I have been getting some pretty beat up games...

[JC48573]

like broken cases and deeply scratched discs. Sometimes I know that they are in bad shape and I still buy em anyways for a very cheap price. I can send the unplayable games for a resurface and replace the darn cases (I somehow get my hands around genuine psx cases from previous titles). Just wondering if anyone has this kind of habit. I actually do save some money on beat up games.

[Rurouni_Fencer]

I've definitely been there.. And yeah, I've been known to swap out broken Playstation and Dreamcast cases. The other day, actually, I bought a copy of NBA Live '98 for the Sega Saturn for $ .99 just for it's near perfect condition case.

I'll tell you though, this practice is only as innocent as your intentions with your collection. If you're just swapping out and mixing cases and covers because it makes your library look better and you have no intention of selling these games, then by all means have at it. But if you are looking to sell games, be wary that some purists prefer their games completely original.
For example, I recently bought Castlevania: Bloodlines for the Sega Genesis complete off of eBay. I'm a huge Castlevaniac, as well as a collector, so I wanted everything to be original. This means: hard-cased clamshell (with the Konami imprint inside the case,) and full color instructions. Not the second edition, boxed version with black and white instructions.
Early NES games also have different editions such as their Seal of Quality variations. Black seals are usually first editions, while the general, white seals came later. Many sellers will mix and match black seal boxes with white seal cartridges without knowing, so if you do collect NES or Genesis games, keep an eye out.
Also watch for double disc Playstation games, as people can tell if they've been swapped out for another games'.

This post got pretty long, sorry.. Hope this helps you.. Happy collecting!

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Yup I buy a lot of beat up games at times (complete only) to save cash by just taking them to the resurfacer's.

[Jrecee]

Argh I thought this topic was about beat em up games. Now I'm disappointed.

[JC48573]

man, I don't know how much longer before i stop doing this. There are still just a few titles i want for my psx collection like the breath of fire series, but I might end up skipping them. oh yea, I also had ways to deal with the broken hubs in psx cases (yes the original psx hub) with tap plastic solvents. If I have all the pieces, I can glue them all back together carefully with some special syringe.

[CRTGAMER]

I avoid buying scratched games when there is a better copy available. However if the disc is salvageable, I'll purchase, not to save money but to get that discovered treasure.

[AppleQueso]

I've done it before, mainly because it was just too good a deal to pass up. Mega Man Legends 2 disc only for $10 isn't something I'm going to miss for anything, same thing with the Symphony of the Night and Marvel vs Capcom 2 (DC) I picked up.

I try and find good scans of the inlay and front covers and replace them so they look a bit nicer on my shelf, though that can often be difficult. TheCoverProject is great if you're recasing your entire collection in DVD cases, but the community there doesn't seem too terribly interested in cleaning up and uploading jewel case scans.