25 yard sales on Saturday....NOTHING

[Joel D. Park]

One of the local comunities were having a block sale of sorts and there were also a couple church sales. In total I went to probably 25 different sales, some very large.. And believe it or not, I didn't see any video games at all, not a thing Nothing Classic or Un-Classic. The only thing even resembling a video game was one of those hand held 2001 games things, they were advertising on TV a little while back.

 

Well, back to Ebay I guess.

[maximebeauvais]

i did around 30 yard sale on Saterday.

 

-i found a snes complete in box with 5 games

 

-i found a few nes system with around 15 games (mega man 2 and 4)

 

-i also found a multi nes cart 190 in 1

 

-the last one: atari kit with around 35 games with all the instruction for only $5.00

 

and don't forget that this is canadian $$$

[ratfink]

This is why I gave up collecting. 5, 6, 7 years ago the stuff was everywhere. That's how I got into it in the first place but now...ah well. Fire up the emulator.

[ATARIPITBULL]

I'm with Green Goblin, I only went to about three yard sales and never found anything but crap.

[Bez]

Maxime Beauvais, care to sell a NES system?

[sdstuff64]

How should i go about finding/looking at/for yard sales?should i just go to every one?

 

thanks

[Bez]

Hmm..I usually stick to flea markets pawnshops and stores were they might have 2nd hand electronics. Put up an ad in your local paper and so on.

/Bez

[Scooterb23]

The only tip I have ever followed for garage sale hunting is to try and go to neighborhood sales in places that are over 20 years old. Going to newer developments will only net you baby clothes, Pokemon cards, and NordicTracks. The older (and slightly less affluent I've noticed) the area, the better chance of getting classic video games. Also, near college campuses (campusii, campoxen??) I've noticed a lot of video games and great cds!!

[dwh]

I went to two places on Sunday and there were no electronics for sale at all(this IS the 21st century, right!?)Oh well, I'll just save up some money and order stuff online from Hozer Vidio & others.Also going to save even more money for a trip to Las Vegas this August for the Classic Gaming Expo.

[tbfinley2]

Try this >I was going to yard sale and finding nintendo and sega and playstation games but nothing atari .So all the other games I could get dirt cheap I picked up. I now have them for Trade onGameTZ.

I have been trading up a storm. So now when I see games for other systems,I ask myself what can I get for it.

 

web page

[Philflound]

I actually consider myself an expert on this. I've been doing this since 1995 and have hit at least 1000 garage sales over this time.

 

1. Very important. Buy a detailed street map of the county near you. These run between $8-10, but they are invaluable. It's easier to get the one that is small in spiral book form.

 

2. Check the classifieds in your local main paper. Not the give away crap they throw on your lawn, but the real one.

 

3. Look for auctions, flea markets, block sales, town garage sales, estate sales, church sales, etc FIRST! Doing this will guarantee you more than one family selling their stuff. You don't have to drive all over town trying to find 10 sellers, or 20 sellers, etc when they are all in one spot.

 

4. Look for key words: toys, videos, video games, comics, etc in the classified ads. HIT THESE FIRST! People like collectibles and will be knocking down the door to get to the place before you do.

 

5. If you are hitting individual garage sales, map your route the night before. List each one with times they open and try to go in order.

 

6. Avoid or leave till last classifieds that say HH (Household items), tools, baby clothes, furniture. These usually will leave you with nothing of interest.

 

7. As someone mentioned, try and hit the older towns, since these will most likely yield greater results.

 

8. Look for MOVING SALES. This is important because these people HAVE to get rid of their stuff. They don't want to drag it, so you may get a super bargain.

 

9. EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!!! If you don't see what you are looking for, ASK. I've asked countless of times. "Do you have old video games, Nintendo? Atari? Intellivision? Etc?" You'd be surprised how many people may not have put it out, but have these tucked away and didn't even think about selling it. If they want money, they may go inside and get it for you at the time, or may tell you to come back.

 

10. Make a flyer and give them to the garage sale seller. Put on the flyer items you are looking for and where you can be contacted. Put pictures of an atari or intellivision as an eye catcher. The seller might not have it, but they have relatives and friends don't they? So maybe they'll pass it along. In fact, ask them if they know anyone who might be willing to sell the stuff.

 

11. Last on my list and another extremely important rule. CHECK EVERYTHING! Look under tables, on shelves if it's in the garage, etc. People sometimes have a box of junk. Spend the time looking through. Maybe you'll find a rare action figure, or hot wheels car, etc. Sometimes you'll find something you didn't even think of, or possibly something you haven't seen since you were a kid. Look inside boxes of board games. Once I saw some lady using a Vectrex box to sell a ceiling fan. She wanted $20 for the fan. I asked her for the box. She wouldn't let me have it without buying the fan. Oh, well.

 

12. Ok, this isn't a rule, but HAVE FUN! I've done to 15 garage sales in a row and haven't found anything. You'll be smiling at the end of the summer when you've added 10 rarer games or so that you found in week 6 or something. You won't know what you'll stumble across unless you get out there. If you want a bargain, EARN IT! If not, just drop $100 on a Waterworld or Qberts Qubes and just sit home every Saturday.

 

Good luck hunting. You won't be disappointed all the time.

 

Phil

[Philflound]

Sorry, forgot a couple of things.

 

13. Haggle prices. You'd be surprised at how quickly someone is willing to drop a price. The worst they can do is say no, so then if it looks good enough for their asking price, buy it. If not, walk away. I've walked away many times. In fact, if the price was way too high, like maybe $30 for an Atari with 10 games, I wouldn't even make an offer. The seller has at times asked me to make an offer. I say that I didn't want to insult their intelligence. If they insist, offer $10. If not leave it.

 

I forgot to mention a few weeks ago. I looked in the classifieds and there was the word "Comics". So I made this the highest priority to get to. In fact, I was rushing my fiancee out the door to make sure I wasn't late. We got there. His comics were crap. But we got 2 lap top computers. Nice ones at that, for only $25 for both.

 

Oh, forgot something else. Set a standard price for buying games. Say $1.00 each if they are complete with box, 50 cents if they are just the cartridge. Then if you know your mom's friends or someone is going out, give them a paper with the Atari or Intellivision name write on it, and tell them this is how much you are willing to spend. You may take a chance that they overpay, but if they run across a Crazy Climber in a box of games and they don't buy it because they know you collect it but don't know how much you are willing to pay, then you lose out.

 

If you need any more advice, feel free to post here or even email me.

 

pdispenza@hotmail.com

 

Phil

[maximebeauvais]

Philflound.....

 

great job!!!!!!!

[Philflound]

Thanks. Actually after reading the previous replies before mine, I did forget something else.

 

Thrift shops, pawn shops, antique stores.

 

Though I will find some games, usually cheap at the Salvation Army, these are extremely tough. I do have a suggestion though. If you are friendly enough to the person behind the counter, give them a flyer or business card. Tell them that if they get any item on your list to give you a call before putting it out. This may work. You could even give them advice as to how to price some of the games/systems you don't collect. You may be rewarded for it.

 

Phil

[Atarinvader]

Excellent advice. Don't forget wanted ads. 20% of my collection comes from wanted ads.

[Philflound]

And to mention a couple of more things. I didn't think of want ads. Yes, look for what people are selling, but if you can get a free ad once in awhile, you may want to post that you are buying these things. Or maybe spend $5-10 on an ad and hope you hit something.

 

There is one thing a little less ethical, but is how I acquire a great number of games. Garbage night. Drive around and see if you spot a box of games, or comics, or whatever. I actually have not found games, but my buddy found a nice brand new Nintendo 64 about a year ago in the dumpster. He thinks it was someone's gf pissed off throwing out the guy's stuff. There was also a nice Mickey Mantle plaque too.

 

But most of my acquisitions are from a garbage man. This guy keeps tons of stuff and sells them at the local shows or flea markets. Since I know him, he gives me first crack at things. In fact, I got a nice bunch of Atari games boxed, the Data Age Record and most of the Atari Age mags from this guy for $80.00. This did include a boxed Revenge of the Beefsteak Tomatoes. I was happy with the buy.

 

So, if you know a garbage man, don't be afraid to ask him, if not go out yourself. It's good to hit the town clean-up days if you know what day they do it.

 

Phil

[Nateo]

I found an Atari 800 (complete in the box) along with the Atari Programmers Kit, a joystick, and a 410, for $50 (yeah I know, kinda steep, but still an okay price)

[bangles66]

Philflound, Great Advice.

 

I to consider myself an expert yardsale person having been on the buying and selling side for more than 25 years, I was fortuneate enough to have parents that loved flea markets and liked to drive.

we would go all over new england.

 

I still do but even go all over the us.When i'm on vacation my wife and i try to find as many yardsales, flea markets thrifts you name it, if they might have games i'm gonna check it out.

 

You gave grat advice mapping the route out, and picking certain "toys" and video games ads will definately produce more results--although this area has been dry lately.

[jsoper]

Sure wish I'd been collecting in the early 90's because the old-timers say thrifts were overflowing with classic stuff.

Used to go on major thrifting and flea expeditions but now my collection is so big (about 250 2600 carts) and places are so dry it's really rare to find something I don't already have.

Now I only stop at a thrift if I'm driving near it anyway. And I ride my bike 8 miles down to the weekend flea because I want to exercise anyway. Last time a seller had a commodore 1702 monitor but I already have two and couldn't really take it home on my bike (a vectrex sure would be worth a taxi ride though, might even take a victory lap around the block

[bradjewell]

this reminds me of the discussion that had been going on a while back about finding stuff in the wild against ebay. I don't see how anyone can not keep looking once they find anything in the wild. I get giddy when I see a pair of paddle controllers or a pac-man cartridge sometimes. It really pays off to be friendly at these places and ask questions. Sometimes they'll help you out. I've gotten 4 atari's (2 4switch, 6switch, and a junior. one had broke switches) for like 12 bucks in all. Plus he threw in a joystick, pacman, and a star raiders overlay that was just laying there getting ready for the trash. I love it when they throw stuff in. Good advice, phil. (just thought I'd add that)

 

Brad

[ratfink]

Gosh I guess I'm an old-timer. The booty did flow in the olden days, laddies.

 

In my collecting days, I generally avoided yard/garage sales. 1) they usually had nothing in terms of classic games and 2) if they did have something like an old C64 computer they'd want $200 for it! "Well heck, I paid $400 for it."

 

I got my best stuff at those giant outdoor flea markets. Goodwill wasn't bad either.

 

If you do go to yard sales, check out the age of the man/woman running the thing. If it's a housewife in her 20's or 30's, move on! Nothing but baby clothes and rattles with baby spit all over them.

[smf_4ever]

thanks phil!!!!

 

Another great source I have found (built more than half my collection).. I put up a flyer in my work break room.. I have 17 calls from relatives of co-workers.. 13 of them game me the dusty collections... the others.. I spent a total of $20 for..

[Atarinvader]

I would say that a lot of Atari stuff has now ended up in the hands of collectors, been chucked out or completely forgoten, which is why everything is so 'dry'. The distribution is changing.

 

Wanted ads are a brilliant soure for me, and is definetly better than the wild. It was how I started my collection (3 X 6 Switchers and about 10 games). I had a phone call from a guy the other day who had 95 games and 4 systems, but he had seen an article about their prices on eBay and wanted far far too much.

 

I'm finding a hell of a lot of Master System and Mega Drive games in the wild, about 30 per day, so thats gonna be the future of my collecting. They maybe be abundant now, but not forever, as was the way with Atari.