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    Default Local retro game stores

    What's the deal with the trend of the local retro game stores that have been popping up all over the place now? The ones locally here are all the same, they price everything with at least a 10% markup from the highest sold price on eBay, yet they still do decent business? Who are the people that are buying games from these places, is it the casual gamers that have bought into the hype of the retro gaming fad, and just get caught up in buying stuff on impulse?

    For example this place: http://www.yelp.com/biz/video-games-new-york-new-york. I've seen people astonished by the videos of this store on Facebook, but the big secret is that the reason they have so much cool stuff in stock is because it's priced way way way above what they are actually work. The store only stays in business thanks to trust fund hipsters that don't care about paying $15 for a copy of SMB / Duckhunt and $120 for an NES to play it on.

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    Every once in a while a store like this opens up in my area. They never last more than a year. I don't understand why they all follow the same piss poor business models and expect to do well.

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    I must be lucky, because I've got 4 local retro gaming stories within driving distance, and only 1 of them really over charges on everything. Another overcharges of rare games, but common and uncommon games are below ebay market price. I've found pretty good deals at all of them.
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    Unfortunately, my local game store recently closed after 14 years in business citing poor sales. It's bullshit, because that was the only retro game store within an hour's drive. They have a second location in the next city over which is about an hour and a half away, which is thriving, so if I want to buy anything now, I need to either look to find private sellers or drive over an hour.

    I wish there were game stores popping up. But not here in southern Ontario.
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    One part of your question is simple: online sellers and hobbyists don't have the overhead of a brick n' mortar location to pay for.

    You and I may be able to pick up SMB for a cheaper price somewhere else. You and I may also be able to resell it for minimal profit. Hell...we have the luxury of not having to profit off the sale at all. Brick n' mortar stores *have* to make profit. It's why they can't offer you the "market rate" for what you're wanting to sell to them, and why some have to price items above market rate when they put it on the shelf.

    As for who is buying this stuff, everyone. It's really tempting to tag someone paying higher prices for this stuff as "retro posers" who are "ruining the hobby". By all means, we've likely all met "that guy" who is a total douche that isn't into this for playing the games, yet wants everyone to check out his 20 NES games he doesn't enjoy. BUT the average person walking into a store isn't "that guy". They are likely not into prioritizing finding stuff online (or at swap meets/garage sales). They walk into a store, see SMB for 15 bucks and impulse off of it. Everyone loves SMB. Surely SMB, as an experience, is worth 15 bucks. If push came to shove, I think SMB...as a game experience...is worth every penny of that 15 bucks. Even though I could find the cart for much, much less at the "market" price.

    As a consumer I've been that average customer, but for other mediums such as music, movies, and books. I'm sure I could find a copy of some popular novel for cheap if I tried, but if I find it while browsing at a used book store...and I think the experience of reading it is worth whatever the price tag is, why not swallow the price? So what if I could find it for cheaper if I just dug into the Internet for a week or two waiting for the right FS thread or eBay listing to pop up. I want to read it now. I have the cash now. I don't mind paying that price now. Does that make me a poser book enthusiast ruining the retro novel hobby? No. It makes me someone interested in reading a good book.
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    There are two retro gaming stores by me. One has overly marked up prices, a piss poor selection, and staff that doesn't know gaming.

    The other one is stuffed from floor to ceiling with games and consoles (including rare ones), has a husband a wife team who run the store and know their product inside and out, and have good prices.

    One of these stores is empty every time I walk in and the other had to buy a warehouse to house all their games because they go through so many. I'll let you guess which is which.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sosage View Post
    One part of your question is simple: online sellers and hobbyists don't have the overhead of a brick n' mortar location to pay for.

    You and I may be able to pick up SMB for a cheaper price somewhere else. You and I may also be able to resell it for minimal profit. Hell...we have the luxury of not having to profit off the sale at all. Brick n' mortar stores *have* to make profit. It's why they can't offer you the "market rate" for what you're wanting to sell to them, and why some have to price items above market rate when they put it on the shelf.

    As for who is buying this stuff, everyone. It's really tempting to tag someone paying higher prices for this stuff as "retro posers" who are "ruining the hobby". By all means, we've likely all met "that guy" who is a total douche that isn't into this for playing the games, yet wants everyone to check out his 20 NES games he doesn't enjoy. BUT the average person walking into a store isn't "that guy". They are likely not into prioritizing finding stuff online (or at swap meets/garage sales). They walk into a store, see SMB for 15 bucks and impulse off of it. Everyone loves SMB. Surely SMB, as an experience, is worth 15 bucks. If push came to shove, I think SMB...as a game experience...is worth every penny of that 15 bucks. Even though I could find the cart for much, much less at the "market" price.

    As a consumer I've been that average customer, but for other mediums such as music, movies, and books. I'm sure I could find a copy of some popular novel for cheap if I tried, but if I find it while browsing at a used book store...and I think the experience of reading it is worth whatever the price tag is, why not swallow the price? So what if I could find it for cheaper if I just dug into the Internet for a week or two waiting for the right FS thread or eBay listing to pop up. I want to read it now. I have the cash now. I don't mind paying that price now. Does that make me a poser book enthusiast ruining the retro novel hobby? No. It makes me someone interested in reading a good book.
    I agree. I have no problem paying a good $20 for a game I will enjoy. I really dnt see this as people r elitists in retro gaming, I see it as cheapness.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sosage View Post
    You and I may be able to pick up SMB for a cheaper price somewhere else. You and I may also be able to resell it for minimal profit. Hell...we have the luxury of not having to profit off the sale at all. Brick n' mortar stores *have* to make profit. It's why they can't offer you the "market rate" for what you're wanting to sell to them, and why some have to price items above market rate when they put it on the shelf.
    In a way that's kind of a cop-out. I get offering less money for games with trade-ins but to do that and price games above market value when selling just seems greedy.

    Using the excuse that they have to rip people off with both trade-ins and when selling just to pay the bills only goes so far. What if I said I had to sell broken lawn chairs or other freshly picked trash for $400 each to support myself financially? Would people gladly pay me my asking price to help me out?

    Quote Originally Posted by Sosage View Post
    As for who is buying this stuff, everyone. It's really tempting to tag someone paying higher prices for this stuff as "retro posers" who are "ruining the hobby". By all means, we've likely all met "that guy" who is a total douche that isn't into this for playing the games, yet wants everyone to check out his 20 NES games he doesn't enjoy. BUT the average person walking into a store isn't "that guy". They are likely not into prioritizing finding stuff online (or at swap meets/garage sales). They walk into a store, see SMB for 15 bucks and impulse off of it. Everyone loves SMB. Surely SMB, as an experience, is worth 15 bucks. If push came to shove, I think SMB...as a game experience...is worth every penny of that 15 bucks. Even though I could find the cart for much, much less at the "market" price.
    Honestly, from what I've seen it seems to be mostly parents or younger kids/teens that don't know any better. Now a high percentage of younger kids and teens think old games are cool(thanks to everyone using the internet now regardless of age), so when they ask their parents for a game for their birthday/any reason, parents just go to game stores and they'll buy it. Most parents don't want to waste too much time searching for things as they have better things to do, or they're not into games so they don't know where to buy them outside of searching the yellowpages for video game stores. Or it'll just be kids/teens, the ones too young to have credit cards or paypal accounts and can't purchase things online.

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    Quote Originally Posted by spman View Post
    What's the deal with the trend of the local retro game stores that have been popping up all over the place now? The ones locally here are all the same, they price everything with at least a 10% markup from the highest sold price on eBay, yet they still do decent business? Who are the people that are buying games from these places, is it the casual gamers that have bought into the hype of the retro gaming fad, and just get caught up in buying stuff on impulse?

    For example this place: http://www.yelp.com/biz/video-games-new-york-new-york. I've seen people astonished by the videos of this store on Facebook, but the big secret is that the reason they have so much cool stuff in stock is because it's priced way way way above what they are actually work. The store only stays in business thanks to trust fund hipsters that don't care about paying $15 for a copy of SMB / Duckhunt and $120 for an NES to play it on.
    Long story short without reading this whole thread, I don't mind paying a few extra dollars to help the local shop. Unless they are absolutely resellers, I like supporting the local stores.

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    Quote Originally Posted by spman View Post
    What's the deal with the trend of the local retro game stores that have been popping up all over the place now? The ones locally here are all the same, they price everything with at least a 10% markup from the highest sold price on eBay, yet they still do decent business?
    I knoooooow! My local store is pretty good though, you can find some R5-R7 Atari carts for like $2. However, really popular games like FFVI are like $120 used.
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    That's the problem here too as I already said. I got fed up trying to find anything in there anymore and keeping a credit on file with them ($35, some of it from a decade ago almost.) I was told they started carrying new sealed games super limited so I picked up Smash Bros 3DS for $6. I took stuff in that day to get rid of (mostly not games) and ended up walking out with CIB Mario Paint and a blu ray along with a $20. I used to hit that place every week (or 2 if busy) but now it's like every couple of months maybe because the prices are repulsive on almost all of it. If you price at or above ebay I hope you go out of business as I'll save the 30min round trip drive, the wasted time, and the added wasted money of the mark up + gas and click something online because I never need it that day that badly to eat it.

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