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Going into retro game shops is incredibly depressing to me nowadays

Deleted member 5545

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
942
There was definitely a sweet spot sometime last decade when supply was good, but I guess a combination of increased interest, fewer available copies, youtubers who felt the need to have a wall of cartridges in the background of their videos, and the discounted re-releases (digital or otherwise) of a great many noteworthy games has just ruined the vibe.

Invariably my experience is that the shop will contain walls upon walls consisting of metric fucktons of shovelware, mostly sports games, and the small handful of interesting things will be locked behind a glass case with price tags significantly higher than the going-rate online.

I'd love to own a copy of TLoZ for NES again, but not for $35 and a trip downtown when I can get it on my 3DS for a few bucks without leaving the toilet. Nah.
 

Cybersai

Banned
Jan 8, 2018
11,631
Retro shops were only good when they had stacks of NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, Saturn, PS1, and old Gameboy games on the shelves.

With all those gone, they're not "retro" anymore. Seeing PS2 games in the retro section gives me the heebie jeebies.
 
leafcutter

leafcutter

Member
Feb 14, 2018
1,219
There's one good shop where I live, and the owner does a good job of curating the collection (they don't buy sports games or CoD type stuff that would clog the shelves). But yeah, a lot of the good items are very expensive. Half the store is locked cases and it feels more like a museum than a game shop. Cool place though.
 
ConanEdogawa

ConanEdogawa

Member
Oct 31, 2017
1,082
I gave up on the couple independent gaming stores around me. Poor selection and pricing that is taken straight from eBay.
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 5545

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
942
Cybersai said:
Retro shops were only good when they had stacks of NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, Saturn, PS1, and old Gameboy games on the shelves.

With all those gone, they're not "retro" anymore. Seeing PS2 games in the retro section gives me the heebie jeebies.
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I really wonder what anyone buys there. The only stuff I see getting rotated-out on my visits is the single-digit number of Pokemon cartridges.
 
kenta

kenta

Member
Oct 25, 2017
862
Agreed, the selection in game shops is frequently a bummer, plus the games often seem... dirty? At least with something like eBay I am presented with lots of options and I can choose to spend an additional $3 on a clean well-kept game. Plus retro shops put price stickers all over everything

But honestly I get the same feeling when I go browsing through a GameStop or a Best Buy to kill some time... there's just a whole lot of junk on the shelves that I have zero interest in...
 
Psamtik

Psamtik

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,916
We've finally reached the point at which most of the desirable supply has made it into the collections of people who aren't interested in reselling. It's a shame, but it was inevitable, and it makes me wish that we'd see actual reprints from major publishers (because there is a market, especially on the Super NT).
 
asmith906

asmith906

Member
Oct 27, 2017
27,530
Cybersai said:
Retro shops were only good when they had stacks of NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, Saturn, PS1, and old Gameboy games on the shelves.

With all those gone, they're not "retro" anymore. Seeing PS2 games in the retro section gives me the heebie jeebies.
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PS2 is retro. We just got old without realizing it.
 

Deleted member 1086

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
14,796
Boise Area, Idaho
It really depends where you are, living in Virginia I was blessed to have several nearby shops that sold games for reasonable prices. Even here in Boise the retro shop is pretty good, though their selection is not nearly as good as any of the shops I frequented in VA. They were selling a Pikachu N64 console for like 80 dollars, that is a much better deal that you are likely to find on ebay. I even complimented the guy running the shop on selling that N64 for such a reasonable price.
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 5545

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Oct 25, 2017
942
mrmickfran said:
The retro game shop near me has some crazy ass inflated prices.

I'm talking $90 for a freaking GameCube.
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I'm in one of the Microsoft suburbs of Seattle so there are tons of nerds making bank around here with no girlfriend to spend it on.

I don't even wanna talk about retro game prices around here.
 
Metal Slugger

Metal Slugger

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,424
St. Cloud, MN
Talk to the owner and politely haggle. The worst they're going to say is no.

They can ask high prices all they want but it doesn't mean anything if it doesn't sell. They won't make their living dusting off stock that sits around for years; they want to sell.

Last week I went to a local place and they had the Super Famicom version of EVO Search for Eden. He didn't know what it was so I pulled it up on eBay and showed him the $60-80 prices to be honest. He ended up selling it to me for $25. Cool guy, but more importantly he knows how to move stock.

If someone is unwilling to budge on their markup then walk.
 

真棒!

Banned
Nov 24, 2017
649
Haven't retroshops always had games at stupid high prices? I remember going into one around D.C. back in 2007 (before the whole youtube boom of) and the prices of even dreamcast games were super crazy. Third Strike (Dreamcast) for 80 dollars when it was just the discs, some PS2 games for 30-40 dollars used and they weren't anything good but weren't being printed anymore so clearly that means they're worth that price. Japan use to be pretty reasonable but because of like OP said, the youtubers bringing it all to light a lot of game stores in japan are constantly cleaned out by foreigners thus causing prices to go up.


My friend actually paid 350 dollars for all 3 Xenosagas (used, but original prints not greatest hits or whatever) at some video game store because the clerk told him they were super duper rare and he was getting a good price.
 

Deleted member 30544

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Banned
Nov 3, 2017
5,215
Yeah i feel sad too, not that i visit too many stores anymore (let alone retro) but checking prices of retro games depresses me.

I had every important US-SNES game (minus Chrono Trigger) back in the day, top condition too (i never removed the plastic wrap, only opened the boxes on one side using a needle). Then N64 came and i traded sometimes 3 SNES games for one N64 game (most of them really shitty). Did the same with the GENESIS games once i got the SNES. Feel like a fucking idiot, i will be fucking millionaire right now. But never again.
 

Deleted member 1086

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
14,796
Boise Area, Idaho
Honestly much of the retro market has gone down in price recently, especially NES/SNES. Earthbound for example is easily found for under 200 dollars now, still a lot sure but down from a few years ago. Genesis stuff never really rose in price bar some exceptions, same with the Game Boy line. N64 and GameCube seem to be the big ones now, many of those games have risen in price.
 
Tapeworm

Tapeworm

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
898
My complaint is that most shops seem to use eBay as their pricing standard, thus making them irrelevant when I can just buy via eBay. Hell, even Goodwill's online auction site is now rampant with crazy bids on retro games.

I also have a 20 year old CRT I am willing to sell for $1,500.
 
Virtua

Virtua

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
512
Crrently there's too much stock being held in peoples game rooms as shelf candy. And the "high end" stuff is overpriced and not in demand at the prices being asked.

There has to be a balance between where the finite stock of 8 to 64 bit games are being bought and sold and moving around between people and retaining a fair value.

If there's too much of it being sold, it becomes valueless and might be thrown out or destroyed rather than sold. If there's not enough being sold, the only available stock is undesirable items or items at such a high price that the market for them is tiny.

The problem right now is too many people holding onto huge collections and not selling or playing anything. As a result game stores increase prices to increase the chances they will have higher profits on fewer items they are able to sell.

The healthiest option for the game collecting market is for more people to buy a game they want, play it, and sell it to someone else, not sit it on a shelf for years.

I get it that some people like a certain system or certain series and want to keep them, but keeping hundreds of games that don't get played doesn't make sense.
 
DeuceGamer

DeuceGamer

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,476
I hate all the cheap bootlegs in most game stores and eBay. It's so frustrating and wish the game stores and especially eBay would do more to combat the bootlegs. Unfortunately, it makes them money so they turn a blind eye.
 
andymcc

andymcc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,400
Columbus, OH
There's an amazing retro game store close to where I live. Dude is cool as hell, amazing selection that focuses mostly on imports. While prices are definitely a little south of eBay prices, the market has just killed the cost of games.
 
JetSetSoul

JetSetSoul

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,185
Went last week and Everything was behind glass, with nothing to show. Why youre putting dozens of genesis sports cases behind glass I don't know.
 

Deleted member 30544

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Nov 3, 2017
5,215
Dishwalla said:
Honestly much of the retro market has gone down in price recently, especially NES/SNES. Earthbound for example is easily found for under 200 dollars now, still a lot sure but down from a few years ago. Genesis stuff never really rose in price bar some exceptions, same with the Game Boy line. N64 and GameCube seem to be the big ones now, many of those games have risen in price.
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That's good to know, i'm still holding all my GC collections and some big N64 Games (Conker and DK64 with the expansion pack).

I wonder if PS3, Wii and 360 will rise in price in the future.
 
RedMercury

RedMercury

Blue Venus
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Dec 24, 2017
17,734
I had hundreds of cartridges at one point, I sold them for the money because it was just taking up space, let some other person with the disposable income and tons of space enjoy them sitting there because that's really all they did, people I know with huge collections don't even play most of that stuff, it's more a symbol of their interests and devotion to collection instead of enjoying the games. Don't pay ridiculous prices for carts that were going for super cheap 20 years ago, it's just plastic, just get the game and play the game (unless there is no other way to play it)
 
Rodney McKay

Rodney McKay

Member
Oct 26, 2017
12,277
I used to visit my local Retro game shop all the time for GBA games when I was rebuilding my collection (basically all the games I used to own when I was younger but sold in order to afford new games).

Unfortunately once I got all the ones I wanted I had no more reason to go back. There might be a couple of GBC games I still want (like the first Pokemon Pinball), but most of the time it's way more likely to be found online anyways (for a more reasonable price too).
 
denpanosekai

denpanosekai

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,298
I love to visit independent game stores but rarely buy from them for reasons stated above. If I'm going to pay ebay prices I want to select the cleanest copy possible.

Pawn shops and flea markets are where it's at for game chasing these days.
 

Deleted member 1086

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Oct 25, 2017
14,796
Boise Area, Idaho
My biggest complaint in retro-ish gaming right now is I'm starting to focus on collecting DS games now and it is really hard to find complete in box DS games. I prefer having the cases to them since the small carts can easily be lost, but most places have tons of loose DS carts and few DS games in their cases. I blame GameStop, who has for a few years now taken trade ins of DS games and thrown away the cases to sell the DS carts loose. GS is actively making the DS cases more rare.
denpanosekai said:
Pawn shops and flea markets are where it's at for game chasing these days.
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Along these lines, thrift shops too. Admittedly cart based games are harder to find, but I routinely find PlayStation and Xbox stuff for cheap at Goodwill and Savers and such, that I build up and later use for trades at actual retro stores. The other day I struck gold at a Savers, found an original PlayStation for 5 bucks, a PSone for 10, Xbox 360 controller in good shape for 10, GameCube controller in good shape for 5, N64 controller for 5, and several PS1/2 controllers for a couple bucks each.
 
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Deleted member 7148

Oct 25, 2017
6,827
I used to be big into retro collecting, but the hobby has simply became way too expensive so I gave it up. Now I shortened my scope by only collecting Dreamcast games. I sold off most of my NES and SNES collection and only kept games that I'm super nostalgic for.
 
catpurrcat

catpurrcat

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Oct 27, 2017
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RedMercury said:
I had hundreds of cartridges at one point, I sold them for the money because it was just taking up space, let some other person with the disposable income and tons of space enjoy them sitting there because that's really all they did, people I know with huge collections don't even play most of that stuff, it's more a symbol of their interests and devotion to collection instead of enjoying the games. Don't pay ridiculous prices for carts that were going for super cheap 20 years ago, it's just plastic, just get the game and play the game (unless there is no other way to play it)
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This fellow gets it. Especially now with nes and snes classic, there's way cheaper ways to get 90% of the experience. I'm still rocking all my classic consoles but recently cut back my holdings by half, only keeping my absolute favorites and classics. Essentially just games that are pick-up-and-play and make for good dinner party gaming.

At this age I'm not going to sit and play cart based FF6 for 100 hours. Better sell to someone else who will play it, with prices the way they are.

Prices at retro stores are simply reflective of the demand, every streamer wants a wall of carts in the background.
 

Deleted member 19218

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Oct 27, 2017
4,323
PS2 is considered retro now so that replenished the supply of old games in retro shops and helps to keep prices down.

It all depends on which generation you collect, of course the older you go, the more expensive things become.
 
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Tribal_Cult

Tribal_Cult

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
3,548
I paid 80 bucks for Zelda NES, and 90 for Zelda II. Both are boxed. Yes, costly, but if you think to spend 35 on them, you better leave retrogaming collections altogether.

Also, you get lucky sometimes. Paid 80 for Rule of Rose, and 150 in total for both Zelda Oracle games and Minish Cap, all boxed.

I don't really understand the appeal of getting just the cartridge, if I buy retro I want the box for the collection value.
 
Glassboy

Glassboy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,567
I am just getting back from Japan and it's crazy to see how much better the retro game shops were. There were straight up NES/SNES games boxes and in beautiful condition and for mostly fair prices.
 
Tribal_Cult

Tribal_Cult

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
3,548
Psamtik said:
We've finally reached the point at which most of the desirable supply has made it into the collections of people who aren't interested in reselling. It's a shame, but it was inevitable, and it makes me wish that we'd see actual reprints from major publishers (because there is a market, especially on the Super NT).
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I've seen people selling original prints at high prices of stuff that got reprinted.
Shit like "This Villager amiibo is first print so I'll sell it for 60 dollars" LOL.
Honestly, I understand the critique that most retro collections are just dust collectors. I have a lot of games just sitting there. Basically my entire Zelda collection. Yes, played them once, and most of them probably never will again. But so what? I like them. I like the boxes. I like Zelda. If I'll ever be in financial trouble, those will be the first things to go. It's just as simple as that.
And that's what a collection is really. Someone collecting ancient coins will just have them laying there, and really, what's the problem?
 
nsilvias

nsilvias

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,041
Words cannot describe how much i hate retro collectors with walls of games they literally never play especially imports.
These people cause prices to go through the roof and people who actually give a damn about playing these are forced to pay an arm and a leg for them.
Their just glorified hoarders in my book.
I wish i could find decent prices in retro shops.
 
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Beartruck

Beartruck

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,939
Got myself a genesis and SNES everdrive recently for this reason. Many of these games are just way too much money for what they offer as an experience. MUSHA and Hagan are good games, but they're not $200 good, no game is.
 
Hippopuncher12

Hippopuncher12

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,356
Cincinnati
I just went to the two retro shops around me yesterday and they had basically nothing. I rarely ever see the good SNES/PS1 RPGs which is what I want. I really regret selling my retro collection 10 years ago.
 

Deleted member 11426

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Oct 27, 2017
2,628
Greensboro NC
They're overpriced, but you're supposed to enjoy making friends or browsing I guess. If I have to pay eBay prices, I'll just go to eBay.

It was fun going to Goodwill and finding stuff years ago.
 
hibikase

hibikase

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Oct 26, 2017
6,820
Yeah I went to a retro shop once, everything was way above eBay asking prices, it's like, what's the fucking point? Why even bother going there? Are they hoping that collectors somehow don't know about the Internet?
 
1upsuper

1upsuper

Member
Jan 30, 2018
5,489
Yeah, thankfully I built much of my collection in the days when Mario Bros. 3 cost less than a buck. Prices have gone through the roof.
 
Hentz

Hentz

The Fallen
Mar 9, 2018
2,545
Cybersai said:
Retro shops were only good when they had stacks of NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, Saturn, PS1, and old Gameboy games on the shelves.

With all those gone, they're not "retro" anymore. Seeing PS2 games in the retro section gives me the heebie jeebies.
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Uhm... PS2 is definetly retro
 
Funkallero

Funkallero

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,795
Tokyo
Glassboy said:
I am just getting back from Japan and it's crazy to see how much better the retro game shops were. There were straight up NES/SNES games boxes and in beautiful condition and for mostly fair prices.
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It depends on what you consider a fair price. If you pay in dollars or euros you have an advantage on exchange rate but even in Japan prices went through the roof these past 10 years in dedicated shop at Akihabara and I don't see signs of coming back to normal.
The difference is that you can find places like Book Off or Hard Off where a lot of shovelware (or very common) PS1 and PS2 games are sold for almost nothing.
But known rarities or uncommon games are crazy expensive in Japan.
 
Mr.Deadshot

Mr.Deadshot

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,285
Retro isnt really worth it anymore. Most games are available at download platforms like gog, steam, psn, virtual console (lol) or in form of mini snes and nes. Everything else that is good and retro is expensive as fuck and you still need to get the systems to play it if you want an "authentic" experience and these systems are also expensive. My wife and I stopped buying old games a good while ago because it simply stopped being fun.
 
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