Price Check on Starpath boxed games - UPDATED W/PICS!

[Mirage]

I don't know if I'll hear back from the guy or not (I emailed him asking what he wants for the set), but I was offered a boxed set of Starpath games, the 7 most common ones:

 

Includes (all box, manual, cassette):

Supercharger/Phaser Patrol (which I already have, boxed)

Communist Mutants From Outer Space

Fireball

Suicide Mission

Escape from the Mindmaster

Dragonstomper

Killer Satellites

 

I have no clue what I should offer him. I already have almost all the manuals, so I'd mostly want this for the boxes. Either way, I need to know what to offer him that would be a fair price. I don't want to over pay, but I also don't want to inadvertently offer him too low an amount either.

 

Thanks for your help!

Edited January 8, 2009 by Mirage1972

[iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin]

100$

[Crazy Climber]

100$

More than fair, I would start with $65

[Dino]

100$

 

shipped

[Buyatari]

Don Mowzan had a huge qty of these Superchager games. I dunno if he has any more but he should. On eBay he goes by DANOX. Nice guy he always gave me good deals.

[cougar302b]

Looking back I paid well over $200 for all of those (boxed), but I bought them individually. If you can get 'em for $100 good job and great deal. $65 total for all? yeah right, find me a boxed Dragonstomper for under $75. I swear to god some of the people here say these crazy low-ball prices and I have no idea where they are coming from. I have a constant search on E-bay, check Craigs list, and C.T.C. and I never see the incredibly low prices some of the people here say they are worth.

 

Also JUST getting the supercharger boxed for under $30 is an incredible deal. I know I paid over $40 for just that (with game of course). And after over a year of trying I finally got a boxed Dragonstomper for $75 (they sometimes go for $100 plus). So, I can say with some certainty that up to $200 is not an unfair price. And if Crazy Climber wants to sell me his collection for $65 I am all over it, or anyone else for $100.

Edited January 3, 2009 by cougar302b

[Shawn]

Looking back I paid well over $200 for all of those (boxed), but I bought them individually. If you can get 'em for $100 good job and great deal. $65 total for all? yeah right, find me a boxed Dragonstomper for under $75. I swear to god some of the people here say these crazy low-ball prices and I have no idea where they are coming from. I have a constant search on E-bay, check Craigs list, and C.T.C. and I never see the incredibly low prices some of the people here say they are worth.

 

Also JUST getting the supercharger boxed for under $30 is an incredible deal. I know I paid over $40 for just that (with game of course). And after over a year of trying I finally got a boxed Dragonstomper for $75 (they sometimes go for $100 plus). So, I can say with some certainty that up to $200 is not an unfair price. And if Crazy Climber wants to sell me his collection for $65 I am all over it, or anyone else for $100.

 

You gotta sit on the Jedi Councel to get the Uber Jedi deals AKA alot of the really good deals stay within private circles.

[Zwackery]

Being patient lends itself to deals.

 

For example:

• on 11/17/2004, I eBayed the box and manual for the Supercharger/Phaser Patrol (having been given the tape, and I acquired the Supercharger elsewhere, eventually winding up with 2) for $0.99 + $2.53 s/h.
  
• on 06/08/2006, I eBayed Fireball CIB in a lot with other games, paid $12 for all the games + $5 s/h. I got yet another Fireball CIB later on which I resold on 10/19/2006 for $9.49 + $2.50 for s/h.
  
• on 11/29/2006, I bought Dragonstomper CIB from McGrail for $4.95 + $5.00 s/h.
  
• on 05/05/2007, I bought Killer Satellites CIB from atari2600.com for $14.95.
  
• as for the rest, Communist Mutants From Outer Space, Suicide Mission, and Escape from the Mindmaster all ran me $10-15 NIB.
  
• And a member here at AA gave me a very nice deal on Rabbit Transit CIB, so now I'm just looking for Frogger and Party Mix.
  

[cougar302b]

Being patient lends itself to deals.

 

For example:

• on 11/17/2004, I eBayed the box and manual for the Supercharger/Phaser Patrol (having been given the tape, and I acquired the Supercharger elsewhere, eventually winding up with 2) for $0.99 + $2.53 s/h.
  
• on 06/08/2006, I eBayed Fireball CIB in a lot with other games, paid $12 for all the games + $5 s/h. I got yet another Fireball CIB later on which I resold on 10/19/2006 for $9.49 + $2.50 for s/h.
  
• on 11/29/2006, I bought Dragonstomper CIB from McGrail for $4.95 + $5.00 s/h.
  
• on 05/05/2007, I bought Killer Satellites CIB from atari2600.com for $14.95.
  
• as for the rest, Communist Mutants From Outer Space, Suicide Mission, and Escape from the Mindmaster all ran me $10-15 NIB.
  
• And a member here at AA gave me a very nice deal on Rabbit Transit CIB, so now I'm just looking for Frogger and Party Mix.
  

That is an incredible deal you got with McGrail. He gives me somewhat decent prices after the offer counteroffer thing, but you will not get these prices now at all on E-bay. I watch all starpath games and they are NOT cheap. $4.95 for Dragonstomper are you kidding me? Seriously? I will sextuple that if you want to sell it. You would absolutey not get that price now. No way, no how. I wish I would have been E-baying back when you guys got Quadrun for a nickel (or whatever). Anywho the prices that I said are what is current and realistic. Like I said before "I will give you $65 for your (Starpath) collection". PM me with the info and I will buy it.

[holygrailvideogames.com]

Starpath games have been going up in price over the last few years. I would have to go back through my records to double check the dates but around 2004-2006 a large quantity of new Starpath games were found. CGE were selling new copies and a guy in California found a stash as well. Back then there were more copies of the games floating around. Since then the supply has become less and demand has gone up a bit. This is why the prices have gone up in my opinion.

[cougar302b]

Starpath games have been going up in price over the last few years. I would have to go back through my records to double check the dates but around 2004-2006 a large quantity of new Starpath games were found. CGE were selling new copies and a guy in California found a stash as well. Back then there were more copies of the games floating around. Since then the supply has become less and demand has gone up a bit. This is why the prices have gone up in my opinion.

Sean, I did not know you were a member here. Anyway, thanks for the Dragonstomper. I play it weekly, one of the best games ever for the 2600.

[shadow460]

Looking back I paid well over $200 for all of those (boxed), but I bought them individually. If you can get 'em for $100 good job and great deal. $65 total for all? yeah right, find me a boxed Dragonstomper for under $75. I swear to god some of the people here say these crazy low-ball prices and I have no idea where they are coming from. I have a constant search on E-bay, check Craigs list, and C.T.C. and I never see the incredibly low prices some of the people here say they are worth.

 

Also JUST getting the supercharger boxed for under $30 is an incredible deal. I know I paid over $40 for just that (with game of course). And after over a year of trying I finally got a boxed Dragonstomper for $75 (they sometimes go for $100 plus). So, I can say with some certainty that up to $200 is not an unfair price. And if Crazy Climber wants to sell me his collection for $65 I am all over it, or anyone else for $100.

 

Both of the Superchargers I have ran about $45. One was new with Phaser Patrol and all the stuff, the other was a bare unit.

I am glad I've had all this stuff since 1983 except the one Supercharger and a sealed Commie Mutants that I got in 2005. I lost the book to one of the games and it's been a long time coming but I finally got a replacement. I have homemade copies of Sword and Survival Island. My wallet is screaming at the very thought of buying the actual games.

 

As for the original post, check for the envelopes, warranty cards, catalogs, and whatnot to see if they're CIB. If they aren't, I'd offer an average of $15 per game. If they are, I'd bump the offer to $25 per game. I'd also play the tapes aloud and adjust the offer accordingly. While you're at it, check the date codes that should be stamped in ink on the top of the tapes. If there are no date codes, the set isn't worth anything. If the tapes warble a lot instead of sounding crisp, same deal...they are worthless. If, on the other hand, you've got crisp audio from the tapes, no dropouts (silent areas) and the codes are there, each game could be worth $30 or even $40 each, but I'm talking about pristine games with zero defects at all.

 

What brand is the Supercharger? IMHO, the Arcadia ones are worth a tad more than the ones labeled "Starpath (formerly Arcadia)".

Edited January 3, 2009 by shadow460

[Mirage]

Thanks for all the info and advice. Set was a little farther than I wanted to drive to pick them up, so they're being shipped to me. I'll update this post when they arrive with condition report, and I'll maybe even tell you what I paid

 

Shadow, why are they worthless without the date codes? Does that mean they're fake/pirated, or...? As for the rest, I'm honestly mostly interested in the boxes. I've have the supercharger already (boxed), and I have most of the manuals, and don't have much of an interest in the actual tapes, though it will be cool to have them.

 

Oops, re-edit: The one I already have is a Arcadia-labelled Supercharger, and the new one is also. I'll need to inspect more closely once it arrives. Seems to me it would say Starpath really prominently on the Starpath one, right? The one I have only says Arcadia on both the Supercharger and the box, and the new one appears to be the same from what I can tell.

Edited January 4, 2009 by Mirage1972

[shadow460]

The date codes would not be present on pirate cassettes. If the code is wore off, that's one thing. In that case, you could simply compare other things like the color of the cassette leaders or the approximate running time of the tape against several folks who have known legit copies.

 

I might be a little too harsh on the audio defects, though. I'd say having a well used tape is probably the same as having a game of equal rarity but with worn labels or a cracked case. If you've got a Frogger that plays but needs some TLC in order to load, it's probably worth about as much as something like River Raid II with some cosmetic damage to it.

[Mirage]

Cool, thanks for the info. I figured you meant possible pirated. Supposedly, these are in excellent shape with most contents (envelopes etc), from the original owner, so we'll see. They look good in the one picture he sent. Should arrive hopefully tomorrow or Thursday.

[cougar302b]

Cool, thanks for the info. I figured you meant possible pirated. Supposedly, these are in excellent shape with most contents (envelopes etc), from the original owner, so we'll see. They look good in the one picture he sent. Should arrive hopefully tomorrow or Thursday.

What did you end up paying?

[iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin]

Cool, thanks for the info. I figured you meant possible pirated. Supposedly, these are in excellent shape with most contents (envelopes etc), from the original owner, so we'll see. They look good in the one picture he sent. Should arrive hopefully tomorrow or Thursday.

What did you end up paying?

 

I bet 100$.....

[Mirage]

I'll tell if/when they arrive! Then I can tell condition as well, otherwise the price I paid is meaningless! If they're as nice as they look, I got a *stellar* deal! If they don't arrive, then I'm out some cash!

[shadow460]

I don't know if there's any way to copy an envelope. If they've got those, there's an excellent chance that what you're getting is 100% real.

[Mirage]

I received the Starpath games today. Honestly, up until I had them in my hands, I had it in the back of my mind that someone was messing with me. Or it was a scam, though it hardly seems worth scamming someone for what little I paid for them. The seller had sent one overall picture, and had said that most of them included the envelopes. Well, they all included the envelopes -- unopened. More, most of the boxes and contents are absolutely minty fresh. Dragonstomper has a tiny bit of damage to one corner (and a couple others have tinier damage to corners, but the flash accentuates it a lot) and the Supercharger box has the usual slight crushing, but otherwise, these things are mint. This is the best deal I've ever gotten on classic gaming stuff. Finally my day has come (well, sort of, it's not like I found protos or anything super rare, but still). I take back everything I ever said about CraigsList!

 

 

Total price: $25 + $8 shipping = $33. Not too bad.

Edited January 8, 2009 by Mirage1972

[Zwackery]

Well, there you go! A very good deal. Patience (and a little bit of luck) is a collector's asset.

[cougar302b]

Great deal Mirage. I am jealous. Out here in Beaverton, Portland area, the good deals just do not seem to materialize. Anyway, GREAT purchase and I hope you enjoy the games (especially Dragonstomper).

[iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin]

Well, there you go! A very good deal. Patience (and a little bit of luck) is a collector's asset.

 

Yup!