Selling off your collection...

[Kitsune Sniper]

I'm in a bit of a bind. My computer is dying. So I'm thinking, "Man, I have to sell many of my games to get enough money to fix it!"

But the more I dig to find stuff, the more I don't want to do it. I mean, most of my collection is made up of old PC games... And I have somewhat valuable stuff in there. I've beaten many of these games, and just don't feel like keeping them...

So why do I find it so hard to actually get the nerve to SELL them? I don't play them anymore, so why is it bugging me so much?

(On that note, I feel the same about my comic book collection. What gives?!)

[FVJVMVP]

This is pretty normal. I have the same attachment to my games as well. When you're in a bind, though, it's a good idea to go boot camp on your games and decide what's bare minimum. Regrets may occur but it may be the only way.

That's my only tactic. Maybe others can give you better ideas

[qbertandernie]

ive been thinking about dumping my stuff, more for space than anything, but feel the same way. i havent been in my game room in weeks, and i dont find new stuff because i have so much, which has taken a lot of the fun out of the hobby. ive never been one to play many of the games i have, but still have that attachment where i dont want to sell this stuff...i think it may be due to my inability to acquire these items again for the same cost, and some of it is not replaceable...and maybe the fact ive spent so much time at acquiring it.

i dont know, this is the same thing that comes up with a different forum member about every three months it seems....i never understood it until now. it always seemed a cut and dry thing - sell it or dont - but here i am, on the fence, like so many before me...

sorry this is absolutely no help to you. i just couldnt sleep so figured id chime in too

[Barbarianoutkast85]

I've had this problem before during college, I was in a bind for money and thought about selling off some games. I then looked threw the collection and decided I just couldnt. So what I did was, beside my normal job. In the morning I went to the local "Labor Ready" which is a temp work service. Where you show up at the office in the morning, they send you out to a work site. Four to Eight hours later when your finished you return to the office, show the person working your "Work Slip" and they print you a check out right there! Labor Ready has gotten me threw a few binds.

[suckerpunch5]

I then looked threw the collection and decided I just couldnt. So what I did was, beside my normal job.

Man, these 2 sentences confused me for longer than I'd like to admit!

OK, you know what, I bet if you just sell the stuff, you will feel like a weight has been lifted off of you. If you have to think "Do I really want this?" then sell it. I bet you will feel better. If it's something you legitimately want, and you have no questions, then keep it. But everything else . . . "bye bye!"

It'll feel great, espescially when you get $$

[ghostangelofcky]

Man, these 2 sentences confused me for longer than I'd like to admit!

OK, you know what, I bet if you just sell the stuff, you will feel like a weight has been lifted off of you. If you have to think "Do I really want this?" then sell it. I bet you will feel better. If it's something you legitimately want, and you have no questions, then keep it. But everything else . . . "bye bye!"

It'll feel great, espescially when you get $$

and then after words you feel like you've been "suckerpunched!"
sorry, couldn't resist.

The best advice I can give is to never make a hastey descision but on a dire situation, especially one that may seem dire only in the here and now.

Many people's biggest regret is loss. The grass always seems greener on the other side. These phrases are catchey because of the truth they hold.

If you need more advice about loss go listen to some country music, it's always full of people that make bad descisions.

[Barbarianoutkast85]

OPPS! Yea I'm not sure where I was going with that...lol Sorry to many beers.

[jcalder8]

I've never had much of a problem selling items from my collection espically if there is something that I want to play. There are a few games that I own that I really don't want to get rid of either because of sentimental reasons or because of value. But the items I do sell I sell with the intention of it going to someone who will have fun and enjoy it and in turn I will be able to get something that I will get more use out of.

At least thats how I look at it.

[kaedesdisciple]

I've been giving it serious consideration myself. Not necessarily selling off the whole collection, but big chunks of it can probably go. I got a little ADD when I was collecting seriously a few years back, and so my collection has no real, well I guess you would call it "focus." Since I realized that I've been going through my spreadsheet red-lining the ones that may do better in other people's collections. I don't often take out those systems, they sit in boxes most of the time and I'm not attached to the games themselves. Therefore, I wouldn't feel bad about letting them go.

There are games that can't leave simply due to sentimental purposes, like the Atari, Coleco, NES and Genesis games. The others that are really enjoyed by my fiancee and I will stay and the rest are expendible. If I miss them that much, I can get them back later on. I have more important things to worry about now (wedding, work, grad school) and I just don't have the time or money to be as "hardcore" as I used to be.

Don't get me wrong I'm not completely selling out, I'm just planning to cut some of the fat.

[classicb]

maybe this will help since i had to and did sell off most all of my games. A little over a year ago i moved to Nicaragua and was faced with what do I sell, what do I take and what do I store at moms house.

I sold more less everything that I didn't have a sentimental attachment too. I had a pretty good sized collection too at this point probably over 500 games.

The sentimental stuff went to moms house for storage which were old favorites and things i got as gifts (like from DP Santa) Not really the most rare games or expensive since I couldn't sell Wall Street Kid for the NES.

All I took with me was my PS2 and a handful of random games that I was playing a lot at the time or was looking forward to playing. I have a Wii and a DS now though that a friend brought me when visiting.

One big reason why it wasn't much of a problem for me to sell my games was because for me hunting and looking for the games was at least half the fun. So I know if I end up back in the states someday and want to start collecting again I'm going to have a lot of fun looking for all my old games I used to have in my collection.

[le geek]

I say trim the fat. The first round is:

Is it a game you'd like to play again? If not, trade or sell...

Cheers,
Ben

[FoxyGamer]

Dude. The amount of money I've had to spend to replace what I'd lost...
/shudders

anyhoo, I make up for the lack of cash with more jobs! I have a full time job, then a part time at a game store for the discount, then I teach at the community college, sometimes I do freelance work- you know, whatever comes my way.

The only tough part is finding the time to play games... hmmm- maybe there is a flaw in my plan...

[Videogamerdaryll]

Right now I am in the works of selling off most of my Gaming Collection..I already got rid of my Tekken 3 Arcade Machine(still have the monitor)

I want to get my collection down to bare bones..

I've been listing stuff on Ebay daily,trying to work stuff off my shelves,closet.Creating lots of items to make it easier to list and ship.....I have so much stuff that I haven't made a dent yet..I've Really piled stuff up over the years..

Sadly somethings don't sell and I'll wind up eventually chucking them....A lot of stuff I list for a buck and the buyer is only paying for shipping,yet they don't sell..

I started mainly listing my handheld game collection as most of it sits on the outer parts of my collection and takes up several shelves.

Video game Magazines I have boxes and boxes of...I don't know what to do with them..I'm going to have to chuck them..I'd be happy if I knew of a place just to drop them off and them be used.

Somethings I go to list then just click out of Ebay(change my mind)..I don't want to sell everything,I'm trying to keep somethings..but it's hard to decide.

I'm keeping my 2 Big Red Neo Geo MVS Acade Machines,Candy Cab and Pinball Machine..I may sell the Woodgrain Neo Geo 2 slot and Klax Mini Cab....
I just don't have the time to consider shipping them nor the time for someone to come look at them..

I might even sell the Virtual Boy Display Unit,it's so heavy though..Something I would not want to ship NOR take a dump on..

Frustration sets in with this..I can only list so much,pack it up,ship it all takes time.
I try to list it then pack it up right away to save time..I'm getting headaches from looking at the computer screen too long..
With trying to sell all this stuff I haven't did-had much fun.It's all I do...I'm in a rush to get rid of it all..If I could make a couple thou on it I'd be happy in that way..I'd pay a Credit Card off..

New system stuff I'm keeping...

Digging through some stuff I find things I forgot I had...

I have to sell.Right now I have no choice..I have picky Landords and a baby on the Way..I need to make room Fast thus it's gotta go..

Am I happy or Sad about selling I dunno.....I just don't know yet..

[Kitsune Sniper]

Dude. The amount of money I've had to spend to replace what I'd lost...
/shudders

anyhoo, I make up for the lack of cash with more jobs! I have a full time job, then a part time at a game store for the discount, then I teach at the community college, sometimes I do freelance work- you know, whatever comes my way.

The only tough part is finding the time to play games... hmmm- maybe there is a flaw in my plan...

Here's the thing - THERE ARE NO JOBS WHERE I LIVE. I've been trying to get out of this dump and go somewhere where the jobs available don't involve having to spend ten hours under the sun, picking crops. If I had a job this wouldn't be a problem at all. But I don't. The job market here is so messed up I can't even get a job at McDonald's. I can survive off of my eBay sales, but I can't do anything without a computer, y'know?

[cyberfluxor]

Here's the thing - THERE ARE NO JOBS WHERE I LIVE. I've been trying to get out of this dump and go somewhere where the jobs available don't involve having to spend ten hours under the sun, picking crops. If I had a job this wouldn't be a problem at all. But I don't. The job market here is so messed up I can't even get a job at McDonald's. I can survive off of my eBay sales, but I can't do anything without a computer, y'know?

I knew right away this was the type of sitution you were in.

How exactly is your computer dying? Are certain things just acting up, are you unable to upload pictures/scans? Is the internet service dropping you often? Depending on the issue I'm sure some of us can help you with it somehow and keep from you losing your collection.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I knew right away this was the type of sitution you were in.

How exactly is your computer dying? Are certain things just acting up, are you unable to upload pictures/scans? Is the internet service dropping you often? Depending on the issue I'm sure some of us can help you with it somehow and keep from you losing your collection.

My hardware is old. I see no point in just upgrading parts of it, so I'm going to buy new RAM, a new CPU, motherboard, hard drives, and graphics card. That will ring up around $600 more or less. Everything started when the power supply blew up - then it all started going downhill. I started getting random 100% CPU spikes when rendering stuff on screen. It's not the video card since I tried out another one, and it's not the CPU since it's still working.

I'm just tired of dealing with all this crap. So I'm building a new system I can actually work with.

[cyberfluxor]

Ahhh. Nothing I can help you out with there but I'd bet there are a few on the forum that can hook you up with some deals for newer hardware. Goodluck with that, and try not to sell off your stuff unless the computer just gives and there's no other resort.

[samael64]

I agree with kaedesdisciple. In January I decided to scale back my collection in order to focus it on specific things (Nintendo, Xbox, and some Sega; hockey and comic book related games), rather than just buying anything and everything that I found that was video game/dev related that peeked my interest. It has been nice so far, but also a bit slow. I've gotten rid of some items I really didn't need (why did I find the need to own 3 Sonic NFR carts?), and have made some extra money. I recommend it. I'm happier with my collection now that it has focus.

[Moo Cow]

well, if you must sell of your collection, I'd recomend first getting the duplicates. Try bunching the things that won't sell with the ones that will for auctions and try to only sell things you could get back. For instance, if you have Guardian Heroes, you could sell it and in a year you could probably still find a complete one. Now, finding that complete Eli's Ladder is going to be troublesome to say the least. Also, listing things under Buy It Now can command better prices.

[drewbrim]

I purged most of my collection recently. With emulation and all there are very few games of the 1000 ish I sold that I couldn't pick up and play anyways. I still have everything from last gen and forward. The only "retro/vintage" stuff I kept was my Turbo Grafx/Duo stuff, and my complete Zelda and Final Fantasy Collections.

It's pretty nice actually, I'm suprised how little I miss everything else, and the money went towards a down payment on a house.