Comes with Games

Games collecting is an interesting hobby with many unexplainable facets. A boxed console with a whole bunch of games can sell for far less than the total amount of the games listed seperately. The best eBay bargains tend to come from large lots. Have a look at these:

An original Sega Master System with 76 boxed games. A zero feedback seller offering a high initial price, but if you could collect, just over £2 a game seems to be a great price.


Indeed at £2 a game plus £1 delivery, these games bought individually on eBay would run you about £250. If only the seller had put up a list of games so that we could identify and proper rare games in the lot.

Next, a bandwidth-sapping N64 collection that sold for £225.55. Again, this is PS3 type money, but you get so much more. The list of boxed games is pretty average, with highlights including both Zelda games and Bomberman Hero (which I love). With the N64 having poor cardboard packaging, there is a big resell market for unboxed games as many collectors know that it makes sense to collect carts only to save a big chunk of cash building their N64 collections. Unboxed gems here include Conker's Bad Fur Day and Mario Party. 24 unboxed games, 22 boxed games, various 'stuff' including a multiregion adaptor mean that this was a bargain; the individual resell value of the whole lot is closer to £350. The buyer could get a quick 50% return on their investment, or hold on to the lot and expect it to be worth £450 in a couple of years. N64 games are massively accruing in price, so well done to the buyer of these games.

Spending £250 wisely

So, the first post. To start, ask yourself this- how would you have spent £250 this month if you had to buy just one eBay auction?



Buying a PS3 that is probably four years old and could conk out at any time? Hey, it has two PS3 games and three PS2 games though.



What about a Neo Geo CD with 24 boxed games in decent condition? That's a great collection. Looks good too, those CD cases would make a nice extra shelf of stuff in your game room.



Or a PSone with 93 fairly average games, a screen, and a few extras? NB I once considered buying on this lot when the seller had it listed at under £200 (it's been on eBay for almost a year) but he never emailed me back with a list of games. The fool! Note to sellers- check my feedback, I only buy retro games, I am a serious buyer. You'd want to sell to me. I occasionally buy auctions consisting of a bunch of overpriced average games.



Or what about 231 PS1 games in various conditions with possible missing covers/cases/instructions/discs that we don't know about cos the seller can't be bothered to list ANY info?

Either way, your £250 could have gotten you anything from five games to 231 games this month. All of these auctions sold, so five individuals decided to spend half their mortgage payment on a variety of things. The PS3 package seems like the least sensible buy, as it could stop working at any moment, and surely a brand new PS3 and a second hand PS2 would be a much better buy for the same money? Hell, i'll even send you the same PS2 games that were in that auction for free- 'Cars' Platinum and some other rubbish, wasn't it?

My choice- the Neo Geo collection. A really good starter pack for a console that is seldom seen in the UK, very playable, and will hold its resell value, possibly being worth a bit more than you paid for it in a few years.

God knows how those PS1 auctions sold though. Even at £1 a game the 231 game auction includes mainly rubbish titles, and as the seller of the 93 games+console lot had listed the games (yeah thanks for not replying to my email six months ago pal, hope the divorce goes well for ya) there are only a couple of titles there worth more than a quid. Damn, these two auctions also predict that my near-500 game PS1 collection is worth just £500 or so. Unless i split off my fifty best games, sell them for £10 each, and then sell the remaining 400-ish for £400 quid.

Yes, there are sensible ways to sell big games lots that actually involve making money...!