same here. My town is so small the nearest flea market is over 25 miles away. the only Gamestop we have doesnt sell any retro games. We used to have a Game X Change like 10 years ago but now I have to drive 28 miles to the nearest town to buy retro games and that store gets their pricing off ebay so I might as well just buy off ebay. Our Goodwill or thrift store doesnt even sell retro games. My best bet is buying from the annual garage sales my town has every May
ebay is for people who value their time more than money. pat makes too many assumptions about ebay users. not everyone wants to hang out in swap meets on the weekends. i'd rather spend the time playing a game than looking for it at swap meets or thrift stores. time > money
His issue is more people who buy hundreds of games all in a short amount of time, If in a month you bought like 100 NES games off eBay you are not getting to play each one.
eBay has been my lifeline when buying and selling video games. There is nothing around where I live that I can go to. The closest place is at least two hours from me. eBay has been a good outlet to find the games I have been looking for. I have gotten some good deals and I have sold games and systems at a fair price. The transactions have been smooth and hassle free. I don't get the stigma about buying off of eBay.
This is an excellent point. Location has a HUGE impact on your ability to find stuff “in the wild”. Where I live, I could go out 5 days a week for month and maybe come back with a handful of worthwhile games. But I don’t love the hunt like some people. Sure, it’s nice to find something for a good price. But you know what I hate more? Striking out over and over again because resellers have picked over the little amount of stuff we have clean off the bone. I’ve basically given up on physical collections but when I do want something, I go to ebay. I don’t like it but that’s what I do. I think more than anything I just want to buy less shit, period.
Ebay has been my best friend since 2002. I love the thrill of the hunt dont get me wrong and i continue to hunt but when you havent found any retro games in the past three years anywhere locally then Ebay is the best option. Flea markets and thrifts arent what they used to be. I would find at least five NES games everytime i go into my local thrift. Hell that hasnt happened in years. So ebay is really the only option
SystemSyko I love your videos. Been following you for a while. :) But I agree. I rely on eBay. Here in Australia, everything is overpriced. Even thrift stores will want $10-15 for sports games in horrible condition. I just collect Genesis games and it's hard finding them here in Australia without being overpriced or looking horrible. I will buy a horrible looking game if it is just a few dollars, tho. My Golden Axe label is kinda beat up, but it was purchased for almost free. But deals like that are super rare. I do eBay, but I only buy more games when I have beaten the ones I already have. So I will order 6 or so games, then beat them, then order more. I sold my entire collection 2 years ago due to depression, but after a year and a half and fixing myself up, I missed them and started buying again but now just focusing on Genesis rather than multiple systems. It got to be too much for me. Just got 6 more games in the mail today, so maybe in a week or two after I have played them to the point of beating them or tried a few times to, then I will get more games. My friend collects games, has hundreds but has played maybe 30 of them and I don't mean beat, that means even playing for a minute to see if they work.
totallyterrificpants that's the same for me living in Aus I collect Wii and DS games which is relatively new and there's a huge amount of games that I would never find in a local game store. Australia has a small population density so if you don't live in the city it's pretty hard to go hunting for videogames and that goes for vinyl too.
+Ted ThePilot Yeah, I started buying too many games and not getting around to playing all of them. So I recently stream lined my collection to only titles that I actually enjoy playing or plan on playing, the rest I've sold off.
+Ted ThePilot Buying games with absolutely no intentions of playing? That sounds ridiculous. Are there really people that do that? I think right now I have two games I own that I haven't at least tried (not including ones I buy that don't work for whatever reason). One of those games is one I bought just this past week and haven't gotten around to since I also picked up the new Dark Souls on that same outing, the other is NFS: Rivals on Xb1 that I got over Christmas because I really wanted it but for some reason haven't even opened yet. I understand people not having time but I intend to play these games at some point. I like to think that I "collect" original Xbox games (as they are affordable and some of the more easy to come across where I live, plus, it's the console that had the biggest effect to get me into gaming). The library consists of plenty of sports titles and shovelware. Have I played all the sports games I've purchased for it? Yep. Did I enjoy them all? Not really, but I still played them to the point where I felt I got my $2-3 out of them. Hell, I've even played some of the Barbie games for the system. The only way I could consider not playing a game I purchased is if it is still factory sealed and I wanted it for whatever reason. I.e. I just purchased the GBC Planet of the Apes MIB. I don't plan on opening it, but I also already owned the game beforehand and I just kind of wanted the box because I like the cover art and I could afford to purchase it again.
I thought +Pat the NES Punk mentioned something about always intending to play the games at some point in time. Not everyone has endless hours they can spend playing their games, but I figured he wasn't one to buy with the INTENTION to just have them to sit on the shelf.
My mistake, then. I assumed he had played his games or planned on playing them all. Though I may be a hypocrite for saying so, shelf collecting (in my opinion) is dumb. Aside from the earlier mentioned Gameboy Color game I shall never open, I do collect figures of things that I like. I also tend to keep them in their packages, hence why I'd be a hypocrite. But even with those it's an ongoing internal struggle as to whether or not I want to rip them open to mess with them. (Specifically the ones that did not come in salvageable boxes or are no longer being produced so a reasonably priced duplicate could be purchased due to the packaging being "cool.") This is also in regards to "new" items. If I buy a loose figure I'm going to play with it, pose it, etc. just as if I buy used/opened games I'm going to play them. There's no point in purchasing otherwise, is there? I am genuinely curious to the appeal of buying the things "just to have them" or whatever the reason is.
***** I thought that was just friendly banter from Pat having such a large collection. My friends mock me for my number of games, comics, movies, etc. Even though, as I've stated, I've played nearly all of my games my friends will still joke around about how I don't play them all. Especially considering there are plenty that I've only played once and don't plan on really picking up again. (i.e. sports games, barbie games, etc.)
I have to say, some of the games i've bought, i bought on ebay simply because it was way cheaper then buying from a used game store or even at a flea market. but then again, i will never be a collector, just a player that wants certain games.
look lads i live in Ireland... it Super Hard to find old school games sometimes I use Ebay or Amazon on the fact I really Really don't like Downloading and the lack of Classic Game shops
I agree, I don't collect but when I've been to car boot sales (flea markets) I've never seen a single NES or master system game, just maybe the odd 360 or ps2 games that nobody wants ie fifa or tiger woods
Yeah I also live in Ireland and it's like you said, impossible to find retro games locally outside of the rare specialist shop. Even then they're always inferior PAL versions. I've bought some off Ebay, but with the prices so high I've just decided to buy an Everdrive N8 until the market crashes.
I get tempted to hit 'buy it now' for some games on eBay that I have been looking for for years. The only thing that ever really stops me is that I'm a cheapskate. But i will say that in all my time collecting I have only ever bought ONE game from eBay. I prefer the hunt. I LOVE the hunt. Heck I make an entire UA-cam show about my hunts. I have wanted to play 'Digimon World' again for 3 freaking years, but am I going to pay $75 for it on eBay? No. I'm going to wait to buy it for $5 at a market. It will happen, it always does. I agree with this video and both your opinions whole heartedly, thanks for sharing. P.S the game I bought from ebay was Prince Of Persia Warrior Within. It was like, $5 haha
Screw what other people think about YOU spending YOUR money on Ebay. Most people in this country don't live in a major city and don't have shops, flea markets, yard sales year round like those in big cities do. Until the people giving you a bad rap pay for your games, then they just need to STFU
it purely depends on where you live and what is available to you. Where I live in the UK there are no local indies close and the charity (thrift) stores local to me have nothing. Sometimes Ebay is the only option. This doesn't lower my knowledge of buying a game. I have been playing games since the C64 so I like to think I am clued up. Its hard to generalise this subject and I think it goes on a person to person basis.
I don't have a lot of options, than to use eBay due to isolation, but I always make sure I play every game I get when I get it (and record a game play). It ensures you appreciate each game. I actually don't buy bundles (anymore) as I soon discovered that you don't appreciate them as much. The same thing can happen with emulation, you are presented with a flood of games (well unlimited) which then are all diminished in their personal value to you. So I have another rule that I don't play a game using a SD device or emulation, unless I have a copy (plus I am also a developer so I have other issues with playing games you don't own :)). The only exception is if said game is expensive, and I want to have a quick game to make sure that it is worth spending the money on.
One good thing about eBay is if you live in a smaller market like I do (East Coast Canada), our flee markets and video game stores don't often have uncommon titles and the nearest larger market (Montreal: 11 hour drive) isn't a short road trip away. I've bought maybe about 25 uncommon games on eBay, and a lot of it are titles you never see in this area unless you get very lucky.
I prefer to find games in Goodwills, thrift stores, used game stores, rummage sales, and flea markets. However, finding games in "the wild" is damn near impossible in SE Wisconsin. So, sometimes eBay is needed.
I don't have an issue with eBay, as long as you are taking the necessary time to see what prices that games can be bought for. Every now and then I look back at my purchase history and just smile when I see how much lower I bought most of my games for than the average (online) selling prices. Thrift stores are getting nearly impossible to find games due to resellers, the increasing popularity of collecting, and the fact that eBay is such an accessible outlet for people to sell their games instead of just dumping them off at Goodwill. I came across this CU podcast video at a coincidental time because I just hit up 5 Goodwills and a Savers today. Only one store had NES games and they were Bases Loaded, Karate Champ, and Ice Hockey. Each were marked at $5.99!! Those games are $3.00-4.00 including shipping on eBay if you just look. Granted you're not usually going to get any great deals on bundles of games because the resellers are bidding against each other to get those but if you're willing to be patient and do some research, good deals can be found on eBay.
Living in the middle of bumfuck in Australia there is literally no choice to find retro gaming stores or flea markets/thrift stores that have any so generally using Ebay is the only method of getting them and if you're lucky enough get them cheaper on websites like Gumtree or local Facebook pages.
id much rather buy video games on ebay than from video game stores and dealers at conventions. most dealers and stores price way above average ebay prices pat has to understand, not everyone started buying games when you could find them cheap, before the whole world had caught onto the retro video game hype. and most of the world knows about it now because of people like Pat
I usually go to yard sales and stuff but the people in my area dont have any video games. Occasionally I get one or two from a sale but never much. I do use Ebay but I usually buy 2-3 games a month and I usually play the crap out of those all month. I play every game I get and am not ashamed of ebay
I used to be 50/50 between brick-and-mortar stores and eBay... But most of the stores have shut down. I miss knowing the owners and the people who worked there and being part of that community, that's easily the biggest loss. eBay has been good for managing a watch list, following searches and prioritising purchases, but I don't use it for 'collecting'. There's a few odd games I want, but I've already picked up most of what I could ever need in the last 5 - 6 years.. Interesting topic Pat & Ian!
Things I like about eBay: if you know what you are doing, you can get detailed pictures of everything from manual to case to disc. You can find good deals. And if you don't over do it, it's just as fun. You search the market everyday until the right game and deal comes up and when that perfect sale comes up BOOM you get it. Just that one game or maybe a good deal on a bundle. Then you get all excited waiting for shipping and one day you come home from work and there is the box. You open the game and turn it into this fun experience, pop the game in, and sit back and enjoy. eBay isn't solely used by collectors buying en masse and raised prices. Also, some used game stores simply take anything no matter the condition and price it all the same. If you use eBay right and have patience you get the opportunity to pay the right price ie. 20 for a clean black label game vs 10 for a greatest hits not so clean. Whereas a store may price both games equally. AND when games sit on shelves in stores and people are browsing them daily they can get scratched up just from the environment they live in and the constant sliding in and out. My 2 cents anyways
Where I live, the closest retro game shop to me is a 20 minute drive, and they keep hours that make it hard for me to go there (I work third); on top of that the selection isn't too hot and they're deluded about some of their prices. There's a better shop that I know of, but it's a 45 minute drive (and once again they keep hours that don't work for me). I try to buy my games from brick-and-mortar local stores, but sometimes for me Ebay and Amazon are the only options. A good example is Seiken Densetsu 3. I love that game and have played it through several times via the translated ROM, but there's no way in hell I could get a physical cart via a local store. So I found a guy on Ebay selling it cheap, put a low bid on it, and won it. tl;dr - Not every "Ebay collector" is out there to buy bulk lots and games at jacked-up prices. Some are just trying to get games they couldn't otherwise get.
I think its good to do a mix of the two. Maybe a 60/40 split of hunting/internet purchases or trading. Sometimes you'll see something online for super cheap, and its good to jump on...either that or something for a fair price that you know you most likely wont find outside. Also Pat you're missing out, play your Genesis man lol!
I use Ebay because I don't have a dedicated retrogame store around here, aside from one the next town over that doesn't check for repros, gouges the prices too much, and has shit service. My flea market occasionally churns out a good deal, but it's rare and the only games you see there on most saturdays are PS2 era Maden. eBay and the Amazon Market place churn out some amazing deals. I snagged a US copy of Albert Odyssey for $10, assuming I was buying the Japanese copy. Like you've said in the past though, the day of the deal is largely over, and I'm not paying much more on eBay than I would at a store now.
Justin Goode Granted, I also prefer keeping a small collection, so even if I was getting good deals locally, I wouldn't buy a box of 40+ games, so I guess dropping a heftier price on something I want on eBay is a different act than the instacollector stuff you're talking about.
I think as many people here have mentioned, this opinion is only relevant for the USA where you CAN find games in the wild and cheaper then eBay. In Australia eBay is basically your only option to get anywhere near a complete set
I get where you guys are coming from but what if you happen to live in an area where you don't exactly have the option to run down to the vintage game store and peruse the titles? My area has a gamestop but they don't carry the older games I want to collect. So my options are to buy online or just abandon my hobby, sorry but i'm going to continue buying online. Plus, didn't you guys say in another clip that ebay prices don't typically reflect local prices? Even if i'm mistaken about that, what about supply and demand? If more people want a classic game and more importantly are willing to pay a certain amount, why shouldn't the price increase accordingly? Isn't that essentially the basis of our entire economic system? Why should game collecting be immune to this?
I collect all the games i remember from my childhood that i seen in magazines or demos and i play all of them each one is a memory. I dont buy random games i will never play.I need to use ebay because i live in a small town with horrible re-sellers.
I agree with you, where i live they only sell Cod and fifa games, the stores which sell retro games don't have much of a selection and those that are worth it are terribly overpriced, also even if you do find a collector willing to sell they will charge you a shitload of money for a game that is not worth it. I'm with you man i am to the point where ebay is the more reasonable choice, and it's really sad.
Some people rather have quantity over quality, i know a few guys who say "i have x amount of nes games" but when you ask em about them they say well i havent played it yet
How does where you buy the game have anything to do with how frequent you play it or how much you look into them first? I buy from both and either way I'll play them the same amount and look into them the same amount or maybe even more for ebay just to be sure I don't get screwed.
For someone that lives on the mississippi coast ebay has been the only option I have. We FINALLY got a retro game store last year but the prices are substantially higher than ebay.
What really pisses me off is when you go to a Goodwill, fleas markets,etc, & see the re-seller "ass holes" buying all the vinyl records & games "in bulk" to mark the prices up. That makes it harder to find a deal in the wild and unfortunately use Ebay to purchase from them as a collector!
Locally where I live, finding NES games is difficult. There are two stores that sell them, but most of the time, they only have extremely common games and when they do have a sought after game, it's usually priced using average Ebay prices. The only option I have is using Ebay to obtain games I want. Also, I really don't feel the difference in hunting for a find, it's equally satisfying to hunt for a good deal on Ebay, but that's just my opinion.
What I like about my collection is most of what I have, I've had for well over a decade and I can tell you where I got them, how much I got them and even the date I picked them up. Most of my games I don't care of their value they're only going to be sold after I leave this earth and some I plan on taking with me. That is what a true collector is about; someone who can appreciate the games versus someone is just that have an instant collection and/or their daily value.
Yeah it gets tough tracking down certain games etc, especially when you live in countrys like Australia and other Pal regions. I have had to resort to Ebay a few times to find games ive wanted to play. And if you do find somthing you want in the wild people are asking stupid amounts of money for it.
I am going through this now, I am trying to get a PS1 collection but all I have around me is Game traders and Cash convertors. Thank god for facebook marketplace though, has helped me score some sweet deals.
I love these discussions! I'm a gamer more than a collector and what makes me buy a NES game is usually a few things: First, if I played the game as a kid and LOVED it then I'll be looking for it. Second if I heard of a game as a kid, or if it had a cool ad in a comic book and I wanted it growing up I'll pick it up. Third will be if I see it while shopping and it sounds interesting, I'll google it and watch some gameplay footage. If it looks decent ad worth the few bucks I'll pick it up. To me it's more about playing the game and the experience it brings first and filling up your shelves second.
I pretty much have to use eBay and other online shops like Amazon for my console collection because Goodwills and the such around here, though I don't buy a whole lot since I wait for the cheapest prices I can possibly get on the games. I've gotten most of my games for anywhere from $5 to $20 cheaper than most sold and unsold listings just by being patient and looking around on as many legit sites as I can and waiting.
I love hearing you or anyone else who enjoy the history/knowledge about the industry and games as much as playing them. I absolutely love reading anything about games and the stories behind their creation. p.s. can't wait for your book
I really do not have a choice on buying games online. I live in a really shitty midwest town im lucky if i can find modern games used here in town let alone any retro games. Just love how you guys stereo type people like that. "oh you buy games online you are a poser" REALLY?
I've been using eBay for my video game collection more lately. I don't think it's that bad. I agree that the prices are sometimes too much, but it can be useful in finding games if you're having trouble.
I agree wholeheartedly with the appreciation aspect of finding games in the wild or on the hunt. I have purchased off Amazon, mainly when I am deployed. But other times as well. But three games I will NOT purchase online are the three GBC Zelda games (LA, OoA, OoS). Those 3 I will purchase in the wild.
Totally agree with your viewpoints. Ebay collectors can go from having zero games to 500 in a matter of a few days to a few weeks. It drives up the prices of all video games not only online, but at video game stores, thrift stores, and pawn shops. Its like you guys mentioned, the ones who get into it too fast get overwhelmed and typically sell everything off because they take game collecting out of perspective. Enjoy what you have and recognize life is too short to play every single game. I take a lot of pride in doing the research on games and knowing what is good and what to stay away from. Collecting for many is an addiction where dropping 30, 50, 100 dollars for one game satisfies the craving for material goods, but only for a short period of time.
I pretty much only use ebay, where I live there is no thriving market for retro games. There are no flea market vendors with old games here. I must have stopped at 20 garage sales last year and didn't see a single video game older than a ps2 game.
Where i live in rural va. the nearest real retro gaming store is 2 hours away.the flea markets have barely anything,and you have to hit the goodwills really early because what they get is taken soon as it is put out.
I can definitely understand what you guys are saying and can agree with your arguments but what if you live in a smaller country where old games are much harder to find in circulation? I live in some rural part of Greece and I don't even know if the NES ever caught on here as it did in the US. I'm 18 years old and I grew up with Playstation. PS is pretty much what made gaming mainstream over here, a lot of people close to me don't even know what NES is but there's not a single person who hasn't played a PS console at least once. Ebay is basically my only option.
There are pros and cons. I've done my fair share of garage sale finds and pawn shops. Yes, finding games in the wild is more thrilling, but it can be a huge time sink. I've wasted many afternoons going places and turning up either empty handed, or buying things I hadn't planned on, but not wanting to go home empty handed. Ebay allows for a more targeted approach, and personally I get a decent thrill out of finding a good ebay deal too. Even in todays inflated retro market, I still find plenty of auctions that close far under market value. It's easy to focus on the pricey games, but those should only matter if you are a completionist. A very small minority of good games exist on only one platform. I'll say for sure that collecting on ebay doesn't devalue a damn thing lol. The time I save not driving around town hoping gems will pop up can easily be spent actually playing games, or focusing on other life responsibilities. I mainly only game hunt in the wild now with friends just for social time.
I generally agree with Pat and Ian on the thrill of the hunt, but with every system there is always this elusive few games that you simply do not find in shops or car boot sales etc, and thats when eBay opens up and gives you a chance to complete their collections at an inflated price.
I know its easy to give ebay a bad rep for asshole sellers but the problem where I live there isnt any retro video game stores here and Ive done a 50 mile radius, all we have here are charity shops and thats it. There are 2 car boot sales about 30 mile drive but Ive been there every week for the past 4 years and Ive never seen a single retro console or game there but you do see the odd PS2 game occasionally but thats it. I sadly am forced to use ebay as there is no other way around it.
Try living in a small populated state. The flea market comes once a year and the nearest gamestop is an hour and a half away, let alone a mom and pop store. Ebay and Walmart are the only way for some people to get games.
I just talked about this on my channel the other day. I think there a lot of this stigma in the community against collecting on eBay. Like it's looked down upon and if you buy on eBay. The game is somehow demeaned by the fact you didn't find it in the wild. Now I can get behind Pat about the instant collector mentality being stupid. Not only that, but it hurts the market for the rest of us, like he pointed out. But there are people like me that we live in an area where there's not much of a retro market. I try to find stuff locally, but it's mostly modern stuff that's overpriced. Granted, I find stuff once in a while and I do love the thrill of finding stuff in the wild. I got a boxed NES last year that looked brand new last year for $30 and that was just awesome. Sadly, I have to do the majority of my collecting online and you can't get that feeling doing it that way. I do not just do buy it now though. I will if it's a good deal. But most of the time I spend months and months trying to get games for good prices. I'll wait for people with 99 cent listings to try and get a deal. I just think that it's a different way to accomplish the same goal. Who cares where you got it? If you got it for a good price and you're happy, that's all that matters.
I mostly get my box and manuals for games/systems off ebay, or do trading on NintendoAge for some loose, or cib stuff, but I will always go to swap meets for games, even ones just to do trading with. It's so much fun just searching for these, and especially when you have a friend searching with you
I'm not a collector as much as I am simply a gamer. I use ebay to get the games I know I want to play and if I find something in a thrift store or at a flea market, that's always better imo.
Well, not everyone lives around store that sell old stuff, so we buy off ebay. The area I live in literally has no store for retro games, people selling things at flea markets are selling complete garbage and people selling other ways try to charge 4x what it should cost. When I buy stuff off of ebay I don't just buy the first copy I find, I shop around, watch items and while watching those items I look and see what else pops up in the mean time, if none pop up at a good price then I wait.
I think it also depends on what type of collector you are. Myself, I'm only after specific titles and genres. I couldn't care less about sports games, so none of those are on my list. I'm also not interested in having _every_ NES or SNES game ever. My list consists of games I either once had and liked when I was a kid, or games I always wanted but never had. This makes it much harder to find them at flea markets. Sure, it's fun to hunt for them, but I don't have time to browse flea markets every weekend, and I may never find them that way. When my goal is to actually _add_ them to my collection, ebay makes perfect sense (if my local retro game store doesn't have it, that is) :)
I only buy games I intend to play, and hopefully play to completion. The problem is getting around to each game, and the ever growing backlog. Amazon and Ebay are great options if you don't have a local videogames store in your area that isn't Gamestop.
Exactly. And for me (living in Sweden) fleamarkets suck when it comes to finding games believe me i tried. And stores that deals in retro games overcharge like you would never believe! Example Pokemon red complete. Just over 100 US dollars!
As a 13 year old retro gamer, whom doesn't have a car, eBay is really my only source of collecting. I do have some local stores, that have decent stuff, but for imports(Famicom mostly) , eBay is really my only option, and I don't have buckets of money, so I try to spend time playing the games I purchase. So I do love the hobby and the culture, tons, and hope to keep building my collection as long as I can. ^-^
I know this is damn near 3 years old, but my 2 cents. Game stores in my local area are often more than eBay. I will gladly purchase for the best instant gratification price possible. Gamers want games right away. Collectors will pick up games whenever. The logic of waiting it out isn't great either. Prices continue to skyrocket
There are no flea markers here in Chicago. Thrift stores here have no retro games. Antique shops and pawn shops who do, sell it beyond the value price. 'Yes there are 2-3 retro shops, but there nes collection is not that great. The hunt' opportunity is really based on where you live. Some people only have eBay (bidding, not buy now) as an option, particularly for lot game deal.
Besides the boiling frog analogy, I too would love to go on a mission to find old new stock NES games collecting dust somewhere in a warehouse or in a x mom and pop toy store storage bin...I really believe somewhere out there exists a bunch of LoZs, Mike Tyson Punch Outs, and possibly Little Samsons laying sealed under a blanket of dust somewhere in America. But for some of us, clicking the buy it now button may be the closest opportunity of owning any of these.
I collect for the Megadrive/Genesis and use ebay quite a bit because there aren't many retro stores around me, and when I go to the retro stores they have mostly the same stuff in because not many people are trading in anymore (in the UK at least). Also, I buy games individually rather than in bundles so I always know what i'm getting, i'm not the sort of collector that has games on my shelf that i'm not going to play.
Maybe not everyone has instant access to flea markets thrift stores and retro game stores, and what if some people buy games to specifically play a game that they have been wanting to play. Not because they want to make some huge collection of games that they will never play or care about, and might as well be knick knacks. I'm going to be buying a Nintendo 64 not because I want it to make my shelf look better, but because I want to PLAY games on the system.
except in Quebec where we are full of "sellers" who actually look at ebay prices and multiply 2 - 4 times and think that is normal... megaman 2 and 3 should not be 55$ loose... zelda loose and worn for 75$.. contra 50$ worn... one guy got mad i haggled megaman 3 to 25 bucks (just to see his reaction) because the label was half gone and it looked like a dog poop on it... and he got offended and yanked it out of my hand... so yes, in Quebec you buy ebay because it is actually cheaper with shipping sometimes.
That's why I stopped collecting and sold most of my collection off. I get the games I loved and liked and have nostalgia with. I had so many NES games I bought cause I found them cheap. Before selling them I played and tested every one and some where just so horrible I knew I'd never touch it again.
The hunt for games locally is always part of fun. However, there are some games in my wishlist that would take me too long to wait for my local game shops to have in stock or the prices are too high imo if I find it locally, and so I resort to ebay to find good deals. A good example was when I was looking for a copy of The Misadventures of Tron Bonne for PS1. At the time, none of my local stores ever had anything as close as rare as that game. So I resorted to ebay and after a couple of months I found and bought one for $80. A year later a new game store opened, and recently got a copy of the same game however it was double the price. Apparently, I got my copy before the prices kicked up. I don't care where I'm buying my games from. I just want them with reasonable prices and in playable condition.
I've been a collector/gamer for about 25 years, I started when no one cared about old video games. I use Ebay but i rarely use buy it now unless its a good deal. And on open bidding I know what I'm willing to pay and once it gets over, I abandon ship. It always gets me when I see people getting so caught up on open bidding people will spend more then many buy it now's. This also jacks up prices. TBH most of what I hunt on ebay now-a-days are imports just because you not going to find them in the wild that easy.
Here's something you guys might have thought about. I live in a small small town in North Ontario, Canada. The only way I can find any sort of retro game is through ebay. If I had access to video game retro stores or even pawn shops Id be all over that and Id love to go game hunting. However, there's nothing even remotly close to that where I live. I went once at a pawn shop where they had a sizeable collection of games in a town 6 hours away from mine and eveything was so expensive it was cheaper on ebay. You had some pretty valid point, but its not all of us that have access to the services you guys do.
It's easier for some people to do the collecting locally but for someone such as myself, my locations are limited in the fact that I live in Newfoundland (an island province in Canada) and the flea markets and places to buy games are very few. Not only that, but people around Newfoundland have no place to get their prices from other than Ebay and thus we end up getting the games for the same prices as Ebay. Therefore, if I buy from Ebay at least I get a better selection of games I WANT to buy instead of just random crap or the same 50 games you see in most places. Put it this way, it's like every place to buy games in Newfoundland are ran by resellers.
I will be honest and say that I have bought several games online to add to my collection, and I agree that it does not seem as satisfying as finding a game at a retro game store. Sure, I was happy when I got my copy of EarthBound, but the fact that I bought it on amazon made me feel like a cop out. Compare that to another game I spent a long time looking for: Chrono Trigger on the SNES. I constantly went into my local game store hoping to run into it, and almost gave up on it. But one day, I walked in and left the store with not only Chrono Trigger, but also Secret of Mana and Kirby Super Star, marking that as one of the best days of my game collecting life. I'm not saying not to use eBay: it's a great source for buying things (just be on the lookout for scams!), but hunting at local businesses and overcoming the disappointing days can really make all of that lost time worth it.
Same here. Thrift stores here(mostly run by old ladies) in my small crappy town don't even have any games. If they do come in I heard they are tossed out along with the vhs tapes. They keep dvds behind the counter, but won't allow a cd based or cartridge game on the shelf. Makes no sense.
I disagree with you guys on this video, if collecting online is done right. There are some factors here that get in the way. First, is flea markets are getting more and more vendors, and finding games/systems outside of the flea market resellers is annoying, because they think they have more than they do. Then there's the retro stores, who are developing a nasty tendency of charging what pricecharting says the going price is. I went to one store who just bases their price off of what ever Amazon sells them for, and they typically have the best prices. Why would I burn my gas to go hope to find something I want and spend more than I can in an auction on ebay by shopping around and waiting to spend what I think is right on that site? Yes, finding random stuff is fun, as I got my Crusader of Centy with 6 other Genesis RPGs for $40 from some random guy trying to offload some Sega stuff. I loved getting a working NES for $15. I love buying loose PS1 and 2 games for $1 or $2 because venders can't sell them. I also loved only spending $15 on Alex Kidd for the SMS on ebay when my game store asks $30, or spending $4 on a complete Streets of Rage on ebay when the wild wants $20. Ebay can be fun too, if you just don't buy everything at first glance and you "hunt" there. And there's my way too long response.
Also depends on where you live of course. I lived in Georgia and it was super easy to find classic games. I went to Hawaii and there is almost nothing here. I've spent at least seven years going to flea markets, goodwill stores, local shops, but there is just so little around and so many people that I've found just three snes games out in the wild. Just an fyi. Its not always easy and sometimes ebay is the only option for some people.
I want a complete Genesis collection but I am pacing it and honestly want to take 10-20 years to do it all. I have a busy life and other hobbies. This wont kill me financially and I want to play them all. About every 2-3 weeks I get a game. Go to a great local store and he does good deals because im a regular customer. I have done 100 games in 6 months and I got burned out then sell a lot of it. Pace yourself. It is a hobby, not a lifestyle or addiction you have to feed. Im a guitarist and vinyl lover. Genesis is also on the list. I juggle my hobbies. Even Madden, I will try to play a few rounds.
In my area they only one retro game store and they don't have a lot retro games they mostly have ps2,ps1,xbox and only way to get Nintendo games is ebay
Ah, as for using eBay... I did initially use it for games until I discovered that there were local stores. The first one I visited was rather unreasonable in its pricing and so I was rather turned off to that approach, but I've since found one that's friendlier. There's something fun about actually shopping for them in a store, even if it's only to converse a little with others sharing your interests. Where it really pays off, though, is the owner has come to recognize what kind of games I like and has already steered me to quite a few I was completely unaware of that are a lot of fun.
I live in Italy and no flea market I've ever seen carries old games, and trust me: I walk in whenever I find one of those places. They only accept PS2 at best. Your only chance if you want a NES game is go to one of the few and far betwee nerd conventions and pay outrageous prices or order it off ebay (and pay outrageous prices).
I just recently got into serious collecting. I just got my NES the other day. I'm happy to say that it was not upwards of 80 dollars. I made a best offer and scored it for 60. I already had a bunch of games because my mom came upon a bunch of NES and Genesis games in a storage unit and that was the beginning of my collection. But I'm not just collecting to collect things. If I wanted a collect-a-thon, I would play Donkey Kong 64. I am buying from ebay and I am pretty impatient so I do take advantage of buy-it-nows. But I don't buy tons at a time. And right now I am only collecting the ones I really want to play. When I have all those from my want list, I will start collecting the rest. But I will take the time to play them. I can't stand the thought of a whole wall of games just sitting around and never being played. I love video game history. I love the lore. I love the fellowship that comes with the hobby. I love sharing what I know with others. I love learning myself.
I wish I had a good open air flea market to go to. I have two retro stores near me in my city, but they are the same store(Game World), company retro stores, one on one side of town, one on the other. Really the only time they are good to buy from is if you are looking for smaller titles that not many other people want, or that they have a ton of copies of. The big name stuff is all top list E-Bay prices for them, or higher. Like, Castlevania 3, I've been trying to get a copy of it without using a month or two worth of entertainment. Those retro stores are selling their loose copies for $29.99, which is right at E-Bay price. I of course want it for my collection, because I have the first game from when I was a kid, and I got a complete in box copy of Simon's Quest for 22 bucks around two years ago. But beyond that, I do play them. A few months ago I told myself I was going to beat the first Castlevania, because I never did it as a kid. And I did do it, though it did take me six hours.
Unfortunately, where I live (south England) it's hard to find nes and Nintendo 64 games without ebay. You can get them at MCM London Comic Con, but thats twice a year.
I looked at it like, my time is worth more money than I'm saving from looking around for 7 years to save a few quid, but I do totally agree it's more fun to find games in the wild
It's hard to find retro games in my area. Not many flea markets close by, and I just don't find that much during summer lawn sale season. Most of the retro stores charge Ebay prices and above (I'm talking to you Gamerz Haven), so I am stuck buying off of Ebay and Amazon. You have to know your prices if you buy it now, but most times just watching the 0.99 cent auctions is how I expand my collection.
I do go out and search for games at various local stores, but if I really need a certain title I know I might not find in the wild, I'll use eBay or amazon and whatever other online retailers.
We here in Oklahoma have the Retro Gamers Society. There are chapters in other states, but it started here in OK. We have meet-ups every month. I went to my first one this past Friday. I was selling off a lot of my games I not longer wanted and made some money, but really though it that I traded a lot for some games that I wanted. I got some really excellent deals from the local guys through trades plus I made some new friends. Trading is now an awesome way to get games if you are able to do such a thing. Working with the people who just want to do that without going crazy on prices are great to be around. Their all just gamers anyway.
I collect a ton of games, movies, and music. nothing complete, and I never will have anything complete. I've probably got about 600 or so games spanning most major systems from ps1 era on. My favorites to collect for are the PSP and Wii. As far eBay collecting is concerned, I wouldn't use it for all collecting, but if your patient you can find decent deals. eBay is the only place I'll ever find Cubivore
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its taken me 9 years to even find like 70 nes games, i think i can justify buying from ebay due to living in the middle of nowhere ;p
same here. My town is so small the nearest flea market is over 25 miles away. the only Gamestop we have doesnt sell any retro games. We used to have a Game X Change like 10 years ago but now I have to drive 28 miles to the nearest town to buy retro games and that store gets their pricing off ebay so I might as well just buy off ebay. Our Goodwill or thrift store doesnt even sell retro games. My best bet is buying from the annual garage sales my town has every May
ebay is for people who value their time more than money. pat makes too many assumptions about ebay users. not everyone wants to hang out in swap meets on the weekends. i'd rather spend the time playing a game than looking for it at swap meets or thrift stores. time > money
His issue is more people who buy hundreds of games all in a short amount of time, If in a month you bought like 100 NES games off eBay you are not getting to play each one.
@NotAPolarBear Yeah well not all people want to drive 4-5 hours to the nearest retro game store every time they want a new find.
Lol in Australia, you can either hunt for retro games online (like using ebay) or, alternatively, you can not collect retro games.
eBay has been my lifeline when buying and selling video games. There is nothing around where I live that I can go to. The closest place is at least two hours from me. eBay has been a good outlet to find the games I have been looking for. I have gotten some good deals and I have sold games and systems at a fair price. The transactions have been smooth and hassle free. I don't get the stigma about buying off of eBay.
This is an excellent point. Location has a HUGE impact on your ability to find stuff “in the wild”. Where I live, I could go out 5 days a week for month and maybe come back with a handful of worthwhile games. But I don’t love the hunt like some people. Sure, it’s nice to find something for a good price. But you know what I hate more? Striking out over and over again because resellers have picked over the little amount of stuff we have clean off the bone. I’ve basically given up on physical collections but when I do want something, I go to ebay. I don’t like it but that’s what I do. I think more than anything I just want to buy less shit, period.
Ebay has been my best friend since 2002. I love the thrill of the hunt dont get me wrong and i continue to hunt but when you havent found any retro games in the past three years anywhere locally then Ebay is the best option. Flea markets and thrifts arent what they used to be. I would find at least five NES games everytime i go into my local thrift. Hell that hasnt happened in years. So ebay is really the only option
SystemSyko I love your videos. Been following you for a while. :)
But I agree. I rely on eBay. Here in Australia, everything is overpriced. Even thrift stores will want $10-15 for sports games in horrible condition. I just collect Genesis games and it's hard finding them here in Australia without being overpriced or looking horrible. I will buy a horrible looking game if it is just a few dollars, tho. My Golden Axe label is kinda beat up, but it was purchased for almost free. But deals like that are super rare.
I do eBay, but I only buy more games when I have beaten the ones I already have. So I will order 6 or so games, then beat them, then order more.
I sold my entire collection 2 years ago due to depression, but after a year and a half and fixing myself up, I missed them and started buying again but now just focusing on Genesis rather than multiple systems. It got to be too much for me.
Just got 6 more games in the mail today, so maybe in a week or two after I have played them to the point of beating them or tried a few times to, then I will get more games.
My friend collects games, has hundreds but has played maybe 30 of them and I don't mean beat, that means even playing for a minute to see if they work.
totallyterrificpants that's the same for me living in Aus I collect Wii and DS games which is relatively new and there's a huge amount of games that I would never find in a local game store.
Australia has a small population density so if you don't live in the city it's pretty hard to go hunting for videogames and that goes for vinyl too.
not to mention sometimes you just get things for a steal. like recently I won a Samsung gallery tab 3 with a otter box for 36$ with shipping.
I consider myself as somewhat of a collector, but I'm a gamer first and would never buy games I have no intentions of playing.
+Ted ThePilot Yeah, I started buying too many games and not getting around to playing all of them. So I recently stream lined my collection to only titles that I actually enjoy playing or plan on playing, the rest I've sold off.
+Ted ThePilot Buying games with absolutely no intentions of playing? That sounds ridiculous. Are there really people that do that?
I think right now I have two games I own that I haven't at least tried (not including ones I buy that don't work for whatever reason). One of those games is one I bought just this past week and haven't gotten around to since I also picked up the new Dark Souls on that same outing, the other is NFS: Rivals on Xb1 that I got over Christmas because I really wanted it but for some reason haven't even opened yet. I understand people not having time but I intend to play these games at some point.
I like to think that I "collect" original Xbox games (as they are affordable and some of the more easy to come across where I live, plus, it's the console that had the biggest effect to get me into gaming). The library consists of plenty of sports titles and shovelware. Have I played all the sports games I've purchased for it? Yep. Did I enjoy them all? Not really, but I still played them to the point where I felt I got my $2-3 out of them. Hell, I've even played some of the Barbie games for the system.
The only way I could consider not playing a game I purchased is if it is still factory sealed and I wanted it for whatever reason. I.e. I just purchased the GBC Planet of the Apes MIB. I don't plan on opening it, but I also already owned the game beforehand and I just kind of wanted the box because I like the cover art and I could afford to purchase it again.
I thought +Pat the NES Punk mentioned something about always intending to play the games at some point in time. Not everyone has endless hours they can spend playing their games, but I figured he wasn't one to buy with the INTENTION to just have them to sit on the shelf.
My mistake, then. I assumed he had played his games or planned on playing them all.
Though I may be a hypocrite for saying so, shelf collecting (in my opinion) is dumb. Aside from the earlier mentioned Gameboy Color game I shall never open, I do collect figures of things that I like. I also tend to keep them in their packages, hence why I'd be a hypocrite. But even with those it's an ongoing internal struggle as to whether or not I want to rip them open to mess with them. (Specifically the ones that did not come in salvageable boxes or are no longer being produced so a reasonably priced duplicate could be purchased due to the packaging being "cool.")
This is also in regards to "new" items. If I buy a loose figure I'm going to play with it, pose it, etc. just as if I buy used/opened games I'm going to play them. There's no point in purchasing otherwise, is there? I am genuinely curious to the appeal of buying the things "just to have them" or whatever the reason is.
***** I thought that was just friendly banter from Pat having such a large collection. My friends mock me for my number of games, comics, movies, etc. Even though, as I've stated, I've played nearly all of my games my friends will still joke around about how I don't play them all. Especially considering there are plenty that I've only played once and don't plan on really picking up again. (i.e. sports games, barbie games, etc.)
I have to say, some of the games i've bought, i bought on ebay simply because it was way cheaper then buying from a used game store or even at a flea market. but then again, i will never be a collector, just a player that wants certain games.
There are absolutely zero retro gaming stores in a 60 mile radius of my house. Sadly, I don't have a lot of options
look lads i live in Ireland... it Super Hard to find old school games sometimes I use Ebay or Amazon on the fact I really Really don't like Downloading and the lack of Classic Game shops
We're referring to those who at least have the option, not those who do not. :)
I agree, I don't collect but when I've been to car boot sales (flea markets) I've never seen a single NES or master system game, just maybe the odd 360 or ps2 games that nobody wants ie fifa or tiger woods
Again from u.k, and wouldn't have a collection if it wasn't for eBay!
kingdongchong there nothing worse than going to a car boot sale and seeing loads of fifas or tiger woods
Yeah I also live in Ireland and it's like you said, impossible to find retro games locally outside of the rare specialist shop. Even then they're always inferior PAL versions. I've bought some off Ebay, but with the prices so high I've just decided to buy an Everdrive N8 until the market crashes.
I get tempted to hit 'buy it now' for some games on eBay that I have been looking for for years. The only thing that ever really stops me is that I'm a cheapskate. But i will say that in all my time collecting I have only ever bought ONE game from eBay.
I prefer the hunt. I LOVE the hunt. Heck I make an entire UA-cam show about my hunts.
I have wanted to play 'Digimon World' again for 3 freaking years, but am I going to pay $75 for it on eBay? No. I'm going to wait to buy it for $5 at a market. It will happen, it always does.
I agree with this video and both your opinions whole heartedly, thanks for sharing.
P.S the game I bought from ebay was Prince Of Persia Warrior Within. It was like, $5 haha
Screw what other people think about YOU spending YOUR money on Ebay. Most people in this country don't live in a major city and don't have shops, flea markets, yard sales year round like those in big cities do. Until the people giving you a bad rap pay for your games, then they just need to STFU
I've been using eBay for 16 years, and zero problems what so ever.
it purely depends on where you live and what is available to you. Where I live in the UK there are no local indies close and the charity (thrift) stores local to me have nothing. Sometimes Ebay is the only option. This doesn't lower my knowledge of buying a game. I have been playing games since the C64 so I like to think I am clued up. Its hard to generalise this subject and I think it goes on a person to person basis.
I don't have a lot of options, than to use eBay due to isolation, but I always make sure I play every game I get when I get it (and record a game play). It ensures you appreciate each game.
I actually don't buy bundles (anymore) as I soon discovered that you don't appreciate them as much.
The same thing can happen with emulation, you are presented with a flood of games (well unlimited) which then are all diminished in their personal value to you. So I have another rule that I don't play a game using a SD device or emulation, unless I have a copy (plus I am also a developer so I have other issues with playing games you don't own :)). The only exception is if said game is expensive, and I want to have a quick game to make sure that it is worth spending the money on.
One good thing about eBay is if you live in a smaller market like I do (East Coast Canada), our flee markets and video game stores don't often have uncommon titles and the nearest larger market (Montreal: 11 hour drive) isn't a short road trip away. I've bought maybe about 25 uncommon games on eBay, and a lot of it are titles you never see in this area unless you get very lucky.
I prefer to find games in Goodwills, thrift stores, used game stores, rummage sales, and flea markets. However, finding games in "the wild" is damn near impossible in SE Wisconsin. So, sometimes eBay is needed.
Collecting games off Ebay has a stigma? This is the weirdest fact I've learned this year.
I don't have an issue with eBay, as long as you are taking the necessary time to see what prices that games can be bought for. Every now and then I look back at my purchase history and just smile when I see how much lower I bought most of my games for than the average (online) selling prices. Thrift stores are getting nearly impossible to find games due to resellers, the increasing popularity of collecting, and the fact that eBay is such an accessible outlet for people to sell their games instead of just dumping them off at Goodwill. I came across this CU podcast video at a coincidental time because I just hit up 5 Goodwills and a Savers today. Only one store had NES games and they were Bases Loaded, Karate Champ, and Ice Hockey. Each were marked at $5.99!! Those games are $3.00-4.00 including shipping on eBay if you just look. Granted you're not usually going to get any great deals on bundles of games because the resellers are bidding against each other to get those but if you're willing to be patient and do some research, good deals can be found on eBay.
Living in the middle of bumfuck in Australia there is literally no choice to find retro gaming stores or flea markets/thrift stores that have any so generally using Ebay is the only method of getting them and if you're lucky enough get them cheaper on websites like Gumtree or local Facebook pages.
Pat talking about boiling a frog @2:55 and watching Ian's graphic thought of a frog in boiling water- priceless.
id much rather buy video games on ebay than from video game stores and dealers at conventions. most dealers and stores price way above average ebay prices
pat has to understand, not everyone started buying games when you could find them cheap, before the whole world had caught onto the retro video game hype. and most of the world knows about it now because of people like Pat
I use ebay only because i live on a secluded island with no flea markets arouns here.
Same here Kevin
I usually go to yard sales and stuff but the people in my area dont have any video games. Occasionally I get one or two from a sale but never much. I do use Ebay but I usually buy 2-3 games a month and I usually play the crap out of those all month. I play every game I get and am not ashamed of ebay
I used to be 50/50 between brick-and-mortar stores and eBay... But most of the stores have shut down. I miss knowing the owners and the people who worked there and being part of that community, that's easily the biggest loss.
eBay has been good for managing a watch list, following searches and prioritising purchases, but I don't use it for 'collecting'. There's a few odd games I want, but I've already picked up most of what I could ever need in the last 5 - 6 years.. Interesting topic Pat & Ian!
Things I like about eBay: if you know what you are doing, you can get detailed pictures of everything from manual to case to disc. You can find good deals. And if you don't over do it, it's just as fun. You search the market everyday until the right game and deal comes up and when that perfect sale comes up BOOM you get it. Just that one game or maybe a good deal on a bundle. Then you get all excited waiting for shipping and one day you come home from work and there is the box. You open the game and turn it into this fun experience, pop the game in, and sit back and enjoy. eBay isn't solely used by collectors buying en masse and raised prices. Also, some used game stores simply take anything no matter the condition and price it all the same. If you use eBay right and have patience you get the opportunity to pay the right price ie. 20 for a clean black label game vs 10 for a greatest hits not so clean. Whereas a store may price both games equally. AND when games sit on shelves in stores and people are browsing them daily they can get scratched up just from the environment they live in and the constant sliding in and out. My 2 cents anyways
I've been collecting NES for like 10-15 years and I have less than 150 games.
There is a certain thrill that also comes with hunting on ebay and grabbing a good bargain. You don't need to buy things at ridiculous prices on ebay.
Where I live, the closest retro game shop to me is a 20 minute drive, and they keep hours that make it hard for me to go there (I work third); on top of that the selection isn't too hot and they're deluded about some of their prices. There's a better shop that I know of, but it's a 45 minute drive (and once again they keep hours that don't work for me). I try to buy my games from brick-and-mortar local stores, but sometimes for me Ebay and Amazon are the only options. A good example is Seiken Densetsu 3. I love that game and have played it through several times via the translated ROM, but there's no way in hell I could get a physical cart via a local store. So I found a guy on Ebay selling it cheap, put a low bid on it, and won it.
tl;dr - Not every "Ebay collector" is out there to buy bulk lots and games at jacked-up prices. Some are just trying to get games they couldn't otherwise get.
I think its good to do a mix of the two. Maybe a 60/40 split of hunting/internet purchases or trading. Sometimes you'll see something online for super cheap, and its good to jump on...either that or something for a fair price that you know you most likely wont find outside. Also Pat you're missing out, play your Genesis man lol!
I use Ebay because I don't have a dedicated retrogame store around here, aside from one the next town over that doesn't check for repros, gouges the prices too much, and has shit service. My flea market occasionally churns out a good deal, but it's rare and the only games you see there on most saturdays are PS2 era Maden. eBay and the Amazon Market place churn out some amazing deals. I snagged a US copy of Albert Odyssey for $10, assuming I was buying the Japanese copy. Like you've said in the past though, the day of the deal is largely over, and I'm not paying much more on eBay than I would at a store now.
Justin Goode Granted, I also prefer keeping a small collection, so even if I was getting good deals locally, I wouldn't buy a box of 40+ games, so I guess dropping a heftier price on something I want on eBay is a different act than the instacollector stuff you're talking about.
I think as many people here have mentioned, this opinion is only relevant for the USA where you CAN find games in the wild and cheaper then eBay. In Australia eBay is basically your only option to get anywhere near a complete set
I have a friend who bought over 300 games in the last year and now he doesn't even care. Posers that drive prices up.
But in England there is NOTHING like that at car boot sales (flea markets) so the only place you can buy things is Ebay
I get where you guys are coming from but what if you happen to live in an area where you don't exactly have the option to run down to the vintage game store and peruse the titles? My area has a gamestop but they don't carry the older games I want to collect. So my options are to buy online or just abandon my hobby, sorry but i'm going to continue buying online.
Plus, didn't you guys say in another clip that ebay prices don't typically reflect local prices? Even if i'm mistaken about that, what about supply and demand? If more people want a classic game and more importantly are willing to pay a certain amount, why shouldn't the price increase accordingly? Isn't that essentially the basis of our entire economic system? Why should game collecting be immune to this?
I collect all the games i remember from my childhood that i seen in magazines or demos and i play all of them each one is a memory. I dont buy random games i will never play.I need to use ebay because i live in a small town with horrible re-sellers.
I agree with you, where i live they only sell Cod and fifa games, the stores which sell retro games don't have much of a selection and those that are worth it are terribly overpriced, also even if you do find a collector willing to sell they will charge you a shitload of money for a game that is not worth it. I'm with you man i am to the point where ebay is the more reasonable choice, and it's really sad.
Some people rather have quantity over quality, i know a few guys who say "i have x amount of nes games" but when you ask em about them they say well i havent played it yet
How does where you buy the game have anything to do with how frequent you play it or how much you look into them first? I buy from both and either way I'll play them the same amount and look into them the same amount or maybe even more for ebay just to be sure I don't get screwed.
For someone that lives on the mississippi coast ebay has been the only option I have. We FINALLY got a retro game store last year but the prices are substantially higher than ebay.
BTW, I have NEVER sold a game or traded any games, I only buy.
What really pisses me off is when you go to a Goodwill, fleas markets,etc, & see the re-seller "ass holes" buying all the vinyl records & games "in bulk" to mark the prices up. That makes it harder to find a deal in the wild and unfortunately use Ebay to purchase from them as a collector!
Locally where I live, finding NES games is difficult. There are two stores that sell them, but most of the time, they only have extremely common games and when they do have a sought after game, it's usually priced using average Ebay prices. The only option I have is using Ebay to obtain games I want. Also, I really don't feel the difference in hunting for a find, it's equally satisfying to hunt for a good deal on Ebay, but that's just my opinion.
What I like about my collection is most of what I have, I've had for well over a decade and I can tell you where I got them, how much I got them and even the date I picked them up. Most of my games I don't care of their value they're only going to be sold after I leave this earth and some I plan on taking with me. That is what a true collector is about; someone who can appreciate the games versus someone is just that have an instant collection and/or their daily value.
Yeah it gets tough tracking down certain games etc, especially when you live in countrys like Australia and other Pal regions. I have had to resort to Ebay a few times to find games ive wanted to play.
And if you do find somthing you want in the wild people are asking stupid amounts of money for it.
Aussie Aussie Aussie !
Todd McDonnell oi oi oi?
thats the one !
I am going through this now, I am trying to get a PS1 collection but all I have around me is Game traders and Cash convertors. Thank god for facebook marketplace though, has helped me score some sweet deals.
I love these discussions! I'm a gamer more than a collector and what makes me buy a NES game is usually a few things: First, if I played the game as a kid and LOVED it then I'll be looking for it. Second if I heard of a game as a kid, or if it had a cool ad in a comic book and I wanted it growing up I'll pick it up. Third will be if I see it while shopping and it sounds interesting, I'll google it and watch some gameplay footage. If it looks decent ad worth the few bucks I'll pick it up. To me it's more about playing the game and the experience it brings first and filling up your shelves second.
I pretty much have to use eBay and other online shops like Amazon for my console collection because Goodwills and the such around here, though I don't buy a whole lot since I wait for the cheapest prices I can possibly get on the games. I've gotten most of my games for anywhere from $5 to $20 cheaper than most sold and unsold listings just by being patient and looking around on as many legit sites as I can and waiting.
I love hearing you or anyone else who enjoy the history/knowledge about the industry and games as much as playing them. I absolutely love reading anything about games and the stories behind their creation.
p.s. can't wait for your book
I really do not have a choice on buying games online. I live in a really shitty midwest town im lucky if i can find modern games used here in town let alone any retro games. Just love how you guys stereo type people like that. "oh you buy games online you are a poser" REALLY?
I've been using eBay for my video game collection more lately. I don't think it's that bad. I agree that the prices are sometimes too much, but it can be useful in finding games if you're having trouble.
I agree wholeheartedly with the appreciation aspect of finding games in the wild or on the hunt. I have purchased off Amazon, mainly when I am deployed. But other times as well. But three games I will NOT purchase online are the three GBC Zelda games (LA, OoA, OoS). Those 3 I will purchase in the wild.
Hahaha, Ian's reaction at the 2:52 frog story is my favourite. Yeah Pat, I've never heard of that either. :P
Going to flea markets and dedicated game shops is great, but not everyone has that option in their city.
Totally agree with your viewpoints. Ebay collectors can go from having zero games to 500 in a matter of a few days to a few weeks. It drives up the prices of all video games not only online, but at video game stores, thrift stores, and pawn shops. Its like you guys mentioned, the ones who get into it too fast get overwhelmed and typically sell everything off because they take game collecting out of perspective. Enjoy what you have and recognize life is too short to play every single game. I take a lot of pride in doing the research on games and knowing what is good and what to stay away from. Collecting for many is an addiction where dropping 30, 50, 100 dollars for one game satisfies the craving for material goods, but only for a short period of time.
I pretty much only use ebay, where I live there is no thriving market for retro games. There are no flea market vendors with old games here. I must have stopped at 20 garage sales last year and didn't see a single video game older than a ps2 game.
Where i live in rural va. the nearest real retro gaming store is 2 hours away.the flea markets have barely anything,and you have to hit the goodwills really early because what they get is taken soon as it is put out.
I can definitely understand what you guys are saying and can agree with your arguments but what if you live in a smaller country where old games are much harder to find in circulation? I live in some rural part of Greece and I don't even know if the NES ever caught on here as it did in the US. I'm 18 years old and I grew up with Playstation. PS is pretty much what made gaming mainstream over here, a lot of people close to me don't even know what NES is but there's not a single person who hasn't played a PS console at least once. Ebay is basically my only option.
There are pros and cons. I've done my fair share of garage sale finds and pawn shops. Yes, finding games in the wild is more thrilling, but it can be a huge time sink. I've wasted many afternoons going places and turning up either empty handed, or buying things I hadn't planned on, but not wanting to go home empty handed. Ebay allows for a more targeted approach, and personally I get a decent thrill out of finding a good ebay deal too. Even in todays inflated retro market, I still find plenty of auctions that close far under market value. It's easy to focus on the pricey games, but those should only matter if you are a completionist. A very small minority of good games exist on only one platform.
I'll say for sure that collecting on ebay doesn't devalue a damn thing lol. The time I save not driving around town hoping gems will pop up can easily be spent actually playing games, or focusing on other life responsibilities. I mainly only game hunt in the wild now with friends just for social time.
+AwesomeStuffHD Yes I am that Elena player. Sorry i just noticed this comment!
I generally agree with Pat and Ian on the thrill of the hunt, but with every system there is always this elusive few games that you simply do not find in shops or car boot sales etc, and thats when eBay opens up and gives you a chance to complete their collections at an inflated price.
I know its easy to give ebay a bad rep for asshole sellers but the problem where I live there isnt any retro video game stores here and Ive done a 50 mile radius, all we have here are charity shops and thats it. There are 2 car boot sales about 30 mile drive but Ive been there every week for the past 4 years and Ive never seen a single retro console or game there but you do see the odd PS2 game occasionally but thats it.
I sadly am forced to use ebay as there is no other way around it.
Try living in a small populated state. The flea market comes once a year and the nearest gamestop is an hour and a half away, let alone a mom and pop store. Ebay and Walmart are the only way for some people to get games.
I just talked about this on my channel the other day. I think there a lot of this stigma in the community against collecting on eBay. Like it's looked down upon and if you buy on eBay. The game is somehow demeaned by the fact you didn't find it in the wild. Now I can get behind Pat about the instant collector mentality being stupid. Not only that, but it hurts the market for the rest of us, like he pointed out. But there are people like me that we live in an area where there's not much of a retro market. I try to find stuff locally, but it's mostly modern stuff that's overpriced. Granted, I find stuff once in a while and I do love the thrill of finding stuff in the wild. I got a boxed NES last year that looked brand new last year for $30 and that was just awesome. Sadly, I have to do the majority of my collecting online and you can't get that feeling doing it that way. I do not just do buy it now though. I will if it's a good deal. But most of the time I spend months and months trying to get games for good prices. I'll wait for people with 99 cent listings to try and get a deal. I just think that it's a different way to accomplish the same goal. Who cares where you got it? If you got it for a good price and you're happy, that's all that matters.
I mostly get my box and manuals for games/systems off ebay, or do trading on NintendoAge for some loose, or cib stuff, but I will always go to swap meets for games, even ones just to do trading with. It's so much fun just searching for these, and especially when you have a friend searching with you
I'm not a collector as much as I am simply a gamer. I use ebay to get the games I know I want to play and if I find something in a thrift store or at a flea market, that's always better imo.
Well, not everyone lives around store that sell old stuff, so we buy off ebay. The area I live in literally has no store for retro games, people selling things at flea markets are selling complete garbage and people selling other ways try to charge 4x what it should cost. When I buy stuff off of ebay I don't just buy the first copy I find, I shop around, watch items and while watching those items I look and see what else pops up in the mean time, if none pop up at a good price then I wait.
I think it also depends on what type of collector you are. Myself, I'm only after specific titles and genres. I couldn't care less about sports games, so none of those are on my list. I'm also not interested in having _every_ NES or SNES game ever. My list consists of games I either once had and liked when I was a kid, or games I always wanted but never had. This makes it much harder to find them at flea markets. Sure, it's fun to hunt for them, but I don't have time to browse flea markets every weekend, and I may never find them that way. When my goal is to actually _add_ them to my collection, ebay makes perfect sense (if my local retro game store doesn't have it, that is) :)
I only buy games I intend to play, and hopefully play to completion. The problem is getting around to each game, and the ever growing backlog. Amazon and Ebay are great options if you don't have a local videogames store in your area that isn't Gamestop.
Exactly. And for me (living in Sweden) fleamarkets suck when it comes to finding games believe me i tried. And stores that deals in retro games overcharge like you would never believe! Example Pokemon red complete. Just over 100 US dollars!
As a 13 year old retro gamer, whom doesn't have a car, eBay is really my only source of collecting. I do have some local stores, that have decent stuff, but for imports(Famicom mostly) , eBay is really my only option, and I don't have buckets of money, so I try to spend time playing the games I purchase. So I do love the hobby and the culture, tons, and hope to keep building my collection as long as I can. ^-^
I know this is damn near 3 years old, but my 2 cents. Game stores in my local area are often more than eBay. I will gladly purchase for the best instant gratification price possible. Gamers want games right away. Collectors will pick up games whenever. The logic of waiting it out isn't great either. Prices continue to skyrocket
Primarily using ebay for game collecting is like paying for sex. Sure, you can get sex right now, but it's way more fun to find the sex in the wild :)
Not always
The wild? Lmao is that what you nerds call it nowadays?
that is the funniest analogy i've heard. lol
im the same ebay is the only option with crappy game stores and resellers were i live
whats your view on japanese imports when your retro area is lacking or non exsistant on imports.
There are no flea markers here in Chicago. Thrift stores here have no retro games. Antique shops and pawn shops who do, sell it beyond the value price. 'Yes there are 2-3 retro shops, but there nes collection is not that great. The hunt' opportunity is really based on where you live. Some people only have eBay (bidding, not buy now) as an option, particularly for lot game deal.
Besides the boiling frog analogy, I too would love to go on a mission to find old new stock NES games collecting dust somewhere in a warehouse or in a x mom and pop toy store storage bin...I really believe somewhere out there exists a bunch of LoZs, Mike Tyson Punch Outs, and possibly Little Samsons laying sealed under a blanket of dust somewhere in America. But for some of us, clicking the buy it now button may be the closest opportunity of owning any of these.
I collect for the Megadrive/Genesis and use ebay quite a bit because there aren't many retro stores around me, and when I go to the retro stores they have mostly the same stuff in because not many people are trading in anymore (in the UK at least).
Also, I buy games individually rather than in bundles so I always know what i'm getting, i'm not the sort of collector that has games on my shelf that i'm not going to play.
Maybe not everyone has instant access to flea markets thrift stores and retro game stores, and what if some people buy games to specifically play a game that they have been wanting to play. Not because they want to make some huge collection of games that they will never play or care about, and might as well be knick knacks. I'm going to be buying a Nintendo 64 not because I want it to make my shelf look better, but because I want to PLAY games on the system.
Collector snobs. WOW
You can actually get some cheap games on ebay if you look at the right time. Honestly Iike he thrill of the hunt.
except in Quebec where we are full of "sellers" who actually look at ebay prices and multiply 2 - 4 times and think that is normal... megaman 2 and 3 should not be 55$ loose... zelda loose and worn for 75$.. contra 50$ worn... one guy got mad i haggled megaman 3 to 25 bucks (just to see his reaction) because the label was half gone and it looked like a dog poop on it... and he got offended and yanked it out of my hand... so yes, in Quebec you buy ebay because it is actually cheaper with shipping sometimes.
That's why I stopped collecting and sold most of my collection off. I get the games I loved and liked and have nostalgia with. I had so many NES games I bought cause I found them cheap. Before selling them I played and tested every one and some where just so horrible I knew I'd never touch it again.
The hunt for games locally is always part of fun. However, there are some games in my wishlist that would take me too long to wait for my local game shops to have in stock or the prices are too high imo if I find it locally, and so I resort to ebay to find good deals.
A good example was when I was looking for a copy of The Misadventures of Tron Bonne for PS1. At the time, none of my local stores ever had anything as close as rare as that game. So I resorted to ebay and after a couple of months I found and bought one for $80. A year later a new game store opened, and recently got a copy of the same game however it was double the price. Apparently, I got my copy before the prices kicked up.
I don't care where I'm buying my games from. I just want them with reasonable prices and in playable condition.
I've been a collector/gamer for about 25 years, I started when no one cared about old video games. I use Ebay but i rarely use buy it now unless its a good deal. And on open bidding I know what I'm willing to pay and once it gets over, I abandon ship. It always gets me when I see people getting so caught up on open bidding people will spend more then many buy it now's. This also jacks up prices. TBH most of what I hunt on ebay now-a-days are imports just because you not going to find them in the wild that easy.
Here's something you guys might have thought about. I live in a small small town in North Ontario, Canada. The only way I can find any sort of retro game is through ebay. If I had access to video game retro stores or even pawn shops Id be all over that and Id love to go game hunting. However, there's nothing even remotly close to that where I live. I went once at a pawn shop where they had a sizeable collection of games in a town 6 hours away from mine and eveything was so expensive it was cheaper on ebay. You had some pretty valid point, but its not all of us that have access to the services you guys do.
It's easier for some people to do the collecting locally but for someone such as myself, my locations are limited in the fact that I live in Newfoundland (an island province in Canada) and the flea markets and places to buy games are very few. Not only that, but people around Newfoundland have no place to get their prices from other than Ebay and thus we end up getting the games for the same prices as Ebay. Therefore, if I buy from Ebay at least I get a better selection of games I WANT to buy instead of just random crap or the same 50 games you see in most places.
Put it this way, it's like every place to buy games in Newfoundland are ran by resellers.
I will be honest and say that I have bought several games online to add to my collection, and I agree that it does not seem as satisfying as finding a game at a retro game store. Sure, I was happy when I got my copy of EarthBound, but the fact that I bought it on amazon made me feel like a cop out. Compare that to another game I spent a long time looking for: Chrono Trigger on the SNES. I constantly went into my local game store hoping to run into it, and almost gave up on it. But one day, I walked in and left the store with not only Chrono Trigger, but also Secret of Mana and Kirby Super Star, marking that as one of the best days of my game collecting life. I'm not saying not to use eBay: it's a great source for buying things (just be on the lookout for scams!), but hunting at local businesses and overcoming the disappointing days can really make all of that lost time worth it.
I have used Ebay to buy classic/retro games, here is why. I live in a small town, and we do not have a gaming store or even pawn shop.
Same here. Thrift stores here(mostly run by old ladies) in my small crappy town don't even have any games. If they do come in I heard they are tossed out along with the vhs tapes. They keep dvds behind the counter, but won't allow a cd based or cartridge game on the shelf. Makes no sense.
I disagree with you guys on this video, if collecting online is done right. There are some factors here that get in the way. First, is flea markets are getting more and more vendors, and finding games/systems outside of the flea market resellers is annoying, because they think they have more than they do.
Then there's the retro stores, who are developing a nasty tendency of charging what pricecharting says the going price is. I went to one store who just bases their price off of what ever Amazon sells them for, and they typically have the best prices. Why would I burn my gas to go hope to find something I want and spend more than I can in an auction on ebay by shopping around and waiting to spend what I think is right on that site?
Yes, finding random stuff is fun, as I got my Crusader of Centy with 6 other Genesis RPGs for $40 from some random guy trying to offload some Sega stuff. I loved getting a working NES for $15. I love buying loose PS1 and 2 games for $1 or $2 because venders can't sell them. I also loved only spending $15 on Alex Kidd for the SMS on ebay when my game store asks $30, or spending $4 on a complete Streets of Rage on ebay when the wild wants $20. Ebay can be fun too, if you just don't buy everything at first glance and you "hunt" there.
And there's my way too long response.
Also depends on where you live of course. I lived in Georgia and it was super easy to find classic games. I went to Hawaii and there is almost nothing here. I've spent at least seven years going to flea markets, goodwill stores, local shops, but there is just so little around and so many people that I've found just three snes games out in the wild. Just an fyi. Its not always easy and sometimes ebay is the only option for some people.
I want a complete Genesis collection but I am pacing it and honestly want to take 10-20 years to do it all. I have a busy life and other hobbies. This wont kill me financially and I want to play them all. About every 2-3 weeks I get a game. Go to a great local store and he does good deals because im a regular customer. I have done 100 games in 6 months and I got burned out then sell a lot of it. Pace yourself. It is a hobby, not a lifestyle or addiction you have to feed. Im a guitarist and vinyl lover. Genesis is also on the list. I juggle my hobbies. Even Madden, I will try to play a few rounds.
In my area they only one retro game store and they don't have a lot retro games they mostly have ps2,ps1,xbox and only way to get Nintendo games is ebay
Ah, as for using eBay... I did initially use it for games until I discovered that there were local stores. The first one I visited was rather unreasonable in its pricing and so I was rather turned off to that approach, but I've since found one that's friendlier.
There's something fun about actually shopping for them in a store, even if it's only to converse a little with others sharing your interests. Where it really pays off, though, is the owner has come to recognize what kind of games I like and has already steered me to quite a few I was completely unaware of that are a lot of fun.
I live in Italy and no flea market I've ever seen carries old games, and trust me: I walk in whenever I find one of those places. They only accept PS2 at best. Your only chance if you want a NES game is go to one of the few and far betwee nerd conventions and pay outrageous prices or order it off ebay (and pay outrageous prices).
I just recently got into serious collecting. I just got my NES the other day. I'm happy to say that it was not upwards of 80 dollars. I made a best offer and scored it for 60. I already had a bunch of games because my mom came upon a bunch of NES and Genesis games in a storage unit and that was the beginning of my collection. But I'm not just collecting to collect things. If I wanted a collect-a-thon, I would play Donkey Kong 64. I am buying from ebay and I am pretty impatient so I do take advantage of buy-it-nows. But I don't buy tons at a time. And right now I am only collecting the ones I really want to play. When I have all those from my want list, I will start collecting the rest. But I will take the time to play them. I can't stand the thought of a whole wall of games just sitting around and never being played. I love video game history. I love the lore. I love the fellowship that comes with the hobby. I love sharing what I know with others. I love learning myself.
Do you have every NES game except for games like Campus Challenge and all those one or two of a kind games?
I wish I had a good open air flea market to go to. I have two retro stores near me in my city, but they are the same store(Game World), company retro stores, one on one side of town, one on the other. Really the only time they are good to buy from is if you are looking for smaller titles that not many other people want, or that they have a ton of copies of. The big name stuff is all top list E-Bay prices for them, or higher. Like, Castlevania 3, I've been trying to get a copy of it without using a month or two worth of entertainment. Those retro stores are selling their loose copies for $29.99, which is right at E-Bay price.
I of course want it for my collection, because I have the first game from when I was a kid, and I got a complete in box copy of Simon's Quest for 22 bucks around two years ago. But beyond that, I do play them. A few months ago I told myself I was going to beat the first Castlevania, because I never did it as a kid. And I did do it, though it did take me six hours.
Unfortunately, where I live (south England) it's hard to find nes and Nintendo 64 games without ebay. You can get them at MCM London Comic Con, but thats twice a year.
I looked at it like, my time is worth more money than I'm saving from looking around for 7 years to save a few quid, but I do totally agree it's more fun to find games in the wild
It's hard to find retro games in my area. Not many flea markets close by, and I just don't find that much during summer lawn sale season. Most of the retro stores charge Ebay prices and above (I'm talking to you Gamerz Haven), so I am stuck buying off of Ebay and Amazon. You have to know your prices if you buy it now, but most times just watching the 0.99 cent auctions is how I expand my collection.
In Europe retro games are hard to come by and they are not many retro gaming stores so most collectors have to resort to EBay to purchase them.
I do go out and search for games at various local stores, but if I really need a certain title I know I might not find in the wild, I'll use eBay or amazon and whatever other online retailers.
We here in Oklahoma have the Retro Gamers Society. There are chapters in other states, but it started here in OK. We have meet-ups every month. I went to my first one this past Friday. I was selling off a lot of my games I not longer wanted and made some money, but really though it that I traded a lot for some games that I wanted. I got some really excellent deals from the local guys through trades plus I made some new friends. Trading is now an awesome way to get games if you are able to do such a thing. Working with the people who just want to do that without going crazy on prices are great to be around. Their all just gamers anyway.
I collect a ton of games, movies, and music. nothing complete, and I never will have anything complete. I've probably got about 600 or so games spanning most major systems from ps1 era on. My favorites to collect for are the PSP and Wii. As far eBay collecting is concerned, I wouldn't use it for all collecting, but if your patient you can find decent deals. eBay is the only place I'll ever find Cubivore