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I am in the beginning stages of my NES collection, and just wanted to know the price range of a complete NeS collection (not counting games like stadium events or NWC). How much will a decent collection set me back?

http://www.videogamepricecharts.com/ This site can help you out. Other similar posts have been made by others so feel free to look around to get some ideas.

you gonna hunt single copies out in the wild or are you gonna buy in bulk? Complete in box or loose copies?

you can go the internet route and get a whole bunch of games, thru ebay, online retailers, and members here you can get quite alot done. but youre gonna pay possibly a higher price. But good deals can still be found

Or are you gonna go to craigslist or thru another similar site to see possible sales in your area?

You may find a good game lot with some less than stellar games mixed in with it. Or an good set of popular games that will fetch top dollar. you will have to make compromises and see which is the best route for you.

are you just gonna want any random game or are you gonna go the connoisseur route and get only the best games?

Do some serious investigating and see whats the best deals out there, dont just buy from the first guy you see.

I dont know where you live but many times you can find used games for around $3-$10 loose without a box.

There are already many threads here on goodwills, finds of the day,and on-line specials, and such so you can learn to find games out there.

You can learn alot here. so at least you've got us to help you.

Thanks for the information. Right now im working on my loose carts, and ill get anything i find, not just certain games. I usually buy from goodwill, craigslist, or anywhere i find a deal. I know some will be quite difficult to get, like action 52 and cheetahmen 2, but not impossible like NWC.

retrogamer01 wrote:Thanks for the information. Right now im working on my loose carts, and ill get anything i find, not just certain games. I usually buy from goodwill, craigslist, or anywhere i find a deal. I know some will be quite difficult to get, like action 52 and cheetahmen 2, but not impossible like NWC.

I am working on a complete set of NES loose carts (only 159 carts to go!), and - while I cannot estimate how much I have spent trying to acquire it - I can offer some hints for completing your collection as inexpensively as possible.

First, purchase as many carts as you can in the wild, but never pay more than the price listed on http://www.videogamepricecharts.com for any single cart. Purchase large lots on Craigslist, or - better yet - place an add on Craigslist asking for loose NES carts. If you do this, you will acquire a lot of common games very quickly. Keep the carts you need for your collection and trade or sell the games that you already own. Do your best to locate several good flea markets, thrift shops, pawn shops, etc. that carry NES games. Check them regularly, and if possible, let the owner or manager know that you are interested in acquiring NES carts.

Second, if you are acquiring carts online, do your best to acquire them from other Racketboy, NintendoAge, and AtariAge members. You will often find that they have better prices than any other online sellers. Certain websites like http://www.jjgames.com and http://www.dkoldies.com are also good sources because you can combine shipping on many items. Avoid eBay for anything but the rarest carts. On eBay, you will always pay market price, and shipping can be expensive. Accordingly, I only use eBay for carts that I have no expectation of finding "in the wild."

Finally, be picky about the condition of the carts that you purchase early in your collection. You do not want to spend a lot of money acquiring carts in poor condition when you start your collection only to find that they do not meet your quality standards further down the road.

Good luck with your collection. I have found that tracking down carts in the wild is almost as fun as sitting down to play them.

Lots are great ways to buy games, you can then resell the copies. I usually like to break collections into smaller ones. All the Disney, Mega Man, Capcom, Shooters so on. It makes collecting fun and it makes you feel like you're getting somewhere even if your collection is small.

As much as you are willing to pay. Game prices fluctuate, so it's hard to slap down a dollar figure. I guess you could take the average price of a NES game and multiply it by the total number of NES games for a rough estimate.