Game Collecting Tips - Where To Find Video Games

April 26, 2012 1:48 pm - DinkyDana

Video game collecting can be a lot of fun, especially if you know where to look.  Over the past few years, I have been out in the world hunting for rare video games and have learned quite a few tricks to finding those valuable deals.  I would like to go over some tips that may help you find great deals in your area.


The question is: Where am I searching for deals?


I have tried and succeeded in many different places, but I will just go over a few that are my favorites.  My favorite place to find video game deals is a flea market.   I have created a video game stores locator here on my site, but it also will find the nearest flea markets in your area.  Flea markets are mostly a place where people set up booths or tables selling their old knick knacks or "junk" that they just want to get rid of to clean out their house.  As you walk around a typical flea market, you will see all kinds of different people.  Some are parents selling off their kids toys because their kids have grown up and moved out of the house.  Others are collectors who have a large amount of the same type of items, whether it be video games, coins, baseballs cards, etc.  The third major group at a flea market are re-sellers.  Re-sellers are people who hunt for deals on various types of items and then set up a table at the flea market attempting to make profit on their purchases.


If you are a video game collector like me, you most often do not want to deal with the second and third examples I gave above.  A re-seller may have some good games, but since they are looking to make profit the prices usually aren't going to be much of a deal.  The collectors who are selling their collection can sometimes be a good place to look, but they usually know their values well and it is also difficult to get a good deal from these.  The first example is the group that you are going to want to focus on.


When you are searching around a flea market, you want to be looking for the people who don't enjoy video games, don't know what they're worth, and are just looking to get rid of their "junk".  Often times, you will approach a table and see a box full of consoles and video games.  You will ask them how much they want for the box and they will reply with, "Make me an offer."  This happens incredibly often when shopping at flea markets.  It is usually best to offer a low price because a lot of the time, they just want to get rid of the stuff and they will agree to a lower price.  This is the way that I have found most of my best video game deals.


The next best places to find video game deals would be thrift stores and goodwills.  Thrift stores and goodwills have items donated to them for free and when they sell the items, most (or all) of the proceeds go to charities.  Many times, a family will donate a large box of games, consoles, computers, and many other cool items that a video game collector would want.  The prices are usually very cheap and can be great deals.  


The only problem with thrift stores and goodwills is that you have to stop in early and often.  They usually restock their items once or twice a day and I've found that they will often go days or weeks at a time without having any video games, and then all at once they'll get a big donation.  If you don't check often you may miss out on these opportunities.  I find it easiest to just find one of these stores on a road I usually travel and just stop in for 5 minutes to check any time I pass by.


There are many more places to look for great deals like garage sales, pawn shops, old video and cd stores, and many more.  Flea markets, thrift stores, and goodwills are usually my favorites though, so I decided to talk about just those for a little bit.  Hope this helps some of you find great game deals in your area.






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