Quickest way to start a collection.

[eyg2181]

is ebay the vest way, or do you suggest thrift stores/flea markets?

[cvga]

is ebay the vest way, or do you suggest thrift stores/flea markets?

 

Personally, I think it's more difficult to find games in thrift stores and flea markets than it used to be and the prices for most games are very reasonable on ebay. You could always ask someone around here to hook you up with a starter set. I'm sure many people around here have tons of extra games that they would let go for a reasonable price.

[eyg2181]

that would be great if someone would set me up, but how would i go about paying for these if its not on an auction site?

[Jakenut86]

that would be great if someone would set me up, but how would i go about paying for these if its not on an auction site?

 

Most people who sell in the marketplace here accept paypal. And there's also a feedback area where you can check to see if they are good sellers. Also most sellers here have feedback on other sites and will tell you how to get to see those feedbacks as well if you ask.

[Impaler_26]

You should also try http://www.chasethechuckwagon.com/.

[phuzzed]

Check your used game shops in your area too. A lot of them carry commons, which can be bought very cheap. I know of several used game shops in my area that will sell them for $1 each.

 

You can also find lots of games on Ebay as well, for a fairly resonable price.

[ATARIPITBULL]

I hate having to use Ebay but the truth of the matter is that if you want to get a good start then most Atari 2600 items can be found on Ebay. I just hope sellers get smart and start using Chasethechuckwagon soon which is cheaper and better but more people know Ebay for now.

 

[2600Lives]

Phuzzed is totally right, used game shops are a great place to look. We have a place called Vintage Stock, and you can get TONS of great games for a buck each. Mostly commons, but I've gotten the occasional level 3 and 4 rares there for that price (they just want them gone, nothing more).

[kyle]

Just go do a wanted post over in Marketplace here on AtariAge saying you want an Atari 2600 and some carts.

[homerwannabee]

Just go do a wanted post over in Marketplace here on AtariAge saying you want an Atari 2600 and some carts.

Agreed, you will find tons of people willing to help you out.

[tisaperfectdayelise]

We had an Atari VCS growing up, but my collection exploded (even before I started actively collecting) when people would donate their old stuff to me. For example: one of my mother's Bridge mates had an old vcs in her basement with probably 30 games. While having a conversation with her, she had asked me what I do for fun, and I mentioned my affinity for the system. She said, "You know, I have a whole a box of that stuff. Why don't you come and pick it up." Those kinds of conversations happen all the time with older people. I also used to vonunteer at a church rummage sale. I just told the woman in charge to watch out for that stuff. Every couple of years, she still calls me to let me know if something Atari-related turns up.

 

Is there a used video game store where you are? I'm talking mom-and-pop, not GameSpot. I just scored a huge box that was sitting in their back room, just because I'm in there all the time, and they know I collect Atari stuff. The box had 3 2600's, 2 7800's, and about 200 games. I was able to make three collections to sell, keep a 7800, and was able to add about 30 games to my collection, that I didn't already have. Also, try putting a notice on Craigslist that you're looking for Atari stuff. eBay seems to have good prices, but the good finds seem to come from first hand buyers.

 

Good luck! If I still had one of the collections available, I would have sent it to you. Happy gaming!

[AtariLeaf]

I've collected twice in the last 10 years. Each time I started was because of a HUGE yard sale find. The first one, around 2000 or 2001 I picked up a heavy sixer with about 120 games for $10

This past summer I started up again with another big find - $40 for two 4 switch 2600's and about 80+ games.

[fiddlepaddle]

If you don't care which games you get, which is probably true if you don't have any yet, you will get the most bang for your buck by going to garage/yard sales. If you go early, and go to 50 garage sales over a few weeks, I'm sure you'll run across a few, most likely with games.

 

Remember that people holding garage sales are (usually) mostly interested in clearing stuff out, not so much in making money. Ebay sellers are usually in it for the money. Go to Ebay once you decide to fill in the holes in your collection (if you really decide you need to).

 

In the last 12 months, I've been to maybe 100 garage sales and passed up countless game systems including several Atari 2600s. They regularly show up at thrift stores (like Salvation Army) as well, but usually cost more. Game stores often have them also, but not all areas of the country have good game stores.

 

Probably one of the best places to get lots of good stuff in person is by going to a game show or collectible show, but prices will be all over the board. Also, if you can identify other collectors in your town, most will have many duplicates they will probably let go cheap. Sometimes you can find these people at garage sales also, but you have to ask.

 

I really like garage sales because I also find lots of other cool stuff, and often meet interesting people.

[TwinChargers]

I still have about 4 months to wait before garage sales start.

[eyg2181]

we have no game stores other than the gamestop and game crazy, a few years back i remember buying nes games for cheap, but never any atari items. i printed out the guide, and as i get stuff, i'll place a checkmark next to the title. for now, im looking for anything, i figure ill start with R1-R4 maybe 5, then i will have no choice but to use ebay.

[Godzilla]

thrifts, online auction sites and video game retailers (usually the non-gamestop ones,) work great to get a good start. yard/garage sales must be a regional thing, as I have been garage/yard saleing since the late 80s in sc/nc/ga/fl area and (as of yet,) have found ZERO items of classic cartrige system gaming (found ONE atari 800 star wars arcade game, so far, in well over 10 years and thousands of yard/garage sales.)

[Hornpipe2]

If you're not particular about actually owning the carts and just want to have a lot of games at your disposal to play on Real Hardware™, you might consider some of the Multicart options (Kroko Kart, Supercharger, hand-soldered EEPROM, etc). They would allow you to cram a bunch of games on one cartridge, the really nice ones let you swap out ROMs for new ones and support lots of different bankswitch schemes.

[GrizzLee]

is ebay the vest way, or do you suggest thrift stores/flea markets?

 

What do you want?

 

I need to clean out my closets of all my extras. I'll give you a very good price for a bulk purchase. Send me a PM if interested.

 

I have too much stuff I don't need.

 

-Lee

[fiddlepaddle]

thrifts, online auction sites and video game retailers (usually the non-gamestop ones,) work great to get a good start. yard/garage sales must be a regional thing, as I have been garage/yard saleing since the late 80s in sc/nc/ga/fl area and (as of yet,) have found ZERO items of classic cartrige system gaming (found ONE atari 800 star wars arcade game, so far, in well over 10 years and thousands of yard/garage sales.)

That's interesting... I have had success in areas including CA, OR, NM, AZ, TX, KS, IN, IL, OH. Haven't really tried the south east though. I have the best success in upper income neighborhoods. Maybe that has something to do with it? The Atari was pretty expensive back in the old days...

[Rik]

Sometimes one can luck out and find a box full of games at the flea market.That happened to me a while back.I came across a LIGHT, 6 SWITCH WOODY with 40 games,2 cx-40's,paddles,adapter,switchbox,everything like new, for $5.00!!!!!!.The vendor said he was tired of looking at the thing,$5.00 and its yours!....i almost crapped my self right there.Thats the best way to start a collection,but luck has to be on your side for that one to happen.Sellers on Ebay sell games by the lot,buying 1 at a time is darn expensive,id try that.Even the generous guys here at AA can get you started with good games at reasonable prices or even free!

Edited January 21, 2009 by Rik

[STICH666]

I got fairly lucky. I got a 4-switch with no games at a garage sale for $5. Then later that year I saw someone was throwing out an old filing cabinet and when I opened it, it was filled to the top with 2600 carts.

[Ryanw]

I would try yard sales for sure. On two occasions I scored fairly well, once I got an SNES and around twenty games for 20 bucks. Doesn't sound like a great deal but one game in the collection (Super Mario RPG) made it worth the purchase

 

The other time I saw a ton of old VHS tapes but no games but I just asked the person if they had any old video games and sure enough they did, they just didn't think anyone wanted these old "video tapes" anymore

[holygrailvideogames.com]

Lee who posted above is a great guy to deal with. He might be able to help you get started.

 

If you are looking to collect a lot of games (100+) I would recommend buying large lots. Postage has gone up so much over the last 5 years or so that if you are buying games one or two at a time you will end up spending a small fortune just on postage.

[carmel_andrews]

Also best to try the for sale section of local or regional newspapers (including the free ones), i understand that a popular UK based classified Ad's paper (called 'LOOT') is now also published in the US as well, if the UK version is anything to go by they do have a pretty good computer/console games section (mostly dominated by modern gaming systems/pc's but does have the odd advert for classic/retro gaming systems as well)

 

Alternately you can try the populat US site craigslist or it's UK equivalent (which covers the US market) gumtree dot com

Edited January 21, 2009 by carmel_andrews

[Mirage]

Yes, look on your local CraigsList. If your area is like many, you should find several 2600 setups in just a few weeks. Weed out the ones where they want $200 for a console and a few commons, and eventually you'll find a good deal.