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Taken from http://wearearcade.com/features/feature ... tro-games/This is one of the most common questions asked upon many retro gamers and collectors. The question is “How do you find your retro games? How do you get such good deals on them? It’s really not that hard. You just have to use your head, and get a little creative.
First, let’s get one thing out of the way. Ebay is not always the answer. Yes, that’s right folks. Ebay is not the only place that exists for you to find something. There are many alternatives to Ebay for finding new additions to your collection such as fleamarkets, thrift stores, pawn shops, yardsales (aka garage sales), retro game stores, Craigslist, gaming forums like RacketBoy or Pete’s Game Room, and simply through acquaintances.
Expanding on the idea of being social, Racketboy is an awesome place to get your retro games. The people there are usually really nice and you’ll get a great deal from there 99% of the time. If not a great deal, at least you know you won’t be ripped off. There is an independent Buy/Sell/Trade category in which you will browse each thread that may spark your interest, and simply see if they’ve got anything you want. If you can’t find something you want, you can always start a “WTB (Want to Buy)” thread and eventually someone will send a PM or just reply and state that they’ve got what you’re looking for. If you do find something you want, be sure to have an account there, and send a private message to the seller and discuss it with them. Remember, prices are always negotiable. Haggling does work, because like you, these people understand the value of both price and nostalgia with retro games. I’ve bought quite a few things from people on Racketboy and dealing with those people is alot safer and easier than dealing with someone on Ebay in my opinion. They have a feedback thread on there too. As for an example of a great deal, after dealing with someone on Racketboy, I ended up getting 6 Genesis games for $13 and 3 of them were complete.
1. Always keep your eyes open. What does that mean exactly? Do your research on what you’re interested in, so if you see it somewhere you’ll automatically know if it’s a good deal or not just because you remember the price. It also helps to know what you want too, but you may find a game you’ve never heard of and are uncertain as to whether you want to buy it or not. That’s where the research takes place. Go to YouTube and look at “Top greatest NES games” videos and things like that. If you find anything that you think you might want to buy, price it. Go to Amazon and see how much it is at the lowest price, and also compare the “cartridge only” listed prices to the complete ones. I’ve found games I’ve wanted before when I didn’t even intend on finding them. They’ve just popped up on me so I jumped at the opportunity. Do your research and keep your eyes open at all times and you’ll run into some surprising deals. I recently bought Gunstar Heroes for 2 dollars if that says anything. You never know when you’re going to find something, and what you’re going to find. The best things usually pop out of nowhere. It’s also a good idea to keep some kind of portable device such as an iPhone or something similar that has internet access when you’re out game shopping. This way, if there’s something you’re interested in but are not sure about pricewise, you’ve got a way to check and see whether or not you should pass it up.
2. Talk to people, especially locally. Make sure they know what you’re into. Whether it be a friend, friend of a friend, or even someone who works at a game store or flea market. This can help you immensely, because you’ll never know when they’ll contact you out of the blue telling you they found something, or make an offer of their own.
3. Again, do your research to save yourself from being ripped off. Another key benefit to that is that sometimes you’ll come out with something more than what you expected. For example, I bought a Sega Saturn Model 2 from a guy on Craigslist for only $10. He didn’t realize what he had. I didn’t mention how much they really go for of course. Sounds underhanded, but they are the ones that priced it, and if they are happy with selling it to you at that price, then it’s justified.
4. When shopping at retro game stores, take notice that some do not price the games according to their condition. This means it’s possible to get a complete copy of a game rather than a loose copy at the same place for the exact same price.
5. Staying on the subject of shopping in store, consider the demand of the game, and how much it sells for online both with the the box and without. Reason being, if you’re not careful and you don’t do a little math in your head, you can get ripped off because there will be overpriced games in some spots. I went to a retro store and bought 3 Genesis games, all complete in the box. The prices weren’t very good. One was $15, one was $8, and one was $10. However, they have a buy 2 get 1 free deal on every Genesis game. One of the games, Valis 3, I have actually never heard of, but it’s an RPG so I decided to take a gamble on it. RPG’s usually cost a pretty penny. Being that every game is in pristine condition and complete with the box and manual, along with the buy 2 get 1 free deal, I paid $24 total. So, if circumstances were a little different I could have very well overpaid, but it turns out that Valis 3 sells for $10 cartridge only, and from $25-70 when it’s complete. Having that said, I feel like I made out like a bandit in the end, although I could have had a very crap deal had I not considered the price, condition, demand, and the fact that there was a buy 2 get 1 free deal. Whenever you run into anything like that, always go for the more sought after titles because when it’s a buy 2 get 1 free deal, you usually end up paying about 50% or less of what you would normally pay for that particular title.
6. When shopping at a flea market, go as early as possible. This way, you’ll find the best games that a seller has available before someone else buys it first. Also, if you see anyone selling anything remotely related to video games or electronics, like VHS tapes or DVD’s, and you don’t see games out on their stand, ask if they have any. They may have some stashed somewhere. Trust me on this one. It happens.
7. Portable gadgets with internet access help tremendously. The reason is if you’re anywhere besides your home, you will be able to check prices online before making a purchase if you’re unsure about something. The easiest thing to do when out and about is to look at Amazon’s listings, but make sure to consider the condition of the game on hand, and the condition that a seller on Amazon has listed. Try to match the conditions if possible to find out a fair price.
8. Another great source of reference is to get a collector’s guide from Digital Press. They can be purchased at http://digitpress.com. They produce comprehensive guides on several consoles and their libraries, with lists of each game, the rarity rating, and the average price that they’re sold for. A checklist can be found in there as well. Not only that, but they’re awesome books to read anyway.
9. Go to the thrift stores on the weekend. that’s usually when they stock their shelves.
10. Don’t be afraid to haggle. When buying from an individual person, use the bidder’s strategy. If a game is $40, offer a ridiculous price of maybe $10, even if you’re willing to pay more. They may look at you like you’re stupid, but this may persuade the seller to at least drop the price a little. In some cases, depending on how lucky you are, they may give it to you for that ridiculous low price you threw out. If the price is not lowered by the seller, raise yours until they agree to sell.
Now for the Do-Nots..
1. NEVER trade your games in at any store. Sell them on Ebay, Amazon, Craigslist, to a friend, or on a forum. Nobody will ever be paid for what the game is really worth if it’s traded in at any store. This includes but is not limited to Gamestop, EBGames, and even the chain retro stores. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of listing them on Ebay because of fees, get on a gaming forum and talk to someone about it. Tell them you want to sell this or that game and ask if they are interested. If you can’t sell something, often you may be able to make a trade depending on what it is, or throw it in a bundle with some other items later. No matter how common the item is, I repeat, NEVER give it to a game store. Sell it yourself. Would you rather get the average selling price for it, or 20% of that price? Do the math.
2. If there’s something you want, and you know you can afford it, don’t pass it up if you think you’ll have trouble finding it again. Trust me on this one.
3. Don’t go bankrupt. Obviously. It’s not worth going bankrupt for. Have priorities.
4. Take note of online shipping charges. For example, you can get a Genesis game that costs $2 on Amazon, but for every single video game you buy there, you must pay $3.99 shipping. That’s their policy. So, if you see that game for about $4 locally, go for it and forget about the Amazon listing.
5. You don’t always have to take the first offer, or purchase a specific game or console in the first place that you see. If the price seems outrageous, skip it unless you’re certain that you won’t be able to find it again.
That concludes the game hunting guide. Rule of thumb is to stay informed, be friendly, and use common sense. Remember that and there will be nothing to worry about!
