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How long do you think it'll take for retro game markets to return to normal after this pandemic?


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How so?  A lot of folks are stuck at home with nothing but videogames for entertainment.  I suspect online sales are doing very well.

As for retro stuff, eBay and other venues are still there.  I've been looking on eBay for some bargains - and prices and availability seem about the same as last month or the month before.

Are you seeing some kind of change..?

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From what I've been seeing at various spots online talking about this very thing, the bottom is slowly dropping out.  As people were worried they'd be out of work, may not get back TO work, and this could drag beyond just a couple or so months the willingness to buy, let alone pay the asinine inflated values we've seen for nearly a decade now had been cracking.  I saw people saying they either sold this for X and it's Y now, or they were watching things they wanted and saw it tank.  Nothing hard to throw at it like it's the rare rares, the fake rares, or the generally abused (or not) common stuff.

 

Sanitation shouldn't be any issue worse than before.  They've got it figured out that the crap stays alive on various surfaces for hours up to like 3 days, so like if you buy a video game, I think plastics was 2 days, and cardboard/paper was 1 days.  By the time it gets to you, at best if you're paranoid, wait 24-48 hours, then open it up with some clorox wipe or a glove and hit it with alcohol if it's that scary.

 

Due to the grumbling I stopped pushing ebay stuff about a month ago, I won't run out of stuff in my closet of things I want to get rid of any time soon, but I see no reason to take the hit either. ;)

 

Because of what I had been reading, so I think it'll get back to the normal level, sure...1-3mo after people are given the clear to go back to work, nationally, so watch the worst New York in that case then I think it'll normalize.  As long as the congress keeps the money flowing to those out of work AND corporate/small business america so that they can keep their payrolls, rents, leases, equipment, etc in their hands and not closed down/repossessed I think things should be fine.  Perhaps a few will learn that asinine overspending on video games will damage it, that would be a positive and bright outcome too.

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The fear of second hand goods is sorta irrational. People still handle the the boxes, shrinkwrap, shipping materials, etc. of new stuff.

Was browsing through Amazon for the Nintendo Switch last week and saw that it's sold out. Only available through marketplace sellers, and the prices have doubled in some cases. This includes the original and Lite model. Glad I bought a Lite last month, but have been kickin' around the idea of buying an original model too.

As much as it would be a bad sign to see prices drop on retro gaming goods, I can't say I'd mind. Can't think of a better word for it than asinine, as has been said.

Sent from my LG Stylo 2 Plus using Tapatalk

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I'm not super worried about it- I imagine the high-end prices will come down for sure, but I don't see any serious market changes. On the one hand, people can't get out to buy games. On the other, so many are sold online these days & people are stuck indoors & after games as a result. There is certainly some kind of recession on the way, which will hurt sales of frivolous things like games- but it also means cheaper options will be more desirable, which could pull more people into retro since, typically, it IS cheaper (especially if you can get an everdrive).

 

As far as sanitation- either you're buying from a good seller who did the cleaning for you, or you really should have some sort of hand covering until you can clean the item... that's just always been the case. It's not like gamers are known for their cleanliness- everyone's got their stories!

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Anything I bring in local or online gets the 91% alcohol treatment inside and out as much as possible where it won't ruin the item.  Stuff I sell gets that too and I mention it on my listings, so perhaps now, that would actually be a benefit. ;) hah

 

I'm kind of fed up with people going blah blah blah recession like it's a foregone conclusion.  If people start returning to work here say early/mid summer, part of that over 2T dollar package from the government on the corporate site has stipulations on returning their workers to work, covering for now the costs involved of them not working so the companies aren't put out, and a whole other laundry list of little details.  Maybe it may still happen, but until it does, it's best not to just assume everything will go straight to hell and people will stay in the hole.  This is uncharted territory to assume anything, and if this stimulus stuff keeps happening so people are kept safe from firings and creditors all the better for a recovery.  You want a recession, have congress get into another bitchy political shoving match and use the population as a way to score points so nothing passes.  That's when you'll get one, when the money dries up and the jobs go with it.

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Where do you think that $2 trillion is coming from? You can't just create money out of thin air. The government tried that in the 1970's, and you know what that bought us? A big, big recession, and a bunch of inflation that made it really hard to get out of that recession.

 

A recession is coming either way. The government's just trying to pick its poison right now in terms of what kind of recession it turns out to be.

 

And giving $1,200 to people is not going to accomplish anything for the economy anyway. The people who need it are going to spend it on food; the people who don't are going to sock it away in the bank or donate it to some worthy cause (I plan to give most or all of mine to the CDC Foundation so they can spend it on stuff like ventilators and N95 masks... the kind of stuff I pay taxes for to begin with). Nobody's taking that check and spending it on video games. The whole thing is a pointless effort.

 

As for the retro game market, I don't see much that's different right now, although that could change as time goes on. When it'll get back to normal if that happens? When this is all over.

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Hell I think maybe sanitation will get better. Everybody is cleaning better now. Mail facilities are cleaner than ever. That is not to say they ARE clean, but they're cleaner!

 

And who among us hasn't gotten a video game item from ebay, at some point in the past decade, that had become already become cockroach motel, pre-covid??? Hell, some of us know the smell as soon as we open a package...

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