Ways To Find Old Games Hidden Around Town?

[Snatch1414]

I've just recently started to seriously commit to building a retro library. Not counting consoles but just games themselves there are Craigslist offerings but they're fairly sparse. I'll buy a game or two at a used music/games store sometimes, but that's no fun hehe. This past weekend a buddy of mine and hit a few thrift stores around town and found a few things for the NES and Genesis but our haul was mostly sports games, which made me think these places had been picked over at one time or another in the past.

What other ways are there to find some buried treasure? I'm not talking about anything extremely rare, just anything non-sports that you don't see every day from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras. Flea markets? Yard sales? I'd like to hear how others go about it. Thanks

[prfsnl_gmr]

I built my collection on purchases from flea markets, game stores, pawn shops, thrift stores, and yard sales. You should also keep your eyes peeled for large lots of games. Purchasing lots and reselling/trading the extras is a great way to build a collection quickly.

In any event, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find vintage games; so, you may want to start building collections for newer systems. Now is a great time to buy PS2, PSP, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360 games. (I built my NES and SNES collections in the '90s and '00s when people were practically giving the games away.)

EDIT: Also, start checking "junky" antique malls. I have seen older video games showing up at those recently, and I have received some great deals from them. Mostly, though, you just have to pound the pavement and look for games. The more you look, the more you will find.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Craigslist can be good if you know what you're doing. Visit the site frequently, as least once a day. Keep in mind that some of best deals can come from really vague sellers. Don't skip out on someone who's selling "a bunch of old games" with no specifics. Email the person and ask what they have, you may get a great deal on some real gems.

I'd suggest visiting all your local record/music stores and any other places you think might carry games but don't trade in them exclusively. The record stores around here will price games at a flat rate.

Visit thrift stores and make sure to check out the toys/games section as well as the electronics section. I've found lots of great games that weren't shelved with electronics.

Establish a good rapport with your local game store. Learn the art of "the bundle." For instance, when I visit the local shop I have a habit of buying one expensive ($20+) game with one cheap (under $3) game. The clerk will usually waive the fee of the cheaper title.

Go to flea markets. Don't skip by vendors who seem to simply have piles of crap. I found a 3DO under a stack of farming equipment the other week.

Just get out there and go hunting!

[Retrodude]

In any event, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find vintage games

I blame the internet. Once people realized they could sell their stuff online for a markup (small or large), that was pretty much it for hunting in the wild. Even Goodwill has gotten in on it. Not helping things are the speculators who think they'll be able to get rich on this stuff. Fortunately, it is still possible to find good deals online, you just have to be patient enough to dig through pages of search results to find something buried on page ten.

[AppleQueso]

Fortunately, it is still possible to find good deals online, you just have to be patient enough to dig through pages of search results to find something buried on page ten.

Or just plain placing a few bids. Have you looked through Ebay completed listings lately? They're all over the place, it's weird.

I've personally found quite a few good deals on here from various racketfolk.

I wish I had better advice for hunting locally, but I haven't been 'on the hunt' in a very long time. Hopefully that changes soon.

[Retrodude]

Or just plain placing a few bids. Have you looked through Ebay completed listings lately? They're all over the place, it's weird.

Almost every single time I bid on something, I literally lose it in the last ten seconds, usually to someone who ends up seriously overpaying. It's gotten so annoying that I pretty much gave up on auctions. At this point, if I can't find a reasonable deal on a BIN, I pass. I've had to adjust my thinking a tad on what constitutes "reasonable", but I figure that keeps me from bidding on stuff impulsively.

[foxhound1022]

Check auction houses, too. I got a NES w/43 games at auction for $40. One of the games ended up being Contra Force. There are sites like AuctionZip that have pictures of upcoming sales items at different places.

Shit, just last week I got a SNES w/ FF2, Secret of Mana, All-Stars, ZAMN, LttP, Big Sky Trooper, DKC, and some other meh games at a decent price.

[AppleQueso]

Or just plain placing a few bids. Have you looked through Ebay completed listings lately? They're all over the place, it's weird.

Almost every single time I bid on something, I literally lose it in the last ten seconds, usually to someone who ends up seriously overpaying. It's gotten so annoying that I pretty much gave up on auctions. At this point, if I can't find a reasonable deal on a BIN, I pass. I've had to adjust my thinking a tad on what constitutes "reasonable", but I figure that keeps me from bidding on stuff impulsively.

When I bid, I just figure out the max I'd be comfortable paying and just let it fly. If I lose, oh well, obviously the other guy wanted it a lot more than I did and was willing to put up more money than I was. Seems like a win-win to me.

There's a lot of luck involved it seems though. Like I said, take a look at completed listings, sometimes stuff just inexplicably goes for really cheap, other times it shoots up to prices far above the norm.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I blame the internet. Once people realized they could sell their stuff online for a markup (small or large), that was pretty much it for hunting in the wild. Even Goodwill has gotten in on it. Not helping things are the speculators who think they'll be able to get rich on this stuff. Fortunately, it is still possible to find good deals online, you just have to be patient enough to dig through pages of search results to find something buried on page ten.

The internet has certainly allowed people to ascertain the market price for their video games more easily. That said, the profit margins on uded videogames are - as a general rule - very thin, and many people cannot be bothered to spend time researching values. Accordingly, there are still a lot of deals out there if you spend time looking for them. I estimate that there are 1500+ games in my collection, but I purchased less than 100 of them over the interent. I live in a large metropolitan area, however; so, there is more of a selection.

Also, no one is going to get even remotely rich selling used video games...

Almost every single time I bid on something, I literally lose it in the last ten seconds, usually to someone who ends up seriously overpaying. It's gotten so annoying that I pretty much gave up on auctions. At this point, if I can't find a reasonable deal on a BIN, I pass. I've had to adjust my thinking a tad on what constitutes "reasonable", but I figure that keeps me from bidding on stuff impulsively.

Try a sniper program. I do not use one, but my wife, who buys antiques on line quite often, thinks that they are indispensable.

There are sites like AuctionZip that have pictures of upcoming sales items at different places.

Shhhhhh! Quiet! They'll hear you!

[CRTGAMER]

What other ways are there to find some buried treasure? I'm not talking about anything extremely rare, just anything non-sports that you don't see every day from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras. Flea markets? Yard sales? I'd like to hear how others go about it. Thanks

Maybe read thru the Video Game Finds Thread for ideas or try the Retro Game Store Directory?