Collectors Dillema: Collector's Dilemma #2 - NES

To buy or not to buy?

Buy the game with the full intent of re-selling it

Leave it there for the next collector who does not already have the game

Getting poll results. Please wait...

To buy or not to buy, that is the question.
Sorry for the cliche title, but I just had to do it.

We've all been there. You're at your choice of establishment for game buying; garage sale, flea market, Goodwill, etc. You see a game on the shelf, you check your printed out RF Generation collection list and see that you already own a CIB mint condition copy of the game. But, you know the game is worth much more than what it is selling for at this establishment.
So here is the dilemma, buy the game with the full intent of re-selling it or leave it there for the next collector who does not already have the game.
For the sake of argument, let's say the price on the game is $1, would your opinion change if the game was a $10, $50, $100, $1000+ valued game?

Permalink | Comments [9] | Digg This Article |

Recent Entries

THE GREATEST WORKS - and Me! (4/15/2025)
RFG Dev Log #3 (4/9/2025)
Thoughts on Everhood 2 (4/2/2025)
RFG Dev Log #2 (3/18/2025)
Game Room Project - Feb 2025 - The Arcade Cabinet (2/11/2025)

Comments

BadEnoughDude said on 8/18/08 2:50 AM

I appreciate the honor in leaving it there for next collector, but as a guy with finite resources and a taste for as many video games as possible I'm buying that, reselling it, and buying something new and exciting. As I see it, there's nothing wrong with the strategy at all. All I are doing is utilizing a marketplace that was put into place by other collectors who want the game and are willing to spend a certain price to get it.

Sirgin said on 8/18/08 2:59 AM

I agree 100% with Bad Enough Dude.

A little remark maybe: If a game was priced $1 and it'd be worth (from your categories) $10 I probably wouldn't go through the effort of buying and then reselling it, because it's not really worth it. I'd definately pick it up if it were worth like $25+ though.

OatBob said on 8/18/08 3:52 AM

I always leave it. Its hard enough to find anything in town here without having to compete with the next guy who's always buying only to sell. The only exception is when I'm buying stuff for friends, and maybe if I were to run across a super rare title even if it were not for a system I own. Of course, I would be glad to pass such a rarity along to a more enthusiastic collector here at RFgen and a good portion of that discount along with it.

Tondog said on 8/18/08 4:38 AM

I'm so greedy. Sad

logical123 said on 8/18/08 5:04 AM

@Tondog: Same here... XD. 'tis just business, that's all.

Fuyukaze said on 8/18/08 5:15 AM

Buy it and if it's in better condition then what I already have, sell the old. I'm already competing with every other collector/ebayer from the start. The odds of it getting into a collectors hands are just as low as they were of me finding it. Why should I worry if some unknown collector will come back behind me and appreciate the find I myself passed on? Who's to say they even go the same places I do?

[Tan:c_avatar]

[Tan:realName] said on 8/18/08 8:00 AM

If it's in better shape than the one I have I buy it. I can't be bothered to sell games though, I usually give them to charity or sometimes if it's the case or the manual I need, I let the seller keep the rest of it, as I have no interest in having duplicates lying around. If a friend really wants a game badly that's worth a lot and I find one for cheap, I give it to them because I know they'll do the same thing for me.

Other than that I leave them. I've run into situations where games I left behind that I knew were rare and could have bought and resold for a mint, were picked up by happy collectors on the same forums and it really made their week. If the game doesn't interest me as far as playability, then buying it must be motivated strictly from a profiteering perspective, that's a part of the hobby I've never been interested in.

jcalder8 said on 8/18/08 11:49 PM

I have bought items for resale value alone. I have thought about other collectors but most of the items of value that I find end up in the hands of resellers so I'd rather buy the items and sell them on forums with the hopes of getting the items into collector's hands.

Talen said on 10/4/08 10:06 PM

I would buy it to sell, the "next collector" argument doesn't really hold water for me. Personally, I hate knowing that I missed a great deal, but that is the great thing about collecting and finding deals in the wild. Unless you actually see somebody get there and grab the killer deal before you get it, you would never actually know that it was even there, so you are no worse off. You come in and are blissfull in your ignorance, and pick up some other deal instead.

That said, the only time I really sell games is when I pick up games in lots from craigslist, etc, and when I do find duplicates in there, I keep the better version and sell the other one.

Login or register to comment

It appears as though you are not a member of our site, or are not logged in.

It appears as though you can not comment currently. Becoming able to comment though is easy! All you need to do is register for the site! Not only will you be able to access any other site features including the forum and collection tools. If you are a registered user and just need to login then you can do so here.

Comment! It's easy, thoughtful, and who knows you might just enjoy it!