Video Game "Look what I found"

Post deals, brag about finds, etc.
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Video Game "Look what I found"

Post by prfsnl_gmr »

Blu wrote:
prfsnl_gmr wrote:I am also lucky that my best local resource prices games based on videogamepricecharts.com. They use the "cart only" price for all games, which means that I get a fair price on carts...but an incredible price on CIB titles.
That's quite awesome, and a rarity nowadays--share with us your secret buying spots! :)
No problem!

http://www.goodwillsp.org/shop/computer-works

It is an amazing local resource. It gets new games regularly, and the prices are high enough that resellers generally cannot make money flipping the inventory. Moreover - and since it sells everything that get donated in the area - it gets some incredibly obscure systems and games. (Last week, it had a complete Atari Jaguar along with a stack of complete TG-16 games...<drool>)
Ziggy587 wrote:IDK guys, I disagree. You can have a small business selling games on eBay with no overhead cost, working out of the house. That's not true for a store, especially a small store. A $100 game should be $85 because $15 is going to eBay and PayPal fees and whatnot. But if there is no eBay, PayPal, etc then that same $15 is going to the store's overhead. It's not like the guy selling the game doesn't have fees to pay. The fees are actually much larger. Do you know how expensive it is to operate a small store? It's more than eBay. So if this logic follows than the games should actually cost more in the store than on eBay.
Certainly a local store has to pay overhead, but its prices absolutely have to remain competitive if it is going to last more than a few months. Moreover, while there is certainly value in getting to inspect an item personally before purchasing it, there is also value in having an item delivered to your home. It also seems to me that most video game stores encounter "cash flow" issues at some point - and this is especially true if they try to squeeze every last penny out of every single one of their games. Accordingly, I think it is probably a good business practice for stores to price more expensive games at market value, but games that routinely sell for less than $10 (i.e., the games I am usually interested in...) should probably be priced to keep cash coming into the business.

I don't run a video game store, however; so, I don't really know if these are good business practices. That said, all of the game stores in my area that have lasted for more than a few months adopt them. I suspect that the new games and inexpensive games keep the lights, pay the employees, and pay the rent, and I suspect that the more expensive titles make the store profitable for its owners.
Last edited by prfsnl_gmr on Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
fastbilly1
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Re: Video Game "Look what I found"

Post by fastbilly1 »

prfsnl_gmr wrote: No problem!

http://www.goodwillsp.org/shop/computer-works
I make sure to stop by there every time I travel through. Sadly the times I have seen boxed games there they have been at above ebay prices though.
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Video Game "Look what I found"

Post by prfsnl_gmr »

fastbilly1 wrote:
prfsnl_gmr wrote: No problem!

http://www.goodwillsp.org/shop/computer-works
I make sure to stop by there every time I travel through. Sadly the times I have seen boxed games there they have been at above ebay prices though.
I have seen some games priced too highly, but items that don't sell usually get marked down in a few weeks. (For example, the employees recently marked down a complete copy of Ghostbusters (GEN) from $24 to $19 and moved it from the case to the floor. At that price, I don't expect the game to be there the next time I visit.) I also regularly purchase complete PS1, PS2, and Xbox games for $1 or $2 from that store.

Regardless...send me a PM the next time you are passing through. The store is only a few minutes from my office, and I would be happy to meet you there.
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RCBH928
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Re: Video Game "Look what I found"

Post by RCBH928 »

I do not have a background in buying and selling but selling retro games shouldn't be a profitable business for many reasons.

Most retro-games are priced $5-$10 . If the store owner buys a game for $4 and then resells it for $8 , He needs to sell a lot of retro titles to make a decent profit which is not happening because simply not many people out there buying retro games. They can make much more money selling Coca Cola cans so its has a high consumption rate even at a smaller profit. Lets not forget over-head like employee wages and store rent.

Sometimes I wonder if it is worth the time (money wise) to have a retro-games store. I think they can make more money selling current gen. games.
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BoneSnapDeez
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Re: Video Game "Look what I found"

Post by BoneSnapDeez »

One huge advantage of shopping in a local retro game store, even if the prices are higher than eBay, is building a rapport with the owners.

The owners of my local game shop let me "out back" to look at things that haven't hit the shelves, cut me "bundle" deals when I buy huge stacks of games, and have even given me a free game here and there. This is something that can't be replicated on an online shopping site.
AppleQueso

Re: Video Game "Look what I found"

Post by AppleQueso »

BoneSnapDeez wrote:One huge advantage of shopping in a local retro game store, even if the prices are higher than eBay, is building a rapport with the owners.

The owners of my local game shop let me "out back" to look at things that haven't hit the shelves, cut me "bundle" deals when I buy huge stacks of games, and have even given me a free game here and there. This is something that can't be replicated on an online shopping site.
It can on the B/S/T here sometimes. 8)
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Video Game "Look what I found"

Post by prfsnl_gmr »

AppleQueso wrote: It can on the B/S/T here sometimes. 8)
Come now, AQ. I think we all agree that the Racketboy B/S/T forums are the very best place in the entire world to buy, sell, and trade videogames. :lol:
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BoneSnapDeez
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Re: Video Game "Look what I found"

Post by BoneSnapDeez »

AppleQueso wrote:
BoneSnapDeez wrote:One huge advantage of shopping in a local retro game store, even if the prices are higher than eBay, is building a rapport with the owners.

The owners of my local game shop let me "out back" to look at things that haven't hit the shelves, cut me "bundle" deals when I buy huge stacks of games, and have even given me a free game here and there. This is something that can't be replicated on an online shopping site.
It can on the B/S/T here sometimes. 8)
Right, that's why I clarified and said "online shopping site" and not just "online". :lol:
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Ziggy
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Re: Video Game "Look what I found"

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prfsnl_gmr wrote:I don't run a video game store, however; so, I don't really know if these are good business practices.
http://www.racketboy.com/journal/game-s ... game-store
RCBH928 wrote:Sometimes I wonder if it is worth the time (money wise) to have a retro-games store. I think they can make more money selling current gen. games.
If I buy two retro games for $5 each and sold them for $10 each, I've made about the same profit I would from selling one current gen game. The difference being that I had to shell out $10 for the retro games, but $40 or $50 for the current gen game. You tell me which sounds better, 50% profit or 10% profit.

Of course, there is the whole supply and demand thing. The demand for current gen stuff is of course bigger than retro. But let's say I have a small store with 500 games in it. If they're retro games at an average of $4 each, I've spent $2000 in merchandise. If they're current gen games, I've spent $20-25,000. That means the store would need a lot more working capital just to cover the cost of merchandise. It takes money to make money. A small independent store can't really compete with all the big chains (GameStop, Wal Mart, Target, Best Buy, etc) and online retailers (all those same retailers plus Amazon, eBay, etc). A small independent game shop can't survive on current gen games, not by a long shot.
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Fragems
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Re: Video Game "Look what I found"

Post by Fragems »

I don't think there is is a retro game store for a good 50+ miles but we do have a lot of flee markets and pawnshops around here. My favorite shop has a pretty sweet setup though that keeps me coming back about every day :).

They sell games at a flat rate.

PS2/Xbox/GC= $3 each no matter the shape
360/Wii/PS3= $8
"New/Popular" Games= $15(but they always drop to $10 at register)
Portable games= All over the place they keep them in the same glass case as the "New/Popular" games so the less knowledgeable staff members always lump them into the $15 games but most are willing to work with that price alot.

Today I scored some nice PSP titles :). Talked one of the clerks into letting me dig through the loose PSP box which had probably around 50-60 games in it.

For $20(no tax) came out with:

The 3rd Birthday
Samurai Showdown Anthology
Silent Hill Origins
Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness
Disgaea 2 Dark Hero Days


It is a chain of pawnshops and there is another one about 25 miles away that is even cheaper with $2 PS2/Xbox/GC games. Also I am really excited since they are opening a second shop on the east end of town which is right on my route home :).
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