What to do? I can't believe how depreciated the classic game market is?

[82-T/A]

So, I'm not posting this in hopes of trying to make sales... but I'm having a hard time deciding what I should do?!

 

For the past 10 years or so... or really... from the time I was about 19 to 25... (31 now), I used to buy and keep these video games. Systems, whatever...

 

I'd go to flea markets and buy all these old systems. I'd buy them off eBay, etc. It's not that I think it's lame to do it now, but with other priorities (career, family, daughter, school), this hobby has just really taken a back seat.

 

The last "game" I actually played was System Shock 2 back in like 2002. I think I played the Atari Jaguar ONCE in the past 2 years, and it was really just for 30 minutes.

 

 

I've never been big on playing these games, but just liked collecting the old hardware. Since I now have bigger priorities, I've been trying to eliminate things in my life which I simply do not use. I've really cut back on my car hobby too... I sold my 73 Cutlass, my 84 Porsche 944, my 81 Pontiac TransAm, my 2006 Pontiac Solstice, my wife's VW Beetle... we both drive SUVs now. I've been selling rare car parts that I had stored in my garage. Basically, I've been trying to almost live a minimalist lifestyle. If I don't use it at least once in 6 months, then I get rid of it. (seasonal stuff doesn't count of course)

 

 

Here's the problem. I have basically every game system known to man (with the exception of some really rare stuff like the Vectrix and NeoGeo, or the Coleco Telstar or crap like that). I want to sell pretty much 90% of all of my stuff, but I've come to realize (looking on eBay) that most of this stuff is worth 1/4 of what it was worth just a few years ago.

 

Looks like inflation didn't take notice with the classic game industry.

 

 

So what do I do? Do I unload all of this stuff, pennies on the dollar? Or do I just keep it again, basically completely filling the walk-in closet in one of the guest bedrooms of the house?

 

 

My thought, ultimately, was to keep my Atari Jaguar and all of the games, one or two Atari 2600s with all of those games, maybe my Sega Saturn and those games, one of the 8-Bit Nintendos, and maybe my NEC Turbo GraFX-16. Everything else I would probably unload, including all my 5200s and my NIB 7800, etc...

 

 

What kills me though is that you now see new in the box Atari 5200s, 2-ports and 4-ports for $9.99 with no buyers?!

 

I remember just a few years ago that I could sell any one of my 5200s in the box for almost $100 bucks!!!

 

I was lucky to get $95 bucks for my Magnavox Odyssey 2 and all the games... but I don't think I'll be able to repeate that with any of the other stuff.

 

It just sucks at the thought of getting rid of this stuff for 1/4 of what I paid... but I really don't want it around anymore. Should I decide to move, or decide to take a job somewhere else... what do I do with all this crap?

[horseboy]

I disagree that everything is totally down. I especially disagree that everything is down 75%. NES stuff is way higher than it has ever been. O2 stuff was always dirt cheap and that hasn't changed. The rare 7800 stuff has dried up more and prices have risen. 2600 stuff is really hard to judge. I know there hasn't been any depreciation in the really rare stuff. Some of the prices paid in the last couple of years have been absurd. 5200 stuff may have come down some, but not like you are describing.

 

I think things are better than you think man.

[accousticguitar]

I guess you could ebay it or chuckwagon it with a reserve. If you don't need the money right now I'd hang onto it until the economy picks up.

[horseboy]

What kills me though is that you now see new in the box Atari 5200s, 2-ports and 4-ports for $9.99 with no buyers?!

 

Please provide some proof of this. I have a really hard time believing this. If you saw some completed Ebay auction with no bids, then it just means somebody made a side deal with the seller.

[SpendTooMuchOnAtari]

I know this seller got over 70 bucks and his really doesn't look quite new in the box but I don't know. I agree a bit, not as bad as you think but then again maybe not like it was a few years ago.

 

LINK for completed 5200 system

[82-T/A]

I disagree that everything is totally down. I especially disagree that everything is down 75%. NES stuff is way higher than it has ever been. O2 stuff was always dirt cheap and that hasn't changed. The rare 7800 stuff has dried up more and prices have risen. 2600 stuff is really hard to judge. I know there hasn't been any depreciation in the really rare stuff. Some of the prices paid in the last couple of years have been absurd. 5200 stuff may have come down some, but not like you are describing.

 

I think things are better than you think man.

 

 

Well, if you don't mind me asking, what is your time frame that you're basing this off of?

 

I've noticed a few things have gone up in the past year... but when I compare the prices now to what they were 5 years ago, it's night and day.

 

It was normal to see a 5200 listed for over $50 bucks, regularly...

 

 

I just looked on eBay and there are at least 40 NES 8-Bit systems, in the box... with very few of them actually having any bids. Just because they list them at $100-$150 doesn't mean they're worth that. Most of the ones I see ending, are far FAR less....

 

Atari 7800 stuff... a NIB system would go for $100 bucks a few years ago. I see one NIB almost ending at only $40.

 

 

I'm just not sure if it's worth it to sell it, or to keep it. And if I keep it, will it still appreciate in value, or is it going to continue to go down?

 

 

The industry is old enough now that I think the values are beginning to cycle.

 

Atari stuff was widely expensive because most of the people who used to play them when they were younger were starting to come "of age". Back in 2000-2001, Atari really kind of picked up in terms of popularity (the brand, not the product). That's kind of come and gone... 10 years have past since then, and now people in their mid 20s don't have a CLUE what Atari is (or ANYTHING from that era). The Nintendo 8-bit is kind of in it's prime now... but I think it's probably hurt some from the recession.

 

 

I think one thing I need to consider too is that the market is saturated too. There are a lot of people who are in some cases probably FORCED to sell their stuff in light of unemployment. For me, I just want to get rid of it, but kinda don't want to take a huge hit on it either... :/

[vdub_bobby]

We have had deflation for about the last year (in the US, anyway). And in a recession it will be a buyers' market. Combine the two and yeah, it isn't the best time to try to unload all your stuff.

[Crazy Climber]

 

Atari 7800 stuff... a NIB system would go for $100 bucks a few years ago. I see one NIB almost ending at only $40.

 

 

It's all about the last 30 seconds of the auction man, thats when the action happens.

[+LS650]

If you think trying to sell your video games, just look at what's happening to the used car market - or trying to sell a house!

Now is not the time to be selling pretty much anything. If you can hang on, wait two or three years for the market to improve. Eventually things will turn around.

[Ross PK]

If you're only going to get a fraction of the price you paid for it then it's probably best to hang on to it all for a few more years and see if the market picks up.

[+chriswhit]

I keep trying to get a 5200 on ebay but always get out bid. Most people who buy on ebay look at feed back scores before buying. With me the seller needs to have a large volume of sales and a 99% or higher feed back score or I wont even consider a purchase no matter how good of a deal there offering. In the beginning I did and got burned a few times. I saw a few 5200's like your talking about but if my memory serves me correctly they were ether untested or had components missing such as power supply and or controllers. one of them had a lower feed back score. If an auction says its untested and your item does not work you can't really give bad feed back because they never claimed that it worked in the first place. I've seen 5200 auctions go for 75ish plus shipping (some times even more) complete with 8 to 10 games they were tested though which attracts more bidders. You could wait till november then put it up on ebay when people are xmas shopping with a reserve price. If you have a lot of games with it and can test it I bet you'll be surprised what you'd get. Ebay is hit or miss though that's why they let you put a reserve price. In my opinion the first week of November is the best time to sell there if you decide to. Your feed back score could even be a bit low in the month of november and it probably won't matter that much bet they will be harder to get. I'm going to put a sears heavy 6ers up then and see what happens. I hope none of my post sounds rude to anyone. If a feed back score is low before ruling out the seller read their negative feed backs as some buyers are unreasonable or hard to please.

[Chickybaby]

I would like to add that imo it also depends why you bought the games to begin with. I've never bought any of the games I had for an investment but because for whatever reason I wanted to have them and enjoy them. It's always a risk to purchase games just for the monetary or resale value.

 

If they're cluttering up your home and you are unhappy about it, then get rid of them and don't look back. But, obviously if you are thinking about it so much then for whatever reason you are not ready to let them go and will always second doubt yourself as to whether it's the right thing to do or not so keep them. IMO it's simple as that.

[chrisbid]

Eventually things will turn around.

 

 

based on what? japan still hasnt recovered from its housing bubble and crash from the late 80s

[82-T/A]

I keep trying to get a 5200 on ebay but always get out bid. Most people who buy on ebay look at feed back scores before buying. With me the seller needs to have a large volume of sales and a 99% or higher feed back score or I wont even consider a purchase no matter how good of a deal there offering. In the beginning I did and got burned a few times. I saw a few 5200's like your talking about but if my memory serves me correctly they were ether untested or had components missing such as power supply and or controllers. one of them had a lower feed back score. If an auction says its untested and your item does not work you can't really give bad feed back because they never claimed that it worked in the first place. I've seen 5200 auctions go for 75ish plus shipping (some times even more) complete with 8 to 10 games they were tested though which attracts more bidders. You could wait till november then put it up on ebay when people are xmas shopping with a reserve price. If you have a lot of games with it and can test it I bet you'll be surprised what you'd get. Ebay is hit or miss though that's why they let you put a reserve price. In my opinion the first week of November is the best time to sell there if you decide to. Your feed back score could even be a bit low in the month of november and it probably won't matter that much bet they will be harder to get. I'm going to put a sears heavy 6ers up then and see what happens. I hope none of my post sounds rude to anyone. If a feed back score is low before ruling out the seller read their negative feed backs as some buyers are unreasonable or hard to please.

 

 

Thanks Chris,

 

Yeah, my feedback score is pretty good. I have 231 points or feedback, and 100% positive. About 1/3rd of them are from buyers, the rest are from me getting feedback for stuff I bought. I'm thinking I might try to put some tuff up tonight, or at least get a real good idea of what I've actually got.

 

 

I would like to add that imo it also depends why you bought the games to begin with. I've never bought any of the games I had for an investment but because for whatever reason I wanted to have them and enjoy them. It's always a risk to purchase games just for the monetary or resale value.

 

If they're cluttering up your home and you are unhappy about it, then get rid of them and don't look back. But, obviously if you are thinking about it so much then for whatever reason you are not ready to let them go and will always second doubt yourself as to whether it's the right thing to do or not so keep them. IMO it's simple as that.

 

I originally bought the stuff because I really enjoy the old hardware. To me it was kind of like a collection. The Atari stuff, I always liked to play because that's what I grew up with. I never thought I'd sell the stuff though. After getting rid of some cars though, I DO feel relieved. I think I'm going to get rid of some of the duplicate stuff, and the stuff I know that I'll NEVER play.... like the Intellivision.

 

 

Thanks guys...

 

 

 

EDIT: Hah... this is the first thing I pulled out of the closet....

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270468001133

Edited October 10, 2009 by 82-T/A

[+chriswhit]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-ATARI-5200-Video-Game-System-6-Games-WORKS_W0QQitemZ180415847371QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVideo_Games?hash=item2a019f5bcb here is one with 6 games $51 plus shipping with one day and twenty two hours left

[homerwannabee]

Give it time, the gaming market will pick back up. Even the Japanese housing market will pick up sooner or later. Of course with the Japanese you have to take into consideration the shrinking size of the population. Why build a house when there is no need for one?

[+LS650]

Eventually things will turn around.

based on what? japan still hasnt recovered from its housing bubble and crash from the late 80s

There's no need to attack me for being a wee bit optimistic, guy.

[Reaperman]

EDIT: Hah... this is the first thing I pulled out of the closet....

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270468001133

$50 light switch cover? Really?

 

I'm not going to tell you what you should start auctions at, but this certainly does provide some perspective about where you're coming from on thinking the market is depreciated.

Edited October 10, 2009 by Reaperman

[gdement]

For at least some of the niche items, you might try using a 30-day BIN combined with the "best offer" feature. That might be a good way to feel out the market. Stuff like that isn't likely to get competing bidders and it takes time before someone interested will show up.

BIN/offer listings also appeal to some people who don't want the drama and waiting of an auction.

Downside with offers is just that you have to review and respond to them, and if you're the type who gets offended by low offers then it may annoy you.

Of course there's a big tradeoff between what prices you're willing to take, and how quickly things sell.

 

 

Try to put up related items at about the same time, and offer combined shipping. That will attract people who buy several items and want a more economical unit cost. Make sure the combined shipping rate is clearly explained (many people won't ask, they'll assume the worst and not bid).

For example, I recently got involved with bidding on several Genesis games, because the seller had posted them all at the same time with combined shipping of only $1 extra per added game. I ended up bidding on some games I wouldn't have bothered with on their own. So did other people apparently - I lost all of them.

 

 

Also consider trying chasethechuckwagon.com, since they don't charge any fees for posting a listing it won't cost you any money unless something sells. Recently the owner has also been posting youtube vids to promote interesting items, so you could get a mention for some of the more unusual stuff.

[ericwierson]

So, I'm not posting this in hopes of trying to make sales... but I'm having a hard time deciding what I should do?!

 

For the past 10 years or so... or really... from the time I was about 19 to 25... (31 now), I used to buy and keep these video games. Systems, whatever...

 

I'd go to flea markets and buy all these old systems. I'd buy them off eBay, etc. It's not that I think it's lame to do it now, but with other priorities (career, family, daughter, school), this hobby has just really taken a back seat.

 

The last "game" I actually played was System Shock 2 back in like 2002. I think I played the Atari Jaguar ONCE in the past 2 years, and it was really just for 30 minutes.

 

 

I've never been big on playing these games, but just liked collecting the old hardware. Since I now have bigger priorities, I've been trying to eliminate things in my life which I simply do not use. I've really cut back on my car hobby too... I sold my 73 Cutlass, my 84 Porsche 944, my 81 Pontiac TransAm, my 2006 Pontiac Solstice, my wife's VW Beetle... we both drive SUVs now. I've been selling rare car parts that I had stored in my garage. Basically, I've been trying to almost live a minimalist lifestyle. If I don't use it at least once in 6 months, then I get rid of it. (seasonal stuff doesn't count of course)

 

 

Here's the problem. I have basically every game system known to man (with the exception of some really rare stuff like the Vectrix and NeoGeo, or the Coleco Telstar or crap like that). I want to sell pretty much 90% of all of my stuff, but I've come to realize (looking on eBay) that most of this stuff is worth 1/4 of what it was worth just a few years ago.

 

Looks like inflation didn't take notice with the classic game industry.

 

 

So what do I do? Do I unload all of this stuff, pennies on the dollar? Or do I just keep it again, basically completely filling the walk-in closet in one of the guest bedrooms of the house?

 

 

My thought, ultimately, was to keep my Atari Jaguar and all of the games, one or two Atari 2600s with all of those games, maybe my Sega Saturn and those games, one of the 8-Bit Nintendos, and maybe my NEC Turbo GraFX-16. Everything else I would probably unload, including all my 5200s and my NIB 7800, etc...

 

 

What kills me though is that you now see new in the box Atari 5200s, 2-ports and 4-ports for $9.99 with no buyers?!

 

I remember just a few years ago that I could sell any one of my 5200s in the box for almost $100 bucks!!!

 

I was lucky to get $95 bucks for my Magnavox Odyssey 2 and all the games... but I don't think I'll be able to repeate that with any of the other stuff.

 

It just sucks at the thought of getting rid of this stuff for 1/4 of what I paid... but I really don't want it around anymore. Should I decide to move, or decide to take a job somewhere else... what do I do with all this crap?

I agree the prices have been going down recently, except (of course) the items I want. A few of the things that I actually keep track of that I own are down a bit. As far as being worth only a quarter of what it was once worth is not what I am seeing at all. I see a maybe a 10% price reduction. Keep in mind these are just the things I keep track of.

Oh yeah, if that light switch plate does not sell, please PM me and maybe we can work something out. It would go great in my game room and help motivate me to get a Pac-Man dedicated.

Edited October 10, 2009 by ericwierson

[SpendTooMuchOnAtari]

Then again, I always think about the PS3 coming out with the Classic section and PS1 games (FFVII more recently for 10 bucks now I believe) and other games that used to be worth a bunch more before this. Same with the Wii, really kills cart only prices on many games however in both cases I do believe that if it's nice and complete, there will be demand from collector's. Sellers aren't in good shape either with games getting re-released and downloadable for usually a reasonable price right to their system with no worries of scratched discs and in Nintendo's case, games that the saves no longer work. I still say pick up any very nice CIB stuff if it's a reasonable price if you can store it which I know many of us can't but it's an idea because I am seeing less and less at good prices if it's minty, complete and preferably an RPG with maps and all that.

 

I believe they each come out with even more games every week so who knows what's coming up? Theme Hospital for download, think that would happen?

[82-T/A]

EDIT: Hah... this is the first thing I pulled out of the closet....

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270468001133

$50 light switch cover? Really?

 

I'm not going to tell you what you should start auctions at, but this certainly does provide some perspective about where you're coming from on thinking the market is depreciated.

 

 

Nah, I have other items up, like a C380 for $29 bucks, and an Odyssey 200 for $9 bucks.

 

The light switch cover though... I have been offered $200+ for it on a couple of occasions. There are Pac Man fenatics out there.

 

I also sold my Cuttle Cart II for $500 and my Krokodile Cart for $200

[TwinChargers]

 

 

 

 

The light switch cover though... I have been offered $200+ for it on a couple of occasions. There are Pac Man fenatics out there.

 

 

 

What kind of crowd do you hang with that has $200+ dollars to blow on a light switch cover? Especially on multiple occasions?

[Video]

With Ebay, at least part of it is them shooting themselves in the foot. This bizaar belief that they are the only place out there, prices have shot up on what it costs to post items (it used to didn't cost the seller anything if it didn't sell for instance) and now it's set up to be paypall exclusive. I'm sorry, some of us aren't going to give Ebay a free pass to our bank accounts reguardless. So I go elsewhere.

 

Still, if your finding NIB 5200's for under $10, I'd consider setting up a dummy bank account for Ebay and picking up a few dozen for when they go up (I personally paid $50 for mine NIB and 4 games back in the mid 90's, and thought that was very reasonable, especially since it came with a working controller)

[Rev. Rob]

It hasn't been my experience at all that eBay prices have gone down in the past five years. In fact, it's been quite the opposite. There are less actual auctions and more BINs at rediclous prices. There is also less actual product on eBay. Less items + fewer autctions = higher prices.

 

You know, you could also post what you're wanting to sell here on AtariAge and forego the auction for a lot of items. I am sure several of us would be willing to pay fair prices.