An Atari Cartel???

[StanJr]

Can this be real?

I was at the Flea Market last weekend and I bought some games from a dude. When I asked him if he had any more, he said that he gets some in from time to time because (get this!) he has 14 people who scavenge thrift stores and flea markets for Atari goods!!! What the !!!

 

No wonder I come up empty when I thrift! The part that really chaps my is that this guy does NOT collect Atari, he simply sells it!

 

Now true, his games are cheap ($2 loose, $3 sealed in box with some bulk rates), but still. The principle of it gets me. Its like those Star Wars toy hoarder s who sit outside the Toys R Us at 9am waiting for them to open so they can RUN (yes RUN, and I'm not talking about 14 year olds, I'm talking about guys 25-45 years old) back to the action figure isle and mug the stock boy for EVERY last new SW toy so they can sell them on EBAY for outrageous sums of money!

 

AAARRGGGGHHH Why do some people feel the need to totally ruin a perfectly fun and safe hobby!!! Damn capitalism!

 

Okay, sorry rant over.

 

Anybody else hear of this nonsense going on with Atari stuff?

 

Vexed Stan

[videotwit]

I rate these "wait at Toys 'R' Us" people right down there with the scum that have "special deals" with Thrift Store workers, giving them first dibs on stuff before it's put out. It doesn't make me too happy to say the least.

 

I guess "all is fair in love and Atari" and all that, but c'mon -- give a guy a break!

[ubersaurus]

On the plus side, it makes it easier for you to find stuff. Just go to that one place if you can't find anything anywhere.

[StanJr]

Yeah, but the "hunt" is part of the fun. And its more the principle of it all than anything else!!! Sheesh.

[ubersaurus]

Well ya gotta look on the good side of things. The hunt is still there, just more centralized. Will they have a game you don't? And maybe you get to the thrifts before them. Don't forget garage sales. They can't hit all those.

[ATARIPITBULL]

Well I don't know about you guys but I just started looking at flea markets and thrift stores, and so far I have come up with sh . The only place that had any atari 2600 games, had games that are easy to find but no rare ones.

[liveinabin]

still, it makes me happy to remember all those idiots who practically stabbed each other to get a mint Darth Maul figure on release day when I see about a hundred of 'em in a basket down my local £1 shop

haha

Maybe we should all start collecting Commodore c-16 games, theres no way anyone would be buying them up

[Ze_ro]

One time I was wandering around my local thrift store, and I walked by the area that normally has Atari games. This was early in my collecting days, and my collection was small (20 carts?). I looked at what they had, but it wasn't much. I think I grabbed a couple of Activision games, and left behind a Realsports Baseball.

 

As I went to check out their electronics section to see if they had any systems, I looked to my side and noticed the guy who runs one of the booths at the local flea market that I often buy from! He was heading towards the wall where they usually kept the Atari games! In my head, I could see myself at the flea market the next weekend, looking in the Atari bin only to see a $3 Realsports Baseball that looked surprisingly like the $1 one that I had seen earlier. But what could I do? I wasn't about to knock him over for a $1 Atari game....

 

So I played it cool, stood far enough away that he wouldn't notice me, and watched him. Eventually, he walked away to visit the electronics section (Ha ha! I was already there, and cleaned it out! ... at least, I would have if there had been anything worthwhile). At this point I bolted as unconspicuously as I could over to the Realsports Baseball cartridge. It was still there. I grabbed it, payed for all the games, and left.

 

I still have no idea if the guy buys up his games elsewhere or not... He probably doesn't, since he seems to have tons of his own, and since I'm the only one who comes in to buy them (everyone else goes for the SNES and N64 stuff), I doubt he makes a living from $2 markups...

 

quote:

---

Originally posted by liveinabin

Maybe we should all start collecting Commodore c-16 games, theres no way anyone would be buying them up

---

 

That's why I collect Vic-20!

 

--Zero

 

[ 11-29-2001: Message edited by: Ze_ro ]

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Its interesting to read about this. This is actually something that I myself had been wondering. Where I live (Oklahoma Flea market heaven!), I never find Atari stuff and only occasionally will I happen upon a joystick here and there. But there are several places in town that resell, repair, and trade in old computers and video game systems. This is where the Atari items are to usually be found. The problem here is that all these shops know each other..and the guys who run them can be seen working any of those shops from time to time. Also every shop has a DP Rarity guide and the guys are really knowlegable about the value of the games. However, they also think they know more and that is their mistake. Most of these shops have placed really low prices on most of the commons that you and I see all the time. But then they also put inflated prices on commons because they know they will sell at those prices. Examples are Frogger averages anywhere from $5 - $10 bucks depending on its condition at these stores. So they may have a DP Rarity guide...but it is apparent that they also associate the history and name of a game to the value.

 

Either way it doesn't matter to me too much. They sell Wico Controllers for about $15 bucks...and the standard CX2400 sticks for $9 bucks. Since they don't grab those things at the thrifts and fleas...I am able to pick up same said controllers for usually .45 cents to a $1.

 

Also I have managed to snag some deals from them when I visit. Case in point, once I was in there casually browsing looking at the Atari, Sega, Nintendo...etc stuff they carry. I was looking for some specific Genesis games this day. So a kid about 12 or so came in with his mom and together they have about 3 grocery bags full of "stuff". One bag had a complete Intellivision model 1 with about 15 games to include their instructions and overlays. Another had a Nintendo...and SNES...and he also had a N64. The kid was clearing out the old stock from the house and hoping to trade it all in towards a new PS2. I stood close by to listen to the offer made to him for his stuff. The shop only offered $10 bucks for the Intellivision...and would only give him .10 cents for each cart!!! They also were only going to offer him about $5 for the NES front loader (blinker I might add...). And only $10 bucks for his SNES too. I don't remember what they offered him for the N64...but it probably wasn't much more. Most of the games they were only going to buy from him at .50 cents to $1 depending on the condition and what it came with.

 

Okay...so total deal for this kid was going to be somewhere around $60 total as a cash trade in towards a PS2.

 

Now the sad thing is this. The kid accepted this offer because he probably wasn't aware of what he could make. Also I am sure the kid was impatient and just really wanted that PS2. Keep in mind that this place will basically clean up the stuff and resell it with a 1 week guarantee and a much higher cost. Examples:

 

That kid's Intv was put on the shelf 3 days later for the price of $44.95. It came with only 7 of the 15 games he had traded in. The other games were placed out seperately for the cost of $1 a piece. Which is actually a decent deal to me. But the SNES and NES units sold for well over $50 each!!! Also they sell most of their NES games at the price of a least $5 bucks with some ranging as high as $20 or more. The kid traded a NES Dragon Warrior 3 complete and they only gave him $3 for it. They sold that a week later for well over $40.

 

I guess the point is...I felt bad that the kid in my opinion got ripped. But then the place is there to make money. And they can't do that if they sell stuff at the price they pay for it.

 

However, with as much stuff as they get in. I can't believe they have to inflate the prices so high on the consoles. The SNES units sell for $50 there complete and you can get them on Ebay for much less than that!

 

I can tell you that since that day. I have stuck around longer until after the offers were made. And then when the clerks go off to get the paper work. I counter offer with the customer. Needless to say I only have to offer 5 more bucks for the stuff then what the shop gives..and I walk away with the stuff before the clerk comes back.

 

So I guess it is very probable that Flea market sellers or vendors scope out the finds ahead of us. I do know that another source I get lots of Atari stuff from (Got a Xonox- Ghost Manor - Spikes Peak for $10), is only open on the weekends. During the week he is searching all the goodwills, salvation armies, thrifts and even other flea markets outside of town to replenish his own booth.

 

However, this guy doesn't keep a DP guide on him...hehe...

 

 

 

[ 11-29-2001: Message edited by: -^Cro§Bow^- ]

[Ze_ro]

quote:

---

Originally posted by -^Cro§Bow^-:

The shop only offered $10 bucks for the Intellivision...and would only give him .10 cents for each cart!!!

---

 

My friend had a dillema similar to this: He was at the local flea market looking for games, when a kid came in and wanted to sell an N64 game (I think it was Mario Party 3, but I may be wrong). The flea market guy was only offering him $10 for it, and my friend was pissed off because it was a game he had wanted, and he would definitely have paid more than $10 for it. In the end, he didn't tell the kid. After all, this is one of the only sources we have for Atari games around here, so he didn't want to get the guy mad at him.

 

--Zero

[Bill Lange]

I seem to find a lot of stuff here in Denver. The damn ARC sells common 2600 carts for $2.99. But they sell 8-bit carts for $.50. I guess they price by size.

 

WRL

[Mot]

hay, Bill

I live in Colorado Springs, and I too shop at the ARC stores. But lately someone must be getting to the stores before me (or have a deal with the employees) and I can't find anything.

 

But You should be thankful here the common 2600's are $4.99 and I have never ever seen a 8-bit game for sale. (and the people in the UK, will say I should be thankful.)

 

Can you buy all the 8-bit's for me and send them down?

[Bill Lange]

quote

Can you buy all the 8-bit's for me and send them down?

 

I must have missed this one. I am more a 8-bit collector than a 2600 collector. And I guess I am more a player then a collector.

[Inky]

What I want to know is where is a good place in NE Illinois to look for games? Can't find jack squat down in Kankakee, and the Swap-O-Rama in Alsip isn't too good either...

[sonnenhexer]

quote:

---

Originally posted by liveinabin:

Maybe we should all start collecting Commodore c-16 games, theres no way anyone would be buying them up

---

 

Don´t think that noone collects C16-games. I started with a C116 and still look for games for it because a friend of mine wants to set up a homecomputer-museum.

Michael

[Fenguin]

Up until about 4 years ago here in Phoenix there was a store that specialized in 'vintage' video game equipment. However, the demand for Atari stuff wasn't quite as high as it is now, so it was a pretty laid back place with very good prices.

 

Unfortunately, sales weren't good enough to justify keeping the place, so they moved the stock into a neighboring Games Plus. His son owned this place, and there were still occasional deals to be found.

 

Fast forward to about 3 months ago. I walk into this Games Plus, and all the Atari stuff is covered by a tarp. They tell me someone came in and made an offer on the entire lot. Gads.