My Marketplace Philosophy

[toiletunes]

This deals specifically with 2600/7800, but some parts may apply generally to other areas.

 

Some Atarians want to collect every cart, every variation, with box, manual, warranty card, etc sealed if possible. Some buy a Harmony cart instead. Somewhere between the two extremes there is a collector who wants some, maybe most, but not all. He will accept Froggo Karate over Ultravision because of price/availability, or perhaps he doesn’t want Karate at all because it sucks. I fall into the some/most category.

 

I started my collection by buying a large lot. This drove the price per cart down and saved on shipping. Then I bought another lot, to fill in some of the gaps. I kept the best-looking duplicates, traded what I could to Al for homebrews, and gave away the rest. After that, it was more cost effective to avoid the large lots.

 

I do not collect sports games. No baseball, no football, no soccer, no wrestling. Tennis is a maybe. Hockey is okay. I like Activision Boxing and Atari Basketball because they look ridiculous, but that’s about it.

 

I prefer the original release instead of a bootleg, but price/availability is the deciding factor. The most I’ve spent on a game is $30, and I’d like to keep it that way. Any more than that, and it makes more sense to get a repro or use Harmony. The exception is homebrews and proto repros- some of these games are simply amazing and the effort involved deserves a premium. I will not Hozer.

 

Games are a bad long-term investment.

 

Boxes are nice to look at, but they take up more space than they are worth. Storing them flat defeats the purpose. Manuals are nice if they happen to be there, but usually unnecessary. I know how to play ET; the instructions hold no further benefit. I’m more of a gamer than a collector, and the cart’s the thing.

 

The Harmony cart is an easy way to try before you buy. Some of the expensive games are fun, but most are just not worth the price.

 

I prefer to buy from the marketplace, but I will buy from online stores. I like to see pictures- front and end label, please. I like to see prices in the marketplace. Prices sent via pm tend to be higher than prices posted where everyone can see. I will not Ebay.

 

I will not haggle. If you say “$4.00 or best offer” I will pay $4.00 or I will not buy.

 

I check feedback before I decide to buy, and I leave feedback after the goods arrive. I haven’t been scammed here yet.

 

If you send something via parcel post, it will show up one or two days after I ask you what’s taking so long. I will gladly pay more for faster methods. Tracking is a must. I like watching the progress online- I live at a motel. Packages go to the motel office. They usually don’t tell me if something’s there.

 

Different people use different packing methods. I’ve seen games individually enclosed in custom-fit ziplock bags, then individually bubble-wrapped, separated with packing material, put in a sealed box, then put inside a second box with more packing material. I’ve also seen games packed loose against each other with a single sheet of newspaper. I’ve seen packing boxes arrive looking off-the-shelf new. I’ve seen packing boxes look like they were used for footballs.

 

No end label, no deal. Torn/faded end label might be tolerable/acceptable.

 

Please don’t post your WTB in the marketplace. There is a WTB section for WTB posts. I go to the marketplace and I see “Super-cool hard to find game WTB” and it’s like “Oh, I don’t have that game, how much does he want- oh, wait. It’s not for sale, he’s trying to buy.”

 

I don’t like gift payments. I’d rather send extra to cover the fees.

 

Some people collect baseball cards or key chains. I collect ET carts. They’re cheap, plentiful, and nobody seems to want them for anything. There’s more supply than demand so I’m not depriving anyone. I do not use them for any special project, and they are not modified/destroyed. They just sit on a shelf. I’m not so far gone that I’ll blow a wad of dough on my addiction, but if you have a few and I’m buying something from you anyway, I’ll gladly take them off your hands.

 

Here are some common phrases to avoid (and what they really mean)

 

I joined five minutes ago and this is my first post

(I don’t care about the community; I just want your money)

 

I don’t know what these are worth

(I’m too lazy to check, or I want more than it’s worth)

 

We’ll just do this auction style

(You’ll be outbid or you’ll pay too much- either way you lose)

 

Reserve

(I don’t want to tell anyone how much I want, but whatever you offer is not enough)

 

I don’t have a camera

(The games look like carp- torn faded labels with permanent marker stains)

 

Selling as a lot

(Lazy, or don’t want to be stuck with unwanted leftovers- in other words, lazy)

 

Untested but it worked the last time

(Probably does not work)

 

Shrink-wrapped

(Expensive. Dented/caved-in box, cart is very nice condition but may not work. No refund)

 

I need to sell these because I need money

(Oh come on- has anyone sold something because they didn’t need money?)

 

I need money for an operation/bills/bicycle/meth/etc

(I don’t care why you’re selling. I’ll buy if you have what I want.)

 

If you don’t buy them I’ll be forced to use Ebay

(Honestly, this “threat” does nothing to encourage me to buy something I don’t want)

 

Well, that wraps it up. You may agree or disagree with any portion or the whole. Debate?

[Cebus Capucinis]

I will not haggle. If you say “$4.00 or best offer” I will pay $4.00 or I will not buy.

 

and a +1 for this. I understand people taking offers for high priced items, but when it's something worth $50 or less, asking for offers is just asking for trouble and drama. Tons of marketplace threads with "make offer" and no price have turned into complaints about other users "lowballing" (which I'm sure some people do) or some other form of problem, such as not replying to PMs, etc.

 

If a seller thinks there exist offers that are "lowball" and you already know a ballpark price you want out of the item, it seems counter-intuitive to not just post the price you want in the first place.

[ClassicGMR]

Tons of marketplace threads with "make offer" and no price have turned into complaints about other users "lowballing" (which I'm sure some people do) or some other form of problem, such as not replying to PMs, etc.

 

If a seller thinks there exist offers that are "lowball" and you already know a ballpark price you want out of the item, it seems counter-intuitive to not just post the price you want in the first place.

 

Passed on a lot of posts simply because they were "make an offer". I resolved a long, long time ago to no longer be ridiculed simply because it's worth $150 more to you than it is to me.... I'm also not going to offer you $50 for a $5 item.

 

If I'm making an offer then it's an AUCTION not a SALE. You know what you want for it...

 

POST IT!!

Edited July 3, 2011 by ClassicGMR

[+save2600]

Quick concise feelings here, but I disagree about games being a bad long term investment and the bit about boxes not being worth it.

 

Collecting vintage or classic gaming goodies is much like playing the stock market. Values fluctuate and there's obviously superior times to buy and sell. Overall, I believe our hobby has maintained a relatively static metric since people started taking the collecting of this stuff seriously back in the mid 90's. Cases upon cases of certain titles dug up from South America aside that is.

 

Vintage gaming to me, seems to represent a decent investment for those of us that accumulated the bulk of our collection a decade or two ago. Wouldn't necessarily want to start out trying to get some of the more rare titles today, but then again - you could say the same about gold right now.

 

Boxes and CIB games will only continue to rise in value, make no mistake about that.

 

 

[+wood_jl]

I will not haggle. If you say “$4.00 or best offer” I will pay $4.00 or I will not buy.

 

and a +1 for this. I understand people taking offers for high priced items, but when it's something worth $50 or less, asking for offers is just asking for trouble and drama.

I offer $3.75, take it or leave it!!!!

 

Tons of marketplace threads with "make offer" and no price have turned into complaints about other users "lowballing" (which I'm sure some people do) or some other form of problem, such as not replying to PMs, etc.

 

If a seller thinks there exist offers that are "lowball" and you already know a ballpark price you want out of the item, it seems counter-intuitive to not just post the price you want in the first place.

WELL-SAID! Couldn't agree more!

[+wood_jl]

Boxes and CIB games will only continue to rise in an affluent society with tons of disposable income. If (when?) things like housing, food, transportation (etc) become a problem to pay for, expensive CIB games and boxes will be a difficult sell. Gold, on the other hand.....

[lucifershalo]

I am using the "make me offer" sometimes

because I dont always know the value of an item...

if I "feel" that the offer is right for me

I accept

sometimes the item is worth a lot more

but no problem....

[HatefulGravey]

I agree with your WTB comments. They belong in the WTB forum. However, I often find things being sold in the for sale forum that have been on my wanted list for a while. I advertise my list, I post when I update my list, and I spend much more money in these forums then anyone really should. All that said and I still see people selling 3 games on my list in a thread right by themselves. Now, if you were selling 30 games and 3 of them were ones I was looking for I could understand, if you are selling 3 games why not check the WTB forum? I have thought about posting items I really want to buy right now or items I know someone here would like to sell from my list in the marketplace forum, but I have stayed away from that so far.

 

I have purchased much more from my WTB thread then I really ever thought I would, but I'm always shocked that people don't look at those things very often.

[+save2600]

Boxes and CIB games will only continue to rise in an affluent society with tons of disposable income. If (when?) things like housing, food, transportation (etc) become a problem to pay for, expensive CIB games and boxes will be a difficult sell. Gold, on the other hand.....

I hear what you're saying, but an affluent society is not always necessary in order to maintain values for this sort of stuff. People with a "different" set priorities is and have always been key.

[HatefulGravey]

Boxes and CIB games will only continue to rise in an affluent society with tons of disposable income. If (when?) things like housing, food, transportation (etc) become a problem to pay for, expensive CIB games and boxes will be a difficult sell. Gold, on the other hand.....

I hear what you're saying, but an affluent society is not always necessary in order to maintain values for this sort of stuff. People with a "different" set priorities is and have always been key.

 

I'm of the opinion that things will get better, and when things get better people will have more money to spend. More money to spend means that these things that people view as unneeded will gain interest and thus value. To be honest if they never gain value I'll be happy to own and preserve them. That's what got me started and I can't see venturing too far from that thought process. Of coarse, as long as others have this thought process there is a good chance these games will gain value in time.

[anakedg]

I agree with your WTB comments. They belong in the WTB forum. However, I often find things being sold in the for sale forum that have been on my wanted list for a while. I advertise my list, I post when I update my list, and I spend much more money in these forums then anyone really should. All that said and I still see people selling 3 games on my list in a thread right by themselves. Now, if you were selling 30 games and 3 of them were ones I was looking for I could understand, if you are selling 3 games why not check the WTB forum? I have thought about posting items I really want to buy right now or items I know someone here would like to sell from my list in the marketplace forum, but I have stayed away from that so far.

 

I have purchased much more from my WTB thread then I really ever thought I would, but I'm always shocked that people don't look at those things very often.

I try to tell people what I have that is in their want list as often as I notice it. The whole problem with that is that a lot of the time people advertise they only want to spend $X on a specific cart. Also a lot of people don't update the thread often enough. Sometimes they will already have received a cart and others they are waiting for a cart to arrive, either case often has no editing of the thread and my time sending a PM is wasted only to find out the person already has what they needed.

[HatefulGravey]

I try to tell people what I have that is in their want list as often as I notice it. The whole problem with that is that a lot of the time people advertise they only want to spend $X on a specific cart. Also a lot of people don't update the thread often enough. Sometimes they will already have received a cart and others they are waiting for a cart to arrive, either case often has no editing of the thread and my time sending a PM is wasted only to find out the person already has what they needed.

 

I edit mine every time I make a deal to show that I'm waiting on that item, when I get the item I remove it, and I never say what I want to spend on an item until I know what you are asking. As a matter of fact I haven't had anyone yet message me from my WTB list with a price I didn't think was reasonable. When I buy here I look to be pretty close to retail, I'm just trying to avoid all the ePay crap. I might not always have the money to spend at the time but I'm always up front about that and have never told someone I would pay for something that I didn't. Maybe I'm not the average person on these forums in that way.

[Zwackery]

In terms of Atari 2600 titles, R4/5 and lower CIB games have tanked in value, and I would daresay across the board a lot of boxed commons and uncommons (and even some semi-rares) for a variety of systems are not worth what they once were. New Atari collectors can build an entry-level collection of boxed titles very cheaply compared to just a few years ago and those values have remained flat. A couple of decades from now, I have nary a clue, although I would not be surprised if the value remained unchanged from now.

[CGQuarterly]

I need to sell these because I need money

(Oh come on- has anyone sold something because they didn’t need money?)

 

I generally sell stuff because I need the space and/or am tired of looking at it piled up on the floor (which is where all of the "outgoing" stuff goes.) I don't need the money. Which is why I sell stuff cheap.

 

 

I will not haggle. If you say “$4.00 or best offer” I will pay $4.00 or I will not buy.

 

and a +1 for this. I understand people taking offers for high priced items, but when it's something worth $50 or less, asking for offers is just asking for trouble and drama. Tons of marketplace threads with "make offer" and no price have turned into complaints about other users "lowballing" (which I'm sure some people do) or some other form of problem, such as not replying to PMs, etc.

 

If a seller thinks there exist offers that are "lowball" and you already know a ballpark price you want out of the item, it seems counter-intuitive to not just post the price you want in the first place.

 

Couldn't agree more. I NEVER EVER EVER make an offer. If there is no price, I skip it. Don't know what something is worth? Research it and/or ask. No one is selling one-of-a-kind stuff here unless it's something you made yourself, so everything has a known approximate value.

 

Chris

[Toraborakid]

This deals specifically with 2600/7800, but some parts may apply generally to other areas.

 

Some Atarians want to collect every cart, every variation, with box, manual, warranty card, etc sealed if possible. Some buy a Harmony cart instead. Somewhere between the two extremes there is a collector who wants some, maybe most, but not all. He will accept Froggo Karate over Ultravision because of price/availability, or perhaps he doesn’t want Karate at all because it sucks. I fall into the some/most category.

 

I started my collection by buying a large lot. This drove the price per cart down and saved on shipping. Then I bought another lot, to fill in some of the gaps. I kept the best-looking duplicates, traded what I could to Al for homebrews, and gave away the rest. After that, it was more cost effective to avoid the large lots.

 

I do not collect sports games. No baseball, no football, no soccer, no wrestling. Tennis is a maybe. Hockey is okay. I like Activision Boxing and Atari Basketball because they look ridiculous, but that’s about it.

 

I prefer the original release instead of a bootleg, but price/availability is the deciding factor. The most I’ve spent on a game is $30, and I’d like to keep it that way. Any more than that, and it makes more sense to get a repro or use Harmony. The exception is homebrews and proto repros- some of these games are simply amazing and the effort involved deserves a premium. I will not Hozer.

 

Games are a bad long-term investment.

 

Boxes are nice to look at, but they take up more space than they are worth. Storing them flat defeats the purpose. Manuals are nice if they happen to be there, but usually unnecessary. I know how to play ET; the instructions hold no further benefit. I’m more of a gamer than a collector, and the cart’s the thing.

 

The Harmony cart is an easy way to try before you buy. Some of the expensive games are fun, but most are just not worth the price.

 

I prefer to buy from the marketplace, but I will buy from online stores. I like to see pictures- front and end label, please. I like to see prices in the marketplace. Prices sent via pm tend to be higher than prices posted where everyone can see. I will not Ebay.

 

I will not haggle. If you say “$4.00 or best offer” I will pay $4.00 or I will not buy.

 

I check feedback before I decide to buy, and I leave feedback after the goods arrive. I haven’t been scammed here yet.

 

If you send something via parcel post, it will show up one or two days after I ask you what’s taking so long. I will gladly pay more for faster methods. Tracking is a must. I like watching the progress online- I live at a motel. Packages go to the motel office. They usually don’t tell me if something’s there.

 

Different people use different packing methods. I’ve seen games individually enclosed in custom-fit ziplock bags, then individually bubble-wrapped, separated with packing material, put in a sealed box, then put inside a second box with more packing material. I’ve also seen games packed loose against each other with a single sheet of newspaper. I’ve seen packing boxes arrive looking off-the-shelf new. I’ve seen packing boxes look like they were used for footballs.

 

No end label, no deal. Torn/faded end label might be tolerable/acceptable.

 

Please don’t post your WTB in the marketplace. There is a WTB section for WTB posts. I go to the marketplace and I see “Super-cool hard to find game WTB” and it’s like “Oh, I don’t have that game, how much does he want- oh, wait. It’s not for sale, he’s trying to buy.”

 

I don’t like gift payments. I’d rather send extra to cover the fees.

 

Some people collect baseball cards or key chains. I collect ET carts. They’re cheap, plentiful, and nobody seems to want them for anything. There’s more supply than demand so I’m not depriving anyone. I do not use them for any special project, and they are not modified/destroyed. They just sit on a shelf. I’m not so far gone that I’ll blow a wad of dough on my addiction, but if you have a few and I’m buying something from you anyway, I’ll gladly take them off your hands.

 

Here are some common phrases to avoid (and what they really mean)

 

I joined five minutes ago and this is my first post

(I don’t care about the community; I just want your money)

 

I don’t know what these are worth

(I’m too lazy to check, or I want more than it’s worth)

 

We’ll just do this auction style

(You’ll be outbid or you’ll pay too much- either way you lose)

 

Reserve

(I don’t want to tell anyone how much I want, but whatever you offer is not enough)

 

I don’t have a camera

(The games look like carp- torn faded labels with permanent marker stains)

 

Selling as a lot

(Lazy, or don’t want to be stuck with unwanted leftovers- in other words, lazy)

 

Untested but it worked the last time

(Probably does not work)

 

Shrink-wrapped

(Expensive. Dented/caved-in box, cart is very nice condition but may not work. No refund)

 

I need to sell these because I need money

(Oh come on- has anyone sold something because they didn’t need money?)

 

I need money for an operation/bills/bicycle/meth/etc

(I don’t care why you’re selling. I’ll buy if you have what I want.)

 

If you don’t buy them I’ll be forced to use Ebay

(Honestly, this “threat” does nothing to encourage me to buy something I don’t want)

 

Well, that wraps it up. You may agree or disagree with any portion or the whole. Debate?

 

 

Nice Post BTW: does anyone see whats wrong with this thread?

 

 

Well. if you don't let me explain: he is making valid point in his post, well and good and hears the kicker, almost everyone posting is trying to justify certain arguments/points he is making in his post.. thought i would point that out

[+orpheuswaking]

Selling as a lot

(Lazy, or don’t want to be stuck with unwanted leftovers- in other words, lazy)

 

 

This is actually one I disagree with (the others are all valid points) - I don't think it's lazy at all, if I have a couple items of worth and a bunch of commons that will likely not sell why not throw them in to a lot and sell the whole thing? especially if I am selling the system with it...

[horseboy]

I still can't figure out why some people have such hatred for best offer posts. It makes no sense to me. If you are interested just send the guy an offer for what you are willing to pay. It is perfectly acceptable to post something up for best offer.

[zylon]

I agree with your WTB comments. They belong in the WTB forum. However, I often find things being sold in the for sale forum that have been on my wanted list for a while. I advertise my list, I post when I update my list, and I spend much more money in these forums then anyone really should. All that said and I still see people selling 3 games on my list in a thread right by themselves. Now, if you were selling 30 games and 3 of them were ones I was looking for I could understand, if you are selling 3 games why not check the WTB forum? I have thought about posting items I really want to buy right now or items I know someone here would like to sell from my list in the marketplace forum, but I have stayed away from that so far.

 

I have purchased much more from my WTB thread then I really ever thought I would, but I'm always shocked that people don't look at those things very often.

I look at WTB threads daily and offer up if I have something they need/want. That's usually the only sales I get.

In my own buying and selling threads the percentages suck. In my buying threads, I've managed 20% and selling threads 0%.

Most of the For-sale threads I PM about get no response at all. Not even a "NO".

I'm actually considering just parting out stuff instead of saving it anymore as it piles up way faster than it goes out, especially this year.

[raskar42]

I still can't figure out why some people have such hatred for best offer posts. It makes no sense to me. If you are interested just send the guy an offer for what you are willing to pay. It is perfectly acceptable to post something up for best offer.

 

i got no problem with best offer posts, if they really mean it. but if you post "best offer" you have no right to complain about lowballs.

[accousticguitar]

I still can't figure out why some people have such hatred for best offer posts. It makes no sense to me. If you are interested just send the guy an offer for what you are willing to pay. It is perfectly acceptable to post something up for best offer.

I've had bad luck with making offers, so I rarely try it anymore. Maybe it's because I usually start out on the low end of what I think it's worth (I'm sure not starting out on the high end) or I really don't know what it's worth so I just throw something out there. I figure the seller can make a counter offer if he doesn't like the offer, but instead what usually happens is the person gets offended and doesn't want to even try to work something out. So, it's much easier just to skip the "make an offer" posts.

[+orpheuswaking]

Well I've had some success with make an offer posts when the person really didnt know what they had (but usually it's people who have been around here for awhile) I tend to not go superlow as I don't want to rip anyone off...

[fmdof]

I don’t know what these are worth

(I’m too lazy to check, or I want more than it’s worth)

 

Let me just say, I HATE THIS. A LOT! What a waste of my time.

 

On the subject, I also hate when someone posts a game for twice the price, and some idiot replys "I had no idea they're selling that much now" No, they're not. And the time it took you to type your reply, you coulda searched it. Oh, but If I say anything on the thread, I'm "crapping" on the thread. Some idiot sellers need to learn to learn the hard way.

 

and I hate for offers too. I never offer less than what ever the asking price is. when there is no price, I will ALWAYS ask what do YOU want for this item.

 

I hate seeing something for sale, I click the topic, and oh, it's on ebay. Neo-geo.com/forums is BAD for this.

 

Oh and this one really brings my piss to a boil. If you don't have time to ship the items, DON'T SELL THEM. Its like, payment is needed right away, but I'll ship it when I get a chance. I rarely sell anything. And that's because I don't have time to ship. AHHHH! SO sick of paying for something, and waiting 3 weeks to get it.

 

love this topic. I love to vent too sometimes. Often, actually.

[Dino]

A couple of decades from now, I have nary a clue, although I would not be surprised if the value remained unchanged from now.

 

Agree. Which does not make games a good investment, given you can get 4% from just leaving your money in the bank.

[CGQuarterly]

I still can't figure out why some people have such hatred for best offer posts. It makes no sense to me. If you are interested just send the guy an offer for what you are willing to pay. It is perfectly acceptable to post something up for best offer.

 

i got no problem with best offer posts, if they really mean it. but if you post "best offer" you have no right to complain about lowballs.

 

This.

 

Everyone knows what they want for something. The point of asking for offers is that the person hopes that someone offers more than the seller would be willing to sell it for. So when someone sends an offer that's way below the price the seller had in mind, sometimes they get all attitudey about it. So if you have a price in mind,just freaking post it.

 

So when someone posts "Make offer - no lowballs", I wish that person would just hurry up and die from cancer of the eyes.

 

Chris

[toiletunes]

Some good points (pro and con), I'll keep them in mind if/when I revise my marketplace philosophy. Thanks everyone, keep it up!