How often do you take inventory of your collection?

[Code Monkey | 2,005]

Games don't go on my shelf without being cleaned, entered into inventory and put into box protectors.

[Tanooki | 4,929]

Like you had mentioned, we keep some kind of tracking.  For me, if some from the NA era remember, I kept a fairly clean and based framed off website on some private hosting, still there, and still do.

But I do on occasion make a visual passing of stuff, but at most of it is on full display on a media shelf it's not a huge concern for console games.  That though has some failings, handheld games, and also accessories and other smaller bits like parts and stuff since I like to do some light repair and mods(mostly to handhelds.)

It has been a few years but I just did a new accounting of my 8bit Gameboy library from GB through GBC.  Handhelds, accessories, and the games.  I laid them out to see what was there lined up but how time may have ravaged them as I've slowly noticed the damn color getting wonky on a few of my NES and SNES cart plastics aggravatingly in the last few years.

I won't paste it here, was going to make a fun post, but I'll share the images there.  It seemed maybe a few more items started to discolor, stickers and the rest are good, and as far as the other stuff goes, not too many surprises.  The one that stood out, spare parts, got bags of them second hand and new in storage.  I've got all sorts of backups on security screws, pads, buttons, springs, OEM GBA SP through Micro (and DS family) batteries too.

[fcgamer | 4,719]

So I started out back in November, was going full swing in early February over Chinese New Year, and essentially finished tonight. I've got one drawer of Famicom imported bootlegs, and a crate of SFC stuff yet to check; don't give much of a damn about the SFC stuff so I'll just compare quickly to my old list, as for the drawer of bootlegs, I'll check closer, though it'll take 30 minutes at best.

Feels great to be more or less done with this. Taking inventory of so many items is a real pain in the ass, but it's great to have the spreadsheets updated and any extras on the sale or trade pile.

[FireHazard51 | 2,043]

On 11/22/2020 at 10:27 AM, drxandy said:

I started taking a tally this January for the first time, and plan to keep up with it. It's probably a good idea for insurance purposes to have a full inventory anyway.

This is the one VERY good reason I need to do my own inventory.  That and to avoid buying multiple copies of games I already own.

I just added all my Amazon game purchases I've ever made to my pricecharting.com account and the total average ebay value is over $2,000.  This just 70% of my modern gaming collection and none of my retro collection.  I really didn't think I spent that much on games in the past decade.  I mean I logged a good bit of games I bought for $50+ that are worth less than $7 now so I spent some cash for sure.  I need to keep track of it for insurance reasons.....also need to do that for MTG card collection too.

Just the other day I bought a second copy of a game because I don't add them to my inventory until they arrive in the mail.  WELL I forgot I bought the same game a few days ago so there is still a flaw in my system to avoid buying duplicates!

 

[drxandy | 3,225]

@FireHazard51I end up accidently rebuying original xbox stuff every so often because I chose a dumb way of keeping track.

I printed off a checklist of the set and check them as I get them. Then periodically take pictures of the physical checklist to have easy access on the go. I don't update the pictures of the list often enough and boom end up with the same game. It has only happened 3 times but still annoying.

Would be much easier with a spreadsheet or something but I'm stubborn to finish it off this way. 

[nrslam | 474]

I've got a big Excel spreadsheet that I try to keep up to date as stuff goes in or out, but I've only ever done an inventory once in 25+ years of collecting.

The spreadsheet is full of codes that only I would understand.  The entry for the Intellivision game Snafu, for example, reads:

Snafu {2} SW1 XBM WW5

This shows me I have: {2} overlays for the game, S-Sears version, W-White label version, it's rarity-1,  I have the cart (X) Box (B) and Manual (M), and a total of 5 spares, 2 of which are the white label variety (WW5).  Coding for the spares is incomplete (don't know how many are boxed, for example) and I don't track where I got something or how much I paid.

[MrWunderful | 2,926]

I used to keep a pretty up to date sheet, but ended up selling a bunch of stuff pretty quickly and got way behind in updating it, and now Im like “fuck it”

 

But I have  pretty high-quality pictures of everything, stored in a fire proof safe and a  rider on my home insurance so I should be OK

[O.G. CIB | 415]

I have an inventory program called collectorz and it works well to catalog everything so I can sort the games/hardware by system, what’s on my wish list, regions, licensed/unlicensed or whatever I decide to tag it with. It integrates with pricecharting as well for basic price information.
 

I then have a complex excel sheet that’s I’ve had 20+ years that have maybe 40 tabs that tracks everything for games, price paid for the items, controllers, amiibos, nes insert/poster completion list .... even down to the rgb cables I use and how many box protectors I own. I know down to the penny what I have in the hobby.

Edited March 5, 2021 by Mr. CIB

[Kraidly | 2]

I have a spreadsheet for my games but I haven't touched it in years. Don't really go out and buy anymore. Corona probably has a lot to do with it.

 

I've got the usual like a Pi with tons of games up to PS1 so I'm not too worried about it.

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

I used to keep a list for Wii U when going for a full set but other than that I've never kept a list. If I couldn't remember if I owned a game or not I obviously didn't really want it.

[Hammerfestus | 3,819]

Rarely.  I track everything as I get it or get rid of it with the GVN tracker.  I probably should go through someday and double check inventory but there’s definitely not anything major that’s not in there.  The only thing i really have that’s not trackable on the site is my Lightspan stuff.  I’m sure one day GVN will just disappear into the ether (I really don’t know what exactly the Ebay API changes will mean ultimately for them) though and that will probably be when I go through everything.  

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,055]

Twice, maybe a year after I started collecting and got to be more than I could recall off the top of my head and then I had to again when NA took a dump as I used their tool for tracking. Now I use google sheets, but I much preferred the old NA lists

[SilverspoonGaming | 330]

Its an on going struggle for me as I try to keep detailed info on my inventory, other than the price paid, as that doesnt matter a ton to me, but somehow I find games on the shelves that werent actually in my inventory on GVN which drives me nuts.

[T-Pac | 7,513]

If I can't remember whether or not I have a certain game in my collection, I take it as a sign that I need to slow down my game-collecting and ramp up my game-playing.

It's much easier to remember a game when I've spent a fair amount of time playing it haha.
Although this strategy isn't quite so infallible for the Atari 2600, where so much of the gameplay is nearly-identical and half the library is called "Space / Astro - something".

-CasualCart

[OptOut | 8,881]

On 3/8/2021 at 8:26 PM, Hammerfestus said:

I’m sure one day GVN will just disappear into the ether (I really don’t know what exactly the Ebay API changes will mean ultimately for them) 

Nah, they're just gonna pivot to tracking only graded games sold through Heritage. Something tells me they won't have any trouble at all getting access to THAT API!

[a3quit4s | 4,091]

I reread my first reply which talked about taking NES inventory not too long ago but I started an excel sheet a long time before that to keep track of what I have. Everytime I buy a game it gets logged there to keep me from buying doubles. I do keep loose track of what is cib and manual only but I know that part isn't perfect. 

For now I'm a pretty shitty game player and much more a game buyer but hopefully that will change when my son comes of gaming age

[NESfiend | 1,514]

On 3/8/2021 at 6:26 AM, Hammerfestus said:

Rarely.  I track everything as I get it or get rid of it with the GVN tracker.  I probably should go through someday and double check inventory but there’s definitely not anything major that’s not in there.  The only thing i really have that’s not trackable on the site is my Lightspan stuff.  I’m sure one day GVN will just disappear into the ether (I really don’t know what exactly the Ebay API changes will mean ultimately for them) though and that will probably be when I go through everything.  

Yes, yes, and exactly. The prices aren't updated enough in collection tracker to give you an up to the minute pricing, but for straight up inventory, its absolutely perfect. Its a ballpark value though and I could always do more research before selling, which I wont do anyway. If it works for 10 years, disappears, and I have to go through it all, Id still call that a win. By that time, may be kind of a fun long project. 

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,055]

7 hours ago, NESfiend said:

Yes, yes, and exactly. The prices aren't updated enough in collection tracker to give you an up to the minute pricing, but for straight up inventory, its absolutely perfect. Its a ballpark value though and I could always do more research before selling, which I wont do anyway. If it works for 10 years, disappears, and I have to go through it all, Id still call that a win. By that time, may be kind of a fun long project. 

You can get the collection tracket to update a price on command by adding and removing a piece of it.

Example you collect just carts, click the check for a box, then uncheck it again and the price will be updated. Works the other way too, if you have a CIB then uncheck something and recheck it again. Cant do it for the whole collection at once though

[Jim Jimmer | 234]

I keep an updated google sheet with everything I own, condition, price paid, who i bought from, date of purchase and also price sold/date sold/person sold for games i sell.

 

i also update my collection through gameye for some reason. Its redundant with the aforementionned sheets but i like having it on the go for reference. Just a habit.

once a year during christmas vacation i take pictures/timestamps of my most valuable items for insurance purposes. Its usually quick and fun to get the games a bit of fresh air as opposed to letting them sleep on the shelves. I enjoy that part more than i initially thought i would.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Jim Jimmer