HeartOfDavid

9 hours ago, AirVillain said:

I need to listen to myself sometimes. But alas.... we're all in this together. You got this. Your new set will only have stuff in it that you truly cherish.

HAHAHA, you're right though. This is going t o be a more targeted collection AND it will make any of the wild finds that much sweeter!

4 minutes ago, AirVillain said:

Baby steps.

2011 is gone. It's still difficult for a lot of us to deal with. We can all get through this together. 

You have come to the right place. There's nothing wrong with head hunting some titles you're looking for. So if you are moving along while hunting around and there are some games/magazines you want to PLAY, then go ahead and hit this place up or eBay, or an actual game store. 

Have you got one in your area? Sure you're not going to walk in and buy 80 CIB's right off the shelf for $60, but you'll be able to buy the games you want.

The NP...  I picked up a couple lately and they all came from the same person. I'm sure you will be able to find a set out there. 

You can do it, but you can't focus on what you had before. Because what? You have a room full of NES games beside your child and crowding them? Then they grow up thinking the NES is more important than them??? 

You made the right decision for yourself and your family at the time. Now is time to rebuild ONLY what you want. 

This was SO good. Sobering, but good! THANK YOU!

19 minutes ago, GPX said:

Whether you’ve been collecting for 20 years or restarting a collection again, I think the general principle of collecting remains the same:

- collect for the passion and collect within your budget. 

There’s always something to collect if you apply the above. For example since the pandemic, I went from being a VGA SNES/N64 collector into collecting random cheaper stuff like sealed PSP, PS2, Xbox Original. As long as the joy is in the collecting, it shouldn’t matter what you end up with.
 

 

@GPX - I love that, thanks!

Thanks @CasualCart, I appreciate it. It's been cathartic to even just talk about it and helpful to get a better game plan!

We do have some amazing places to eat. Cajun food is the best!

2 minutes ago, snes_collector said:

I would just take your time and enjoy picking things up as they come. Buy flash carts so you can play what you want but still go out and hunt going flea markets, thrift stores, etc if that brings you joy. A few years ago whenever I went out hunting I would get really upset because I wasn't finding anything, it took the fun out of it. I had to reevaluate my joy of going out hunting was- and it was just getting out and going and looking. Now I don't expect to find anything, and if I go home empty handed I don't mind at all because I took my time looking and had fun. Prices are hard to take in for anyone that has been collecting for a long time, but the good thing is there is no timetable and there is no pressure. Take your time and enjoy the ride.

 

A couple other things- I don't think a small collection is bad, as there is a burden of a large collection due to the space and value of it all. A second thing- I see people recommending collecting new consoles, but if you don't care about those don't fall into that, just collect what you want and enjoy.

I agree with this, I think I just need reframe my collecting for 2023. I'm not a modern systems guy personally (though I'm not knocking it). I like your take on it. I will just enjoy the journey, forget what's behind, and collect what I'm able.

10 hours ago, Renmauzo said:

@HeartOfDavid, this could be really fun if you let it; the greatest thrills tend to come from getting something you truly treasure! I agree with your assertion to treat it as a marathon and not a sprint, and having a solid plan and sticking to it as has been said is a good way to start.

Do you have a list of 5, 10, 15 or even 20 games that would just be awesome to own and PLAY? Forget the filler nonsense as, every dollar that goes towards a game you have little actual interest in is a dollar you could be putting towards something you will love and play. Avoid feeling like volume equals good, or that there is some imaginary group of people to impress, and certainly don't feel compelled to get what's popular just because it is (I'm not ashamed to say I like games like Mark Davis' The Fishing Master on SNES...I think it's a pretty dope game and great on a quiet Sunday afternoon, or Legend of the River King on Game Boy!). Hearing about the stories tied to peoples games is one of the great parts of being in a gaming community! 

All that said, would I start over now if it came down to it? Yes. But as focused as I am on the games I choose and have chosen since the 80's, I would make myself a 'desert island' list of a dozen or two of my all time favourites and focus on those (like a few of my top 10 - Mega Man X, Xenogears, Soldier Blade, and Chrono Trigger - for example) and price be damned since those titles are special to me.

Anyway, I wish you nothing but fun and excitement on your journey. Games should always be fun first, and if you can only get a title here and there, make 'em good ones that mean something to you and enjoy the heck out of them  

I really like this @Renmauzo, thanks!

4 minutes ago, Nugfish said:

I sold all of my boxed cartridge games which was most of my higher-end stuff during the covid craze, and I knew if I ever rebought, it would be cartridge only. Time will tell if there will be regrets, but the days of the wild have been pretty well gone for years, and online sellers either can't protect their stuff in shipping or try to pass off counterfeits. It has been nice not having the frustrating crushed box come in the mail because the seller is a moron and sent it in a bubble mailer even though you told him you would pay extra if that's what it would take to send well-protected in a box....oh, also eff the WATA grading craze....Rant over.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but NES carts seemed to have plateaud, and if that is the case, starting things off with a large ebay commons lot could reignite the collecting fire.

I agree with WATA, as I know many do here.

If carts have indeed plateaued, that would be fantastic. At least it means we've hit the ceiling and time will tell. There's only so high they can go before they will level off.

37 minutes ago, goldenpp72 said:

Honestly, I don't think I'd bother collecting in this situation. The entire nature of buying and selling only to buy again is a problematic trait unless it's part of your profit making. If my life was not able to reliably keep on track, I think I'd get out and stay out until I had confidence I could do what I wanted. There are things more important than this hobby, so unless you can do whatever you want without being put in a position to undo it, why bother? It's just repeating heart ache, and if it didn't cause any heart ache, then did you really care in the first place? I'd rather just keep walking unless you have a definitve and concise plan. 

This has solidifed my resolve. I won't be selling off again unless it's legitimate hard times. I will store it as necessary if I ever decide that "I'm done." Like I said, I've done this a few times and I don't think I will be likely to sell off again. I've just got to change my tactics and be in like a marathon rather than a sprint.

9 minutes ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

Good point. If I had to sell what I have now, I don't think I'd ever go back into the market unless it was super cheap to do so.

To OP, the prices can be discouraging but this market puts priority on condition over anything. CIB isn't what it used to be. Back in the day, condition brought very little premium on CIB. There was a small price interval where average condition wasn't too far from mint CIB.

Back then the large swings in price based on condition was in the sealed market. Granted, it's only widened since then but still.

Today, if you want CIB, it's best to go CB and skip the I if price is the determining factor. Completionist don't go for CB like they do CIB. And consider how you're going to display the boxes. Going to go blockbuster style, game art out, get a squashed box and bring it back to life. Going to go spines out, get some sun fade and a really crisp edges. 

It's definitely not impossible to build a nice collection on a budget but if you want that sick, slick rock hard dick collection you better come with those dollar bills baby. 

This is much like the housing market. You're either in because you want to be or you're out but you're not IN to make money. I was never in it to make money. The only selling I did (outside of selling out my entire collection) was to bring the cost down of what I paid for everything overall.

1 minute ago, DefaultGen said:

It sucks the big one but your collection will likely be more focused. I vacuumed up loads of worthless crap in the 2000s just because it was there. These days I pick and choose every single game I buy and only get the stuff at the top of my want list. Used video games are still pretty affordable. It's not affordable to buy 1000s of them and complete sets of random crap, but it's also not like comics where the single best comic of your favorite character might literally be a million dollars. Any single game is probably within your reach if it's something you really want.

That's absolutely true and I didn't even realize I was doing that. I would like to one day get a MOSTLY complete NES set but I would more likely pick up the games that I really want first in specific conditions or packaging.

2 minutes ago, Gloves said:

^ That made me literally laugh out loud. Thanks!

I hope this is allowed

I checked the forums to see if there was any kind of state or city posts or something like that and didn't see anything. Are there any collectors from South Louisiana? I'm specifically in the Lafayette area and would love to meet up or hang out or something.

I collected off and on (and sold and started over) several times between 2005 - 2011ish or so. When I last sold everything, we just had our second son and we didn't have room and we had a new child and... and... and...

I was mainly focused on Nintendo (NES) and Super Nintendo (SNES). I would pick up anything I could find, though, but those were my primary systems. I would routinely find games and systems at Goodwill or on Craiglist and would often make enough selling what I already owned to pay for what I didn't. Once I got out of collecting I would only pick up stuff I truly found in the wild for a good price.

Fast-forward a few years to the last 6 months or so...

I'm trying to get back in and I'm getting so discouraged. The prices have SKYROCKETED since I was last collecting. To see cart only games going for what I could get CIB for back then, CIB going for crazy amounts; it's almost enough to make me not want to get started again. I fortunately started out with a Nintendo console and Super Nintendo console and a few games for each. I still mourn (and truly ache) for some pieces of my old collection. One big regret was selling my Nintendo Power collection. I had volume 1 - 63 and a few others. It was a once in a lifetime find at Goodwill and paid pennies for each issue. Most of them were covered with clear shelf paper and were in great condition. I will NEVER rebuild that.

I look back at my collection then and it wasn't much, but I miss it and I'm trying to slowly rebuild. I worry a bit that the days of that rush of finding games at thrift stores or flea markets or pawn shops may be almost gone now but I'm not going to lose all hope. I love places like this and I sincerely want to be a part of the community more. Just had to vent that a bit, thanks for taking the time to read and commiserate.

Title says it all. I'm looking for any/all of the above. If you have any or all of them, please let me know!

Thank you so much @Jfreakofkorn

Thank you so much!

Thanks everybody. I'm looking forward to being a part of, what looks to be, a great community!

I'm just getting back in to collecting so I figured I would put up my for trade/sell/offer list. I'd like to trade for NES or SNES games but I'm open to offers for any of it. I can send pictures of anything you're interested in just let me know! God bless!

For Offer/Trade

Wanted Games

I was on NintendoAge in the bygone days of when it was great. I fortunately didn't see the downfall of NintendoAge as I got out of collecting for a while. I only held on to a few thins right at the end and sold everything else. I've got the bug again and I'm slowly building up a new collection. I want to have the same sense of community and nostalgia and information that it once was and better. I would love to contribute to this sit in some way but for now I'm going to lurk and check things out. Shoot me a message and say hey and I look forward to getting to know some people on here!