IC: Group Buy - World's Largest Collection

[cha cha]

I think divying up everything so people get a fair spread of prized gems is gonna be the hard part. Straight value division will never ever work in this situation without having this logic take hold:

"Ok Timmy, I will take Panzer Dragoon Saga which is worth around $300 and I will make sure you get $450 worth of Sports games and Wii games valued at $1 each! I am even giving you extra $$ value here, how can you not want this?"

If you actually get committed interest, this conversation on how to divide stuff will be long and hard. I look forward to seeing some negotiating expertise at work here, I've heard so many good stories so far But yea it's a stark difference between dividing loot for 12 people who paid $100 and dividing loot for people that paid $6k...

[Hobie-wan]

Also if did manage to split things. 10 other people are then renting trucks trailers to get stuff home?

[Jmustang1968]

I am intrigued at the idea. While our lot was a bunch of work, it was also fun. Plus Hobie would come over and we could work stuff out in person. So while I think of how cool it would be to buy this, I started thinking of the logistical issues and am scared away.

[dsheinem]

I am intrigued at the idea. While our lot was a bunch of work, it was also fun. Plus Hobie would come over and we could work stuff out in person. So while I think of how cool it would be to buy this, I started thinking of the logistical issues and am scared away.

Indeed! If I could get a better sense of what you had in mind, Mike, and could be sure that I'd get at least my money back without hocking $5 and under games forever, I could be persuaded.

[cha cha]

Thinking that delivery method over- two possible options for people getting their stuff would be:

-Everyone renting vans and meeting at a central location, somewhere that boxes can be opened and checked over that won't draw unwanted attention or curiosity.

or

-Someone renting a big moving truck and making a delivery roadtrip (time can/driving duties can be split), that all parties either split the cost of on top of their $6k, or subtract the costs from that person's share. I don't think anyone goes for this option, but someone like me might consider doing it, because that'd be one epic roadtrip vacation story. A cool way to meet some people and bond over gaming treasure hunting.


But yea, that would be IF somehow 12 dudes are all somehow able to agree on who gets what. Because SOMEone is gonna get stuck with all those Wii games and all those sports games.

[Hobie-wan]

I drove a 15 foot van overloaded with merchandise back and forth across the country as part of an old job. Sometimes with a trailer. That's pretty grueling too and you have to worry about stuff when you stop to park somewhere. We ran without stopping at a hotel, going from Texas to one coast or the other sometimes in a straight run for a 3 day convention.

You couldn't use anything with windows and you'd have to make sure you had a very secure lock and hope some jackhole doesn't roll up to your truck in the hotel parking lot off the interstate with a bolt cutter while you're sleeping.

Driving a van/truck full of stuff for a long period of time is definitely not the makings of a 'fun road trip'.

[cha cha]

Well that's certainly one way to look at it.... I think since I am used to long car trips all in the name of VGs anyways, having to worry about securing a truck wouldn't be that daunting. Would a definite plan need to be executed? Yes. But since I haven't done grueling work related to driving yet, I don't think I'd be put off by the hassles of transporting precious cargo, just this once.

To each their own though Just throwing my hat in the proverbial 'ring', should the discussion ever actually get to that point.

[Hobie-wan]

Yeah, just heading off with friends on a road trip can be cool. Driving a few hours in a car for some stuff you really want isn't too bad. Driving a rented truck full of stuff for the better part of a day or more, especially when most of it isn't yours and you're not used to a heavy vehicle it's hard to see out of is vastly different. I miss the people I'd regularly see at the conventions out and about, but I do not miss the driving at all.

[mjmjr25]

There are multiple ways to run it; we've had successful splits with 5 people and everything worked out. I've done multiple co-buys with 3-4 people.

If we had someone who could store it i'd envision a thorough process of snake drafting out the collection one library at a time.

Example, today we'll do NES: All nintendo NES items are on a spread sheet, all 12 members get the spreadsheet. You set a date and time to draft it out - and just like a fantasy football draft, you get 30 seconds to pick your game. If you can't attend or can't decide on your turn, you get the default highest rated (likely by value) item on the spreadsheet. This is the fairest way and no one would have reason to feel shafted - they picked their stuff, one at a time.

Certainly to speed things along you could lump everything into mini lots, or just sections of games. Say 50 game lots, you know what is in each lot, the person storing them separates everything out into these neat piles, and you announce with your pick you're taking lot #97, the NES Capcom games.

Of course the more people involved, the more likely 2-3 people don't like the way it's decided, but you have to accept that it's majority rule and group of 12 decides.

I'd have no problem preparing spreadsheets and creating system lists, or creating equal value bundles, but the big thing is can someone pick up / store it and for how long.

Shipping is going to be appx $3-400 per person, unless it's more cost effective to drive it to locations and again, would someone do it for a fee.

[cha cha]

Just divvying up all the CIB Saturn games (tons in his collection are mint/sealed) is going to be absolute bedlam.

12 people is gonna be rough as hell. I think while a decent amount of people here seem like they can afford a $6k purchase, it is certainly outside of the 'justifiable expenditure on hobby shit' range for most. Meaning there will be lots of desperation to maximize return and others could see their actions as undermining the group, which if not managed correctly could turn into some serious hurt feelings.

While I am pretty certain this is not Mike's first rodeo, I am not so sure there are 11 other cowboys willing to saddle up here...

@Mike, For the draft- Is value going to be purely monetarily, based on current 2nd hand 'sold' rates? VGPC etc.? How will you manage people from cherry picking like one game out of a complete collection for certain consoles, would you even bother? Would you be in agreeance that 60 Wii shovelware games does not= a rare SNES RPG etc. when it comes to actual "value"? Are things in the draft gonna be pre-divided into lots so we don't have every person individually drafting 1000 games?