Some classic game stores are getting just plain greedy

[Rev. Rob]

Anyways, thats just my rant about how greedy I feel this store was Anything like this happen to you guys?

 

In the Phoenix Metro area there is a store in Mesa called Games Plus. The idiots who now own it don't even put prices on the games. And if there are price tags on them, they don't go by them. When you bring something up to the counter, they actually check eBay right in front of you, and then mark up the game 10% from whatever it last sold for, or use some ridiculous BIN price as the actual value.

 

I straight walked out of that store. I told them if I wanted to shop on eBay, then I won't leave my house.

 

What a bunch of assholes.

Edited May 18, 2008 by Rev. Rob

[Rev. Rob]

I agree that $129 is pretty high for a loose cart, and you were right for not buying it. There's a local game shop here in town called Game Factor that sells vintage stuff in addition to new stuff. This store used to treat me well. There was a previous manager that would go out of his way to try and find the game I wanted, and he would usually give me used games at cost (what he paid the guy to trade them in) if they were really that desireable. To return my gratitude I bought all of my new release game purchases there as well as any accessories, etc. Basically if I wanted something I would go there first.

 

Now the store is managed by one of the key employees who is a major ass. He rips you off on trades and sells vintage stuff for the same outragous prices complained about here. For example, games like Tetris and Dr. Mario are $15 each because he calls them "rare". The first and second Zelda games are $25 for the same reason. SNES and Genesis games usually aren't too expensive, unless they are things like Donley Kong Country or Sonic the Hedgehog games. Most of the time the games are loose carts.

 

Since this is the only store in town that sells vintage stuff, I have to resort to buying things on Ebay.

 

Sounds like a store in my area. The old owner was great, but one of his employees bought it from him, and now he thinks everything is gold. I have to wait up to 15 min to get a price on an atari 2600 cart, and he usually quotes it at 2X atari2600.com's price is or a high ebay price. he sits there and searches the web for prices while you stand there. Drives me nuts.

 

He has no clue that I'd spend about $30-40 a month in his store if he had more realistic prices and had the games marked. As it is, I may spend $100 per year there instead... maybe, and on new stuff only.

 

Oh, you're also talking about Games Plus, I see.

[potatohead]

Support home brew then.

 

IMHO, those people wanting to over value this stuff can just sell it to those willing to pay. If they are there in numbers, then it's all good. If not, then it will stagnate, bringing prices down for us again.

 

It's one thing to fill out a collection. That's worth some smack, if that's your goal.

 

On the other hand, it's another to look for new retro gaming experiences. To me, this is where it's all at. If an already produced and sold game is valued too high, I'll just ignore it. There are plenty to choose from, so price pressure really isn't all that bad.

 

My best gaming experiences have come from the great home brew authors here and elsewhere! Often we get to see the development, contribute to it, play it, etc... Buying that cart goes right back to this community, others and the authors. They might not pay the bills with their efforts, but getting those "thanks for a great game I can't wait to show off" e-mails and the dollars are a great reward for a fun hobby.