumbled upon a literal treasure trove of boxed, complete TG16 games, Genesis games, and boxed, mint accessories. After scooping them all up and talking with the manager there, they said that the donations had come from a such an occasion.

I felt bad selling some of it off for profit, but most of it has been well-loved by myself.

God knows where all this shit I own goes when I pass away.

...

Someone will find an Assassin's Case at Goodwill >_>

[suckerpunch5]

They most likely didn't, but someone else did.

God knows where all this shit I own goes when I pass away.

...

Someone will find an Assassin's Case at Goodwill >_>

And what is your name, so that I can start keeping up the the Chicago obits?

lol

[Mayhem]

LMAO. It'll be Kris (QoF) racing in there first I imagine :D

[PSerge]

I wish I could find something like that at my local Goodwill...

That is a best lot of SNES games.

[Damaniel]

I wish I could find something like that at my local Goodwill...

That is a best lot of SNES games.

Me too! (don't we all? ;)) Of course, now that Goodwill seems to have started shuffling anything of value off to their auction site, the chances of finding something like that in-store are pretty slim.

[lordnikon]

God knows where all this shit I own goes when I pass away.

Get burried with it! Build a Tomb like a Pharoah!

[Captain Wrong]

Why would someone donate this treasure trove to Goodwill?


Not everyone thinks this kind of stuff is treasure. To some (many?) people, it's just old junk.

[Maxx]

I haven't found anything at Goodwill in a really long time. Salvation Army on the other hand, has some good stuff from time to time.

[PapaStu]

LMAO. It'll be Kris (QoF) racing in there first I imagine :D

Whacha you talking about willis?!? I've gotta make good friends with his mom and family and that case is as good as mine. DB, don't worry about this side talk for your stuff. We still love you.

[Ed Oscuro]

And what is your name, so that I can start keeping up the the Chicago obits?

lol
Save yourself the trouble and push 'im into traffic :P

Actually, this is where cataloguing stuff and setting up a will comes into play. At least make sure your loved ones know what you've got is worth money (unless they're likely to be the ones pushing, in which case you DON'T name them in your will :P )

[Ed Oscuro]

Get burried with it! Build a Tomb like a Pharoah!
I'm imagining Howard Carter opening up King Tut's tomb...instead of thousand-year old stale air, that minty fresh game smell comes wafting out

[Soviet Conscript]

Get burried with it! Build a Tomb like a Pharoah!

i was gonna suggest that.

now i have this indeana jones like image of some elaborate tomb filled with video gameing treasures and of course deadly traps. perhaps there can be a pedistal with a gold nes world championship cart.

[Slate]

Darn, I wonder where that lot of games that I got in 2004 came from. (69 NES games and 3 SNES games for less than $20)

[wberdan]

i occasionally drop good stuff off at SA bins... i like the idea of 1) helping salvation army (i dont donate to goodwill) 2) giving someone else an opportunity to get something better than "combat".

[scorch56]

There IS an entirely possible scenario also.. one which no one has even suggested yet (because we're all such tightwad cynics). People DO actually.. occasionally.. do acts of charity. Maybe someone actually DID know the value of this stuff. Maybe Goodwill did something kind for them once and they may not be wealthy.. but this was the best, and easiest payback they could do.

Practically every Xmas season.. someone drops a krugeraand (sic?) into a Salvation Army kettle.. or a rare coin. I'm sure that if you found a one ounce gold piece in your kettle.. chances are it wasn't done by mistake.

I'm by no means a rich man and although I do give money to charity (especially Salvation Army because they helped my family out once.. NO questions asked).. I can't afford to give as much as I'd like.. but I donate blood regularly because I think it means more.. and quite frankly.. it's easier to give.

I'd like to think that is what happened in this case.. someone wanted to help. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Frickin' video games aren't the entire world to everybody; but to those whom they are.. quit pondering; and BID on it! ;)

[Cryomancer]

Back when I worked at goodwill someone "donated" (read: left outside, in the rain, before hours) a Vectrex and a Dreamcast. In another weir dmoment, someone donated an Odyssey with a few games and the shotgun. Anyway the point is Vectrex is awesome, and I look sweet with that shotgun.

http://kevlargibs.net/cryomancer/P1010064.JPG

[theshizzle3000]

i occasionally drop good stuff off at SA bins... i like the idea of 1) helping salvation army (i dont donate to goodwill) 2) giving someone else an opportunity to get something better than "combat".

Yeah goodwill is not what it used to be. The problem with salvation army is that they seem to be slowly disappearing.

[willowmoon93]

Yeah goodwill is not what it used to be. The problem with salvation army is that they seem to be slowly disappearing.

No argument there. Although two weeks ago, I did find a boxed Colecovision system at Goodwill for $19.99 -- it didn't have the power supply so the manager knocked the price down to $13.99. Fortunately I had a spare power supply at home anyway so I was happy. But yeah Goodwill can be very overpriced on a lot of items instore. Or else they send the cool stuff off to their auction website which sometimes has more competitive buyers than on ebay if you can believe that.

[irata]

i occasionally drop good stuff off at SA bins... i like the idea of 1) helping salvation army (i dont donate to goodwill) 2) giving someone else an opportunity to get something better than "combat".

If you have a personal beef with Goodwill than I'm certainly not trying to change your mind, but my wife used to work at Goodwill corporate in Minnesota. What I didn't know was that the organization is designed to educate and find employment for many people who are either disadvantaged in some way, abused, or just down on their luck. The funds from the stores and auctions are used to fund these programs, as well as overhead of course. Some of their programs are really great for bettering communities, unlike many thrift stores, who simply turn your generous donations into profit while underpaying employees.

I did snag about 30 or so boxed Intellivision games from a thrift store a few years back for about 30 cents a piece. With the appropriate overlays as well. I waited around and grabbed a complete Inty for $7 at Goodwill.

[Arcade Antics]

Not everyone thinks this kind of stuff is treasure. To some (many?) people, it's just old junk.

Exactly. Most folks buy games, use them up, dispose of them. Repeat.

[Arcade Antics]

There IS an entirely possible scenario also.. one which no one has even suggested yet (because we're all such tightwad cynics). People DO actually.. occasionally.. do acts of charity. Maybe someone actually DID know the value of this stuff. Maybe Goodwill did something kind for them once and they may not be wealthy.. but this was the best, and easiest payback they could do.

This scenario is 100% impossible. It's charity no matter what, because whoever dropped it off was fine with letting Goodwill sell it for whatever they could get. But they had no clue what game geeks would be willing to pay for it. I'd even bet that half the game geeks here wouldn't know what that stuff would likely sell for. LOL

[norkusa]

If you have a personal beef with Goodwill than I'm certainly not trying to change your mind, but my wife used to work at Goodwill corporate in Minnesota. What I didn't know was that the organization is designed to educate and find employment for many people who are either disadvantaged in some way, abused, or just down on their luck. The funds from the stores and auctions are used to fund these programs, as well as overhead of course. Some of their programs are really great for bettering communities, unlike many thrift stores, who simply turn your generous donations into profit while underpaying employees.

I heard that Goodwill exploits the disabled people it helps by paying them under minimum wage whenever they are contracted out for work. Apparently Goodwill considers this work 'training', so they aren't required by law to pay them minimum wage.

I always wondered if that was true or not. Anyone know for sure?

[YoshiM]

Why would someone donate this treasure trove to Goodwill?

Some people don't want to deal with trying to sell it (figure out value, haggle, etc). I found a cart only Tengen Tetris at Goodwill for $2 in practically mint condition and I thought the same as you.

[Slate]

Some people don't want to deal with trying to sell it (figure out value, haggle, etc). I found a cart only Tengen Tetris at Goodwill for $2 in practically mint condition and I thought the same as you.

Heh, I forgot about that virtual boy that I found In a goodwill. I believe that the owner knew what it was worth, too. Why?

There was an import game in the cartridge slot. Some japanese baseball game.

Why did they donate it?

Because the controller didn't work. They spilled soda on it and when it dried, The buttons were sticky. I fixed that though.

[Pantechnicon]

Why did they donate it?

Because the controller didn't work. They spilled soda on it and when it dried, The buttons were sticky. I fixed that though.

Welcome to the world of the "everything's disposable" consumer mindset. It's a horrible mentality in terms of long-term costs to the planet's resources, but a great place to live for console collectors with a modicum of technical skill.

I got my 1st PS2 at a Goodwill for $10 in a similar condition: it was having persistent DRE trouble. Guess what? The darn thing was still under warranty, which Sony was more than happy to honor. So for $10 plus about another $8 for shipping in for repair I got a then-modern console simply because some scrub was too lazy to get it fixed under a warranty he paid for.

[theshizzle3000]

Welcome to the world of the "everything's disposable" consumer mindset. It's a horrible mentality in terms of long-term costs to the planet's resources, but a great place to live for console collectors with a modicum of technical skill.

I got my 1st PS2 at a Goodwill for $10 in a similar condition: it was having persistent DRE trouble. Guess what? The darn thing was still under warranty, which Sony was more than happy to honor. So for $10 plus about another $8 for shipping in for repair I got a then-modern console simply because some scrub was too lazy to get it fixed under a warranty he paid for.

Does Sony still do that because I have a PS2 that has a DRE and I would like to get it fixed for a low price.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I thought Sony didn't repair anything that had been sold to another person, even if it's still under warranty... o_O

[YoshiM]

I thought Sony didn't repair anything that had been sold to another person, even if it's still under warranty... o_O

If the person didn't register it how would Sony know who the first owner was? "I got this as a gift-I don't know where they bought it, I just got it." In Sony's eyes, fixing this machine under warranty means more software sold which puts profit in their pocket.

[bangtango]

I heard that Goodwill exploits the disabled people it helps by paying them under minimum wage whenever they are contracted out for work. Apparently Goodwill considers this work 'training', so they aren't required by law to pay them minimum wage.

I always wondered if that was true or not. Anyone know for sure?

Given that every Goodwill store I have ever been in is understaffed at the register and often has lines longer than a department store during the holidays, it simply means they will do whatever it takes to save a buck. Their managers know that no matter how long the lines are, people will keep coming back because it is mainly them and Salvation Army in most cities. It isn't like a fast food place where they have to keep lines reasonable, otherwise people head down the street/across the street.

[Pantechnicon]

I thought Sony didn't repair anything that had been sold to another person, even if it's still under warranty... o_O

If I'm lying I'm dying. I told them up front that I found my PS2 in a Goodwill for $10. The phone rep was actually jealous of the acquisition, but they did the work. I still have the repair tag with my name on it as proof. Well...that proves Sony fixed the thing under my name but not that I necessarily got the machine at Goodwill. But trust me, I'm not making the story up. It's too good to be a fib.

All of this happened in August of 2003, btw . As for Sony's current warranty or repair policies on PS2, ymmv.

[Cauterize]

Not everyone thinks this kind of stuff is treasure. To some (many?) people, it's just old junk.

One mans trash is another mans treasure
To a few of my friends, they wont touch old games... Has to be the next and new consoles etc.

To myself, Records/Vinyl is worthless to me, (im using this example as my Dad dabbles in a few records when were both out at the car boot sales)
I see it as pointless due to the Mp3 era, considering we can carry our library in our pockets on media devices.
However a Record Collector could argue the same saying, why buy games when every last game has been dumped into a ROM Image!? Why not play them on a GP32 or a PSP thats been downgraded etc...
Reason? It feels better on an actual console/hardware, similar to how good a record sounds on a record player with its distinct sound!

When collecting is concerned (and reselling) you can only really be on top of values with one collection/interest.
I know for a fact on all my hunting for games i will have most likely passed up on hundreds of toys, antiques, records and what not, all of which might even be worth more than some of my valuable games.
So we see the items that don't interest us as worthless (apart from the obvious few maybe)

[diskoboy]

I'm amazed no one has come to the conclusion that they might have been stolen.

[Technosis]

When collecting is concerned (and reselling) you can only really be on top of values with one collection/interest.
I know for a fact on all my hunting for games i will have most likely passed up on hundreds of toys, antiques, records and what not, all of which might even be worth more than some of my valuable games.
So we see the items that don't interest us as worthless (apart from the obvious few maybe)

When hunting for games I come across loads of other stuff. If the price is cheap and the item is obviously collectible or antique I'll pick it up because I always know someone who will want it. These people often pick up gaming stuff for me as well, so it all works out good. It really pays to have a "network" of junk collectors

[bangtango]

I'm amazed no one has come to the conclusion that they might have been stolen.

That is a good point.

I always assumed stolen stuff ended up in a pawn shop, the back of a van or someone's living room. Then again, given some of the crooks that get highlighted on "Stupid Crooks" videos or articles, some people are probably ok with stealing stuff just to give it away.

[Side_Scroll'R]

Well it was probably some casual gamer who just grew bored with games and didnt know what he had and decided to give them away or something... or a little kid who played them too much and his mom gave them away. The only thing that is missing to make that the perfect bargin is Earthbound (my fav SNES game).

[spanks_4]

this will make you sick people. a guy i work with sold his sons nes collection when he died. he sold a top loading nes and all of his games for around $15. here is the problem. the top loader was in mint condition with the box and most of all the games were in mint cond. with boxes and everything that went with them. im just glad he told me about it before his garage sale.

some of the games that were complete were: dragon warrior 3 & 4, zelda 1 &2, final fantasy, mario's time machine, and megan man 1 & 3.

so when i went to his house and saw it i gave him the money and started laughing shortly after.

[icarwngs55]

this will make you sick people. a guy i work with sold his sons nes collection when he died. he sold a top loading nes and all of his games for around $15. here is the problem. the top loader was in mint condition with the box and most of all the games were in mint cond. with boxes and everything that went with them. im just glad he told me about it before his garage sale.

some of the games that were complete were: dragon warrior 3 & 4, zelda 1 &2, final fantasy, mario's time machine, and megan man 1 & 3.

so when i went to his house and saw it i gave him the money and started laughing shortly after.

I am sure you made his DEAD SON happy!