When hunting/shopping for games, do you carry a list?

[SteveyMajors]

I have a beat-up sheet of loose leaf with all of the Dreamcast items I want. I should replace it soon; a great deal of the items are crossed out and the sheet is starting to fall apart.

[SNKnicotine]

I carry the binder (which stays in my car) is because I HATE passing on good games so the binder reminds me of the obscured titles i should get. For the most part the popular titles and games that stand out i can easily remember.

[aaron]

i made a decision this year to keep a want list and stick to it, not deviate from it, and get those games first. as new games come out, i might add them to the list, but for the most part i know what i want to get. i keep that file on Google Drive and i bring it up on my phone when i'm out and about. i also have DC and Genesis collecting apps (for iOS) and keep a running tally of games i want vs. games i already have.

i try really hard not to be "that guy" price checking a game, but if it's something super obscure and i think it's marked at a great price already, then i will probably check to see what it's worth to the internet. i don't use the internet to haggle people down, that usually just pisses off shop owners. the reason games are more expensive in stores is because they are actually in STORES, which are physical buildings that have utilities, employees and rent.

[SteveyMajors]

i made a decision this year to keep a want list and stick to it, not deviate from it, and get those games first. as new games come out, i might add them to the list, but for the most part i know what i want to get. i keep that file on Google Drive and i bring it up on my phone when i'm out and about. i also have DC and Genesis collecting apps (for iOS) and keep a running tally of games i want vs. games i already have.

What app would that be? I'm intrigued.

i try really hard not to be "that guy" price checking a game, but if it's something super obscure and i think it's marked at a great price already, then i will probably check to see what it's worth to the internet. i don't use the internet to haggle people down, that usually just pisses off shop owners. the reason games are more expensive in stores is because they are actually in STORES, which are physical buildings that have utilities, employees and rent.

Yup, and considering that there are fewer and fewer brick and mortar stores selling retro games, I certainly don't mind paying a few extra bucks.

[TEKTORO]

I had a 12 page list front and back and folded in half, got it down to 2 pages. But they never left the house cause none of it will ever be local.


Edit: O yea I keep a list if I reserve anything from gamestop too, because there good at stealing your money.. "Sorry Its not under that number, Then why the fuck do I have a Powerup"my ass"Card??"

[jinx]

I have been thinking about setting up something like GCstar to manage my collection as it gets larger. As a kid, I'd always facepalm when I got home and realized I bought the same game twice. I didn't sell stuff on eBay, and I knew Game Trader was going to shaft me if I tried to sell it to them.

RFGeneration! It's a great place for managing a collection!

Thanks for the tip!
I've seen this site a few times in several sigs here. I've been meaning to sign-up.

[Tullaian]

I keep my SNES want list on my phone as a Google Drive spreadsheet. It has columns so I can see if I have a copy, the rarity of the game, and the developer as some times it's hard to tell which version of the game it is without this information (Wheel of fortune, for example).

I admit that I do price check in stores but only on things over $15 generally. I only use VGPC and would never try to haggle with a store over their price. I don't know what they paid for it or what kind of margin they need to stay in business. For the most part if the price in store is close to the average price online I go ahead and buy it because I figure I would have paid the extra amount in shipping anyway and the store will stay open.

Thankfully, the few local stores around here with retro titles tend to use VGPC to price their games anyway.

[Bing147]

I have a list of what I have online. I don't carry a list of what I'm looking for, I know what I'm looking for. But I do sometimes check my have list to avoid buying doubles.

As for pricing, I don't haggle in game stores. I do in pawn shops as that is part of the game there but in game stores I won't. I also don't use online prices to help haggle down anywhere, but I will absolutely just order something online if I can get it cheaper. Sorry, but I disagree that it is okay to be more expensive in store. There are a lot of costs to selling online as well, the biggest ones being shipping and the big chunk ebay/paypal take right off the top. I feel that stores should actually be cheaper, not more expensive. That's the only way that they can compete. I have several local stores that price better than eBay 75% of the time and they have been open for years. The ones that price above eBay? They're usually gone in 6 months. It is far better to actually sell things for a few dollars less than to have it sit there because people can get a better deal online.

[ryanofcali]

I never carry a list because people will know what I'm up to and charge more and the rarest games if you ever run into them 99.9% the person will know what they are worth and charge accordingly.