42 replies to this topic

[xDragonWarrior]

I hate it when i go to Flea markets and they really overcharge!i went to one and i asked how much for the black GBC and he said $40,there barely worth 10 but 40 are you on drugs.then a Xbox with cords and 1 controller for $50.$40 for a black Gamegear with about 5 games and the games were crappy as hell!.now there are some good sellers.one person had a modded Saturn for $15,a Turbografx-16,Turbobooster and 4 games for $8(which i got).a Atari 2600 Jr with 9 games,2 joystick controllers,1 paddle controller and Video touchpad for $10(i got).so what are some outrageous prices at Flea markets,thrift stores and yard sales?

[godslabrat]

It sucks, but you have to keep in mind these overchargers come in two varieties: the ignorant and the stupid.  The merely ignorant really have no idea what to charge, they just slap a price on something and hope for the best.  The stupid are the ones who look on ebay and other such places, see the prices, and become convinced that they have to charge something close.  Both camps fail to consider that their price has to be "flea market friendly".  The difference is, the ignorant will change their mind when presented with a reasonable offer.

In the end, that's the beauty of fleas... you can bargain.  This is your trump card, offer them a bird in the hand.

[IntellivisionDude]

I have gotten some people at flea markets to bargain and go down. But some are stubborn and will not budge and would rather keep their games that have been sitting there unsold forever. I'll never understand that. You would think people would be smart enough to realize that if you lower your prices their stuff will sell. They have some philosophy selling 1 high priced item (e.g.) for $50 instead of multiple items (e.g.) $25. Especially when nobody would pay that overpriced price. I'm seeing this pattern way too often lately at flea markets, and even retro game stores.

There's an old crappy antique store down the road. Dirty and dusty. He has an Nes and a few games. I can't remember how much he wanted but it was like $80 or something. He wouldn't sell the games separately and wouldn't go down on the price. I don't think he ever sells anything. He just sits in his chair, sometimes just chatting away with people. I get the impression he doesn't care if sells anything or not. Like it's just something to do, and he get's to socialize with people. It's just bizarre.

[sqoon]

xDragonWarrior, on Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:04 PM, said:

a Turbografx-16,Turbobooster and 4 games for $8

See, for every overpriced item, there are deals to be had. That is a sweet deal for sure.

[Arkhan]

what Turbob games did you get?

8$ is the steal of the century right there.


I saw someone charging 50$ for a loose NES Zelda (because it was GOLD!!11)

I went to another table, found 3 of them for 1$ each.

I went back and said "Hey will you take these 3 Zeldas for everything you've got here?  These fuckers are worth 150$!"

Said fleamarketeer was fairly pissed.  I bought Dungeon Magic and 8 Eyes off of him for around 5$ total.

I still have all the spare zelda carts, lol

[Reaperman]

One thing I've noticed about flea markets is that there are a lot of people there who actually don't need or want to sell their stuff. This is often the case at fixed location flea markets, not temporary setups where junk has to be packed up and hauled home at the end of the day. These are people who like to talk about their stuff, get out of the house a bit, and generally socialize. They're often retired, and may not really need the money.

Heck, I may end up doing it someday, but I don't like selling my stuff. I'd probably rent a stall, stick in video poker, a snack counter and a couple arcade/pinball machines to keep me busy.  I'll bet video poker would sell well there, but I'll confess that I don't know how much a license costs.

Edited by Reaperman, Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:27 AM.

[Mendon]

I hit the flea markets in my area at least once a month... good bargains and also gives me something to do other than play video games

A couple months back I was browsing and one vendor had a loose Intellivision II with no RF box or cable. I asked how much and he said $300! I usually just move on without saying anything when prices like this are asked but I blurted out without thinking "That's really an outrageous price".

The guy quickly sifted thru a stack of papers on his table and showed me a printed out eBay ad from RobotkingNES (notorius for asking outrageous prices on gaming items) and said "Whole systems are selling for $1500 dollars so this one is easily worth $300."

I hope nobody actually falls for his routine.


Mendon

[Arkhan]

I like when people do that.  This one shithole game store that was by me, the guy didn't price games.   If you asked what the price is, he'd quickly hop on eBay on his laptop and find the most expensive one.

That's the price he'd ask.

He did that for trades too.

I said to him "yknow, if I wanted moronic eBay prices, id just go on eBay" and he said "go ahead and do it then.  Get out of my store.  I know how to run a business"

He closed down.

[godslabrat]

Mendon, on Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:31 AM, said:

The guy quickly sifted thru a stack of papers on his table and showed me a printed out eBay ad from RobotkingNES (notorius for asking outrageous prices on gaming items) and said "Whole systems are selling for $1500 dollars so this one is easily worth $300."

Because, you know, people TOTALLY go into a flea market with $300+ cash in their pockets.  I mean, they don't let you in unless you show that you're a high roller.

Arkhan, on Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:53 AM, said:

I said to him "yknow, if I wanted moronic eBay prices, id just go on eBay" and he said "go ahead and do it then.  Get out of my store.  I know how to run a business"

He closed down.

We should probably take note of this point.  If these sellers were more adept at running a business, their base of operations might NOT be a flea market.  Just a thought...

[ProperRogue]

Mendon, on Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:31 AM, said:

A couple months back I was browsing and one vendor had a loose Intellivision II with no RF box or cable...

That wouldn't be the BigTop in Tampa, now would it? I also had a strangely similar experience there with a loose INTV a few years back.

[Eltigro]

sqoon, on Wed Apr 25, 2012 6:04 AM, said:

xDragonWarrior, on Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:04 PM, said:

a Turbografx-16,Turbobooster and 4 games for $8

See, for every overpriced item, there are deals to be had. That is a sweet deal for sure.

I agree.  I would have paid that for the booster alone.  (assuming working condition of course)

[flammingcowz]

My local flea market I have only seen something older that SNES once. It was a 7800 and the guy wanted $175. When I told him I'd give him $50 for it he laughed like I was stupid and assured me it was worth every penny he was charging.

It was just the system by itself

[sqoon]

flammingcowz, on Wed Apr 25, 2012 10:21 AM, said:

My local flea market I have only seen something older that SNES once. It was a 7800 and the guy wanted $175. When I told him I'd give him $50 for it he laughed like I was stupid and assured me it was worth every penny he was charging.

It was just the system by itself

I would go back in three months and see him still setting on that overpriced system and laugh, asking him if he was ready to come down on price yet.

[Atari_Bill]

Mendon, on Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:31 AM, said:

The guy quickly sifted thru a stack of papers on his table and showed me a printed out eBay ad from RobotkingNES (notorius for asking outrageous prices on gaming items) and said "Whole systems are selling for $1500 dollars so this one is easily worth $300."

I hope nobody actually falls for his routine.

Mendon

Exactly why guys like RobotkingNES are so dangerous to the hobby as a whole.  Besides the whole hoarding routine he does, He actually has this kind of influence on the uninformed.  Makes me despise him all the more.

[16-bit]

One of my favorites is a guy at one of the local flea markets, he's had a video stand for as long as I can remember going there. His stuff was always overpriced and if you asked for something you'd get a random price. Go back another time, completely different price, not necessarily higher or lower. I have no idea how he's been able to afford having the two large stands he has had all these years, because I've never seen anyone buy anything from him.

There's a market up north that has a nice game store with a good selection but almost everything is overpriced. They actually have OK prices on their systems, but any game is at least $5-10 more than it should be.  My recent favorite is Lion King for SNES loose for $14.  Then if you're feeling really rich you can check out the special case of games at the counter that you have to ask to see. You'll find such rarities like , Mike Tyson's Punch Out for $50 and Super Mario 3 for $40.

Edited by 16-bit, Wed Apr 25, 2012 10:43 PM.

[DaytonaUSA]

IntellivisionDude, on Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:29 PM, said:

I have gotten some people at flea markets to bargain and go down. But some are stubborn and will not budge and would rather keep their games that have been sitting there unsold forever. I'll never understand that. You would think people would be smart enough to realize that if you lower your prices their stuff will sell. They have some philosophy selling 1 high priced item (e.g.) for $50 instead of multiple items (e.g.) $25. Especially when nobody would pay that overpriced price. I'm seeing this pattern way too often lately at flea markets, and even retro game stores.

There's an old crappy antique store down the road. Dirty and dusty. He has an Nes and a few games. I can't remember how much he wanted but it was like $80 or something. He wouldn't sell the games separately and wouldn't go down on the price. I don't think he ever sells anything. He just sits in his chair, sometimes just chatting away with people. I get the impression he doesn't care if sells anything or not. Like it's just something to do, and he get's to socialize with people. It's just bizarre.

Yeah, I agree. There's a local gaming store down the road that has this problem as well. I kid you not, all their Playstation games were about $25-39 dollars a piece. Off the top of my head, Ace Combat 2 was $24.99, Armored Core 1 was $34.99, All the Crash Bandicoot games were about $30. I went in there recently to sell a Playstation and some games, including Street Fighter Alpha 3. He offered 25 cents for SFAIII! I literally looked at him and said "you're selling a disgusting copy that's case is dirty and broken of Ace Combat 2 for $25 but you'd only offer 25 cents for a mint copy of a much rarer fighting game???" He responded with "well, starting auction prices on eBay for SFAIII start at 99 cents". I literally couldn't believe what he said, and paused.... then said "and what in the hell does (then looked down at the display case) Breath of Fire III with no case or manual going for, because I seriously doubt those "auctions start at" (air quotes) $69.99! He just gave me back my stuff and apologized and that was it. End of transaction, haha.

Some other creative prices: Original Gameboy in poor condition $15 (screen scratched up, dings, and no battery cover), Gameboy Pocket $25, Gameboy Color $45, Sega Nomad in bad condition $99, Dreamcast in VERY bad condition $34.99, NES toaster $79.99, PSX $19.99 (funny as he only offered 2 dollars for mine, and it was mint), and there was an Xbox... a white, normal Xbox, for $160. Yeah....

I went to the other store down the street and told them about my experience. He told me that a ton of people complain about them all the time. Yet, that place is infinitely more busy than the nice store up the road! I'll never understand people...

[sqoon]

16-bit, on Wed Apr 25, 2012 10:42 PM, said:

One of my favorites is a guy at one of the local flea markets, he's had a video stand for as long as I can remember going there. His stuff was always overpriced and if you asked for something you'd get a random price. Go back another time, completely different price, not necessarily higher or lower. I have no idea how he's been able to afford having the two large stands he has had all these years, because I've never seen anyone buy anything from him.

There's a market up north that has a nice game store with a good selection but almost everything is overpriced. They actually have OK prices on their systems, but any game is at least $5-10 more than it should be.  My recent favorite is Lion King for SNES loose for $14.  Then if you're feeling really rich you can check out the special case of games at the counter that you have to ask to see. You'll find such rarities like , Mike Tyson's Punch Out for $50 and Super Mario 3 for $40.

I know this guy with a used game store and he put it like this: I try to price to sell because I am not running a museum. Evidently, some sellers like to hold on to their stuff.

[xDragonWarrior]

Arkhan, on Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:11 AM, said:

what Turbob games did you get?

8$ is the steal of the century right there.


I saw someone charging 50$ for a loose NES Zelda (because it was GOLD!!11)

I went to another table, found 3 of them for 1$ each.

I went back and said "Hey will you take these 3 Zeldas for everything you've got here?  These fuckers are worth 150$!"

Said fleamarketeer was fairly pissed.  I bought Dungeon Magic and 8 Eyes off of him for around 5$ total.

I still have all the spare zelda carts, lol

I got Keith courage in alpha zones,Dungeon explorer,Galaga 90,and Alien crush.the Turbobooster and system aswell as the games work like a charm!

[SRGilbert]

I find most flea markets to be pretty fair, if they have any game stuff at all.  I just have a hard time finding anything I need.  Like a lot of guys, I have two price ranges.  I'm willing to pay a reasonable price for something I want to get for my personal collection.  Otherwise, if it's something I think I can sell, I'll only buy it if it's super cheap and can make a good profit.

[Arkhan]

xDragonWarrior, on Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:36 PM, said:

I got Keith courage in alpha zones,Dungeon explorer,Galaga 90,and Alien crush.the Turbobooster and system aswell as the games work like a charm!

This is a solid set of games .

All of those are excellent.  Keith Courage is a bit odd (since its based on a cartoon we never got in the US), but it really is an awesome game, especially for being the pack-in.

Dungeon Explorer is like Gauntlet on steroids.   It's bitchin

[xDragonWarrior]

SRGilbert, on Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:54 PM, said:

I find most flea markets to be pretty fair, if they have any game stuff at all.  I just have a hard time finding anything I need.  Like a lot of guys, I have two price ranges.  I'm willing to pay a reasonable price for something I want to get for my personal collection.  Otherwise, if it's something I think I can sell, I'll only buy it if it's super cheap and can make a good profit.

it would be stupid if someone bought one of those "high priced" systems that DaytonaUSA and Mendon talked about and it dosent work and you can't take it back.

[SRGilbert]

xDragonWarrior, on Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:09 PM, said:

SRGilbert, on Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:54 PM, said:

I find most flea markets to be pretty fair, if they have any game stuff at all.  I just have a hard time finding anything I need.  Like a lot of guys, I have two price ranges.  I'm willing to pay a reasonable price for something I want to get for my personal collection.  Otherwise, if it's something I think I can sell, I'll only buy it if it's super cheap and can make a good profit.

it would be stupid if someone bought one of those "high priced" systems that DaytonaUSA and Mendon talked about and it dosent work and you can't take it back.

Well, no kidding.  Maybe I should have clarified: at the flea's I go to, I generally find good deals.  It's mostly the "retro game" stores that are the crazy prices to me.

[Enig]

SRGilbert, on Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:21 PM, said:

xDragonWarrior, on Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:09 PM, said:

SRGilbert, on Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:54 PM, said:

I find most flea markets to be pretty fair, if they have any game stuff at all.  I just have a hard time finding anything I need.  Like a lot of guys, I have two price ranges.  I'm willing to pay a reasonable price for something I want to get for my personal collection.  Otherwise, if it's something I think I can sell, I'll only buy it if it's super cheap and can make a good profit.

it would be stupid if someone bought one of those "high priced" systems that DaytonaUSA and Mendon talked about and it dosent work and you can't take it back.

Well, no kidding.  Maybe I should have clarified: at the flea's I go to, I generally find good deals.  It's mostly the "retro game" stores that are the crazy prices to me.

I get it the opposite. All the flea markets are outrageous, yet I've gotten great deals like Super Street Fighter II for Genesis for $3 at the thrift store.

Edited by Enig, Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:32 PM.

[raskar42]

I've had some good luck at the local comic show. sellers put out games as an after thought, and got a few carts'thrown in' with comic purchases.

[SEgamer]

It's always hit and miss, but last weekend at the local flea market I saw a box of about 20 NES games with some good titles in there (Zelda, Icarus, etc.). Only problem was that the woman selling them didn't know what she had and kept saying stuff like "that zelda game goes for over $900 on ebay!". So I replied "Yeah, if it was new." and she said "Yea I know, but these games are still expensive! Derp!" I tried to tell her BIN prices do not equal market value and you don't go by the new/sealed values to base cartridges on. But of course idiots like that don't listen.