Finding Games

Ok, so you've toured the Museum and a wave of nostalgia has washed over you. You'd love to play those great classic games again. BUT WHERE DO YOU GET THEM? You're not going to find them at traditional retail outlets. Where are they?

Places to buy classic video game systems and games:

• Flea Markets: People bring their old junk (that's what it is to them, anyway!) to the flea markets to sell. Although it's getting harder to find classic stuff (the oldest systems I've found lately are NES and SMS systems) flea markets are worth a look, especially the big flea markets that draw many individual sellers. Those flea markets that consist of booths run by "pro" flea marketers are less likely to have classic stuff--it's not worth their trouble to bring it. If you ask people who run electronics/videogame booths, though, they might have some classic stuff they'll bring in. Just don't let them know you think it's worth a lot. They'll jack the prices WAY up!
• Thrift Shops: You're more likely to find classic games at thrift shops since people donate what they think is basically worthless junk to thrift shops. In general, people think classic games are worthless junk (which is why they're getting harder to find at flea markets, where people want to make money). Remember to check which days are "half-off" days at your local shops, and remember to check the rack of 8-track tapes for random cartridges that got thrown into the mix.
• Friends, family, etc: Many of your friends were probably also into videogames in the early 80s. If you mention you're looking for "old videogames" they'll probably sell you theirs cheap, or give them to you for free. If your friend gives you a "Chase the Chuckwagon" cartridge for free and you sell it for $150, be nice and give him some money back or take him out to lunch or something, alright? You don't HAVE to tell him how much you sold it for!
• Classfied ads: Again, it's getting harder to find ads for classic games. Ads cost money. People pay little money for classic games. You figure it out! Also, placing an ad LOOKING for classic games can have mixed results. Remember, if you're looking for the stuff, people will think it's worth a lot of money and may try to sell you Combat and Pac-Man for $10 each, insisting it's a great deal.
• Newsgroup Posts: check the newsgroup rec.games.video.classic for the many "for sale" posts that flood the group. The group rec.games.video.marketplace also has a few posts about classic stuff for sale, but not many.
  A few tips:
  • Beware: many of the posts are auction posts. If you participate in an auction, you're expected to buy if you get the winning bid. Winning is tough since people tend to pay WAY too much for things in auctions (I guess it's the competition--I'M GOING TO BUY THAT SPACE INVADERS CARTRIDGE NO MATTER WHAT! I BID $1000!!!).
  • Also beware of people trying to rip you off. Check around for sellers with good reputations. Be wary of posts that look like they were done by an illiterate jerk just trying to rip people off. Some rip-off artists look believeable, but if you see a post that looks like someone's pet dog wrote it, and the prices are way too low. . .
  • And if you're trying to sell games, please don't post a ton of messages on the newsgroup trying to sell things (one longer post is preferrable), and please don't try to sell at ridiculous prices. The readers of that group know exactly how much things are worth and will laugh at the post that claims "extremely rare Atari 2600 in mint condition! Only $200!"
• Last but not least, Professional Collectors: They tend to have high prices (but usually under the top auction prices) since they have overhead to deal with. However, they usually have great selection and are known and respected through the game collecting community.

Go back to Classics Preservation