53 replies to this topic

[SteveVFX4]

I'm sure this gets asked alot but I had a hard time finding a similar post when searching the forum.

I loved playing Atari as a kid but I'm no collector or gamer now.  It has been boxed up for 15 or 20 years.  I recently pulled it out to briefly play with it and to also try to sell it.  I guess I'm being fairly unrealistic in my price by asking $200 for my common 4-switch wood model with 106 mostly common games, 69 game manuals, and 2 storage centers, because I've had limited interest thus far, even when I asked people to email me a reasonable offer.

I have no problem with putting it back in the closet for another 20 years.  The question is do you think it would actually be worth any more money by then?    i'm guessing no.

Maybe I'll just list it on Ebay for 1 cent and let the highest bidder determine what it's worth?

[atari181]

Hmm, i would say it is worth around $125 if they are all commons.
I debate wether or not Atari will go up in years to come. If you think about who is buying(age35-50) we will be dying off in 20 years or so and the demand may just drop off. Im not sure, but have pondered it many a times

[revolutionika]

I say just list it for 1c like you mention and let it go for what it sells for, but make sure all the games are shown and ACTUALLY list each and every game.....I do lot of my auctions this way, it is fun to watch the last few minutes of auctions!

Plus, listing on a buyitnow or ending it early, you may short change yourself....plus a starting bid of 200 scares people away. I have seen auctions go for more than the buyitnow that was originally on an auction.

[bennybingo]

In my opinion, the classic gaming hobby is rarely a profitable one...it is a substantial financial drain if anything. Unless you have something(s) that is fairly rare, there is little chance you will make any profit...even after over 30 years since purchase.  That said, I don't see the market spiking significantly any time soon.

Another observation...most folks who played atari as a kid fall into two categories:

1. already had their "nostalgia" moment and revisited the games of their youth
2. are currently having their "nostalgia" moment and are in the process of revisitng the games of their youth

Truthfully, I don't think that today's gamers will care much for the toys of our generation, so when the current market dries up, common Atari items will become even less valuable.  This is just my opinion, but it seems logical to me.

Back to your pricing...$200 could be spot on, depending what the 106 games are with the whole package.  The price will be substantially lower if they are all really common titles, in poor condition or include numerous duplicates. Lots of variables there....but the key that may be hurting your sale most is that you are a very new member here. Most folks want some kind of comfort level when shelling out $200. Combine that with the fact that most members here have already purchased the common games and are looking for the harder to find titles.

I hope this helps. Best of luck with your sale!

[Pioneer4x4]

And if they go up in 20 years, it will need to be worth at least $400 then to be the same as $200 now...
My opinion is if you are  "holding" anything like this you are wasting money waiting for it to be "more rare or desireable".  If you get something for a song for the reason of reselling it for a huge profit, more power to you.

Ugh, hit save 10 seconds after bennybingo, but yep, I agree.

Edited by Pioneer4x4, Wed Apr 4, 2012 4:13 PM.

[littaum]

You may also want to split up your lot and sell off the "rarer" games and/or games with manuals.   You might be able to get close to your $200 goal.  

When you are left with just the game system and common games, you can then try and sell the rest on Craigslist for cheap.  Given that people can experience console gaming with an Atari and a Harmony cart, I don't think you'll get a lot more money in the future for what you have.

[cparsley]

what??? My lot of ET's and PacMans are not going to be worth millions???

[toymailman]

What do people think of the value in 25, 50 or 100 years?  I think the hobby will go from retro to vintage to antique.  I think it will eventually be collectable (and valuable) again even after all of us go.

[Pioneer4x4]

cparsley, on Wed Apr 4, 2012 4:20 PM, said:

what??? My lot of ET's and PacMans are not going to be worth millions???

Sure they will, it is real easy.   Sell 2,000,000 of them @ 50¢ each!

[SteveVFX4]

Thanks.   Yeah, I just don't think today/future gamers will appreciate the Atari for what it is and will think it's just too old of technology to have any fun with.

I don't think I have any real rare games.   My for sale is listed in the Marketplace forum and I did list all of my games.   Shipping won't be cheap either for the entire lot given the size and weight of the box.   I use this same name on Ebay with 100% positive feedback.   Maybe I will just try an auction on ebay and let it ride!

I'm 35.  I also wonder when I should try to sell my other toys from my 80's childhood, like original Transformers figures and GI Joe, etc, most are in decent shape and have been boxed up for years.   I have a Colecovision system too somewhere at my parents house.

Edited by SteveVFX4, Wed Apr 4, 2012 4:58 PM.

[SlowCoder]

Something I don't think has been said yet ... there are still so many 2600s out and available for the getting that they can't go for "rare" prices.  Same with commons.  The market is saturated and the prices are competitive.  Maybe in another 50 years when many of the consoles have finally bit the big one will they gain value.  But then there has to be people who want them.  And in 50 years, finding a TV to play them on might be scarce too.

[AtariBrian]

lots of people buying on atariage want stuff for free prices anyways. go with ebay

[high voltage]

Donate them to AA

[Ransom]

No one knows what prices will do, of course, but it seems to me that we're on the long slide to no real value.  There will be ups and downs, but I expect the average price for this stuff to decrease over time.  I question whether there will come a point where demand ever outpaces supply, even as these things fail.  It's certainly possible, but I really doubt it.  Look at the number of people born in the 80s and beyond who work on classic cars, for example.

[roberto]

Ransom, on Thu Apr 5, 2012 7:16 AM, said:

Look at the number of people born in the 80s and beyond who work on classic cars, for example.

Well, but you need a HUGE garage to collect classic cars while a simple room is enough to collect games!

Anyway, I may be a bit naive and overly optimistic but I believe there will always be interest in Atari and the old games even when our generation will be long gone: when people will have their "nostalgia" moment and start collecting for the PS12 or XBox3600 or Wii ZZZ, if they are sincerely interested in the hobby, they will then be curious also to see what came before and go to the origins of the technology they love so much.
For example, I started collecting for the VCS and the Inty but I'd love to get an original Odyssey, if they were not so damn expensive, even if I didn't even know what it was when I was a kid in the 80s!

Edited by roberto, Thu Apr 5, 2012 8:25 AM.

[Trinity]

Keep It!!!!!!

[Enig]

The price will have to go up as the systems falter and die, but as far as today goes, you can pretty much expect something in the $110-$200 range, when games are included.

[newtype5]

i think as physical media gets completely phased out (my guess is within 10 years, blue-ray is the last consumer level video format, guaranteed), there will be an interest in collecting old media, especially video games.  i hope that will happen, and i love seeing younger people on here expressing their interest in what started it all, the beginning of video games.

[Skylark68]

I wonder if Ataris will even continue to function 100 years from now? They are pretty tough, but will they ever show up on Antiques Roadshow after I've gone the way of my forefathers?

[Cynicaster]

Unless you want to keep the system for sentimental/nostalgic value, I'd say cash out ASAP.

I could be wrong but I'd be willing to bet that, for most people who grew up with Atari, if they haven't been bitten by the nostalgia bug and jumped into the market yet, they're not ever going to.  If they have jumped in the market, they probably already have a system or two.  Bottom line--supply of 2600's still outstrips demand, and that demand is only going to taper off as time goes by.  Sure, there will probably always be the odd person here and there interested in these old games even if they were too young to experience them the first time around, but what is already a very niche hobby today will only become more so, meaning there will be no upward pressure on price.

[Matthew]

Atari 2600 carts are like fine wine. You put them in wood barrels and watch there value grow 10 fold.

[Deteacher]

For what it's worth, the Heavy Sixer will become more valuable in the future.  I'm going to be buried with mine, thus making one less available out there.  

[rmaerz]

Sell!

Atari 2600 sold for $160 in 1980 and now it sells between 10 and 20. If it were possible to sell 2600s short in 1980 you'd be a millionaire right now!

[atari181]

Deteacher, on Thu Apr 5, 2012 5:52 PM, said:

For what it's worth, the Heavy Sixer will become more valuable in the future.  I'm going to be buried with mine, thus making one less available out there.  

Mee too!

[Pong]

bennybingo, on Wed Apr 4, 2012 4:11 PM, said:

In my opinion, the classic gaming hobby is rarely a profitable one...it is a substantial financial drain if anything. Unless you have something(s) that is fairly rare, there is little chance you will make any profit...even after over 30 years since purchase.  That said, I don't see the market spiking significantly any time soon.

Another observation...most folks who played atari as a kid fall into two categories:

1. already had their "nostalgia" moment and revisited the games of their youth
2. are currently having their "nostalgia" moment and are in the process of revisitng the games of their youth

Truthfully, I don't think that today's gamers will care much for the toys of our generation, so when the current market dries up, common Atari items will become even less valuable.  This is just my opinion, but it seems logical to me.

Wait a second. I started gaming in 2000 (I was born in 1995) and I've picked up the consoles to relive the nostalgia of older gamers. I can't be the only one that falls under this category. (When people are asked about my gaming love, they think it's an obsession on the toys of your generation).