The Problem With Game Collecting Today...

[Cauterize]

Im not sure if this has been discussed before, so i appologise if it has as ive only been on the forum for 2 days now..

I have noticed the rise in online shops and 2nd hand game shops stocking up on Retro Games, this may be a good thing as there are more places to buy the games, but i feel they are overpriced, deliberately knowing how much we want them and potential value...
Surely these games have value, but thats the value "for us retro gamers", the ones that want these for keeps, not shops who just want profit...
I feel as if this problem is killing off part of the community and taking the meaning out of it...

This has happened a few times to me, ive passed the local game shop.. "OMG Sword of Mana!" must have must have... i get inside the shop and its priced up at £40... *disapointment* as i didnt have much pocket money at the time (i was young then) :P

does anybody agree with me?
*goes to start an online petition "dont buy Retro from shops* :P :P :P
Adam

[Hovoc]

ebay is great for buying and selling stuff, you can find almost anything there.


however seems with cars, stuff goes way to cheap there, and for gaming stuff way to expensive

[maxlords]

Um..Sword of Mana for 40 GBP? OW. That's insane. By the way, that's NOT a retro game. It's almost brand new. I'm not sure I quite understand your statement. Do you mean shops pricing up older NES and SNES? Or do you mean shops pricing up retro-STYLE new games like Sword of Mana and other new titles?

Either way, this is a common trend. Shops can't stay in business if you don't buy from them and if they don't make a profit. They're not gonna sell to you cheap just cause you're a collector. In fact the whole reason to run a shop is to profiteer off whatever you're selling. Personally, if I had the capital to open a shop, I'd do exactly the same thing. Rarer games marked higher, fast selling games marked higher. These games (new or old) have consumer market value. They're not just "valuable to collectors". They're in fact valuable in and of themselves BECAUSE of collectors. The fact that you (and thousands of others) want a title MAKES it valuable. If no one wanted it, it'd be worthless. Supply and demand. You can't hate supply and demand just because you can't afford what you want. That's life. You just have to accept it.

[Darth Sensei]

ebay is great for buying and selling stuff, you can find almost anything there.


however seems with cars, stuff goes way to cheap there, and for gaming stuff way to expensive

This topic has been hashed several times on here, but I'll just say that ebay has nearly killed collecting as a hobby and destroyed the livelihoods of many old time consignment dealers. For those reasons, I use it, but despise it.

Ebay is a drug in that I feel like I have to use it, it was so much fun at first, but now I feel like I'm stuck with it like the proverbial monkey on my back.

D

[chrisbid]

ebay takes the fun out of collecting. part of the fun is searching every nook and cranny in a junky old thrift store looking for treasure. when you find that semi-rare genesis game for 1 dollar, or a stack of Atari carts in pristine condition for 50 cents each, thats what makes the hobby enjoyable.

[Flack]

Depends on what you enjoy, spending years looking for specific games in the wild for cheap prices, or spending minutes looking for specific games on eBay and paying higher prices. I guess retro-type stores fall somewhere in the middle ...

If you hate them, quit shopping there. If everyone does it, they will all go out of business. Tough to do though, if you're looking for rare stuff. Double edged sword, ain't it?

[o2william]

I don't really buy the theory that more selling hurts the hobby. For me, collecting and preservation are closely tied. If the games are being sold on eBay and in stores, that increases their perceived value. That means people will be more likely to sell and/or trade in their old games rather than dumping them in the trash (which the preservationist in me really hates to see). That means more games survive and get into the hands of collectors, one way or another. It's supply and demand again, only the other way around -- increased demand creates increased supply (or at least keeps the existing supply from disappearing).

Increased perceived value also means fewer people are likely to donate their old games to thrifts and fleas, and that the thrifts and fleas sometimes charge crazy prices. This makes good "finds" harder to come by, which is kinda sad. Scoring a good find is one of my favorite parts of the hobby. But in my mind, this is a worthy tradeoff for the incredible, worldwide selection of games eBay provides. But I keep looking at the thrifts anyway, and I do find stuff sometimes. And I don't buy anything on eBay that's beyond my budget or "too expensive" in my opinion. Best of both worlds.

Just some idle ramblings from a bored forum member...

[anagrama]

Um..Sword of Mana for 40 GBP? OW. That's insane. By the way, that's NOT a retro game. It's almost brand new. I'm not sure I quite understand your statement. Do you mean shops pricing up older NES and SNES? Or do you mean shops pricing up retro-STYLE new games like Sword of Mana and other new titles?

I'm guessing that he meant Secret of Mana - since it's one of the only SNES RPGs that had a European release, it's one of the games that retailers over here immediately think is "OMG UltraRaR3" and stick a high price tag on. (It's actually not *that* rare, but will still usually command £20-£30 on eBay (complete).

And there's 2 sides to this story aswell - with more shops stocking retro games, the well-known stuff gets overpriced but a lot of the lesser known rarities can easily slip through the net and end up on shelves for £2 - £5: just today I picked up the MegaCD Slam City for £2.99 in Gamestation - I've only seen 3 or 4 PAL copies on eBay since the start of the year

[-hellvin-]

The local game shop near me gets in retro stuff all the time as well as raraties and they sell FAST. He'll get in games like rhapsody for the psx, gt final bout, ect, and sells them for 70-90 sometimes and they are gone in maybe two or three days. My friend saw a boxed turbo duo there for 200$ and I went the next day after it was traded in (God why) to check it out and it was gone. He does price very high, but most of the time it's a lot less of a pain than ebay. I saw a complete mint snatcher for 50$...bought....complete mint chrono trigger for 70....bought. Most of the time I do not mind paying that much for something if it's something I REALLY want and don't feel like going through ebay hassle. He also prices straight off the dp guide, which he has (more for buying prices though, not selling) so I almost always know what I'm going to pay when I walk in there. He currently has a perfect mint copy of death star battle for the 5200 and pretty much took the box doubles the value statment literally as it is 50$ =D.

So basically, yeah, the store may be expensive but it's the only place out in ol' arizona I can walk in and find tons of retro stuff at my fingertips. It's also a great place to shop cause all the guys who work there are very friendly and I've had some great conversations and times there.

You have a right to buy or not to buy. If you don't want to pay that much, then walk away and go find an alternate method. Don't see the reason for complaining.

[maxlords]

Honestly, that's a reasonable price for a boxed Duo. Same for Snatcher. Both great deals overall. Not CHEAP, but more than fair.

[Push Upstairs]

You have a right to buy or not to buy. If you don't want to pay that much, then walk away and go find an alternate method. Don't see the reason for complaining.

This ia how i feel about Ebay. Ebay is just another method to buy and sell retro games and whatnot.

Avoiding Ebay and its prices isnt any different than avoiding pawn shops/game stores/flea market sellers who overprice their merchandise or sell junk.

[-hellvin-]

Honestly, that's a reasonable price for a boxed Duo. Same for Snatcher. Both great deals overall. Not CHEAP, but more than fair.

Exactly my point. I'm not getting a smashing deal, but it's pretty reasonable and I got something I really wanted without having to pay shipping as well as waiting for it to arrive.

[bargora]

I'm not sure if this is all good or all bad, but over at Unique Thrift on Lorain Ave. I noticed that ALL pre-Dreamcast video games were priced at $5 apiece, regardless of system. Good luck selling that SMB.

[THXII38]

Well, there are two gaming shops in Bedford with dedicated retro sections, that little bit of competition helps keep the prices somehwat senisbile.

Most of the hardware in GAMESTATION was mine, I traded most of my spare stuff in, rather than sell it on eBay. I was quite happy with the amount they paid me, but suprised to see what they were charging for it.

i.e my C64 with two tapes, one cart and a tapedeck for £35.

Anyway, I got £250 instore credit on one trip, and £80 & £50 cash on two subsequent trips all common stuff too, mostly hardware and the games were all extremely common. I check out all the charity shops and the cash converters, and gaming stores two or three times a week, and then check out all the car boot sales and jumbles sales etc... All of the money I got I spent on my hobby anyway.

I think the thrill of the hunt is as much fun for me as playing the video games, sometimes I even get the train to Luton. Just last year I walked into a chairty shop in Luton and bought an '80's Konami handheld for £1.

So, overall I guess that my methods may have changed a little to accomodate the rise in the popularity of the hobby, but I am glad that people are selling stuff more often, when before they might very well have unwittingly thrown it away.

[whoisKeel]

i kinda fell out of gaming for a couple of years (a few years back)...but i wasn't ever aware that gaming stores *stopped* carrying older games. but anyways, i find gaming stores to be hit or miss, just like anything else. sure, that castlevania III title might be $20, but that r-type III sitting next to it is only $4. i also find decent deals at eb games....so long as you hit up their buy one get one free sales, which makes all games half price. i got rainbow islands for $5 a few weeks ago like this. but you're probably right...the demand for older games IS higher right now, so the prices will reflect this.

[MarioAllStar2600]

I really wouldn't have many games if ebay wasn't around. I usually don't have a ride to the local thrift or goodwill. I HAVE to check online. Although I try to search the wild as much as possible. But keep in mind there is hunting to be done on ebay. Find that unique item everyone passes over, that mispelled title, or a really low BIN. I searched ebay for months looking for a cheap cubivore and got one for $10 bucks shipped cause the auction title was "eat or be eaten". That was just as good as a feeling as finding it at a local goodwill. Although ebay has brought up the price of the hobby, and may not be as fun as finding stuff in the wild, it becomes VERY useful at times.