Have you ever regretted selling an item from your collection?

[SEgamer]

I was cleaning up and re-organizing my game room this weekend and remembered how much stuff I had before (my collection is about 1/2 or less than what it used to be). Some of the things I remembered were items that held some sort of sentimental value due to growing up or my collecting experiences.

 

A few off the top of my head:

 

Sega CD system / Snatcher - I got the Sega CD system and games pretty cheap years ago, but the big one was Snatcher that I got for $5 due to a misprinted price tag at Play N Trade (luckily the guys there didn't know what it was). I wish had it back because it was my first big find as a collector, and it was a great game.

 

Commodore SX 64 - I almost didn't buy it because I thought it was some sort of carrying case the first time I walked past it at a local thrift. Surprisingly it was complete and the floppy drive worked. I was on the fence about selling it but space was becoming an issue at the time, and I was getting out of the Commodore scene. That didn't last long though because I bought a C64 a few months later... and yes that setup actually took up more space than the SX. Obviously logic wasn't involved when I sold it.

 

N64 games - Last year I sold my N64 collection (around 290+ were complete), but I only miss a few that I actually owned growing up (managed to get most back because they were cheap titles to begin with, but they'll never replace the original copies). The biggest one was Starcraft 64, which led me to Starcraft on the PC and strategy games in general.

 

I could go to ebay or sites like this one and afford to buy them back, but to me it's just not the same as finding them in the wild. Also, hoping to find these things again along with a few others are the reason I still go to local thrifts and flea markets even though games/systems are getting a lot harder to find around here.

Edited February 13, 2012 by SEgamer

[Pengwin]

A few years back, I had a moment of insanity and decided to have a clear out and get rid of my retro stuff.

Fortunately, I didn't get rid of it all, but some of the items I did get sell took me an age to find in the first place and I would love to replace them, including: AdventureWriter, Kyan Pascal, Turbo BasicXL and a number of books.

I keep my eye open on ebay with the usual searches, but I figure it'll take me a while again.

[Mirage]

My 520ST setup that was minty from what I remember. Now that I have the HxC Floppy Emulator, I could have used it. I justify it being gone since I have the Amiga setup anyway, and space is definitely an issue.

 

My Vectrex, but it went to a good home, someone I know appreciates it, so that's fine. I just needed to do a little work on it and get a controller and a multicart. I guess getting rid of it saved me some money, so... it's OK. Still. The pain. LOL

 

And of course, anything I owned BITD, but that's all been gone for 30 years now, so water under the bridge. Kills me to this day that when we moved, I tossed all my 2600 boxes into a few garbage bags and put them in the trash in 1990. Doh!

[so_tough!]

I'm thinking about selling my collection. So far I've sold some megadrive games and got rid of my neo geo. It feels good.

[high voltage]

sold my complete Lynx collection, shouldn't have done it, but recollecting it slowly

[128Kgames]

Sold my second Neo Geo AES collection to pay for the band at my wedding. Part of it was one of the last brand new AES consoles from Japan that I had bought from Super Sellers. Also copy of Mark of the Wolves US that I had bought new from SNK USA.

 

A few years later started on my third AES collection 'cause you just can't forget the Neo. Still haven't gotten another copy of Mark of the Wolves US, and good luck finding a new AES console.

[so_tough!]

I know of people who sold off huge collections and haven't regretted it and I know of people who have regretted it , you have to think long and hard about it, especially if you are going to sell a collection.

 

If you're selling because you want to get out of the game , you probably won't regret it. If you're selling to raise cash, you probably will and will probably end up buying that stuff again.

Edited February 13, 2012 by so_tough!

[Reaperman]

I sold a sealed Legend Of Zelda on ebay. It went for (IIRC) $105.

I was hoping for considerably more, and I think it was probably worth more than what it went for to me.

[Ransom]

Of the stuff I had BITD, I most regret getting rid of my 1200XL and accessories/software, as well as my Apple //c and accessories/software. I didn't have anything that I couldn't get today, but I'd really like to have the actual items I originally owned.

 

Then in the late 90s, when I purged all the classic stuff I'd recollected since 1991 (excepting only my A8 stuff), I shouldn't have gotten rid of the 5200 (complete with two Wico joysticks and two y-cables, two NIB trak-balls, a bunch of games brand new games, etc. -- all bought at Silicon Valley-area surplus warehouses). I don't regret getting rid of the 2600, 7800, Odyssey, the C=64, the TI 99/4a, and the dozen other systems I had at that time because I didn't have anything special. Well, I regret it a little because I bought all that at flea market and surplus warehouse prices, only to rebuy much of it later on at eBay prices!

 

All in all, though, I'd say my biggest purge regrets are my original 1200XL and Apple //c collections.

[Ransom]

If you're selling because you want to get out of the game , you probably won't regret it. If you're selling to raise cash, you probably will and will probably end up buying that stuff again.

 

Good points. But you left out one more: if you're selling it because you've run out of room.

[so_tough!]

If you're selling because you want to get out of the game , you probably won't regret it. If you're selling to raise cash, you probably will and will probably end up buying that stuff again.

 

Good points. But you left out one more: if you're selling it because you've run out of room.

 

Well that's giving up something you want but can't really have, which is not a good feeling. But, unless you have a huge collection, I can't see that being a common dilemma.

[SEgamer]

I know of people who sold off huge collections and haven't regretted it and I know of people who have regretted it , you have to think long and hard about it, especially if you are going to sell a collection.

 

It took me a month or two to finally decide to sell my N64 collection. I was close to getting a complete collection (USA releases anyway), but the last 3 or 4 CIB I needed (the ones you could only get from Blockbuster) were going for 200 - 400 each and very rare to appear on ebay or anywhere else. I felt that it was too costly for just those and decided to stop there.

 

Good points. But you left out one more: if you're selling it because you've run out of room.

 

That was a main reason for me, next to the thought that those games would just sit on those shelves, and I rarely played them.

[Ransom]

Good points. But you left out one more: if you're selling it because you've run out of room.

 

Well that's giving up something you want but can't really have, which is not a good feeling. But, unless you have a huge collection, I can't see that being a common dilemma.

 

It's happened to me. Not that I've ever had an enormous collection, but I can only set aside so much room for it all. When we were living in an apartment, we had a 6'x4' storage area in the basement. I filled that up, as well as the closet in the spare room. And that was just the stuff I wasn't using -- I also had two desks and several book cases filled with stuff in that spare room. It got to the point where I had to start getting rid of stuff just to have room for other things. So that's when I started purging all the stuff I'd bought in the early 90s. First went the enormous 5200 and accessories (all boxed), of course...

 

These days, we have a house and I try to confine my classic gaming/computer stuff to one desk, two 4' tall book shelves, and one walk-in closet in the library, plus one 8' tall industrial shelving unit in the basement. So from time to time I go through my stuff and get rid of things I'm not using if I'm not particularly attached to them. That's the only way I can keep it under control.

 

So far, no regrets from doing that. But I'm always nervous when I get rid of stuff...

[so_tough!]

I'm sort of an anti hoarder, clutter and things which I don't use annoy me. So actually I'm enjoying getting rid of stuff right now, even If I don't make that much money out of it, just having the stuff gone is a nice feeling.

[VicViper]

My god yes. When I moved out of my parents house years ago I had one of those "I'm an adult now, I should sell this stuff" moments. regrettable. I had 200 nes, 100 sms, 35 gen, VB stuff, CDX, just tons of stuff. I didn't sell it all. I kept my snes with a handful of games, 7800 with all the 78's as well as a few favorite 26's, my neo geo, vectrex, and thank god, my TG16/duo.pcengine stuff. almost all of the stuff I sold has gone up exponentially in value. I sold my entire Gen collection, witch was mostly shooters, for about 35 dollars. Sold a snow bros for 20, same with a bonk for nes. *sob* this was before i was quite as ebay savy as i am now, so I got hosed on most everything.

[BydoEmpire]

Nope. Every time I sold anything it was because I wasn't really playing it much anyways, and I always had a specific use for the money.

[Seob]

This is why i have set limits in the first place when i started collecting. I just want to collect stuff that was available on my home market. Not imports. For every console i own i want at least a few games to be able to play. I don't care for getting every game available for a system. I don't care for boxes. If i can buy loose i buy loose, except for cd based games.

I have sold a few prototypes to get some money to buy the ps3 and never regret it because i had a lot of fun with the uncharted games. Sold of a few of my rare consoles like the laser 2001 and comx35 but since i don't want to collect home computers they didn't fit in my collection. The only home computers i kept where those that i played back in the day, like msx, msx2, c64 and amiga.

I don't buy a whole lot on ebay, if there is only one game i'm interested in. And if i buy a lot then it is because i'm wanting to resell some of the stuff.

[akator]

There are things I miss, but as soon as I remember that it isn't my life goal to own/operate/maintain a private museum, I don't regret getting rid of any of it.

[+wood_jl]

Oh yeah. I had some machine failures with my Commodore 64 and Vic-20 and I liquidated my stuff. BIG MISTAKE!!! Now I have some proper power supplies, and I'm trying again.

 

I'm going to be careful about getting rid of an entire line again. I have some duplicate consoles/machines, but I don't want to be WITHOUT any of the particular computer or gaming platform.

 

Part of the function of this stuff is that sitting in a room full of it, there's an effect of quite simply making me feel good, just having the stuff around. Silly, but it does work. Retrogaming and retrocomputing is sort of an intoxicant-free mini-escape from modern problems. When combined with these "impossible" devices (impossible for the age of the retro machine, and I'm talking about flash devices), it's almost pure bliss! Don't sell it!

Edited February 13, 2012 by wood_jl

[monzamess]

My Atari 8-bit collection. Had nothing too special, but lots of neat carts.

 

My "Coke WIns" cart. That went cheap too.

 

On the other hand, I never play the few things I kept. They just sit in a box in the closet.

[Eltigro]

Back in high school (I graduated in '93 to give you a time reference), I sold my NES and all the games, controllers, Nintendo Power magazines, and strategy guides in a garage sale. I had just gotten my TurboGrafx and wanted money to buy a new game. My mom marked it down from the price I set on it and sold it all for $40. Not near what it was worth and not enough for a new game either. I was pretty pissed.

 

I really don't think I've sold any games or systems since.

[genesisguy]

Yeah.

 

I've had three NES Top Loaders over the past 3 years. I keep wanting them and then once I hook it up and see those terrible jailbars I go back to the original toaster.

[godslabrat]

I see tons of posts by people who are eager to "get rid of the clutter" and scale back their collections... and it seems like just as many posts by people who regret doing that and want to get their stuff back.

 

IMO, if I didn't want something, I wouldn't have tried to aquire it in the first place. I'm very picky about what goes into my collection... once it's mine, the only way it's leaving is if I put you in my Will.

[Underball]

Cuttle Cart 2

[icemanxp300]

I only regret selling my factory sealed mario 1 back in like 2003-2004. I needed money and it sold on ebay for a clean $100... now look at it. A few years back I managed to grab a comparible copy for $314 shipped, not a bad deal these days. However sentimental value from an original is worth more than $$.

 

I have learned to not sell anything of rareness or limited quantities. Anything that was given to you by someone or stuff like that. Selling a mario world isn't no bid deal, selling a stadium events you won in a contest.... you get the point lol.