Question from a newbie

[dolorousdave]

Hi folks, I'm brand new to video game collecting and I was pointed here by some folks in another forum. I'm just wondering if there is an appropriate forum here on digitalpress for me to ask about potential deals as I get started? I have a couple of purchases pending but I don't know if they're the right way to go as a beginner.

Thanks for your feedback and I'm glad to be a member of this fascinating culture of video game enthusiasts!

[Barbarianoutkast85]

Let me be the first to say WELCOME TO DIGITPRESS! You should introduce yourself in the "introduce yourself" thread. Anyway you would go to the "Buying/Selling" forum under marketplace I think. Anywho as a new member if you plan on buying something you will need to send cash first. Or if your selling, some users may want you to ship the product before they ship the cash. Just because you are new with no references.

[Sniderman]

FYI: The Buying/Selling forum is hidden to new folks until you've been here 7-10 days. (I forget what the minimum is.) This is to cut back on the drive-by spamming in the B&S forum. So stick around, ask some questions, join some conversations, and make some deals in about a week or so. Welcome!

[dolorousdave]

Hi and thanks for the quick response! I don't seem to see any Marketplace forum...is that normal for new members?

[dolorousdave]

FYI: The Buying/Selling forum is hidden to new folks until you've been here 7-10 days. (I forget what the minimum is.) This is to cut back on the drive-by spamming in the B&S forum. So stick around, ask some questions, join some conversations, and make some deals in about a week or so. Welcome!

That answers my question!

[Ze_ro]

I'm just wondering if there is an appropriate forum here on digitalpress for me to ask about potential deals as I get started? I have a couple of purchases pending but I don't know if they're the right way to go as a beginner.

If your questions are about how much things are worth, then you might want to check out The Online Rarity Guide. It lists prices for pretty much all the classic stuff, and while the prices aren't always perfect they should at least give you an idea of what something is worth.

--Zero

[otoko]

indeed, but don't just go for expensive things. Start out small. I suggest looking into the more commonly owned classic systems. Also get the new systems. That'll save lots of trouble later.

My first time suggestions (no particular Order):

-NES
-Genesis
-SNES
-PS2

from there as you learn more about systems and games, branch out.

As for me.... I'm a "fancy" collector. I guess you could say I "buy in the moment" or what strikes me then.

Important tips:

!DO NOT SPEND OVER YOUR MEANS!
Many a person has fallen on this road to empty pockets. Please don't follow in thier footsteps

!Try not to sell off any of your collection!
(unless you want to) It won't grow if you keep selling this and that.

hope it helps

[dolorousdave]

If your questions are about how much things are worth, then you might want to check out The Online Rarity Guide. It lists prices for pretty much all the classic stuff, and while the prices aren't always perfect they should at least give you an idea of what something is worth.

--Zero

Are the prices listed in that guide what I would expect to pay on eBay or other collector sites or are they what the Digitalpress brick and mortar store charges?

Thanks for all this great info folks!

[otoko]

Are the prices listed in that guide what I would expect to pay on eBay or other collector sites or are they what the Digitalpress brick and mortar store charges?

Thanks for all this great info folks!

read the Faq

It pretty much says that the prices there are pretty much the item's value. But expect it to be on the low side.

[Ze_ro]

Are the prices listed in that guide what I would expect to pay on eBay or other collector sites or are they what the Digitalpress brick and mortar store charges?

Thanks for all this great info folks!

Our Philosophy About Pricing

If you’ve been collecting for awhile, inevitably you’ve run into a situation where you want to buy a game from someone and they tell you to “make them an offer”. Here’s the toughest part of the game: you don’t want to offer too low and insult the seller... and you don’t want to offer too high and screw yourself. OUR prices are on the low side, such that you are guaranteed not to insult anyone with our offer. They also assume the cartridge is “loose”, without a box or manual (exceptions are noted within these pages). How much MORE you want to offer is up to the condition of the game, whether it has come with its original manual and/or box, and your personal trading style.

The dollar value is the suggested, "between collectors" purchase price. We’ve dollar-rated items up to $999, anything higher than that is really a seller’s call, or what we’ll call “name your own price”. You may also see a $0 which means we couldn’t price it due to insufficient data (very common among prototypes, for example). Also see the section below for a bit more about dollar values and scarcity ratings. Dollar values apply to either loose or complete games, as noted in the dollar field online or at the top of the list in the printed books.

Please note that Digital Press is an UNBIASED organization. We have no reason to make a title’s value or scarcity appear higher or lower since we are not dealers, but rather penniless collectors.

That being said, I find that DP's prices are almost always on the low side of things. If you're using those prices to decide your bidding on eBay, don't be surprised if you get outbid regularly. However, once you get a feel for a system, the prices are very useful when compared to the rest of the prices for a system... ie, so that you can know full well that Phantasy Star is worth more than Zillion, or that Chrono Cross is worth more than Cool Spot.

Also, this isn't like baseball cards or comic books where sellers consult DP to decide a selling price. Things are a lot more personal, and stuff often sells according to how fun it is rather than it's absolute rarity. Prices fluctuate depending on a system or games popularity.

It's also worth pointing out that since the DP guide is generally all done by volunteers in their spare time, it's not perfect by any means. The more popular systems (2600, NES, etc) have received more attention, while unpopular "fringe" systems like CD-i and Channel F probably have not. In fact, systems like that seem to fluctuate more in price as individual collectors come and go, as the fan base is so small.

--Zero