bennybingo

I read your entire post, but the sentences I included in the bullet points above, completely diluted your statements (if they had any merits to begin with). As soon as you decided to drop to the level of foul language and name calling, I would think your comments lost any value to the people you were trying to address…along with anyone who just popped in to see what all the fuss was about. As you are aware, I have taken issue with your selling practices before, and still feel the same way…but I can completely respect that your games are 100% yours to sell…for whatever you can get for them…free market economy and all... That said, the homebrew & collecting scene does suffer as a consequence (wether your agree with me or not…it is true). You see, the only reason I have had a hard time lately with the CV scene is due to artificial price inflation. This inflation comes from folks like you, jacking up the prices on eBay…leading others to do the same. If you question this conclusion, then notice that you are offering games which are still available from the publishers, for FAR above what they are offered for directly from the publisher. THAT takes money out of the pockets of developers, and puts it into yours. Sure…you could say "buyer beware", but truthfully, it is not the case. I have seen you take down such listings, as soon as the publisher themselves posts their own copies on eBay for "actual value"…thus making your auctions irrelevant...but what you are doing is forcing their hand. What if their business model (if you could even call it that…most of the home brewers barely make a dime) can't sustain selling on eBay…with all of the fees and hassles associated? By selling their games, before they are "sold out" on a title, you have basically forced them to put their games up on eBay…just so they can break even. That, my "friend"…that's disgusting. It actually amazes me that the publishers haven't yet blacklisted you from buying their games. Sure, your money is green, but what are the long-term consequences of selling to someone who is clearly only in this for profit? As I said earlier…I understand that this is a free market economy, but your selling practices do hurt the scene, so you shouldn't be surprised when it ruffles feathers around these parts. Again, I will never disagree with a handful of the things you said…the games are yours, and yours to sell. And I certainly agree that all of us here with substantial collections, hope that IF we ever feel the need or desire to sell, we will get top dollar at that time. That said, you are using that logic as a means of thinly veiling what you are actually doing. You aren't cashing out from the hobby…this has been going on for a long time. As a matter of fact, I still see you buying up home-brews like it is your job…and I believe that is what this is to you…a paycheck. In your case, you are always looking for 1000% return on investment. Best of luck with that…but don't be surprised that folks aren't exactly singing your praises around here.

***insert link from Random Terrain HERE***

Damit Jim, I'm a doctor…not a brick layer!!!

The reality is, at Atari Age, most of the members have been here a very long time…in some cases, for over a decade. Anyone who has hung around for more than a few months, or has read the "Bad Trader Alert" thread, knows that scammers come and go here…leaving a path of destruction in their wake (along with a ton of Shatner pictures). I think that you might be mistaking "negativity" for folks who are exercising an abundance of caution…not only for themselves, but the community in general. On many occasions, a new member has arrived, offering a decent deal on something I wanted. On a one of those occasions, I leapt before I looked and got burned. Since then, I have been more than happy to "call people out" when they fit the same M.O. I figure, it is better to speak up than to let one of my fellow community members fall prey to a fly-by-night scam artist. I am not saying this is a scam, but if it walks like a duck…. Bottom line: 1.) new member (23 posts…almost all of which were spent trying to trade this item) 2.) no feedback 3.) no PayPal 4.) no pictures of the items he/she is looking to trade 5.) HUGE list of wants, in exchange for something broken 6.) nothing listed in their profile telling us where they live (for all I know, they are located in the UAE) 7.) asking for the other person to ship first 8.) etc…the list goes on and on Even if this isn't a scam, it is certainly not a way to introduce yourself to a community, and IMHO, it warrants all sorts of warning bells, sirens and red flags. If anyone is still interested in trading with this person, and they are totally comfortable with the "terms" set forth, then whatever happens is theirs to own…I just hope they don't say that they were not warned…we are good at protecting our own around these parts.

A few questions... 1.) do the joysticks: a. still function properly? b. have the metal atari hex disks on top? c. have any visible signs of wear (i.e.: bite marks in the rubber on top of the stick, faded paint, etc.)? 2.) does the serial number on the box match the one on the console? 3.) do the paddles work? 4.) does the console work? 5.) are all the cords fully intact? 6.) does it contain the interior cardboard packaging which originally came with the box (the cardboard pieces which kept everything in place within the box)? 7.) do you still have the original system manuals and warranty card? All of the above will help determine the value. Some things (like the serial numbers matching and the hex disks on the joysticks) will increase your value tremendously, as these are things which are much less common to find. Heavy sixers are fairly common…contrary to popular belief. Working, complete in box H-sixers are not. I would say it all comes down to exactly how complete it is. Details would help us all determine a ballpark value for you.

Not at that price…not even close.

Agreed. That letter REEKS of a scam…or, at very least, a shakedown…just sayin.

CIB for me…just send me a PM when it is available.

Oops….I thought the title said 3D SHAT artist.../

Just in case anyone on the forum is not aware of how the "dog dare" system works, here is a quick tutorial video:

I vote for Shatners and Kitties...

I really need to repair the flux capacitor on my DeLorean one of these days….

They could be made by the AtariAge store...just a thought!

Not to mention, mold spreads. You could easily end up doing damage to the rest of your CIB collection…or even worse...your house!

These games need an official cart release!

Brilliant!!!!

Where the heck is Shatner when we need him?

I will stick with the VIP…Blu-Ray for me please!

***click to animate

Is that what you meant to say?

They don't count as media. Many times, people have tried to save on shipping that way with my purchases, and it does not always work out. If the post office checks the package, one of 3 things can happen (depending on how each post office chooses to deal with it): 1. it will be returned to sender (often damaged) 2. it will arrive to the buyer, marked with insufficient postage (which the recipient will need to pay for the parcel to be released) 3. it will disappear into post office limbo…never to be seen again (or at least not for a very long while). IMHO, media mail is not an option.

CVGA is correct. The community here is very fair with pricing. Supporting a brick and mortar store is great, as they won't survive otherwise, but at the end of the day, it is never going to agree with your wallet as a long term collecting strategy. If you are looking to beef up your collection, send me a PM and we can work something out…I have a TON of loose & CIB games for sale at any time, and my prices are very reasonable.

Yep…as I remember, part of the higher pricing was the official licensing from First Star Software, but the rest of it went into the insane amount of programming and beautiful packaging. It is one of the few home-brews that I play very often, and would have to be in a severe pinch to part with. I hope it never comes to that!

I am indifferent to the sound & lights coming out of the controller…sometimes it does add just the right amount of dramatic effect, but for the most part, it really just drains the heck out of the battery.

Happy new year! Thank you for the great ColecoVision news! Let me know if you have a poster to spare…I have a space reserved for it on my wall in the game room!