20 replies to this topic

[DesertJets]

As a general preference I like buying 2600 carts in lots. Given how cheap this can be and how expensive it can be to ship individual carts I think this makes more sense. Since getting my Jr last fall, which came with 20 or so commons, I purchased 2 separate lots of carts (I think each around 15 games a piece). Since I've inventoried everything I have ~10 titles that are duplicated in my collection.... again all commons


So I run into a few problems. One what to do with those duplicate carts and two when buying lots in the future at what point do you decide a lot is not worth it. If I see a lot with several titles I want and a few more that look good, but half of them I already have at what point do you say its not worth it. And how do you explain to the S.O. that those extra copies of Missile Command, Pac-Man and Combat aren't worth anything.

[FujiSkunk]

If you like buying homebrews from AtariAge, you can sell the dirt-common duplicates like Combat and Pac-Man to AtariAge for store credit.  Sadly they'll only take black-label games, which means you can't unload your box of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial cartridges this way.

If you have a used game shop in town and you don't mind taking a hit on the potential value of the games, you can always ask what they'll take for them.

For more valuable or collectable games, set up a for-sale list in the AtariAge marketplace forum.  You can also try Craigslist-ing bundles of games for local sale, or even put the ones you don't want back on eBay.

As for when it stops being worth it, ultimately that's up to you.  Generally as your collection grows, you will find fewer lots with anything not already in your collection, so your buying will go down anyway.  When you do see a lot with something new, however, it just might be a gem that you don't normally see beyond individual sale.  At that point you have to decide which is better: buying the lot and processing the duplicates, or just buying the game elsewhere individually.  Buying the game individually may cost more on a per-cartridge basis, but it takes up a lot less of your time afterward.  On the other hand, for us labor-of-love types, we relish the idea of digging through a new mountain of games, even when we already own most of what's in that mountain.  So again, you'll have to decide which way is right for you.

Edited by FujiSkunk, Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:55 PM.

[Pioneer4x4]

DesertJets, on Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:43 PM, said:

One what to do with those duplicate carts...

Get a Harmony cart, learn to program your own with bBasic, and make new carts to sell.  Re-use those common shells!

[FireStar]

Alternatively, use them as Decor, but not like this kind of decor: http://www.atariage....of-atari-stuff/
Maybe put a few in a stack and put one of those 2600 joytsick candy tins on top.

[thegoldenband]

I've made a Christmas present of a system and a bunch of commons to one of my siblings, and have also given lots of games to my parents who still have an Atari.  If you have any friends or family who appreciate such things, they'd probably get much more nostalgic excitement from Missile Command, Combat and River Raid than from Malagai, Chase the Chuckwagon and River Patrol!  (Unless they're mainly interested in the resale value, that is.)

Otherwise, there's reusing the cart shells, as others have mentioned.  For the games that can't be recycled, giving them away on AtariAge for the cost of shipping -- or if not for free, then at 25-50 cents per cart -- is very good karma.

[rmaerz]

FujiSkunk, on Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:54 PM, said:

If you like buying homebrews from AtariAge, you can sell the dirt-common duplicates like Combat and Pac-Man to AtariAge for store credit.  Sadly they'll only take black-label games, which means you can't unload your box of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial cartridges this way.

Well, I've PM'd Albert several times about sending my dupes in for credit but never got a response as far as the mailing address to ship them to.

Last I heard, they're still taking Coleco to be recycled into Turbo carts.

[S1500]

I gave some of my dupes to the Atari 2600 at work.

[Torr]

I like this thread, I got so many common dupes.
I liken collecting VCS carts to collecting Hockey Cards or Stamps. getting duplicates is near unavoidable.
I don't have the heart to throw them away but I have no other option soon.

Same goes for my SNES and N64 stuff... not that they're dupes, but I don't want them anymore, but when I posted them in the Marketplace I got next to no replies, and the few I got didn't want to pay the expensive CDN shipping charges. It's not my fault Canada Post is poor and needs to ridiculously over charge for shipping in order to recoup the damage done by e-mail... but seriously, 16+ dollars to ship a SINGLE N64 game... no wonder nobody wants to buy mine when they can get the same thing for cheaper from a fellow statesman.

[DesertJets]

Pioneer4x4, on Wed Jun 13, 2012 5:56 PM, said:

DesertJets, on Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:43 PM, said:

One what to do with those duplicate carts...

Get a Harmony cart, learn to program your own with bBasic, and make new carts to sell.  Re-use those common shells!

I like that idea, but I am no programmer.

FireStar, on Wed Jun 13, 2012 6:30 PM, said:

Alternatively, use them as Decor, but not like this kind of decor: http://www.atariage....of-atari-stuff/
Maybe put a few in a stack and put one of those 2600 joytsick candy tins on top.

One of my local game stores uses old 2600 carts as spacers between the wall and the rack that they display their games on. Thought that was cool. I suppose they could make cheap coasters. I had a roommate back in grad school that used those free AOL CDs as coasters.

Torr, on Thu Jun 14, 2012 10:01 AM, said:

I like this thread, I got so many common dupes.
I liken collecting VCS carts to collecting Hockey Cards or Stamps. getting duplicates is near unavoidable.
I don't have the heart to throw them away but I have no other option soon.

I guess that is true. It becomes a game of diminishing yield. With 2600 stuff I could deal with getting half a lot of stuff I already have, but for my A8 stuff I really don't want dupes. Which is good and bad b/c A8 lots are rare and stuff is expensive. Yet I have two copies of Q-Bert, which isn't a game I even like very much.



I hear you about shipping from Canada. When I was trying to buy stuff for my Amiga there was a seller in Calgary that had great stuff and good prices, but shipping was a killer. However when I got my 2600 Jr and XEGS with all the games the seller was in Halifax. Shipping wasn't bad, but the price couldn't be beat at that time.

[Dauber]

What I'd do is just keep buying the lots that have what I don't, and just sell the ones you don't want as "starter" packs...kinda got that idea when i saw a lot of "starter packs" for sale at the Midwest Gaming Classic in '06 and thought that was a clever idea for both the seller and the buyer.

[WSGEXE]

People often get excited when I tell them I have an Atari and say how much they'd like one for themselves. I've given away games as a token of encouragement to take up the hobby. You'd be surprised how many people want to get into retrogaming but don't know how to start.

[R.O.T.S]

At the moment i am collecting label variations as well but i try to keep at least 2 of every version in case one stops working,anything after that is surplus but i do not know anyone else who collects atari 2600 stuff so at least for the moment i will hold onto them.

[theloon]

Until I can reliably back up all my carts using the Retrode I keep a play cart and a keeper cart.  At one point I put a microdrive in a combat cart to make it a USB drive..

[Tin_Lunchbox]

thegoldenband, on Wed Jun 13, 2012 7:11 PM, said:

Otherwise, there's reusing the cart shells, as others have mentioned.  For the games that can't be recycled, giving them away on AtariAge for the cost of shipping -- or if not for free, then at 25-50 cents per cart -- is very good karma.

Atari Age is a great environment for retro enthusiasts, and it promotes creativity I think, but it does run marketing cookies, so I'd suppose it's a profit-making entity. And it does this from the content its users generate, for example that amazing series of Video Chess games you generated, Golden; oh wait you're saying "give them away on Atari Age," not *to* Atari Age, sorry.

You can try to sell the extra carts on EBay, but sellers incur some costs there. I have no relation to ECrater and am not marketing it but I list some stuff there and it doesn't cost anything. I list them and toss 'em and other stuff in a trunk and forget about it all until once-in-an-age I get an email saying that someone has sent me Paypal money, and then I hustle out and mail the stuff.

With EBay you get the eyeballs and or more likely to get a buyer quickly. With ECrater you just chill out and wait, and you might be waiting a long time. Want a third choice? You can start a shop at Amazon.

[AAirhart]

i'm always willing to buy boxes of common dupes. however... i normally only offer 50 cents per cart.

[simbalion]

I have several duplicate carts and some dupes of the 2600 systems. I have a working version of basically every style 2600 now except the jr. If I had enough power packs, I would test the duplicate systems and joysticks,then sell two or three along with a small selection of each of the duplicate carts I have for a little extra cash.

[pacgreg]

I usually keep two of each kind of label of each kind of game, after that I have a combat tank, creative use of a slingshot and cardboard, that fires them. Usually through windows at kids who turn their CoD games up too loud.

[TIMTOM]

theloon, on Mon Jul 2, 2012 12:44 PM, said:

Until I can reliably back up all my carts using the Retrode I keep a play cart and a keeper cart.  At one point I put a microdrive in a combat cart to make it a USB drive..

I thought you said you put a combat cart in the microwave.

[marillion]

You could donate them to me.  I'm just starting back up playing the 2600 and could use as many different games as possible.

With my first child on the way I can't afford to spend a ton on games, so any cheapies/freebies would be appreciated.  

Peace,

Chip

[Nateo]

I'd say if you can't sell them or otherwise get rid of them for yours or someone else's benefit, I'd say get creative with them! Heck, someone made a lamp out of 'em.

[Mark T]

I try to break free from having duplicates but they always seem to haunt me! I just recently gave my Genesis dupliates to my friend as a housewarming present