Better to sell individually, or in lots

[tz101]

Just wondering: I have lots of classic video game systems and games I am thinking of listing on online auctions, but don't know which is best to maximize the potential resale value. In other words, will a NES with two controllers and a light gun sell for more by itself or with some game carts thrown in? If I am thinking of selling the game carts anyway, will they grab bigger dollars individually, or packaged together with the aforementioned NES system? Will the sum total of this package actually garner better dollars than if I sold each item separately? Same for other systems I am thinking of auctioning: Will a Sega Genesis go for more by itself with a couple controllers, or packaged with, say, five game carts? Any advice is appreciated.

[spoonmectr]

Best thing to do is PM your list and let me pick through first.

[+Ransom]

Selling individually usually works best.

 

Especially if doing it on eBay, where you can charge $10 to ship a single cartridge, stuffed into a standard envelope. Why, you don't even have to lick the envelope if the buyer doesn't pay for insurance!

 

(I'm kidding. But only half.)

[CGQuarterly]

I personally would package a couple of game carts, but it depends on which carts. If you are auctioning off a NES with controllers and zapper, then you will get more interest if it comes with a SMB/Duck Hunt cart, even though the cart is worthless. Bundling is a good way to get rid of carts that aren't worth anything, but any cart that generally fetches $5 or more should be sold by itself. If you have a lot of sports titles, you don't want to throw those in with a system, though, because them the bundle just seems like it's loaded with trash. A NES system bundled with a nice balanced variety of worthless games though will get more money than just the console and controllers alone.

 

Just my $0.02.

 

Chris

[Armonigann]

I tell you what, when you do find out the best way to sell those please let me know . I've never had too much luck with NES and the Genesis on Ebay unless it was something everyone likes like Contra or Mario 3 and so forth..I always seem to do pretty decent when I go the Craigslist route when comes to those systems

[tz101]

I tell you what, when you do find out the best way to sell those please let me know . I've never had too much luck with NES and the Genesis on Ebay unless it was something everyone likes like Contra or Mario 3 and so forth..I always seem to do pretty decent when I go the Craigslist route when comes to those systems

 

Y, this has been my experience as well. That is why I am thinking of marketing ploys to get people to bite, and possibly at higher dollar amounts. One thing I might try is to sell custom modded systems, maybe even with new paint jobs, and maybe "themed" with a particular grouping of game carts. Mods would be things like stereo sound output jacks and blue LED on a NES console, and maybe package a Super Mario Bros. system, say with SMB1, SMB2 and SMB3 included. Maybe then I could garner some interest and sell for a fairly nice dollar amount. Does this sound like a good plan, or one bound for failure?

[spoonmectr]

NES and Genesis systems dont have much resale value at all man. Especially if your paying Ebay and PayPal fees. Your better off selling locally.

[CGQuarterly]

It seems like the NES had it's time fetching high prices on eBay. I think maybe the Wii and its virtual console had a hand in killing that off a little bit. It used to be that you could bundle a NES with some controllers and SMB/Duck Hunt and get $50-60. Of course the bad economy probably also has something to do with it.

 

Craigslist is a good option because you can ask whatever price you want, and can keep re-listing your stuff indefinitely, and it doesn't cost you a dime. The down side is some of the people you may end up having to deal with.

 

I haven't sold anything on eBay in a long time. I started selling on there in 2000, and it has steadily gone downhill since then. Ebay seems to have made it clear that they prefer professional eBay sellers over little guys like us just trying to sell the occasional item, so I decided to take my toys and go home. I stick to selling on CL and (mostly) on forums now.

 

Aside from all of that rigamarole, I stick by what I said earlier about bundles. Bundle stuff that won't sell on it's own.

 

Chris

[Armonigann]

I tell you what, when you do find out the best way to sell those please let me know . I've never had too much luck with NES and the Genesis on Ebay unless it was something everyone likes like Contra or Mario 3 and so forth..I always seem to do pretty decent when I go the Craigslist route when comes to those systems

 

Y, this has been my experience as well. That is why I am thinking of marketing ploys to get people to bite, and possibly at higher dollar amounts. One thing I might try is to sell custom modded systems, maybe even with new paint jobs, and maybe "themed" with a particular grouping of game carts. Mods would be things like stereo sound output jacks and blue LED on a NES console, and maybe package a Super Mario Bros. system, say with SMB1, SMB2 and SMB3 included. Maybe then I could garner some interest and sell for a fairly nice dollar amount. Does this sound like a good plan, or one bound for failure?

Yeah, I would definately go the "theme"/ mod route for the NES..but locally, themes don't seem to matter much. You could run a 30 day post on Ebay for the mods/themes at a set price obo to attract potential buyers. Then all the commons/sports games and unmodded systems you can sell locally as a bundle for a fairly cheap price because you don't have to pay fees or ship.

[Armonigann]

It seems like the NES had it's time fetching high prices on eBay. I think maybe the Wii and its virtual console had a hand in killing that off a little bit. It used to be that you could bundle a NES with some controllers and SMB/Duck Hunt and get $50-60. Of course the bad economy probably also has something to do with it.

 

Craigslist is a good option because you can ask whatever price you want, and can keep re-listing your stuff indefinitely, and it doesn't cost you a dime. The down side is some of the people you may end up having to deal with.

 

I haven't sold anything on eBay in a long time. I started selling on there in 2000, and it has steadily gone downhill since then. Ebay seems to have made it clear that they prefer professional eBay sellers over little guys like us just trying to sell the occasional item, so I decided to take my toys and go home. I stick to selling on CL and (mostly) on forums now.

 

Aside from all of that rigamarole, I stick by what I said earlier about bundles. Bundle stuff that won't sell on it's own.

 

Chris

Yeah, thats true Ebay does seem to favor the "big dogs" but to be honest I prefer and mainly look to purchase/bid from the little guys (with good feedback of course). They seem to take more pride in their products and the customer service is normally greater.Plus, you can get a fairly better deal.

[tz101]

Only problem I have had with selling systems on CL is driving distance. I live 40 minutes from the nearest CL geographic region. When I last advertised a modded NES, I got interest from a couple guys who were two hours away and neither wanted to drive to my house. I offered to meet halfway, but that doesn't work well because most want to see the console working before paying. I can only do that at my house. I have even asked CL to create a section for my geographic region but they haven't done so yet. Also, selling modded systems on Ebay gets you busted, even on seemingly innocent stuff like disabling the lockout chip in a NES console. They canceled one of my auctions for that reason alone. So, I may try Game Gavel/Chase the Chuckwagon to see how things pan out.