11 replies to this topic

[Deteacher]

I went to my local used game store where they have quite a collection of retro stuff (some of which I've provided to them.)  They have everything from various pong units-Xbox 360 and everything in between.  

They've always had a nice cache of VCS/7800 carts and they charged 4/$1.00.  I got some really decent titles there nice and cheap.

I guess they started actually researching prices (probably using Ebay as their source) because now they're charging an arm and a leg for the same carts they used to let go for .25 each.

Swordquest Fireworld:  $9.99
Mario Bros:  $14.99
Spacechase:  $7.99

Just to name a few...and the Atari 2600 consoles are priced at $50!  Well, I guess it's back to hitting the garage sales and flea markets.  It was nice while it lasted.

[Random Terrain]

The Internet ruined everything!

[littleman jack]

Same thing happened here. We had two shops selling Atari 2600/5200/7800 carts for $1.00 each. Now they're asking $5.00 to $18.00. Dark Chambers went up to $18 and Pac-Man is now $5.00. We still have one shop that's selling them all for under $5.00 however. Not bad.

[atari2600land]

Same to me also. Who would pay $18 for a loose Snoopy & the Red Baron? $8 for Gorf? C'mon morons!

[StanJr]

I wonder where they are doing their research?  $10 for Fireworld?  I wouldn't give you $10 for 20 Fireworlds...

[the.golden.ax]

Goodwill had a Carebears record player in very used condition yesterday marked $129.99. A search of eBay results in one idiot TRYING to get $129.99, and many sold from $5 well used - $37 like new in box. At least if they are going to use eBay, they need to learn how to search CLOSED FRICKIN' LISTINGS.

[Torr]

The solution is to NOT buy items at these prices. and if other people out there ARE paying these prices, then TECHNICALLY that IS what they are worth.
Picasso's artwork is paint on canvas like any other painting, but if someone is willing to pay X Thousand dollars for paint smeared on canvas by Picasso rather than paint smeared on canvas by Joe Peterson, then by definition Picasso's paint smears are worth more than Joe Peterson's. Even if Joe and Picasso used the same bottles of paint and paintbrushes and took turns while painting their art. Picasso is Picasso. And by today's standards Atari is Atari. Some fool will pay the price just because  they want it.

*EDIT* not to sound insulting to art lovers or anything, but my point (which i seemed to miss) is  I AM one of those fools. Sure I know X dollars for item Y was too much, but I wanted it, it was the only one available at the time, and and the price was X so it was pay it or go home empty handed. If I didn't buy it someone else would have and I wouldn't have Super Thunder Blade to play at my whim right now.

Plus as I mentioned before, try to think of the dollar being X hours work. Sure it seems as though the price of everything has doubled in the last 10 years, but so have minimum wages... it still takes X hours to work to get what I want.
I remember when a new CD was 12-14 bucks, and I could get into a movie for 8-10. Minimum wage was $5/Hour back then. Now I bitch that a CD is 20+bucks and movies are near 20, but then I stop and think, well minimum wage is $10/hour now so... things haven't really changed, the numbers just got bigger...

Edited by Torr, Mon May 7, 2012 1:11 AM.

[sqoon]

From the sound of their prices, they will be sitting on many games for quite a while.

[Ranthulfr]

Well don't forget, there's always the old trade-in strategy.

[Fixitguy74]

The thrifts around here are way over priced sometimes and then every once in a while I seem to score something at a reasonable price. On the flip side of the rip off shops, there is a resale shop near here that charges $4.97 for all 2600/7800 games regardless of rarity and he has set prices like this for a lot of his item catagories like movies or cds. He told me that he doesn't have time to research everything in the store to set individual prices. I was also told that another customer tried to tell him he had a gold mine in VHS movies If he priced them according to current market value. Thats when he said your welcome to sort through them and pick out the good ones and pay what I'm asking then resell them if you desire. The guy took him up on the offer and it took him 6 hours to sort through every VHS tape he had and that didn't include looking up the value.

[Arkhan]

Just get a ton of the copies of shit games hes overcharging for dirt cheap elsewhere


then, go trade them in!

confuse the guy into fixing his store.


The local shop by me that I swear by, charges sane prices for Atari.  I've paid like, 30 cents for some games before.


Another store, I laugh every time I drive by it now...

because its empty and closed down.

bwahahahhaha

they wanted 50$ for a CIB Star Raiders.

and 25$ for a boxed Defender.

That's just dumb.

[PFL]

At least you lot have places to go and find games for the VCS.  There are absolutely no shops anywhere near me (read: Scotland!) that sells them, ever.  The only place I can get my PAL VCS games from at any reasonable price is eBay...  Lucky me!