Another one bites the dust... *sigh*

[Mattiekrome]

Walked into GameCrazy yesterday on my lunch break, was went back to the far corner where they keep all the retro stuff... But it wasn't there. It had all been replaced by XBOX 360 stuff, so I wandered around a bit and couldn't find it anywhere, until I was on my way out. There it ALL was. All of the remaining PSX, DC, NES, N64, GEN, etc stuff sitting on a single rack right next to the front counter. I looked at the guy behind the counter, and said "so I guess this is it huh", and his reply didn't surprise me at all "yes thats it. There's just no $ in retro stuff anymore". That makes two "local" shops that stopped carrying retro stuff in the past year. Looks like its all downhill from here. At least we have guys like Joe and many other members on this board that keep the retro-gaming alive.

Oh and to top it all off, everything on the rack was 3 for 10$. I couldn't even find 3 games that I would want in my collection really, since i had been picked through for the last 2-3 years. While I was talking to the guy, he told me that a week ago some guy had come in and traded in his WHOLE N64 and NES collection... Some 400+ games. I ALWAYS miss the good stuff like that. He also said that apparently word got out, and 90% of the stuff that he traded in was gone within 24 hours. Oh well :frustrated:

[Cambot]

Man, "no $ in retro games anymore," yet one guy trades in 400 retro games, and they're almost all gone within 24 hours. Maybe the return isn't that great, but percentage wise, I bet it's more than new games.

[Cornelius]

I imagine it is more a matter of volume than the percentages. I read about all the sales that gamestop has had lately and I wish the ones around here still dealt in the classics at all. I asked once, and they said it has been about 5 years since they carried NES and the like. At least we have a decent craigslist scene, so I can score some things there sometimes.

[cosmicpsycho]

none of the "chain" stores in my area have carried older stuff for quite a few years, so consider yerself lucky that they lasted as long as they did. some guy my girlfriend works with said that he got all his old games at some gamestop not too far from here, and i didn't even know it was there. i made the trip down there on my day off, and the oldest stuff they had was ps2. i guess his idea of old games differs from mine. oh well.

[InsaneDavid]

Back when GameCrazy started all this 3 for $15 nonsense years ago I said that in a couple years they would be out of retrogaming all together. They've been bleeding off inventory in the channel for the past couple years. The $0.01 trade-in value cancer slowly seeping from one retrogaming console to the next in the database was proof of this. Ask them how much they'll give you for a Saturn console, after the "we don't take that" have them punch it in anyway - $0.01.

[Penguin]

Most of the used game stores around by me don't buy or sell retro games anymore either, but there is a Play-and-Trade that just opened, and they carry NES and SNES games, but selection is limited right now since they are newer.

[cyberfluxor]

I can walk into a Roses and find older games there (SNES, NES, GEN, GG, PC) but most are $10! I should ask one day what the real price is.

Retro gaming around here seems dead. Sure, systems sell fast at $40-90 but games stay on shelves for years! They just don't budge even for $1 each... Classic gaming though can be traded in one day and out in minutes with some titles. I see it all the time hanging out at stores, and sometimes I'm the one grabbing it.

[Push Upstairs]

The only great game store around here with a damn decent selection of games closed down a few months ago. :puppydogeyes:

Their trade in prices were occasionally terrible, but their Saturn game prices were awesome. This was also the place I managed to get a brand new copy of "Magic Knight Rayearth" on Saturn for like $50 (using store credit no less!).

The times I had were fun and the people there knew me, looks like i'll have to make a trip to visit one of their other locations.

RIP

[NinjaJoey23]

There was a Rhino Games around here that used to have pretty good stuff, as well as a buy 2 get one free on all classic stuff. In January, I stopped by one afternoon and noticed something right away: The words "Game Stop" had replaced the Rhino Games sign. I almost threw up. "Classic games? Nah, we don't have those anymore."

[Sotenga]

This one EB Games store that's rather close to where I live stopped selling NES, Genesis, and SNES games. Man, I wished I picked up that Genny cart of the Adventures of Batman and Robin while I had the chance... :frustrated:

[spanks_4]

and you all wonder why retro games are getting so expensive. i can make 25-30 dollars on a SMB3 cart all day long at my store. just like i can put a copy of 007 golden eye for n64 out for 40 dollars and sell it within 2 hours.

the prices are going up because chain stores are taking over and no one wants to deal with them anymore. now need be i mark my stuff high, but i always come down and make some kick ass deals with people. i can do this because im the only person with my kind of selection and connections in my area.

[jferio]

Most of the used game stores around by me don't buy or sell retro games anymore either, but there is a Play-and-Trade that just opened, and they carry NES and SNES games, but selection is limited right now since they are newer.

Heh. We have those here in Colorado. I also go to Game Force, since they carry stuff even older than that (Atari 2600), and a place called Video Game Exchange down in Colorado Springs (where I've seen the truly obscure).

Other than those, I don't care much to go into the other chains. Game Crazy, I had an incident with Smackdown 2 for the PS1 that took four trips to correct and they don't carry older than PS2 anymore, and Game Stop/EB, the oldest they deal with is PS2.

[bangtango]

Honestly, I can see why some of the stuff is gone from those stores. The people I talk to at various stores in my area who have inventory for "old" systems all tell me the same thing. Only one or two people who might frequent their location actually have a certain game system. Store owners near my home who sell used games tell me I am the only person they know of who buys their old Sega or Atari games.

I'll do a little fuzzy math. For the purpose of this example, I won't even factor in resellers or a collector who might not play games. Let's say 60-70 people step into a Game Crazy, during a given time period, which happens to have some NES games for sale. How many of those people actually own a working NES? Pick a number. Now from that number you picked, ask yourself how many people might already have some of the NES games in the store. "Damn, I already got Mario 2 and Bad Dudes!" Next, ask yourself how many look through the games and just can't find any that they like. "Kung Fu Heroes or Gotcha? I'll pass."

That scenario may not be foolproof but you could apply it for any game systems that came out before Playstation. Not every person just has some of those old consoles laying around anymore to play some of the games on. Your average buyer might have traded in the Sega Genesis/CD set up years ago for a PS1, so what is he going to do with old Sega stuff?

It'd be cool to walk into a chain store someplace in South Dakota, Minnesota or wherever and find some Sega CD games on the shelf. But how many people who might visit that store in a one or two week period actually own a Sega CD and still use it? It seems dumb to waste the shelf space when a store might go 3-4 months before someone who owns the system comes in and even then he may have the game(s) or thinks the Sega CD selection sucks.

The clerks are right. Some of that stuff just has a very small niche market. They usually have to count on an Ebay seller or hardcore collector coming in to pick through it since a casual gamer won't always grab those type of games. Meanwhile if the games aren't remotely rare and are awfully common, who will buy them to collect or resell?

[rbudrick]

He also said that apparently word got out, and 90% of the stuff that he traded in was gone within 24 hours. Oh well

It almost seems contradictory that they wouldn't sell this stuff anymore, then! If it sold that fast, then wtf?

-Rob

[walrusmonger]

It almost seems contradictory that they wouldn't sell this stuff anymore, then! If it sold that fast, then wtf?

-Rob

most old stuff found in chain stores is in crappy condition, if a collector unloads then you have the collectors vulturin' in, the clerks hoarding, and people who want to relive the good times but don't want to touch some 5 year old's slimy controller.

there is a market for it, but gamestop/gamecrazy is not it.

[InsaneDavid]

It almost seems contradictory that they wouldn't sell this stuff anymore, then! If it sold that fast, then wtf?

-Rob

Or he's just full of shit and is trying to sound cool - wouldn't be the first time a clerk at one of those stores did that.

[udisi]

It has nothing to do with how fast that stuff sold. It'sall about the amount of stuff sold and square footage taken up by classic stuff.

The problem with classic stuff is that for the most part only the "Good stuff" sells. If all these places ever got in were copies of Secret of Mana and Mario World, they'd never stop taking classic stuff. Those high dollar games and good classic sell fast and at a good profit. The fact is they also have to buy Madden 93,(all other sports titles), No Escape, Waterworld, etc. Overtime, they do sell out the good stuff, but the crappy stuff just sits there taking up space. They still have money tied up in that stuff, they can't just give it away, but it's also taking up space(which in some of these locations can run $25-$30 a sq foot). When you're no longer bringing in a good amount of "Good Stuff" it just doesn't make buisness sense to carry the classic stuff cause the sq footage is worth more than they're making of the games. A collector may pay $7 for a complete copy of no escape, but they're not gonna pay that for a loose copy. Other than collectors, no one is gonna buy that crap.

Instead they put a newer system in that space for which they still get a lot of trade in's for and that moves faster reguardless of quality. You may not buy that copy of King Kong for the 360, but some little kid's mom will if it's for the system their kid has. the game store will never run out of current gen restock, and that's where all the profit is for game-stores. It's all about Volume. Making $20 on that one copy of secret of mana that comes in every 6 months, can't compare to the $20 they'll make 20 times a day off of random xbox 360 crap.

[8-bitNesMan]

Or he's just full of shit and is trying to sound cool - wouldn't be the first time a clerk at one of those stores did that.

You moonlighting at game stores now? :)

[Graham Mitchell]

My two cents:

About four years ago, after EB games and Gamestop merged, I walked into a Gamestop in Gurnee, Illinois. I used to go to the outlet mall there quite often because there were several stores that had a high turnover on classic stuff--that means new stuff came in quite often. In as little as a week, one store would a whole new batch of Genesis games, for example, having sold almost everything from the week prior.

Anyway, on this particular night, they had tons of good retro stuff, but when I went to the counter there was a sign posted stating that the company would no longer buy any used gamed for any consoloe older than PS2, and listed all the consoles they were axeing.

A month later, everything was rediculously picked through and no new stock had come in to replace it.

In my opnion, the retro stuff does sell in bigger cities and more populated areas, but one day the chain stores just decided to sabotage the whole thing. They purposely killed it, and it was never really explained why. Sales on this stuff only seemed to slump when intake stopped and the only thing left was "Not For Resale" Sonics and SMB/Duck Hunts. When I moved to Evanston in 2004, (much closer to Chicago) I definitely wasn't the only one buying out of the classic bin. Stuff flew off the friggin' shelf because it was cheap and the games were good. I'll never understand why they threw a wrench into this. They payed people a buck per game and marked it up 1000%. How is that a losing business model?

[Yago]

Heh. We have those here in Colorado. I also go to Game Force, since they carry stuff even older than that (Atari 2600), and a place called Video Game Exchange down in Colorado Springs (where I've seen the truly obscure).

Other than those, I don't care much to go into the other chains. Game Crazy, I had an incident with Smackdown 2 for the PS1 that took four trips to correct and they don't carry older than PS2 anymore, and Game Stop/EB, the oldest they deal with is PS2.

Game Force is great. They have 3 locations. Actually, there is a 4th store in Boulder with a different owner, he carries a lot of crazy imports and stuff you won't find anywhere else and prices are reasonable. But yeah, I picked up a lot of DC stuff from GF for cheap. The people that work there at least know what they are talking about and are very friendly. Sometimes they'll give you a discount just because they feel like it. Rock on game Force!

[PallarAndersVisa]

There are no stores in the Richmond, VA area that sells pre-PSX games. There is a cardboard box full of n64 games (99% are sports titles) at the EB near me, and there are a couple of Game Crazy's with a metal bin of genesis and nes games. nothing good. You can tell they are just trying to liquidate the retro stuff and get out for good.

Game Stop is also coverting all the stores around here too. I know they've owned EB for a while, but some stores around here are just starting to visually "change over"

I'm gonna miss the EB signs. :(

[Azraelscross]

Oldest Games my EB carries is PS1, N64 and Gameboy. Thats it for Pre-PS2 I think. I haven't been in EB since Boxing day though. Last time I checked the prices for the N64 games*A year or two ago. I don't check the prices really* they were ridiculous. None are in Boxes or have manuals and all the games were priced at 40-70 bucks. Sometime this week I'm gonna see if they lowered the prices.

[plaidbrad3141]

I went into a Game Exchange last year in St. Louis because I knew they might have Atari 2600 stuff. The clerks were so surprised that someone was actualy looking at the "garbage" they started to laugh.

[Three-P]

I went into a Game Exchange last year in St. Louis because I knew they might have Atari 2600 stuff. The clerks were so surprised that someone was actualy looking at the "garbage" they started to laugh.

Wise-asses. Anyway, without this so-called, "garbage," we'd have none of the good games we have, today.

[Bloodreign]

We used to have a retro gaming shop in my area, went by the name Video Game Exchange, one could walk in their and find Saturn/PS1 era stuff all the way down to Atari 2600. Business wasn't explosive but was good enough to keep them open a few years. They changed location often because rent constantly went up wherever they went, but what ultimately killed their location in my area (and yet helped them thrive in one of their other locations 50 miles away) was the fact the guy wo owned the stores got pissed because he couldn't open a porn video store next door (nice idea Sherlock). Trouble was the city had an ordinance that allows no adult video stores within city limits, so basically he packed up all his classic games, sold off some to pawn shops around the area, kept what he didn't sell and hauled ass to his other location that was 50 miles away (don't know if he's still open in the Baton Rouge area as I don't ever go there). Needless to say all the money I spent there over the years (and I was there lots of times) then seeing a place close by where I could snag what I wanted go bye bye made that day a very depressing day for me as I'd have to resort to the interwebs to find anything I dearly wanted (pwn shops here don't carry old stuff anymore, just modern era gaming). Sure Ebay is nice, but having a shop just a few miles from you where you could walk in look for what you need, test on systems they had there, and chit chat with the folks who worked there, it just felt homely.

I eventually worked with one lady (at a store) who worked there who was as disappointed as I was, said she eventually wanted to open another shop like this of her own as she said business was good, told her if she ever did, let me know, I'd love to work there (first dibs on games indeed) as I could bring some knowledge of the classics and maybe help some kid understand about gaming's past.

[Steven]

I noticed my GC's becoming "crappy" circa summer 2006. When I got back in SNES Jan 06 there were plenty of good to great games to be had. Hell, I got Kirby SuperStar for a fiver, and MegaMan X2 mint for 10. Then around May-ish, I noticed it became nothing but sports titles. So this thread does not surprise me, esp. being in April 2007. I'm just glad I got back into the SNES when I did... at least I was able to reap some of the gems that GC used to offer.