I cant stand stores that dont price their merchandise!

[Rookie1]

Have any of you been through this? You go to a used game store, see something you want only to find there is no price on it. Then, they either ask you to make them an offer or want to look everything up on ebay before they sell it.

I was at a junk shop today and there was one of those clear green N64's with a controller and a few games. I asked how much he was asking and got the "I would have to check the prices on ebay." Then he had an old box with a Wii and a ton of accessories. I asked how much, and he said "make me an offer." I said id think about it, then he asked me every 2 seconds if I had a price for him until I just left.

I dont know why, but that bothers me to no end.

[scotland]

Been there too.

One place I know has barcodes on their merchandise, but no prices. You take the item to a barcode reader, and it spits out the price. Its like there is an algorithm searching ebay every night updating prices.

[Robotrek]

I've been to a shop like that. Where they don't price ANYTHING, but they just browse eBay for the prices. Considering the inflated market of retro stuff, they tend to look for the highest prices listings to find an average. It was much better in the late 90's, where I could pick up NES games for 25 cents a pop from married couples who's kids had moved out. It's how I acquired the majority of my collection.

[matmico399]

I am lucky. The two retro game stores near me have everything priced. Unfort the closer one seems to take the highest prices off of EBay as well. The other about 35 minutes away I can find some very good prices. Not steals but good prices. That store is a treat to visit. They always get new stuff coming in and are always very reasonable. And they have a large selection of Nes and Snes and 360 games. An absolutely huge selection of Genesis and PS 1 n 2 games. Unfort the Dreamcast and Saturn game libraries are very small.

[Tron]

The Internet has ruined retail shopping. Everything from pawn shops to garage sales use the Internet to price and sell. I used to love garage saling, but really there isn't much point anymore, at least for anything small enough to ship. I prefer shopping physically. It's fun and I enjoy the hope of finding a super deal, but I do it far less often now.

I suppose there must be enough people willing to trade stuff to stores in order for them to stay open. I rarely trade anything in cause they give a third of the value. I don't mind making less then ebay by trading to a store, but not that much. I understand operating costs, but it still seems like a bad deal considering the merchandise is coming right to them at no cost from the distributor. The hassle of ebay with ebay charges and cost of shipping is still much better then trading to Gamestop or some other business. I wish the stores would give a little more so I could skip ebay.

[scotland]

The Internet has ruined retail shopping. Everything from pawn shops to garage sales use the Internet to price and sell. I used to love garage saling, but really there isn't much point anymore, at least for anything small enough to ship. I prefer shopping physically. It's fun and I enjoy the hope of finding a super deal, but I do it far less often now.

I know it feels that way at times. Whether online or in a retail space that uses online prices, it seems like a lot is very expensive. The flip side is that availability is also higher - if you want something, its available for a price. I collect other things than video game stuff, and I hit sellers who are just out of sight. It really stinks if you have travelled a way - you feel like you've sunk time and money in already, so may as well bite on some stuff - which just encourages the behavior.

I wish ebay had a lot less marketshare as their policies have exaggerated prices (which seems to be to their benefit but not really either buyers or sellers), but my experiences with small online stores have been hit and miss too.

Its also compounded by the popularity of large segments of our hobby. A lot of people value the video games of their youth, and those memories. Really, its great. Video games are not just a memento, but one you can go back and really play again. That's cool. The retro community is cool. You're cool.

One thing is to get off the beaten path. Collect what's not at the peak of popularity. Whether its recent stuff that is just old but not yet collectible, or stuff past the collecting bubble. Collect things that are kind of sideways, like arcade cabinets. Another way is to get into the hardware end, with modding or repairing stuff most collectors don't want in that condition. Of course, that's a hobby in itself.

Was it Atarifever who just said be a glass half full kind of person (half full of Kentucky Bourbon, I think he said. Yes, he definitely said Kentucky Bourbon). So, what are the best strategies for collectors in today's online Ebay world?

[Rev]

Yeah I would have left the store too... Stuff like that drives me crazy... If you are going to price everything by eBay look up the prices before you put up your product. That just shows laziness and that you really don't know what you're selling...

[Rookie1]

Yeah I would have left the store too... Stuff like that drives me crazy... If you are going to price everything by eBay look up the prices before you put up your product. That just shows laziness and that you really don't know what you're selling...

Thats how I feel. I dont mind haggling for deals, but I dont go in to a store to price their products. And if everything is "make me an offer" or "let me check ebay" I have no problem moving along even if there is something in there that I really want.

[CharlieR]

I've never really seen a store do this, although maybe its more common in bigger cities? I live in Rochester, NY, and we have Game Craze as our retro store, and all their stuff is priced.

Stores should price their stuff, but "make me an offer" sounds ok, and sounds more customer friendly. "Let me check ebay," makes me think the store is lazy. Also, aren't ebay prices kind of high compared to the average? I haven't bought a ton of games on ebay recently, but it seems like kind of a jerk thing to do because they are just looking at what other people paid, what if one of the auctions on there was a highly sought-after game that went for higher than usual?