Buying games at Pawn Shops, and smokers.....

[Anapan]

I got some good deals at an all-smoking pawn shop. That meant if you light-up when you enter you're given the smoker discount. It took me about 2 hours to get the tar off of the GB amplifier/controller/light proxy screens only to realize they needed a ton of cellphone scratch remover to get rid of the physical damage to them (on the back burner - it was badly lit in there and I'd never seen these models before so I instabought them).
The games fared better - After a thorough plastic cleaning with hydrogen-peroxide and 96% alcohol and then a couple weeks in refrigerated sodium bicarbonate + activated charcoal bits they are (as far as my sister-in-law can smell) completely healed (thx to some previous thread someone should link but I can't find). I wish I hadn't traded one of my "spitting/laughing indian face" figurines for that stuff, but he was only missing 3 that I know of from his collection and the driver-gear was already rotten/broken in that one so I think I fared better from the deal than he did.
We watched most of Ghostbusters 2 on his WEGA after the trade and I smoked most of a cabanas he gave me. Done deal. Just gotta put them in a 2 week temp-smell controlled environment to fix the tar resudue.

Also, re: "imagine what it looks like inside the smoker" - My left lung is fully healthy - I'm saving it for later. I only smoke out of my right lung - it's full of rainbows and puppies.

re: "They accidentally smoke"
Happened to me - walking along in 2001 and a well-targeted lit cigarette hit the mark. I spent the next 2 weeks laughing and smoking - the entire pack was gone in only 4.5 weeks (pack landed in my pocket that same day).

re: "I've bought plenty of retro stuff out of non-smoking homes that's terribly grody. Mildew, food remnants, spills"
yeah, that stuff is really disgusting. I cannot play on a used controller unless I completely disassemble it to the separate parts, soak them in alcohol for 10 minutes and run them through a dishwasher cycle (small parts in a tea-ball specifically designated for controller parts). That's just disgusting. The worst is badly-set Cheezie powder. That stuff needs to be removed manually with toothpicks and an old toothbrush using alcohol and Fantastik to get the crevices clean before going through the dishwasher.

I never smoke inside unless it's demanded. Good thing I'm heat-tolerant. Smokers don't make for smelly games, cruel people do. I'd never hurt a game like that. SPCC all the way. "Society for prevention to cruelty to cartridges".

Always remember - don't post nonsense drunk.

[AppleQueso]

city-wide public smoking ban where I live, so smoky pawn shops aren't a problem

[Snickerd00dle]

having worked at a used game/movie/cd store I can tell you that most people just do not take care of their stuff. Animals in the house pee on shit all the time- which can cause a real nasty smell, smoking, dust, water damage, mildew- all of these could be things that you are smelling the wonderful world of used stuff

[BoneSnapDeez]

With consoles, dismantle everything and run the plastic (non-electronic) parts through the dishwasher:

[Hazerd]

With consoles, dismantle everything and run the plastic (non-electronic) parts through the dishwasher:

Even with stickers/decals?

[o.pwuaioc]

It's not just Pawn Shops. I absolutely hate getting games from eBay only to have them reek of smoke.

Q: Would you leave negative feedback if that happened? What if also a dead spider was found inside the wrapping?

[Hazerd]

It's not just Pawn Shops. I absolutely hate getting games from eBay only to have them reek of smoke.

Q: Would you leave negative feedback if that happened? What if also a dead spider was found inside the wrapping?

I notice alot of sellers will put "from a pet/smoke free home" i dont care so much about the pet free, but smoke free is a must.

[BurningDoom]

What always surprises me is that the pawn shops don't do this themselves -- the value on a lot of items would go up if they looked brand-spanking new.

I completely agree. It also always amazes me when I order a game on eBay or Amazon and it comes with dirt caked in the grooves (like the lines in an NES cart). How hard it is it to take a minute to clean the thing?

[Hobie-wan]

Even with stickers/decals?

Plastic or metal stickers will be fine. Paper not so much. I clean shells by hand in the sink with a tooth brush so I can be sure I get all the crap out of the grooves and if there's a paper sticker I can avoid it or dry it immediately if I accidentally get it wet.

[flex wood]

You guys are crazy. I won't play a game until it has the thickest layer of tar imaginable. My plan to quit smoking when I have a large enough collection is to tape games to my body like nicotine patches.