The worst prices I've EVER SEEN. (with pictures)

[Buapo]

Hey, guys. So I've recently gotten back into the classic game collecting, and I've been scouring my local shops for some finds. Still plenty of great stuff out there, but I came across some of the most ridiculous prices at a store called "Buybacks."

It started off with a copy of Apocalypse Now for $119.99. Then, digging around, we found more stupid high prices. Today, the cake has finally been taken.

Golf for $169.99:



And, the coup de grâce, Super Mario Bros. for... $438.99.



I asked the employees if this was a joke, and they assured me it was not... they also said they hear it several times a day. I did some digging and figured it out.

Buybacks is heavily connected to Amazon.com for selling things. At their retail store, they sell things for a higher price. But online, they're cheaper.

But, where do they get $169.99 from?

http://tinyurl.com/33bprrp

As you can see, there are two under the "new" listing. One for $199.99 and one for $249.99. For some reason, they're using these outrageous collector prices (which are brand new, sealed items) to set the price at their store.

Now, check this out.

http://tinyurl.com/3agw22o

See, Super Mario Bros. for $515.00 and $549.95. This is where they got that stupid $438.99 pricetag. Here's the secret. They've taken the lower "new" prices, and come down exactly 15%. Golf is $199.99 - 15% = roughly $169.99. Super Mario Bros. is $515 - 15% = roughly $438.99.

So, it seems that this magic 15% discount is what the geniuses have come up with, over at Buybacks. But, the plot thickens. I said they sell everything cheaper online, right? The question is, what do they sell Golf and Super Mario Bros. for online? Well, here's your answer.

Golf is $0.50. - http://tinyurl.com/39y57bl

I looked up Super Mario Bros. earlier today, and it was around $4-something. They have since removed it (wonder why?)

So why the heck would they price Golf at $170 in the retail store, but only $0.50 online? The logic just isn't there, yet... there it is.

[HappehLemons]

I'm at a loss of words.

Also sometimes amazon had duplicate game links (like in the case of golf) You happen to be victim of that. Here's the more popular golf selling hub which is most likely where they got their price. I knew something was wrong with that link when I only saw 1 copy of golf being sold (maybe the game would be worth that price if there's only 1 being sold ).

http://www.amazon.com/Golf-nintendo-...7469688&sr=1-1

[Gamingking]

Thats outrageous.

[Rickstilwell1]

Because some people are computerized robots and don't have brains, all they can calculate is mathematics and equations, but not logic.

[Gameguy]

What's the trade in value for those games? Even if they're just $50 each it would still be worth it to trade in as many copies as possible.

This thread also reminds me of the other thread discussing classic game stores. I can imagine some people saying the higher pricing is justified as they have an overhead to take care of, complaining of higher costs hurts the hobby for everyone as there will be fewer game stores.

[Buapo]

Here's the more popular golf selling hub which is most likely where they got their price.

The link I posted - http://tinyurl.com/33bprrp was to the main hub page. The page where there is only one copy of Golf being sold is the actual Buybacks storefront - it's showing they only have one copy of Golf. That was this page: http://tinyurl.com/39y57bl

In other words, if you were to order Golf from that page where it's $0.50, you would receive the Golf cart with the $169.99 price tag on it.

What's the trade in value for those games? Even if they're just $50 each it would still be worth it to trade in as many copies as possible.

I asked about trading in games, and they said the MAXIMUM trade value for ANY classic game is ONE DOLLAR. In many cases, they'll give you less. Totally ludicrous! (they've gone to PLAID!)

[tom]

Haha, Mario Bros for $515.00 and $549.95, now that is the joke of the century, next to Stadium Events, you Americans are funny.

[HappehLemons]

The link I posted - http://tinyurl.com/33bprrp was to the main hub page. The page where there is only one copy of Golf being sold is the actual Buybacks storefront - it's showing they only have one copy of Golf. That was this page: http://tinyurl.com/39y57bl

In other words, if you were to order Golf from that page where it's $0.50, you would receive the Golf cart with the $169.99 price tag on it.



I asked about trading in games, and they said the MAXIMUM trade value for ANY classic game is ONE DOLLAR. In many cases, they'll give you less. Totally ludicrous! (they've gone to PLAID!)

Ohh, whoops. To many links in your post for my mind to handle I suppose

[badinsults]

Don't worry, there will be deep discounts when this person who obviously has no business sense goes out of business.

[Buapo]

The funny thing is, sometimes the prices are reasonable. I paid $1.99 for Millipede. You can see that Pro Wrestling is $1.99 as well. Zelda II for $6.99 is a heck of a lot better than the $10-20 nonsense I've been seeing lately. But this random sky-high pricing is just laughable.

From what I can see, Buybacks does just fine as they sell mainly DVDs/Blu-Rays. At a different Buybacks, I saw Super Castlevania IV with an $80.99 price tag on it - so these stupid prices have to be coming from higher up somewhere.

[schnuth]

There is a Buybacks here that has had some crazy prices on classic games, but nothing quite like that. Amazing!

[RASK1904]

games 1$. stickers 0.0001$. free word of mouth that Buybacks buys and sells retro videogames, priceless.

Bad publicity is good publicity

Here ya go:
Buybacks, Buybacks, Buybacks, Buybacks....

[Buapo]

They still only pay a maximum of $1 for any games that are traded in. I feel bad for people that really think that's their only option. Then again, that's how I end up snagging games for a good deal.

[ryborg]

Hahaha, that is awesome. I've never heard of Buybacks before. Is it a regional thing?

[Steve W]

I've got a factory sealed copy of Golf. I wonder how much they'd give me for that one?

[Lanzo]

We have a few buybacks around here and yeah, most of the time there prices are just bogus, on games that is. At one point they actually had a Super Mario 64 cart priced at $100, and rumor has it that they actually sold it. The cart is not there anymore so who knows. I did buy a complete copy of streets of rage 3 for like $30 one time. I also saw a turtles IV snes cart for $37 (which is high). I stick to buybacks mostly for dvd's and blu rays.

[DuckTalesNES]

http://www.yourbuybacks.com/

The best part, from the FAQ (at http://www.yourbuybacks.com/faq.html )

"Q: How do you determine your sales prices and buy back offers?
A: Our state of the art computer system searches a variety of internet sources to determine the real-time value of everything we see, so that you always get what your items are worth when you sell, and never pay more than they are when you buy!"

[Buapo]

I've got a factory sealed copy of Golf. I wonder how much they'd give me for that one?

One dollar. Maybe.

At one point they actually had a Super Mario 64 cart priced at $100, and rumor has it that they actually sold it. The cart is not there anymore so who knows.

They most likely DID sell it, but through Amazon. For a reasonable price. They probably sold it for like $10 or something.

The best part, from the FAQ:

"Q: How do you determine your sales prices and buy back offers?
A: Our state of the art computer system searches a variety of internet sources to determine the real-time value of everything we see, so that you always get what your items are worth when you sell, and never pay more than they are when you buy!"

And... you just made my day. That's hysterical!

[Nebagram]

I like the fact that underneath SMB they have Zelda 2- not the cheapest of games- for $7.

[kainemaxwell]

No words can describe this.