16bit collecting anonymous! Anyone else out there?

[Bloodreign]

With prices the way they are now, if I had to start over collecting, I wouldn't do it. I seem to have this curse, I buy a game when it's cheap, then shortly after, it skyrockets (more luck than sense I suppose). I'm glad I got the jump that I did, but at the same time kick myself for passing on things that were cheap, but have since gone through the roof. I can see myself doing repros for stuff like Magical Pop N or Knights of the Round, no way I'm biting the bullet on those with the money I've saved aside. I've never spent more than $88 on a game (and that was 2 PSP games when they were new), or $54 for one game (Gradius Deluxe Pack PS1), have gotten somewhat lucky ($19.99 disc only KoF 02 UM regular version on PS2, $5 Cowboy Kid, the Gargoyle's Quest trilogy while it was still cheap). I've done the repro route once, and only once, Mega Man Wily Wars on the Genesis, I can see myself do it a few more times (hey I want Magical Pop N, love that game) for the shit that people have stupidly inflated with OMG LOOK RARE listings on Ebay (none of this shit is rare at all) for even the most common game. Then I've sen stuff like Doremi Fantasy cart only go for $60 recently, that's a bit down from what it had been going for even loose. I have it on the Wii VC, but when that Wii dies, so does that "copy".

Do I feel guilty if I get those last SFC games in repro form? Fuck no! I want it bad enough, and don't want to kill my little cash stash, I'll get it some other way, and still be able to play on a console with it.

[MintyTheCat]

That's cool, I'm the same way with my video games although I have a fairly small collection.

This might be a question: how many people have all their games on display? For me, I have none of them on display; I keep them all in storage boxes and when I wish to play a game I have to find it first.

Yes, trading can easily grow from being a passive hobby into something more It sounds like you used to be a fairly active trader. Glad to hear that you made some money off of it! Sounds like you did the right thing to step out at that point! I personally don't trade that often and I try to play it safe for the most part but I've managed to make decent amount of money off of it. I was debating on creating a thread about trading on here a while ago but didn't because I didn't think people on here were into it. Looks like I was wrong

I got into trading as I could not sit at a desk for long. My ratios were not bad.
However, wrt making a thread about trading here, I really would not wish to attract people to it personally - it is quite dangerous I would say. I know people who did well with it but I know more who lost a of money through it.
I would regard investing and trading as being quite different.
Back in the 2000s the banks were still giving ok rates on savings and there were better savings plans in England but that all changed. The pound will most likely get a thrashing and then the Euro so the adage of "money in the bank" is kind of less relevant provided that you have working cash to sort things out as they arise. I actually trade in dollars.

[Sumez]

I do try to be ahead of the price curve, not to invest, but because every time the price of a game spiralled out of proportions, and I want it just a little bit, I always regret not having bought it when the price was manageable. I do value the "expensive" game I own more even if I'm not too fond of the game itself, even if the reasoning behind it is superficial. Even knowing that other people really want a game makes me treasure it more. Not because I like to gloat (in fact I very rarely showcase my collection, and even my closest "retro gamer friends" don't know a lot about what I actually own), but because I feel that not appreciating what I have would be unfair to those that can't afford it, even if I got it super cheap back in the days, such as the NOS Alien Soldier that I picked up for $12.

[Skykid]

With regards to the discussion about video games as an investment. Do you plan to sell your games at some point (e.g. before you reach 60)?

With the way the market has been manipulated seeing prices driven up at an incredible rate, selling up MUST be a consideration for people who own large collections at one point or another, even if it's a fleeting consideration. For anyone to say they have never contemplated what they could earn by shifting their acquisitions would be dishonest.

Of course, as gamers who love our hobby, we're connected to the experiences we had with these games in childhood, and therefore hamstrung by nostalgic power into keeping them near to our hearts. But it depends on your place in life at any one time, and your needs. I've seen people sell collections when they had babies or migrated countries: circumstances they deemed of greater importance than keeping physical merchandise.

Personally I'm in no rush to part with the things I own because they're dear to me and have a multi-faceted level of appeal that brings me a lot of joy. At the same time, as I become more and more satisfied with modern forms of emulation/flash carts etc, and since my greatest joy in gaming is certainly in the playing, I do occasionally consider doing something like selling off my PCBs to fund the downpayment on an apartment in China - a perfectly feasible option that would only constitute maybe 20% of my collection as a whole. As yet, however, I'm not ready for that; especially since the PCB market appears to appreciate more quickly than the interest on Chinese real estate.

[neorichieb1971]

With regards to the discussion about video games as an investment. Do you plan to sell your games at some point (e.g. before you reach 60)?

With the way the market has been manipulated seeing prices driven up at an incredible rate, selling up MUST be a consideration for people who own large collections at one point or another, even if it's a fleeting consideration. For anyone to say they have never contemplated what they could earn by shifting their acquisitions would be dishonest.

Of course, as gamers who love our hobby, we're connected to the experiences we had with these games in childhood, and therefore hamstrung by nostalgic power into keeping them near to our hearts. But it depends on your place in life at any one time, and your needs. I've seen people sell collections when they had babies or migrated countries: circumstances they deemed of greater importance than keeping physical merchandise.

Personally I'm in no rush to part with the things I own because they're dear to me and have a multi-faceted level of appeal that brings me a lot of joy. At the same time, as I become more and more satisfied with modern forms of emulation/flash carts etc, and since my greatest joy in gaming is certainly in the playing, I do occasionally consider doing something like selling off my PCBs to fund the downpayment on an apartment in China - a perfectly feasible option that would only constitute maybe 20% of my collection as a whole. As yet, however, I'm not ready for that; especially since the PCB market appears to appreciate more quickly than the interest on Chinese real estate.

I hope I sell my stuff, because simply put, nobody in my family knows anything about selling videogames. I've told them they are worth a bit more than you'd expect them to be worth so focus the sale on forums and ebay. If I get cancer or some shit, I'll definitely be spending my last 3 months making listings on ebay so that my family can have a lump sum of cash to disperse rather than worrying about merchandise they don't much understand.

[MintyTheCat]

If I get cancer or some shit, I'll definitely be spending my last 3 months making listings on ebay so that my family can have a lump sum of cash to disperse rather than worrying about merchandise they don't much understand.

I have already told people who will get what: one mate will get the music as he badly needs the education another will get the videogames a few people will get the paintings, some will get the films, etc. Nice to have a plan in place just in case.

[Skykid]

You guys are seriously morbid. I do my best not to think about that shit, letalone plan for it.

[BIL]

If I'm ever suicide bomba'd while battling Chechen separatists in Mozambique, I'll bequeath all my nerd shit to the forum for a charity raffle with all proceeds to Tinkletowne Rest Home on the corner of OoGuvna Lane, Britfordshire.

Don't hold your breath though. I don't die easy.

[FinalBaton]

You guys are seriously morbid. I do my best not to think about that shit, letalone plan for it.

Hey man, you never know when Death is gonna hit ya!

Look at the protagonists of the Castlevania series, they got unlucky af

[MintyTheCat]

You guys are seriously morbid. I do my best not to think about that shit, letalone plan for it.

But it will happen so best to plan for it.

[pestro87]

With regards to the discussion about video games as an investment. Do you plan to sell your games at some point (e.g. before you reach 60)?

With the way the market has been manipulated seeing prices driven up at an incredible rate, selling up MUST be a consideration for people who own large collections at one point or another, even if it's a fleeting consideration. For anyone to say they have never contemplated what they could earn by shifting their acquisitions would be dishonest.

Of course, as gamers who love our hobby, we're connected to the experiences we had with these games in childhood, and therefore hamstrung by nostalgic power into keeping them near to our hearts. But it depends on your place in life at any one time, and your needs. I've seen people sell collections when they had babies or migrated countries: circumstances they deemed of greater importance than keeping physical merchandise.

Personally I'm in no rush to part with the things I own because they're dear to me and have a multi-faceted level of appeal that brings me a lot of joy. At the same time, as I become more and more satisfied with modern forms of emulation/flash carts etc, and since my greatest joy in gaming is certainly in the playing, I do occasionally consider doing something like selling off my PCBs to fund the downpayment on an apartment in China - a perfectly feasible option that would only constitute maybe 20% of my collection as a whole. As yet, however, I'm not ready for that; especially since the PCB market appears to appreciate more quickly than the interest on Chinese real estate.

Cheers, I appreciate the reply! I realize that this can be a sensitive subject but I was just genuinely curious about what people on here had to say. I think a part of my curiousity is because I find it really hard to justify paying some of the prices on ebay unless there's an ulterior motive behind it like buying with the intention to sell. Of course some people may be just that passionate about collecting I guess. I can see how flashcarts can be a game changer / salvation for many. As for myself, there's no way that I'm paying $1,000 for Vampire Killer for example so flashcarts seem like the only viable option if you want to play on original hardware.

What you said makes sense and of course selling is sometimes not the ideal decision to make but like you said, life is not always predictable and there can be higher protities at times. I'm one of those who had to sell my entite collection when I moved to Canada. I didn't want to do it and it sucked big time. Fortunately I only had about 200-300 games (most of them I got back in the day when the systems were current - I don't see myself as a collector) and I sold most of it in bulk so it wasn't too much of a burden to get rid of it other than the emotional aspect.

You have a good point that if you own a large collection then it may be hard to ignore the somewhat radical shift in the market. I suppose everything has a price as well. If someone offered me tons of money for my games then of course at some point I would probably give in although I never purchased any of them with the intention of one day letting them go. Hopefully I won't have to make a difficult decision like that

Cheers

[Skykid]

Of course some people may be just that passionate about collecting I guess. I can see how flashcarts can be a game changer / salvation for many. As for myself, there's no way that I'm paying $1,000 for Vampire Killer for example so flashcarts seem like the only viable option if you want to play on original hardware.

Me neither. I wouldn't pay $1000 for Vampire Killer, or any of the other ludicrous prices on the market at the moment. Fortunately I got most of everything - bar a few missed opportunities - that I wanted when the market was growing but still at a fair and affordable rate. Today? Forget it. No point. I'd rather use my money to invest pragmatically, live socially, and revisit my collection via flashcarts and emulation. It helps I'm surrounded by arcades, but even with those out of the equation, I wouldn't pay today's market prices for classic games. It's crossed a boundary and I've drawn a line. I haven't been in collecting mode for about 3 years now.

[azmun]

Tops I'd pay for Vampire Killer--$300 complete in very good or better condition. Stretched the limit a bit in my most recent acquisition (just few months ago) and paid the equivalent of $330 from a local seller for Contra The Hard Corps. Not my sweetest deal.

Investment is what you do with the savings to make them increase over time. I don't buy games with the intention of selling but totally agree with Skykid seeing how far prices have gone up. It's an excellent exercise to think when and how to get rid of (or pass on) my collection. I tell myself it's not good to be attached. At some point if we even live long enough we may not care about these things. So it's just a matter of time. Can't put a price on precious moments and enjoyment we get from this hobby. But nothing lasts.

[Sumez]

Contra Hard Corps > Contra The Hard Corps :3

[MintyTheCat]

Tops I'd pay for Vampire Killer--$300 complete in very good or better condition. Stretched the limit a bit in my most recent acquisition (just few months ago) and paid the equivalent of $330 from a local seller for Contra The Hard Corps. Not my sweetest deal.

It is a good game but is that the price-range these days for it? Wow. I actually prefer the Probotector version as I prefer the robots and I managed to get it new around 2000 but wow - that is a lot of scrapnel.