getting reayd to start my collection!

[ambriglia]

hey guys/gals!

I am getting ready to start my video game collection! I am waiting for my ps3 to sell (if you know anyone interested, let me know!) and then with the money i earn from that, i am going to start shopping!

my fiance and i are getting to buy a house so we have room for all my crap. we put an offer in yesterday.

anyways, i am going to start collecting the major gaming systems + games from NES - psone,64, maybe some ps2 games. i feel like since the fifth generation of systems, games have gone wayyy downhill, besides a select few sixth gen games.

anyone have any suggestions as to where to start collecting? whats the best place to find good cheap stuff? yard sales? craigslist? also, if it is not too hard, i dont mind fixing some old broken systems either...

please post some tips! thanks!

[rpepper9]

Here is a tip, pick one system and go with it. You are going to spend way to much money chasing all "the major gaming systems + games from NES - psone,64, maybe some ps2 games".

Newlyweds in new house eventually turns into baby and no money for anything. Not to poop on your parade, but I would suggest a more focused direction in your collection. Also the sale of a PS3 isn't really going to net much, so it will be a small start to your collection.

[AB Positive]

What's up with the 'using slurs as usernames' thing occasionally happening here? First Poofta! and now this dude.

Seriously, what's your problem with the Italians?

[ambriglia]

Seriously, what's your problem with the Italians?

Haha! honestly, i have no problem with italians. i am italian myself! "dego" has been a nickname of mine since highschool.

[tubeway]

If I were starting out, I'd just stick with the PS2 for a while. The games are both easily found and extremely cheap. And they're still modern enough that if you're used to a PS3 then the downgrade in graphics won't be too terribly painful. You can also find them complete most of the time.

Collecting loose NES carts is also a good direction to go, as long as you stick to buying them at bargain prices. Don't buy from resellers or ebay unless you're buying lots. In about a week and a half you'll have access to the buying/selling section of our forums and you can find a lot of bargain there.

See how that goes for a while, and then consider making the jump to another platform. I'd advise against the whole, "ZOMG I WANT ALL THE GAMES *head explode, wallet empties) route" and stay focused for a while.

[Kitsune Sniper]

That's an insult? I thought it said "They go woop".

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

I agree with the previous poster about not spending a whole lot after getting married. At least make sure your wife has her tubes tied.

But, if you have the money, here's my perspective after collecting for two years:

I tried the yard sale approach for one summer and never found anything. E-bay and chase the chuckwagon are what I use the most. When a game's value comes down in price, it registers first on the auction sites, with the exception of some sellers who continue to have outrageously high Buy It Now prices. I go to video game stores sometimes, but they usually have prices that reflect the value 1.5 years ago, but the plus side is that you don't have to pay for shipping, and you can get a better idea of the condition. If I had an i-phone, I'd probably take it into the video game store to check their prices against E-bay.

Do your homework when it comes to buying systems and games. For example, when I bought an Intellivision, I had no idea there was a second "type" released that had standard controller ports. Also, as far as games, many got released on several systems (Bubble Bobble, etc.). You already know that, but I recommend you do a lot of digging to figure our which release was the best port. Just remember, the Internet is your freind, the Internet is your friend, the Internet is your friend ...

Good luck with your collection.

[ambriglia]

@Tubeway

I have been playing older games on emulators every now and then, so i will have no problem switching back to old graphics.

@Kitsune

it is actually two racial slurs for italians disguised into one alias. they are not common slurs anymore, which is why i use them. being i am italian myself, i figure they wouldnt offend anybody.

[tubeway]

being i am italian myself, i figure they wouldnt offend anybody.

I think you should change your title under your name to the following text,

(Italian, so it's okay)

[ambriglia]

chase the chuckwagon are what I use the

that is a great website. thanks!

[jupitersj]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2V8m_n3AkI

[Namnuta]

I started collecting about 5 years ago. I went for every system i wanted first, then the games came after. Sure i got some with the systems, but i just now really starting to fill out my games for all my systems.

My favorite system to collect for is ....... NEO GEO AES. I have about 40 carts with about 10 rares. Not for the faint at heart though.

TG16 is my next drug of choice for some reason. Dont collect Nes or SNes, not sure why though.

[Jorpho]

anyone have any suggestions as to where to start collecting?

Here's a brilliant idea - why don't you collect games that you actually want to play ?

Or better yet, why don't you collect games that you are actually going to play ?

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

Another thing. As you get new stuff, you'll spend a lot of time squeezing it in with the previous stuff. You may want to have a long-term plan for your setup.

[ambriglia]

That is awesome! not sure i will ever get to all the less mainstream systems, but if i do, i will prepare myself.

like i said in the previous post, my fiance and i put an offer in on a house. it has 5 bedrooms, being there are only two of us right now, one of those bedrooms will be turning into a "man-cave". i cant wait!

[tubeway]

Here's a brilliant idea - why don't you collect games that you actually want to play ?

Or better yet, why don't you collect games that you are actually going to play ?

The hell you say! Why, he should let a series of anonymous forum members dictate the direction he takes his collection, not buy games he actually enjoys playing! Why, if he were to actually enjoy the games he owns then might not feel that sense of emptiness and financial remorse that drives so many to expunge their collection from their home!

Enough with this silliness. I say the OP should only collect games with verbs in their names, or names that could be construed as sexual euphemisms.

[Trebuken]

You can enjoy collecting games and ephemera as much as playing games so you will likely have to find your own rhythm. If you are able to find stuff locally I suggest you pick up anything that appeals to you and is priced well. That will give you a direction. If you then see a more specific route ebay and chasethechuckwagon can fulfill your needs.

Catalog all your games and hardware from day one, and realize that one bedroom may not be enough...

[Steve W]

Here's a brilliant idea - why don't you collect games that you actually want to play ?

Or better yet, why don't you collect games that you are actually going to play ?

That's what I do. I only collect games that I want to play, unless I come across something to add to my collection that I know will be harder to find in the future (like the Barbie game for the Xbox). I don't collect any sports games, I have no interest whatsoever. My personal love is pre-NES era games. I'm not that avid a collector of later consoles, unless they were quirky, oddball or underdog hardware, like the Sega CD.


Daygo, I suggest you look in your vicinity on Google Maps for 'thrift store', 'resale', and 'flea market'. Get yourself a nice list of the most likely thrift stores to hit, make a mental note of which stores are just "chick stores" with no electronics in them, and start making the rounds. Take a couple hours on a day off, hit some stores, and see what kinds of things they carry. I personally love little independent thrifts and little hole-in-the-wall shops rather than national chains. If you're off on a weekend, hit a flea market. See if there's anything interesting out there. For me, I love the process of searching for games and things. The thrill of the hunt is a huge part of it for me, sometimes equally as satisfying as actually finding good games.

[mobiusclimber]

Here is my advice:

1) Don't listen to what anyone says about your collection. It's YOUR collection not theirs. Like Neil Young once said, "Take my advice: don't listen to me."

2) Figure out why you want to start a collection and go from there. When I first started, I knew I wanted to collect mostly RPGs across every system. I didn't realize at first that I was going to want the cart-based games to be boxed at least. It's definitely more expensive this way, but it's how I like it. If simply playing the games is all that matters to you, then you don't need to worry about completeness. I just don't find that the carts display as well without their boxes, and the box is like cover for a record album. I used to sit and stare at album covers all day, and I could likely do the same w/ game boxes.

3) Research game and system prices on Ebay and Amazon. Make sure you use the "Completed Listings" feature on Ebay to check what games actually sold for, rather than looking at BIN prices (you'll need to be registered and signed in to Ebay to do this).

4) Craigslist can be your friend, depending on your area. I think it's actually really easy to start a collection cheaply when you don't have the systems already by just going on CL and seeing what people have for sale. Usually it's X console with Y number of games. After you've bought up some cheap lots, you'll have a ton of duplicates which will make the next suggestion very helpful...
5) Sign up for gametz.com. It's the best trading site on the net. Period.

6) Use Youtube to research games. Check out some gameplay videos and try to decide if the game looks like something you'd like or not. Download roms to your heart's content and use them to find all the rarer games that you'll eventually want to get that might not spring up in a bundle on CL (tho I'll say I've gotten some rare stuff on there from time to time, and for much cheaper than if I'd bought off an auction site).

7) Is there a Half Priced Books in your area? Used music stores? Thrift shops? These are all great places to look for games, especially b/c the person pricing them generally has no idea of the going rate. Yard sales might also be a good place to buy games, again depending on your area. I've gotten some expensive games for really cheap at yard sales, some things I never even expected to find (Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom for $5, for instance). I've missed out on some great finds (a Turbo Grafx-16 & games for $30). Swap Meets might also be good, but look in the junk section! Too many people have made a career out of selling games at the swapmeet. I've seen some people ask some crazy prices, and I've seen people beg me to take their rare games for nothing (no really!).

8) I will likely be crucified for this next suggestion, but here goes: If money is going to be a problem, don't be afraid to buy an expensive game that you already own if you see it for cheap. You can always trade it or resell it to get something you DON'T already have.

9) The best forums for buying and selling games are digitpress, racketboy, and nintendoage.

10) Interested in import gaming? The best site for that is risingstuff.

[scottw182]

Another thing. As you get new stuff, you'll spend a lot of time squeezing it in with the previous stuff. You may want to have a long-term plan for your setup.

Omgosh that is incredible! Is that your setup?