Where do you guys buy your retro games for the most part? I'm starting a collection and I'm fairly strapped for cash as a college student, so I'm looking for the best deals I can get.
Also, do you guys know anywhere I can get high quality, glossy printing jobs done cheap? I want to print out game covers for universal game cases. Gotta keep the collection looking classy, you know.
Starting collection, couple questions.
Starting collection, couple questions.
Currently playing: Earthbound, FFXI
Re: Starting collection, couple questions.
Getting deals on retro games is a game of its own. Use Ebay, B/S/T (on sites like this, Nintendo Age, Sega-16, etc) , or even craigslist.
Knowing when to walk away from a game you want but think might not be priced competitively is important too.
I'll let someone else handle the glossy printing question.
Knowing when to walk away from a game you want but think might not be priced competitively is important too.
I'll let someone else handle the glossy printing question.
Maybe now Nintendo will acknowledge Metroid has a fanbase?
Re: Starting collection, couple questions.
If you want the collection to look classy, why not opt to buy original packaging instead?
Re: Starting collection, couple questions.
That would look more authentic, but not necessarily more classy. And I think it could hugely increase the cost of the games, as opposed to doing something like this: http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7213/0406092227.jpgbrunoafh wrote:If you want the collection to look classy, why not opt to buy original packaging instead?
That's 100 cases for $42 + the cost of printing. I may get original packaging for my favorite games though.
Thank you for the replies.
Currently playing: Earthbound, FFXI
Re: Starting collection, couple questions.
I would recommended going to pawnshops, swap meets, garage sales (maybe), etc to start your collection off. I have gotten the large majority of my games from places like those and for me, it really can be half the fun. You never know what interesting and rare things you are going to find amongst all the garbage. A large chunk of my collection consists of rare, obscure, games/consoles/acessories, that I got for very reasonable prices.
If I would of bought my entire collection off of websites like eBay and other places where people actually have somewhat of an idea what games are worth, I would be 20 grand in debt. I can't even count the amount of times where I have found a game that is either worth having, and/or worth a lot of money for just a few bucks and some pawn shop or yard sale.
Go out there and have some fun. You could also check some local listings for retro game stores, thrift stores, pawn shops, etc. You'll find good places and learn a routine that works for you.
As far as the really rare and obscure stuff, I usually try here first and if I don't have any luck I just turn towards eBay.
I would also have to reccomend universal game cases. I do have a lot of original boxes in great condition that are worth showing off, but I also have a lot of torn, dented, ripped boxes that aren't exactly that nice to look at on a shelf when everything else is uniform and in mint condition. Not to mention having something in the box can make its value double or triple, depending on what game it is. I hate to admit it but Nintendo boxes aren't exactly that convenient to store games in either. CD cases and Genesis cases work perfectly but NES, SNES, N64, etc don't have that luxury. That is probably the only thing that Sega will ever have on Nintendo.
If I would of bought my entire collection off of websites like eBay and other places where people actually have somewhat of an idea what games are worth, I would be 20 grand in debt. I can't even count the amount of times where I have found a game that is either worth having, and/or worth a lot of money for just a few bucks and some pawn shop or yard sale.
Go out there and have some fun. You could also check some local listings for retro game stores, thrift stores, pawn shops, etc. You'll find good places and learn a routine that works for you.
As far as the really rare and obscure stuff, I usually try here first and if I don't have any luck I just turn towards eBay.
I would also have to reccomend universal game cases. I do have a lot of original boxes in great condition that are worth showing off, but I also have a lot of torn, dented, ripped boxes that aren't exactly that nice to look at on a shelf when everything else is uniform and in mint condition. Not to mention having something in the box can make its value double or triple, depending on what game it is. I hate to admit it but Nintendo boxes aren't exactly that convenient to store games in either. CD cases and Genesis cases work perfectly but NES, SNES, N64, etc don't have that luxury. That is probably the only thing that Sega will ever have on Nintendo.
Re: Starting collection, couple questions.
I agree with everything that's already been said. There is nothing like the thrill of a random good find at Goodwill. I've personally had a lot of good luck on Half.com when looking for a specific game. There are some nice competitive prices and you can add games to your wishlist and they will email you when the game is goes on sale for under a price you can set.
If you are going to do eBay, be wary and look out for good deals on larger game lots. Once you get going you might find yourself getting dups and being able to sell the games on eBay and make some money back. Be careful though, this can get addicting...
Yard sales are awesome too, I cannot wait for the season to start. Last year I found The Legend Zelda Ocarina of Time / Master Quest for GameCube at a yard sale for $3!
If you are going to do eBay, be wary and look out for good deals on larger game lots. Once you get going you might find yourself getting dups and being able to sell the games on eBay and make some money back. Be careful though, this can get addicting...
Yard sales are awesome too, I cannot wait for the season to start. Last year I found The Legend Zelda Ocarina of Time / Master Quest for GameCube at a yard sale for $3!
A-B-P. A-always, B-be, P-platforming. Always be platforming! Always be platforming!!
My Game Room - My Game Collection
My Game Room - My Game Collection
Re: Starting collection, couple questions.
Awesome, joining the noble ranks, eh? Yeah you can find great deals on sites like this every once and a while (not to mention the community is unrivaled), and for the most part single items are cheaper than eBay or Amazon, the down side is market saturation - you can nearly ALWAYS find the game or item you're looking for on eBay or Amazon AND in the condition you want.
A lot of it is the luck of the draw. If you miss out on an eBay auction for Breath of Fire 3 and 4 because you bid a max of $15 and it went for $16 (disc only, but still hurt a little bit), move on and wait for another deal. Scope around and you'll find the right items at the price you want to pay.
Also, check around for any local retro shops, there's tons of them and many don't do the research on older generation consoles or games so they'll throw a batch of NES games in the bargain bins and you can clean up. (Racketboy has an on-going list of retro shops, you can see it here: http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 44&t=22721)
Also, I'd recommend determining what you want to collect now so as not to spread yourself too thin. It's easy to do and can be frustrating when money is an issue. Maybe focusing on a console, or genre, or even series.
Keep in mind it's all give and take. If you snatch up a game on a whim and miss out on a deal later, you may kick yourself for it. (It happens to all of us...)
As far as printing goes, nearly every town has a little hidden-away print shop. If not, Staples, OfficeMax, or even Kinko's can do in a pinch. If you've got a decent color desktop printer, you can also look for some glossy stock yourself and print them out. I'd suggest checking the big name places first - they all use industrial color laser printers and the results are great. I had a cover printed for a DVD I made for my folks done at Staples for $1.25 and it looks great - one thing to keep in mind is that they usually accidentally scale the image slightly on the long side (My print was made at 10.25" and came out about 10"), so give yourself enough leeway to compensate.
Good luck man! Look forward to hearing of your escapades!
A lot of it is the luck of the draw. If you miss out on an eBay auction for Breath of Fire 3 and 4 because you bid a max of $15 and it went for $16 (disc only, but still hurt a little bit), move on and wait for another deal. Scope around and you'll find the right items at the price you want to pay.
Also, check around for any local retro shops, there's tons of them and many don't do the research on older generation consoles or games so they'll throw a batch of NES games in the bargain bins and you can clean up. (Racketboy has an on-going list of retro shops, you can see it here: http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 44&t=22721)
Also, I'd recommend determining what you want to collect now so as not to spread yourself too thin. It's easy to do and can be frustrating when money is an issue. Maybe focusing on a console, or genre, or even series.
Keep in mind it's all give and take. If you snatch up a game on a whim and miss out on a deal later, you may kick yourself for it. (It happens to all of us...)
As far as printing goes, nearly every town has a little hidden-away print shop. If not, Staples, OfficeMax, or even Kinko's can do in a pinch. If you've got a decent color desktop printer, you can also look for some glossy stock yourself and print them out. I'd suggest checking the big name places first - they all use industrial color laser printers and the results are great. I had a cover printed for a DVD I made for my folks done at Staples for $1.25 and it looks great - one thing to keep in mind is that they usually accidentally scale the image slightly on the long side (My print was made at 10.25" and came out about 10"), so give yourself enough leeway to compensate.
Good luck man! Look forward to hearing of your escapades!
-
soundslave
- 8-bit
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 1:10 pm
Re: Starting collection, couple questions.
Can you really find stuff at goodwill? I've looked around so many times at thrift stores and never seen anything gaming wise. I wonder if its because where I live there is a vintage stock on every corner...
-
BoringSupreez
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 9738
- Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 10:09 pm
- Location: Tokyo
Re: Starting collection, couple questions.
I also recommend thrift stores, pawn shops, and craigslist. Can't say that I recommend B/S/T pages on forums though, my brother used to be into that and about 50% something happened that made the deal less than satisfactory, either the item wasn't in as good condition as described, or it was broken, or the seller was really slow about shipping it, or took forever to reply to pm's, etc.
prfsnl_gmr wrote:There is nothing feigned about it. What I wrote is a display of actual moral superiority.
Re: Starting collection, couple questions.
I will further recommend thrift stores, collectible places and such myself. It's amazing that places like amazon/ebay and such make it easier for us to track down some of those really hard to find games, but I still love the thrill of going into a store with a bunch of classics and sometimes stumbling upon something I've been on the look out for awhile. Great stuff.
