In the last installment of this series, I left some tips on locations that are good for those looking to start a collection. Now let’s look at at some great weekend locations that are good for the up-and-comer – for the curious or those who have decided they want a full collection over time and are looking for places to get the best deals.
It’s best not to be in a hurry if you want the best deals. Remember that the search itself is half the fun (it really is.. so hopefully you realize this early-on) and let the deals present themselves instead of setting arbitrary goals. Also, it’s important to keep your personal budget in mind (bills and high-interest debts need to be paid off before even considering a collection), but also don’t be so frugal that it keeps you from taking advantage of a really good deal when you see one.
Some Tips For Bargaining/Haggling
Some of the locations mentioned below require some haggling (negotiating on price) – something that requires a lot of practice and some degree of charm. I’ll tell you some of what I’ve learned from experience here (I’ve done a lot of face-to-face buying from a lot of people and I love doing it). There are generally two types of circumstances you will run across when negotiating.
First, there’s the seller who has already put a price on the goods (this is great information and I wish more did this). If the price is just reasonable you might press your luck and drop it a bit. If it’s a really cheap price to begin with, why chance things? Go ahead and take the deal instead of letting things go sideways.
Second, there’s the seller who has priced nothing. That’s the type of seller I’m really focusing on here with these tips and suggestions.
General rule of thumb: Try your best not to lie, stretch the truth, or tell an untruth (besides being morally wrong, it’s just not worth it in the long-run). So no telling them your uncle Jimmy is on his deathbed, asked you to run out and buy Mario 3 so he could play it before he dies, and you only have $5 to accomplish his last wish. But at the same time keep a poker face (‘fly casual’ as Han Solo would say) and don’t let them know how important the game is you’re trying to buy. Basically, they don’t need to know how much you want that game and you don’t need to tell them. They had all the time in the world to evaluate their items and you just get a few glances to determine it while at the bargaining table. If anything, you’re the underdog here, so give yourself any chance you can at success. You’re also under no obligation whatsoever to tell them how much their stuff is worth – even when asked. If they straight-up ask you for a value, tell them what you’re willing to pay (we’ll get to the first offer in a second). There’s no need to make up a story or say anything other than the truth.
Making idle chit-chat also doesn’t hurt in these dealings (just make sure it’s a real conversation). If you’re new at this, it’ll help loosen you up before you get down to business. Besides, it can help you understand the seller and distracts them from paying attention to what you were interested in. While talking, check out items that you might not want to buy (and ask some questions.. you will learn things and also will gauge the knowledge of the seller). You might want to pick up an item and ask the seller what it’s worth (like say a Super Mario Bros. cart for NES). This will let you know in general what’s going on with the seller. For example in this case, if the seller says $1 because it’s a NES cart, that lets you know that most items on the table are $1. If he says $10 (a high price), however (maybe just because it’s Mario), then you know this is going to be a seller who doesn’t really know the value of their items but also over-values them too. In this case, a deal can still be had. It just needs to be something more obscure (because, after all, you’re still dealing with someone that doesn’t know prices).
When you’re ready with your items, it’s time for the bidding to start. General rule of thumb is that the first to give an offer is the loser. I’m not sure I believe that (when you’re good at offers and prices, it often pays to lead out). If you’re first up, my general rule is to get the value of what you’d be willing to pay (say $10 for a retail $15 game) and drop it by 25-40% (so $6 as first offer). If they don’t counter the offer, then all’s well and you got what you wanted for cheaper than expected. If you drop the price any more (what they call ‘low-balling’ – which you’re kind of already doing) then you may risk insulting the seller (and sometimes that’s unavoidable). What we’re expecting to happen here is for the seller to not take the offer and instead try and meet in the middle of what they were thinking and what you offered. Hopefully this will land you back to what you would have paid (or a little below). It takes a lot of practice and knowledge of game prices to be successful, but this in time is another thing to enjoy about looking for games.
Yard Sales / Car Boot Sales
Location: Yard Sales (get there early.. don’t sleep in)
Phase Relevant : All
You’re likely to find: Totally random here – you might find a few stranded worthless Atari 2600 carts or you may find some kid’s entire Pokemon collection.
General Tips: Know your seller by their prices on other items. If they’ve already priced everything by completed eBay listings, you’ll want to quickly relocate to the next yard sale.
Strategy: You’ll really want to bundle to save here. If there’s a NES with carts, just offer them something for the lot. That’s often the goal of these yard sales – to move junk out of the house to make space. Take advantage of that. Everyone wins. Cherry-picking the lot (especially when they start by offering you a bulk deal) might spoil the transaction, so be careful of that (once again, know your audience). For example, if they’re charging $5 for every NES cart – including $1 carts (which I would interpret as them knowing NES carts are worth something), but you see a few $20+ carts (meaning they didn’t really look up the carts), then by all means just buy those only. Or you could even ask for more of a discount at that point (like 5 carts for $20). They’re probably not going to mind at that price point.
Flea Markets / Trade Lots
Location: Flea Markets / Trade Lots
Phase Relevant: All
You’re likely to find: If you get there early enough, you may find people doing private selling (meaning not regulars) with really great stuff. Otherwise, these days you’ll be dealing with resellers (more on that in a bit).
General Tips: Get to know the resellers and the frequency their stuff changes. A few diligent resellers that soak up all the games that come in can really be a hassle. If that’s the case, you might want to lower the frequency you visit the flea market (say from every couple of weeks to bi-annually). At these places, cash is king (seriously, very few people will be able to accept cards), so make sure you bring along enough (and make sure you have lower denominations – like $10′s, $5′s, and $1′s – as making change is also a serious hassle). There might be one, but you don’t want to have to go track down a ATM at one of these joints – especially in the middle of a negotiation. Whatever cash you don’t use can be applied to the next week or out-of-pocket expenses during the week.
Strategy: So the goal here is to save time combing through yard sales by going to places with outdoor tables – basically like many yard sales in one place. Often the flea markets charge a small fee for the table usage (say $10-15 per day), so people that might not normally sell will come once or twice a year to move extra junk they have lying around. The outdoor crowd is your ticket (they have the better stuff assuming you get there before resellers). Often the indoor spaces are rented to regulars who have more costs associated (and may even charge sales tax) – though it’s totally worth it to walk through once in a while.
I’ve met two types of resellers – those that horde up popular games and drive up the price above market and those that just flip whatever they get in every week (the kind I like). The latter can be a great benefit if you can check with them regularly. I’ve even gotten a reseller or two to notify me before flea market if they get in something they think I might be interested in (like a Sega Nomad). I’ve also met a few that sell every game for $5 and don’t look up anything. That might suck on the dollar games, but you might end up getting a pricey game for $5 too (plus ask them if they’ll take $20 for 5 games or other such bundle bargains).
Local Traders / Classifieds
Location: Local Classified Ads, Craigslist
Phase Relevant: All
You’re likely find: Last-Generation handhelds and consoles, whole collections, and random stuff.
Strategy: Think of this as a “yard sale on wheels”. People will post extra items they have for sale in a newspaper or in an online classifieds sections. You’re expected to call them or email them to arrange a time to come by to pick up these items or to meet them somewhere (usually a parking lot). If you’re in the market for arcade cabs, this is probably the way you’re going to get them. There are two drawbacks to using Craigslist or classifieds. First, people are not always honest about what they have and you’ll never really know until you see the items in person (which you will). Second, any good deal is snatched up by resellers almost immediately (this is the most annoying part and you won’t know until you call or text).
I’ve found a few people locally from Craigslist to meet in public to swap cash for games. The times I’ve done it has worked out fairly well. And the best deals I’ve found were where people were selling off a console to upgrade and felt they wouldn’t get as good a deal through a game store. This is a win-win for both parties. However, there’s some element of risk involved with meeting someone you do not know.
If you have to drive a fair distance to meet them, get lots of pics of items before you do. People often exaggerate details (especially quantity or condition) so you’ll want to make sure the trip’s worth it.
Warning: Don’t offer to meet someone in a non-public place unless they’re local and you know about them. Also, don’t do large deals with cash – it’s just not worth the risk (some people have used online classifieds as a way to rob people after asking them to meet them in a shady place).
Also, be aware than you may be buying stolen goods. Use your better judgement, but just know that if the items are stolen you may be asked by police to return them. In these cases, you will be forfeiting the money you paid (as it’s unlikely the criminal will have the funds to repay you and unlikely you will be able to prove what you paid).
Well that wraps up this installment. Next time we’ll look at a few more places to pick up games.