Are you thinking about selling?

[goldenpp72 | 1,229]

Just now, tbone3969 said:

I hear what you are saying.  I'm just trying to justify my expensive hobby/habit.  lol

I always tell my wife "Don't worry honey.  If I needed to sell them we would make money."

 

My lady friend is absolutely on board with it because she knows how it increases in value and would rather I get it now than later, but as you likely know it can take months or years to find something regardless of what you're willing to pay. That's kind of the main thing with all this, it's valuable because it's tangible and challenging to find. Hell I remember trying to find a CIB copy of Bomberman Quest for like 7 years, it got to a point I wasn't even sure it existed with a box because there was no photographic evidence. It took someone on Nintendoage posting a picture of it to show me it existed. 

Could I resell it now for what I paid or more? Maybe, not sure, but would I? Hell no, i'd have to be nearing homelessness. It wasn't an investment, I just really wanted it and would be sad to part with it, I have no attachment to stocks though and they can feel free to make me all the money they want

[doner24 | 1,195]

47 minutes ago, goldenpp72 said:

If your growth was 10x, Amazon was 30x over 10 years, see my point? It just doesn't work out no matter how one can slice it, it's an investment in that it's an asset you attained that has grown, but it's not something someone should be doing specifically to make money if that is their goal.

Once again, try the market. Don’t just cherry pick the best performing stock of the last 2 decades. 

[goldenpp72 | 1,229]

2 minutes ago, doner24 said:

Once again, try the market. Don’t just cherry pick the best performing stock of the last 2 decades. 

Games increasing 10x over would likely be considered a form of cherry picking since that is hardly the rule but an outlier as well, especially if only factoring the last 10 years. 

[doner24 | 1,195]

1 minute ago, goldenpp72 said:

Games increasing 10x over would likely be considered a form of cherry picking since that is hardly the rule but an outlier as well, especially if only factoring the last 10 years. 

Mine is definitely a little skewed because of some shrewd reselling, but I’m talking about full sets of CIB, not just the top games. You are still missing the point though, games certainly been be used as investments if done right, just like stocks, but not so large scale because of volume. It’s literally been shown it works in other collectibles. 

[goldenpp72 | 1,229]

Just now, doner24 said:

Mine is definitely a little skewed because of some shrewd reselling, but I’m talking about full sets of CIB, not just the top games. You are still missing the point though, games certainly been be used as investments if done right, just like stocks, but not so large scale because of volume. It’s literally been shown it works in other collectibles. 

I never said it can't be used as an investment, just that it's not a smart one if you're in it to make money. It's the difference between saying I want to make some money versus a lot of money. You're buying the games because you want them, buying them as an investment when much easier and more lucrative options exist is my point. This would be like someone telling me I work at Mcdonalds to make money when they had the option to make 20 dollars an hour elsewhere, i'd call that an interesting decision if nothing else.

If you look at the stock market as a whole, in its entirety from the last 10 years, it's about 2.5x higher now and that's with everything factored. This disregards that you can actually buy and trade them at will with no challenge.

[Amermoe | 150]

1 hour ago, doner24 said:

I’m $30K into my games and they are worth $300K, I think anyone that thinks that is foolish is a fool. 

Curious how this is even possible. I can understand one game increasing 10x in value over a 20 year period, but for something in the 300k magnitude, you either would need thousands of games increasing 10x, or hundreds increasing 20-20x. I guess it could also be possible thatsomeone bought in heavily into NES sealed way back when. either way, seems difficult to believe...

[O.G. CIB | 415]

15 minutes ago, Amermoe said:

Curious how this is even possible. I can understand one game increasing 10x in value over a 20 year period, but for something in the 300k magnitude, you either would need thousands of games increasing 10x, or hundreds increasing 20-20x. I guess it could also be possible thatsomeone bought in heavily into NES sealed way back when. either way, seems difficult to believe...

It can be done but I'm sure he is factoring in sealed game valuations which are at an all time high. I know some sealed NES stuff I purchased 10+ years ago probably has gone up 20-25x the amount I paid. Market timing is more important than ever..... pure luck

FYI.... I only purchased them to finish my set because at the time it was only a couple bucks higher than a CIB, not for investing.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Mr. CIB

[doner24 | 1,195]

Just now, Mr. CIB said:

It can be done but I'm sure he is factoring in sealed game valuations which are at an all time high. I know some sealed NES stuff I purchased 10+ years ago probably has gone up 20-25x. Market timing is more important than ever.

I have almost no sealed stuff, but nearly everything is CIB. More like his first scenario. Thousands of games averaging a 10x increase over 10 years. 

[O.G. CIB | 415]

6 minutes ago, doner24 said:

I have almost no sealed stuff, but nearly everything is CIB. More like his first scenario. Thousands of games averaging a 10x increase over 10 years. 

Nice....  paid off well for those who jumped in early. NES and Neo Geo AES has done me well over the years. Now talk about rise in prices. 

[DeuceGamer | 35]

RE: comparison to stocks...in some ways it easier to amass a collection on the cheap than it is to amass stocks under market value. Further buying lots and reselling allows people to build collections for a fraction of the value they bring in the market. I know for certain I have only spent a fraction of what my games are supposedly worth.

In the end, there are arguments on both sides. Some people are going to view them as straight collectibles regardless of the value and others are going to see them more as a commodity, while others probably see it somewhere in between.

[doner24 | 1,195]

22 minutes ago, DeuceGamer said:

RE: comparison to stocks...in some ways it easier to amass a collection on the cheap than it is to amass stocks under market value. Further buying lots and reselling allows people to build collections for a fraction of the value they bring in the market. I know for certain I have only spent a fraction of what my games are supposedly worth.

In the end, there are arguments on both sides. Some people are going to view them as straight collectibles regardless of the value and others are going to see them more as a commodity, while others probably see it somewhere in between.

This is very well stated. I’m definitely in between as I love them as collectibles from a straight nostalgia standpoint, but also know in the back of my mind that I could sell at anytime for a nice cabin or something else, or keep holding onto them and they will only keep going up. I’m glad/lucky I don’t have to worry about it though thanks to my job. 

[goldenpp72 | 1,229]

27 minutes ago, DeuceGamer said:

RE: comparison to stocks...in some ways it easier to amass a collection on the cheap than it is to amass stocks under market value. Further buying lots and reselling allows people to build collections for a fraction of the value they bring in the market. I know for certain I have only spent a fraction of what my games are supposedly worth.

In the end, there are arguments on both sides. Some people are going to view them as straight collectibles regardless of the value and others are going to see them more as a commodity, while others probably see it somewhere in between.

 

I feel like there is no universe where amassing games is easier than buying stocks, even back then. No one is buying huge volumes of games that will become worth a ton more easily, unless their tactic is 'buy out walmart' or something and they get ridiculously lucky. In comparison to today, I could buy 5000 dollars worth of shares that could grow a ton with a few clicks, meanwhile, i'm still hunting about 800 games and can not for the life of me actually find them complete and in decent shape. I have the money but the supply is simply not there, and if you consider the supply a bunch of switch or xbox games which are attainable, the chances of them gaining any real value will take years if not decades.

 

[doner24 | 1,195]

3 minutes ago, goldenpp72 said:

 

I feel like there is no universe where amassing games is easier than buying stocks, even back then. No one is buying huge volumes of games that will become worth a ton more easily, unless their tactic is 'buy out walmart' or something and they get ridiculously lucky. In comparison to today, I could buy 5000 dollars worth of shares that could grow a ton with a few clicks, meanwhile, i'm still hunting about 800 games and can not for the life of me actually find them complete and in decent shape. I have the money but the supply is simply not there, and if you consider the supply a bunch of switch or xbox games which are attainable, the chances of them gaining any real value will take years if not decades.

 

I don’t think anyone’s arguing that it’s easier, just that it’s unfair not to think of collectibles like games as investments. 

[O.G. CIB | 415]

I’ll be the first to say, while I collected for years and purchased some great stuff...... if they were not worth what they are now, I wouldn’t have taken the risk I did with games. There is no way I would have paid for some items if there was no value behind them. Since they are I have no interest in selling... too much time and too many years spent. I’m up across the board (well except Yakuza 2 on the PS2 lol I got burned with that GameStop reprint) I would have still had the systems just not the level of investment of money and my time which to me is worth more in this hobby. You can’t have these staggering gains without putting in the work. 

Edited July 11, 2020 by Mr. CIB

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

7 minutes ago, doner24 said:

I don’t think anyone’s arguing that it’s easier, just that it’s unfair not to think of collectibles like games as investments. 

Collectibles are definitely investments. I made plenty of money in vintage toys and pre/post war baseball cards back in the 1990s before games were even worth money.

[doner24 | 1,195]

11 minutes ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

Collectibles are definitely investments. I made plenty of money in vintage toys and pre/post war baseball cards back in the 1990s before games were even worth money.

Exactly, and now look at those pre war cards now  

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

1 minute ago, doner24 said:

Exactly, and now look at those pre war cards now  

I have and it's as depressing as looking at the NWC prices after I sold mine. The NWC or my 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards could probably buy a new car now. 

[goldenpp72 | 1,229]

33 minutes ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

Collectibles are definitely investments. I made plenty of money in vintage toys and pre/post war baseball cards back in the 1990s before games were even worth money.

They are investments, but not wise things to focus on for the sake of financial gain. That's really the point, and why I don't understand people selling them unless they either grew out of it, or really need the cash. If it's merely a money issue, you'd invest in things designed to make money and proven to do so more so, right?

Putting it another way, my copy of Shantae may be worth 2000 dollars now, at no point did I think "well this is it, this is the time to sell it" because I want it. It could become worth 10k and i'd still keep it, but if it were something like say, 100k, which could help alter the course of life, sure.

If 2000 dollars alters the course of life though, it would be silly to be collecting anything. It's just so weird to see people so easy to part with stuff that they supposedly love having. When I think back to how much time I've used collecting, I can't imagine losing all that for an ok profit I guess.

[doner24 | 1,195]

43 minutes ago, goldenpp72 said:

They are investments, but not wise things to focus on for the sake of financial gain. That's really the point, and why I don't understand people selling them unless they either grew out of it, or really need the cash. If it's merely a money issue, you'd invest in things designed to make money and proven to do so more so, right?

Putting it another way, my copy of Shantae may be worth 2000 dollars now, at no point did I think "well this is it, this is the time to sell it" because I want it. It could become worth 10k and i'd still keep it, but if it were something like say, 100k, which could help alter the course of life, sure.

If 2000 dollars alters the course of life though, it would be silly to be collecting anything. It's just so weird to see people so easy to part with stuff that they supposedly love having. When I think back to how much time I've used collecting, I can't imagine losing all that for an ok profit I guess.

You could say the same exact thing about stocks. 

[goldenpp72 | 1,229]

50 minutes ago, doner24 said:

You could say the same exact thing about stocks. 

Perhaps if you're really, really bad at it.

[doner24 | 1,195]

10 minutes ago, goldenpp72 said:

Perhaps if you're really, really bad at it.

You just don’t get it, it’s plenty wise to think about anything that historically has gains as an investment, including games. Selling games that you bought as an investment for a profit is no different than selling a stock you bought as an investment for a profit. A $2000 profit might not be much to you or me, but it is a lot to a lot of people. 

[Brickman | 3,978]

4 hours ago, goldenpp72 said:

I never said it can't be used as an investment, just that it's not a smart one if you're in it to make money. It's the difference between saying I want to make some money versus a lot of money. You're buying the games because you want them, buying them as an investment when much easier and more lucrative options exist is my point. This would be like someone telling me I work at Mcdonalds to make money when they had the option to make 20 dollars an hour elsewhere, i'd call that an interesting decision if nothing else.

If you look at the stock market as a whole, in its entirety from the last 10 years, it's about 2.5x higher now and that's with everything factored. This disregards that you can actually buy and trade them at will with no challenge.

I think you’re simplifying the stock market a little too much. It isn’t as simple as clicking a button and instant profit. That may be the case over the last 2-4 years but that is due to multiple reasons, mainly US money printing and low interest rates.

People will always tell you about their Apple purchase but forget to mention their losses like GE or Ford. Stock picking over the long term is hard and the reason why there aren’t many Warren Buffett’s around. It would be better to look at index fund returns over the years which average 10-11% with dividends.

Had you bought every game released in the US on the NES in 1985 and kept them sealed vs the equal amount of money invested into the Dow Jones you would be way ahead with the games. 
I do agree with you that it would be wiser for most people to just invest in the stock market, but I do think that video games are just as valid for investing and will be going forward into the future. 

[goldenpp72 | 1,229]

7 minutes ago, Shmup said:

I think you’re simplifying the stock market a little too much. It isn’t as simple as clicking a button and instant profit. That may be the case over the last 2-4 years but that is due to multiple reasons, mainly US money printing and low interest rates.

People will always tell you about their Apple purchase but forget to mention their losses like GE or Ford. Stock picking over the long term is hard and the reason why there aren’t many Warren Buffett’s around. It would be better to look at index fund returns over the years which average 10-11% with dividends.

Had you bought every game released in the US on the NES in 1985 and kept them sealed vs the equal amount of money invested into the Dow Jones you would be way ahead with the games. 
I do agree with you that it would be wiser for most people to just invest in the stock market, but I do think that video games are just as valid for investing and will be going  onward into the future. 

 

I'm not simplifying it at all, there are risk to it but it's very much safer than banking on videogames, how many games that released on PS2 for example, or Xbox, are worth anything? As someone who owns about 1000 games between them it's very few, with Gamecube getting some impressive traction but certainly not something i'd think, I can for sure buy 10 copies of this and 20 years later make a ton of money. Stocks have much more obvious patterns and systems involved and can be more immediately beneficial. I think saying going for them right now as an investment is even more risky, I think people over estimate how much this stuff will matter to people who didn't grow up playing it. Unlike some lost relic from a thousand years ago, when all the people who played some of this stuff are old or dead, I assume the market will dwindle quite a bit and the stuff people are buying on modern consoles, not much chance most of that will be worth much anytime within 10-20 years, especially as more and more people seek to minimize.

Not saying we're at the ceiling so to speak, but if someone is getting into it right now and has 5k to burn and ONLY wants to earn money, you'd be an idiot to start running out and buying whatever is out there right now imo. People are using hindsight way too much with this stuff, no one knows any retail releases today that will be worth thousands in 10 years, assuming that is even a possibility at all. Anyone who is saying they made a lot of money in the last 10 years, did so by buying games much older than that and likely got lucky. We're just now seeing some legit inflation for systems like PS1 which came out 25 years ago, and that's still a very small piece of its library, with most games still running a cool 20 bucks or less.

Sometimes its kinda obvious, I mean if you were an adult and knew virtual boy was flopping, you could on good guessing assume it will be worth something someday, but even then it's not that crazy even today.

Edited July 12, 2020 by goldenpp72

[docile tapeworm | 4,194]

im always selling

[DeuceGamer | 35]

3 hours ago, goldenpp72 said:

 

I feel like there is no universe where amassing games is easier than buying stocks, even back then. No one is buying huge volumes of games that will become worth a ton more easily, unless their tactic is 'buy out walmart' or something and they get ridiculously lucky. In comparison to today, I could buy 5000 dollars worth of shares that could grow a ton with a few clicks, meanwhile, i'm still hunting about 800 games and can not for the life of me actually find them complete and in decent shape. I have the money but the supply is simply not there, and if you consider the supply a bunch of switch or xbox games which are attainable, the chances of them gaining any real value will take years if not decades.

 

It’s easier to do it at a discount. In other words for an initial investment of $100 I could build a collection worth thousands without ever investing more than that initial $100. It’s basically what I did in the early stages of my collecting and still do some of now to offset the cost.