Leaving to the US: what am I gonna do with collection?

[demizz30]

Hi, I am happy since a new career opportunity has opened for me.

The question is: what am I gonna do with my huge video games collection?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/greekretro ... 6627160339


I am leaving in 2 months, family stays back and follows next semester.

I am thinking of 3-4 options

(i) packing everything and transferring them to my hometown in Patras, Greece, where they stay in boxes, who knows for how much time
(ii) eventually selling doubles and unwanted stuff, but 2 months is a small time and i am toooo busy right now..
(iii)looking to transfer everything to the states if I everything is fine and decide to stay there, in 2-3 years. Cost 2000 dollars , which is 1/20 of the value of my collection, so it may be negotiable...
(iv) wait couple of years to see if everything is fine there and then, coming to Greece for holiday, I choose my most beloved stuff and move them overseas.

What would you do guys?

[8bit]

Temperature controller storage would be an option but the cost for storing things for 2-3 years will meet or exceed the cost to ship them to your new place. But then again if living in the USA is temporary you have to factor in the fact that you would have to send them back home to Greece at some point for same cost again.

Got a family home where they could live in storage?

[GigaPepsiMan]

You could move all your stuff to Greece but you'd need step down converters for all your stuff. Also adding to the collection while there would be pointless because it's all PAL region stuff.
Personally if you are going to sell sell sooner rather than later, if you want to keep certain items them go ahead but as someone who knows what it is like to sell a collection ask yourself these questions.
Do I have any spares? Yes? Gone.
Do I ever plan to play some of these games? No? Gone.
Have I beaten these games and don't plan on touching them again? Gone.
Do I have the same game on different formats? Yes? Get rid of some.

I'm not telling you to get rid of the collection because it's a big collection and depending on how you obtained it you will either make money or lose money selling it, I can't really speak for your situation because I've never had to face the issue of leaving home and living in another country. At the end of the day, if it goes (all or some) it's up to you, if it goes into storage it's up to you, if you are doing a mass transfer job to Greece then good luck with that. Last I check Greece had a really bad economy so if you want to go there and spend a lot of money bringing your stuff over then go ahead but I think to be safe you should probably go to Greece with as much cash in your back pocket as possible.
That's my view anyway whatever you do is up to you.

[theclaw]

Sell off 220V external power supplies you can find equivalents for, they add significant postage and need converters.

Keep in mind many PAL gaming items are very scarce within the US. Limited market interest (issues like region lock) means few people here own or seek them.

[Menegrothx]

Sell off 220V external power supplies you can find equivalents for, they add significant postage and need converters.

Are interchangeable AC adaptors between different regions common in old consoles? I know that PAL AC adaptor will power up a NTSC Genesis/Sega CD/32X and vice versa, but how many other consoles can do that? Does a PAL SNES AC adaptor work on NTSC SNES and so on?

[theclaw]

Sell off 220V external power supplies you can find equivalents for, they add significant postage and need converters.

Are interchangeable AC adaptors between different regions common in old consoles? I know that PAL AC adaptor will power up a NTSC Genesis/Sega CD/32X and vice versa, but how many other consoles can do that? Does a PAL SNES AC adaptor work on NTSC SNES and so on?

Consoles like N64 and Gamecube are obvious. But sometimes you want to use one labeled for a different console.

PAL Game Gear needs a Genesis 1 AC adaptor, due to polarity. Rather than Genesis 2 like the American Game Gear.
PAL SNES could take an NTSC NES AC adaptor. NTSC SNES won't fit.

[Duke.Togo]

I'm not sure what I would do personally, but probably would put it into storage. Pack up a few of the more desirable PAL items to bring over in your bags to sell here if you aren't attached to them.

I know I personally would buy a PAL NES and PAL exclusive SMS and NES titles that I don't own if I could get them from someone here in the states to avoid the crazy shipping.

It sounds like you're in for a big adventure!

[demizz30]

First off, a slim down of the collection, sort of a "qualitification" is essential.
-may sell doubles-they are many-i have 500 master system games now, gathered from game lots
-esp consoles which are large, selling doubles will free up space
-may sell/give away sports games

This first step will reduce storage space by 30%

Thinking of it, once I make the above "reduction", I may have to get them stored in parents' house in Greece for few years, since i do not know if I will stay in Dallas forever, this will be decided eventually, and is of course not only up to me..! Bad thing though is that Athens, Greece was a better place to collect since it has dry climate, but Patras is coastal and very rainy and humid especially in the winter you get fifteen mild (40F-55F) but humid-rainy days per month.

The more I think of it the more i make sure i DO NOT WANT to sell the remaining games, I love most of the games (minus 30% of stuff as I said) thats why i was acquiring them. Many purchases have a history behind them, a hunt, a small adventure. Car boot sales and 5am early wake-ups for 5 years now, loss of sleep and city safaris, hourless internet browsing to local buy-sell forums and ebay...you can understand!

[GigaPepsiMan]

I understand that you are obsessed.

[demizz30]

I understand that you are obsessed.

The collectors obsession that is. Collecting is an obsession alone. Collecting is the obsession and not compromising time and sleep. the latter is the only way to find games cheap. Otherwise, ebay has everything, if money is not a problem at all..