Good places to hunt for games in the Seattle area?

[kelsoanim]

I live in the Seattle area. It seems to me like there aren't too many options around here for retro game hunting. There are a few retro game stores, but they are very aware of just how valuable games are and how much they can reasonably (and sometimes unreasonably) charge for good games. There is a Goodwill near downtown but it barely ever has anything decent, often all they have is PS2 shovel ware. One joint that I visit every now and then is "Amazing Heroes" in Kirkland. They have a decent selection and their prices are at least reasonable. I don't do PinkGorilla because I think they are way overpriced IMO (though it is fun to just browse around sometimes).

Do any of you other Seattleites know of some good secret places to hunt for games? I keep wishing we had a good Flea Market every time I watch a YouTube video of people digging through hundreds of old games in other states. I haven't had much luck finding good pawn shops either.

[ninjainspandex]

Nice thing about pink gorrilla is they actually have alot of import games i would never go there for domestic games though

[MrPopo]

There's a store in the U District that sells records and games, and the last time I was there the games were reasonably priced. I can't remember the name, though. JT might know it.

[J T]

Big Al's in U District is the one that MrPopo is referring to. They are variable. Some of their stuff is over priced (especially if it makes its way to the glass cabinet), but they get some great deals on occassion. Great selection though. It's the place to go for older carts, Dreamcast, PS2, etc.

There's a place on Aurora in the Edmonds/Lynnwood area called "Another Castle". They are pretty pricey, but they have a great selection and a working arcade. I didn't find the princess there though, so their name might be a little deceptive.

Goodwill sucks for games out here. You're much better off at pawn shops. The chain of shops called Pawn X-Change has led to some ridiculously good deals for me. They don't get much before the PS2 era, so don't expect much in the way of cartridges. There are a bunch of locations. So far, I've had the best luck with the ones on Lake City Way. The one on Lake City Way that is in the Kenmore area will actually have some old Atari, NES, SNES, N64 games, but few of them. There are a few locations on Aurora that are less likely to have anything worthwhile.

I also think Half Price Books is a good option. The one in Capitol Hill has the best selection, but the U District and Lynnwood ones are worth checking out as well. This is about the only place to find used PC games and it's best for that, but they often have an ok selection of console games too.

If you want to hit a lot of Gamestops in a short amount of time, go to Lynnwood. There are two inside the Alderwood mall and one across the street from there. I don't know why there are so many, but it's good for finding something specific because if one store doesn't have it, one of the other two probably do.

Also, once each year there is the Seattle Retro Games Expo and there is also the Northwest Pinball and Arcade Game Expo. You will find people setting up tables and selling retro games at these events. You can get some good deals there.

[Bradtemple87]

MetalJesusRocks can give you all kinda of great places to visit, hit him up

[Stark]

Yeah Big Al's is fun to go to and it is right up the street from Pink Gorilla. The Seattle Goodwill throws all of their good items on eBay from my experience.