Gamestop NOW Selling Retro Classics

[Sarge]

Was browsing, and they've apparently sold out of a lot of the games. The prices are... eh. I'm a cheapskate, so I'm always looking for market inefficiencies, as opposed to paying eBay price. Given that, I doubt I'd buy much through them. I was hoping that it would push the market down a bit, but then again, if you can sell at that price, why wouldn't you?

[ninjainspandex]

My local retro video game store has decided to go out of business because of this announcement

sounds like they were not doing well financially before and are just using this as an excuse

[Sarge]

Yeah, it's not like GameStop is offering spectacular trade-in values for these games, and they're also not exactly underselling the competition.

Well, that might not be entirely true, I've been in several retro stores that sell over eBay prices. If I can buy online for cheaper than I can buy in your store... well, why would I bother?

[flojocabron]

[Jrecee]

I have to wonder where this stock built up from, and if there's more of it. Has gamestop been filling a warehouse with copies of Demon's Crest for the last 20 years?

[Sarge]

Wouldn't surprise me if they had stuff from the olden days of Funcoland. Also, given how fast some stuff sold out, I do wonder how much they actually had.

Plus, every GameStop across the country has been taking tradeins. I don't think our local store has taken much in, but I don't know how much the manager means by "not much". But considering how many stores they have... there's some serious potential for getting good games just from people dumping their old ones in the loft.

[Teh Lurv]

Gamestop's prices are better than I was expecting honestly. The PUR 10% and CAG16 promo code (16% off preowned games) currently work for their retro game selection. If a game like Conker or Chrono Trigger ever comes back in stock, you could conceivably grab one for about $70 shipped. Not a bad price. It'll be interesting to see if retro games get included on any future B2G1 free preowned sales Gamestop has in the future.

My local retro video game store has decided to go out of business because of this announcement

I didnt even realize the timing, but a local store that had been in business for far longer than I expected due to the selection/price/atmosphere of the store just closed also. I wonder if it has anything to do with this...and I wonder what happens to an entire store of games...

I think it's due to the rising prices and competition for retro games in general. It puts the squeeze on stores buying stock at higher prices to either cut their margins or raise their own prices. Some stores I think can simply no longer be competitive with eBay and stay profitable.

[Tanooki]

That probably is the case but one wonders why they should bother to match ebay when you could come in 20% less. Sure you'd end up giving a bit less to those turning them in too, but you'd get more rotating stock and foot traffic just not being another one of those guys. I find stores that have more diversity with also some new games, or old movies, music, random toys or cheap snacks and drinks tend to have staying power because they're not stuck in a corner.

[Sarge]

Agreed. If you're running a retro store, you need to shoot under eBay, and you need to constantly try to rotate stock. You have to keep traffic coming in the door.

[Tanooki]

SavePoint Games which the owner is a NA regular used to tout he did that stuff and he has amazing foot traffic and sales, siphoned off the people going into the ebay BIN copycat shops in town, even one I believe that was even closer to the college in town than he was. He undercut ebay by a good small but healthy margin like 20% which is low enough people can't with ebay fees poach the store clean to profit off of them, and would pay still plenty enough for people to not feel screwed. The higher demand stuff that sells like $50-100+ collectors want he'd still give like 50% of the value or something over/just under that because it would be gone fast, and same with other high fast flips like your major franchises, other stuff as norm would be fairly minimal if it had a chance to sit awhile. The store would then hold regular competitions, other events, had I think some arcade games, food, some toys and other merchandise (even sold bootleg err 'repros') too and it worked.

That's why I have little sympathy for shops crying foul when their greed put them out of business because you don't have to follow ebay, you choose to follow ebay and a smart buyer who wants the more collector demand junk won't pay it. Sure you could live off fools and the impatient for awhile from hot franchise games alone and $5 dumper bin stuff to just get it out of there, but how long?

A local chain of 2 stores in town here called Game Force used to be huge on the old games, mostly all they carried. Around 6 years ago they started to get more of the new stuff in. By the time I had moved away for 3 years, returned, and went into one about a year after coming back, they had like 99% of their stock from the 2001+ forward systems and handhelds only with a strong leaning on the current to survive. THey had the worst prices (ebay+) in town on the old stuff which is why I never went back in any hurry when I returned here.