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How to BARGAIN & HAGGLE SUCCESSFULLY - Advice from Game COLLECTORS


Metal Jesus

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Kelsey (who owns two retro gaming stores in Seattle) and I share our TIPS & TRICKS for haggling at retro game stores, expos, garage sales & craigslist. Our years of game collecting AND store ownership offer a unique perspective on getting the best deal AND being respectful to the other party.

 

 

TIPS:

Garage sales are typically the easiest
Be nice & respectful
Know what is popular & what isn't
Retail store prices have business expenses added
Slow selling games are sometimes easier to haggle with
Buy in bulk if possible
Politely point out cosmetic flaws
Engage seller in conversation
Flaws may already be factored into the price
Trading games sometimes is more valuable than cash!
What did we forget? What other suggestions would you offer to other game collectors looking to perfect the art of the deal?
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Yeah, solid tips!

 

I would add this -- at garage sales (whether or not they have anything video game related), always ask if they have any nintendo games. Sometimes they go in & get some, cheap! If they respond with something like "um, I don't know, I don't think so." -- try something like "you know, the little grey cartridges that played in the grey box." I found sometimes that produces an: "OH! yeah hold on a sec." -And then hopefully someone goes in & comes out with like a NES or SNES & some games & says "5 bucks." :thumbsup:

 

Sent from a Dell Inspiron Lapatop

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I think this is a fine place to post this.

 

Personally I'm not looking for advice on how to bargain but I appreciate very very much that the advice is being given with the qualification "be respectful" and "YOU ARE NOT OWED A DISCOUNT". I feel like there is a really pervasive sense of entitlement among buyers (not just videogame buyers) these days and a great number of them seem to completely misunderstand the concept of negotiation and the culture of shopping. It's not about ripping people off.

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Couple of thoughts for expos:

 

Just because someone is selling at an expo, remember there is still overhead: especially if coming from out of town. Travel expense, time off from work, booth rental, hotel, food, etc.

 

Don't be afraid to ask, I'm not an expert at game prices. I've had people show me a sold listing on ebay and have adjusted the price for them, they were polite and not demanding or anything.

 

When asking be reasonable, if you ask for 40% off the morning of an expo for one item chances are the answer is no, and I'm less likely to give you a good deal later. sorry, but it happens.

 

If there's a large crack down the case of a game, and I'm asking $2 for the game chances are I've figured the crack into the price.

 

Don't try and return an item hours later because you or your partner found it cheaper (and bought it) at another booth. Now you have two, enjoy.

 

You can wait to the end of the show to get a discount, but if it's popular it's probably going to be gone.

 

Don't ask me to hold stuff while you go get money, and then never return or return 4 hours later and be disappointed that I sold it.

 

Please don't stand and talk to me for 20 minutes about your super rare sealed pokemon with belly button lint sealed in the package that double the prices, and I saw it on a forum, and nobody has ever seen one, and I was offered a million dollars for it, and my mom put it on a high self so I won't damage it, and I fell off a chair trying to reach it, and ......... Especially because: A. I might not care. B. I'm the only one working the booth and trying to help paying customers. C. You aren't buying anything, go tell Corey about your cool sealed Pokemon bellow button lint.

 

Please control your kids, I cringe every time I see a small child eating or drinking over my stuff. And saying your sorry and walking away when you child breaks something just isn't cool. And yes it happens at least once a show.

 

Don't leave Rod Stewart CDI disks at vendor's booths!!!

 

Most importantly, be polite and have fun! Oh and buy lots of stuff!!!!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm a born haggler. Here are a few of my tips...

 

1) If you spot a super rare item at a *reasonable* price, then buy it straight away. No haggling. You will always regret passing up that rare item for the sake of a couple of dollars. If you decide to haggle, someone might very well come and say "I'll buy that!" mid-haggle and depending on how annoyed with you the vendor is, you might lose it. So, rule #1 - understand the value of things TO YOU and don't cut your own throat trying to save a dollar or two.

 

2) If you're going to haggle, then I usually say "would you consider $X for this item? I like it, but it's a bit too expensive for me."

 

3) Have your cash in hand, and visible to the vendor. Have just about what you're going to offer, not a big wad of money. If they name a new price, count your cash in front of them and say "I have $X (some new price a bit higher than your original offer but lower than their $Y) - would you accept that?"

 

4) Be friendly and polite, always. It's their item, they can sell for whatever they want.

 

5) Never ask them to "hold the item". I don't even know how this can possibly be a thing. If somebody asked me that (if I were a vendor), I'd say "nope, I'm sellling it to the first person who gives me $Y!

 

6) Sometimes, items are just not buyable. If a seller has it in their mind that the item is incredibly rare and valuable then you're just wasting your time trying to haggle. Telling them it's 1/10th of the price on eBay is going to achieve.... what, exactly? Walk away and let them live in their own little reality.

 

7) Bundling things together gives you more bargaining power. For example, I'd put together $30 worth of stuff and offer, say, $20 (and being happy to pay $25). Be prepared to walk away from a deal. In other words, if you really can't walk away then you're clearly not offering what it's worth to you. Don't ever let the chase for a *bargain* get in the way of a *good deal*.

 

8) Every now and then, give the seller a break. For example, I picked up a bunch of old records and a few books I really wanted, for $8 total. I gave the seller $10, with a smile and a thanks! They will remember you the next time you come around and possibly even remember what you collect.

 

9) Never say "Is that your best price?" - to me this seems ridiculous; it's inviting the answer "Yes!" and that's the end of the negotiations. Always phrase things in such a way that there's an opening for more negotiation. For example, "I like this, but the price is a bit high for me - would you consider $X?" -- and then after a "No!" I would say "what's the best discount you could give me?" - here there's an opening for negotiation, not a yes/no answer. If the seller won't budge on the price, then say "OK, thanks anyway!" with a friendly smile, and walk away.

 

10) Never forget that sellers have to make money too. They *want* to sell you stuff, mostly, and if you're within what they think is "fair" then it's likely they will be willing to budge on their price.

 

11) Don't be afraid to *ask*. There's no harm, and you might be surprised at the answer.

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