ValkerieSilk Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 I don't usually seek out sealed games, but I have picked some up over the years when the prices have been right. I feel confident in judging the authenticity if I can see it in person, or if there are very high quality pics of edges and corners. I enjoy collecting unusually great condition games, so I can't help myself when there is a sealed game for a decent price. I need to find better protection cases for some.. I'm nervous every time I need to move or look at things like my sealed Super Sketch. It's just a larger box, so I can't use standard box protector. I just have it in bubble wrap for now. For anyone wondering, I bought it due to the price being too low to pass up, and after thinking how few sealed copies must exist. I'm not sure what a sealed Super Sketch is worth, but I know I got a great deal, and that is part of the fun. That's funny, I get nervous moving my stuff around as well and right now I have to move a ton of it to make more room for my ever expanding collection. Super Sketch sealed (Really!),2K plus on Ebay I would suspect if in really good shape. I remember passing one up and squabbling over 50 dollars more that the guy wanted 5 years back (250 US at the time)... Needless to say, I didn't get it... ;( .... Let me know if you want to sell yours (haha) ... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispFollower Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 That's funny, I get nervous moving my stuff around as well and right now I have to move a ton of it to make more room for my ever expanding collection. Super Sketch sealed (Really!),2K plus on Ebay I would suspect if in really good shape. I remember passing one up and squabbling over 50 dollars more that the guy wanted 5 years back (250 US at the time)... Needless to say, I didn't get it... ;( .... Let me know if you want to sell yours (haha) ... I don't necessarily have the desire to sell anything, but I do believe every item has its price no matter what the owner says. Some of the offers on my high end games have been sounding pretty tantalizing lately.. However, I would have to search through my old messages from 2012 when I posted my glorious finds here to see which people I promised could have first crack at my collection. I have been watching Ebay a lot, though, and I have definitely had some fleeting thoughts of posting pics and hearing offers. I think the condition on my rarities is far above average. Some are even near mint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojay1997 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I think most of collectors would be very surprised if they open their "pretended" factory sealed. I bet you would even didn't find a cartridge in the box but a piece of wood or something else. And most of boxes are not original ones. I think one only relative reliable mean to find if it is a fake or not. It is to smell the box. Boxes sealed in 1982-83 does not smell as boxes recently sealed. But of course , it is hard to smell on Ebay... Disagree. I've opened lots of factory sealed classic games I bought on Ebay over the years and I've only found one out of hundreds that was not new in every way. I think there is more incentive for fraud now given some of the record prices being paid, but I don't think there is a massive amount of fake sealed games out there just yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispFollower Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I should say if you are interested in the Super Sketch, I can't recall having received any real offers on it, as I have only posted about it a couple times. I need to do one of those collection show off threads, but the thought of digging out all my rare games deters me. Maybe some day soon, as I think I've got some exciting items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValkerieSilk Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 I don't necessarily have the desire to sell anything, but I do believe every item has its price no matter what the owner says. Some of the offers on my high end games have been sounding pretty tantalizing lately.. However, I would have to search through my old messages from 2012 when I posted my glorious finds here to see which people I promised could have first crack at my collection. I have been watching Ebay a lot, though, and I have definitely had some fleeting thoughts of posting pics and hearing offers. I think the condition on my rarities is far above average. Some are even near mint. Ah, would love to see some pics... My collection is not to shabby as well, nor do I have any desire to sell... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojay1997 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 That's funny, I get nervous moving my stuff around as well and right now I have to move a ton of it to make more room for my ever expanding collection. Super Sketch sealed (Really!),2K plus on Ebay I would suspect if in really good shape. I remember passing one up and squabbling over 50 dollars more that the guy wanted 5 years back (250 US at the time)... Needless to say, I didn't get it... ;( .... Let me know if you want to sell yours (haha) ... I don't think a sealed Super Sketch has sold for anywhere near $2K. The last one on Ebay sold for a little over $900 late last year in mint sealed condition. Atari2600.com also had a sealed one that they sold for $700 or so around the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispFollower Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Another reason I haven't posted a for offer thread is it seems to generate what I believe is unnecessary anger. People start shouting at you to post set prices, even though the goal is to feel out the demand/value. In addition, a huge part of the fun for me is haggling, but some people don't appear to have the patience and/or social skills to handle it. I don't enjoy making waves, so I have kept a lot of my collection in the dark instead of putting it out there to hear offers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispFollower Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I don't think a sealed Super Sketch has sold for anywhere near $2K. The last one on Ebay sold for a little over $900 late last year in mint sealed condition. Atari2600.com also had a sealed one that they sold for $700 or so around the same time. I didn't see that one as mint, and it definitely wasn't sealed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojay1997 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I didn't see that one as mint, and it definitely wasn't sealed. Which one are you talking about? Both of the ones I am referring to were sealed. There were a couple of others that were posted as "new in box" that weren't sealed that have sold in the past year. One sold for around $300 in January 2014. I agree that the 2600.com one was less than mint (although it was still very nice), but it was sealed. In any event, I doubt prices have doubled in a year, but maybe the guy buying up all the Colecovision stuff will scoop it up from you at $2K. Stranger things have happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispFollower Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I didn't mean any disrespect. Sorry if it came off that way. The one on Ebay was opened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojay1997 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I didn't mean any disrespect. Sorry if it came off that way. The one on Ebay was opened. I think you're talking about the one from September that was complete in the box that also sold for around $900. There was a sealed one that I believe was a BIN that also sold for around $900 in late November, early December. In any event, one hasn't been sold mint/sealed since then as far as I know, so I suppose anything is possible price wise. Is yours the 2600.com one that was part of that large Colecovision collection? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispFollower Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I can't find the completed listing on Ebay or the Colecovision auction thread here, so I'll have to take your word for it. However, buy it now prices don't always tell the entire story, as someone might not realize it's worth, post it, then someone snatches up a deal. I think from what I have seen, $900 is still a good deal for a sealed copy since that nice opened one was well over $900 with shipping. I was the one who got the Atari2600.com sealed copy. I think I was very lucky to get such a deal, once again thinking of the opened one which was sold auction style, not buy it now. It was the most I have ever paid for a video game, but considering it brings me up to seven of the top ten hardest to find CIB games, and I got all the others for a song, I'm doing alright. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojay1997 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I can't find the completed listing on Ebay or the Colecovision auction thread here, so I'll have to take your word for it. However, buy it now prices don't always tell the entire story, as someone might not realize it's worth, post it, then someone snatches up a deal. I think from what I have seen, $900 is still a good deal for a sealed copy since that nice opened one was well over $900 with shipping. I was the one who got the Atari2600.com sealed copy. I think I was very lucky to get such a deal, once again thinking of the opened one which was sold auction style, not buy it now. It was the most I have ever paid for a video game, but considering it brings me up to seven of the top ten hardest to find CIB games, and I got all the others for a song, I'm doing alright. Sure, but prices can vary widely from day to day or month to month depending on who is buying and when. The 2600.com copy you got sat in their store for at least a couple of months (and while they don't really advertise, many Colecovision collectors were aware of it) and my recollection is that there were some flaws. It's definitely a cool piece, but I wouldn't count on the price necessarily continuing to appreciate over time, especially if more copies in similar condition trickle out as they seem to have done in the past couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispFollower Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I'm not worried about price appreciation, as I do not plan on selling anything. I'm merely enjoying an acquisition gained for a fair value during a time when it is tough to even find at all- just collecting, appreciating, curating, or any other similar terms people care to use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValkerieSilk Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 I can't find the completed listing on Ebay or the Colecovision auction thread here, so I'll have to take your word for it. However, buy it now prices don't always tell the entire story, as someone might not realize it's worth, post it, then someone snatches up a deal. I think from what I have seen, $900 is still a good deal for a sealed copy since that nice opened one was well over $900 with shipping. I was the one who got the Atari2600.com sealed copy. I think I was very lucky to get such a deal, once again thinking of the opened one which was sold auction style, not buy it now. It was the most I have ever paid for a video game, but considering it brings me up to seven of the top ten hardest to find CIB games, and I got all the others for a song, I'm doing alright. Joe used to have some killer deals... Yep, would love to grab one of those some day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValkerieSilk Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 I'm not worried about price appreciation, as I do not plan on selling anything. I'm merely enjoying an acquisition gained for a fair value during a time when it is tough to even find at all- just collecting, appreciating, curating, or any other similar terms people care to use. Over the years I've gotten some great deals and some not so great deals, but in the end my retro collection just makes me happy... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValkerieSilk Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 I can't find the completed listing on Ebay or the Colecovision auction thread here, so I'll have to take your word for it. However, buy it now prices don't always tell the entire story, as someone might not realize it's worth, post it, then someone snatches up a deal. I think from what I have seen, $900 is still a good deal for a sealed copy since that nice opened one was well over $900 with shipping. I was the one who got the Atari2600.com sealed copy. I think I was very lucky to get such a deal, once again thinking of the opened one which was sold auction style, not buy it now. It was the most I have ever paid for a video game, but considering it brings me up to seven of the top ten hardest to find CIB games, and I got all the others for a song, I'm doing alright. Joe still holds the title for having sold to me the most expensive single retro item I've purchased thus far ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispFollower Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Over the years I've gotten some great deals and some not so great deals, but in the end my retro collection just makes me happy... Collecting is a uniquely fun hobby. I have paid a high price on a handful of items (five or less), but considering I have well over one thousand games and dozens of rare accessories cib, I am not worried about it. Sometimes, you just have to have a certain item! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValkerieSilk Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 Collecting is a uniquely fun hobby. I have paid a high price on a handful of items (five or less), but considering I have well over one thousand games and dozens of rare accessories cib, I am not worried about it. Sometimes, you just have to have a certain item! I hear that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freewheel Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Another reason I haven't posted a for offer thread is it seems to generate what I believe is unnecessary anger. People start shouting at you to post set prices, even though the goal is to feel out the demand/value. In addition, a huge part of the fun for me is haggling, but some people don't appear to have the patience and/or social skills to handle it. I find sellers much worse in terms of social skills and the unnecessary anger comes mostly from them. The number of times I see "$X O.B.O, lowballers will be ignored" in online listings is staggering. Or better still, "I know what this stuff is worth on Ebay so don't waste my time trying to rip me off" - always a friendly classic. Because I refuse to get suckered into inevitable speculator crashes - and with the recent focus on "MIB" and graded/sealed games, and homebrew suddenly selling for hundreds of dollars I think I'm witnessing the setup for a crash in yet another hobby of mine - I'm often accused of "lowballing". If people are so positive that their stuff is worth a good chunk of change, I'd rather they just set a ballpark amount that THEY think is reasonable and we can haggle from there. Nothing irritates me more than wasting my time with a guy who is convinced that one less crease on a box somehow adds $100 to the value of a game that was selling for $50 2 years ago. And yeah, I realize that I'm probably mostly seeing a bunch of angsty 20-somethings who're suddenly convinced that their copy of Super Mario Bros is worth $10 because some store had it for that price once, and because it's older than them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValkerieSilk Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 I find sellers much worse in terms of social skills and the unnecessary anger comes mostly from them. The number of times I see "$X O.B.O, lowballers will be ignored" in online listings is staggering. Or better still, "I know what this stuff is worth on Ebay so don't waste my time trying to rip me off" - always a friendly classic. Because I refuse to get suckered into inevitable speculator crashes - and with the recent focus on "MIB" and graded/sealed games, and homebrew suddenly selling for hundreds of dollars I think I'm witnessing the setup for a crash in yet another hobby of mine - I'm often accused of "lowballing". If people are so positive that their stuff is worth a good chunk of change, I'd rather they just set a ballpark amount that THEY think is reasonable and we can haggle from there. Nothing irritates me more than wasting my time with a guy who is convinced that one less crease on a box somehow adds $100 to the value of a game that was selling for $50 2 years ago. And yeah, I realize that I'm probably mostly seeing a bunch of angsty 20-somethings who're suddenly convinced that their copy of Super Mario Bros is worth $10 because some store had it for that price once, and because it's older than them. My CV collection is worthless to me in that I don't plan on selling it. But if Ebay has proven anything, it's that your retro games are worth what you can sell them for. I know plenty of professionals (docs, engineers etc) that are adamant about the value of there CV collection and have proved that time and again by commanding top dollar for CV games with bids starting at 99 cents. As incredible as it may seem, this stuff is worth serious cash to the right buyer and those buyers are scanning the eBay pages daily with cash in hand. I suppose only time will tell, but for myself even when I overpay I'm ok with that as it's just for fun and hey it's only money 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youki Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Disagree. I've opened lots of factory sealed classic games I bought on Ebay over the years and I've only found one out of hundreds that was not new in every way. I think there is more incentive for fraud now given some of the record prices being paid, but I don't think there is a massive amount of fake sealed games out there just yet. Of course, i speak of now. In the past there was less risk. But since one or two years , the number of "sealed" factory game that popup on various website increase exponentially.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValkerieSilk Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Of course, i speak of now. In the past there was less risk. But since one or two years , the number of "sealed" factory game that popup on various website increase exponentially....Yeah for sure ... There are still quite a few common titles available that are truly NIB (from the right eBay sellers), and as some have stated most Coleco games were not sealed in plastic wrap. But the potential for fraud seems high when games like DK and Spy Hunter are selling for 400 plus. I've purchased reproduction DK's right here at AA that could easily pass for authentic to the untrained eye. Not to insinuate that anyone is doing that, I'm just saying. BTW: Someone mentioned Video Game Authority that rate your games, I would think that would be a great source to ensure your getting an authentic retro purchase. Last I checked though, VGA was expensive, slow and I would think a bit risky shipping your NIB games out. It would cost a fortune to have all my games rated. I also liked the comment regarding NIB games, in a way you kinda of lose out on the experience of reading the manual, admiring the art work, the funny comments on warranty cards, the controller inserts (which I never used as a kid but only on Intv) and playing the game. My ultimate dream collection is everything CIB AND NIB! Dare to Dream right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispFollower Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 I find sellers much worse in terms of social skills and the unnecessary anger comes mostly from them. The number of times I see "$X O.B.O, lowballers will be ignored" in online listings is staggering. Or better still, "I know what this stuff is worth on Ebay so don't waste my time trying to rip me off" - always a friendly classic. Because I refuse to get suckered into inevitable speculator crashes - and with the recent focus on "MIB" and graded/sealed games, and homebrew suddenly selling for hundreds of dollars I think I'm witnessing the setup for a crash in yet another hobby of mine - I'm often accused of "lowballing". If people are so positive that their stuff is worth a good chunk of change, I'd rather they just set a ballpark amount that THEY think is reasonable and we can haggle from there. Nothing irritates me more than wasting my time with a guy who is convinced that one less crease on a box somehow adds $100 to the value of a game that was selling for $50 2 years ago. And yeah, I realize that I'm probably mostly seeing a bunch of angsty 20-somethings who're suddenly convinced that their copy of Super Mario Bros is worth $10 because some store had it for that price once, and because it's older than them. I understand, as I have seen grouchy and angst filled people on both sides. I'm not into unnecessary stuff like that. If someone wants to send me an offer I don't like, I'll politely decline or counter offer. Perhaps it's all the flea markets I've been to, but I love haggling. I suppose I understand people who just want straightforward pricing. However, I think it skips a good chunk of fun, and you might as well have your stuff on Ebay at that point instead of a social community of collectors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 (edited) Sorry, posted twice. Edited October 7, 2014 by Rik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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