I think Famicom collecting is beginning to lose its luster.

Started by Bob-Bob, May 08, 2016, 03:56:34 pm

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Bob-Bob

*sigh*

When I first got into collecting FC carts I realized I was a bit late. But recently it feels like all the deals have dried up and the prices are too high even for me. It just doesn't feel enjoyable anymore. It's supposed to be a fun hobby but now it's just stressful.

I just trawled a bunch of old threads from the buy/sell sub-forum, from 2006 to 2010 or so, and it hurts knowing that around that time I was putzing around with emulators when I could've been buying from all those sweet online shops.  :(

I'm seriously considering just selling all the carts I've bought the past three or so years and focusing on collecting strictly Mario stuff, but I'm not sure if anybody would even be willing to buy what I have given the current market prices.

What do you guys think I should do?  :-\

Bob-Bob

Are you absolutely sure? I feel like I could've put the money towards getting the rest of the Mario stuff I want.  :-\

shoggoth80

This is a tough one. The market for games, particularly older games (ie: "retro") has changed. It's not as full of the bargains that there once were. Rare/obscure games are now (in my opinion) reaching obscene price levels. Even at that, it's still enjoyable for me to collect...I just get a lot more picky.

I would argue against selling off your whole collection. Emulation is not a replacement. To me it is a something to augment gaming. One does not replace the other, and both have their merits. If you need to make space in your collection for more items (if dealing with a limitation of space) I get it. Sort through stuff. What have you played recently? What haven't you played recently? What haven't you played in a loooong time, and why? I DID sell off a lot of my collection (not Famicom related, but other systems), and I regret that now. Hell, I regretted some sales as I was making them (desperately needed money, and was moving).

Take a critical eye to what you have, and work from there. Certainly there are titles that you enjoy having as hard copy. Sell off the ones that don't bring you much enjoyment (gameplay, or aesthetically), and use that to fund other endeavors within the hobby. It's generally good to make something pay for itself.

aitsu124

Keep your collection. If there's a few games that you really don't play, sell them, but you should definitely keep the rest.

If you liked collecting carts while the prices weren't so bad, I recommend you get into the FDS. It's like collecting carts, but cheaper and more complex. Granted, some games are still expensive (e.g. Kaettekita Mario Bros.), but games such as Zelda 1 and 2 and The Lost Levels can go for $30, $20, or even $15. Plus, since you want some more Mario stuff, you can flash Tonkachi Mario onto a bootleg disk (won't be official, that would require going to a certain store in Japan, but still owning a copy is something to be proud of).
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Yelir

What kind of Mario related things could you see yourself selling items to acquire? The game playing and collecting world can be at times stressful but I don't even cut corners or take an easy out. I try to meet new local gamers or join FB groups to find new members with similar taste and goals and it helps me take my time with purchasing.

I have had some of the best deals of my life from the past 2-3 years of collecting, but I do have a few other hobbies and a keen eye for deals in the used shops. It's extremely difficult to supplement my collection without eBay, and it is even harder with the weak Canadian dollar right now. Roll with those punches we're all here to cheer you on!  :pow:

fcgamer

Quote from: Yelir on May 08, 2016, 07:47:00 pm
What kind of Mario related things could you see yourself selling items to acquire? The game playing and collecting world can be at times stressful but I don't even cut corners or take an easy out. I try to meet new local gamers or join FB groups to find new members with similar taste and goals and it helps me take my time with purchasing.

I have had some of the best deals of my life from the past 2-3 years of collecting, but I do have a few other hobbies and a keen eye for deals in the used shops. It's extremely difficult to supplement my collection without eBay, and it is even harder with the weak Canadian dollar right now. Roll with those punches we're all here to cheer you on!  :pow:


This is the same for me, I've had some amazing finds over the last year or so.  With that said, collecting is also beginning to lose some luster for me, as I approach the end.  Some of the last games I need are expensive ones, and after running this marathon for so long, it just begins to feel endless.
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nerdynebraskan

I'm sorry you're having a hard time, Bob-Bob.

It's true that prices on retro games aren't what they were 5 years ago. And I have seen how that has priced a lot of interested players out of the hobby. And the NES/SNES booms here in the States have inevitably jacked up prices on Japanese stuff, for reasons I probably don't have to explain here. Even Genesis is finally taking off, probably thanks to collectors who gave up on collecting NES/SNES stuff because of prices.

This is supposed to be a fun hobby. If you're not having fun with it anymore, maybe you should change gears. I wouldn't make a rash decision, to echo the warnings here from others who've resold parts of their game collections only to regret that and realize they can't afford to re-acquire what they once had. But it seems like anything Nintendo is going to be red-hot for years to come.

Good luck to you, in whatever direction you choose to go.
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Zycrow

I've only been buying FC games since 2014 and I feel like the prices are pretty good compared with a lot of the US retro games. A lot of times if there's a very rare or expensive game on NES, you can find the FC version for a fraction of the cost - see stuff like Mighty Final Fight, Gun Nac, or Duck Tales 2. Sometimes the opposite is also true.

I just enjoy playing games. I see cost and rarity as boundaries that need to be approached carefully to enjoy the hardware in its original state. If the boundary is too big, I take another route - I picked up a Mega Everdrive to play rare MD games, and a Turbo Everdrive to play most of the PC Engine library.
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Bob-Bob

Quote from: Yelir on May 08, 2016, 07:47:00 pmWhat kind of Mario related things could you see yourself selling items to acquire?


Right now mostly official Japanese guides, but I also want boxes and manuals from both the US and Japan. Not to keep, but to make good quality scans. I'm trying to build a repository of reference material.

GreenKoopa

I only got into famicom collecting a little over six months ago and think that famicom is reasonably cheap to collect. Heaps of excellent games in the US$3 to $15 range. Which games are you wanting to buy that you believe have become too expensive?

I can see identify with your frustration with trying to buy games. A few of the major famicom dedicated online stores are disgracefully overpriced and the same applies to 95% of the stuff on ebay. Also, as a general comment with no specific reference to anyone, in my experience I have found it cheaper most of the time to buy games from stores in Japan that have an online internet store than it is to buy here on famicom world. And of course, the cheapest way to buy games is to visit Japan in person :)

The other thing affecting pricing is the current situation with the US dollar, which has appreciated 10 to 30% against many other currencies. Some people are still pricing things in US dollars, so for Americans there is no relative price difference over the last few years, but for everyone else everything has become 10 to 30% more expensive.

Finally, instead of giving up on collecting, maybe refocus your collection? Instead of buying for the sake of collecting sets etc, focus on what you really enjoy. For me, it's great two player games that I can enjoy with others.   

famifan

QuoteI'm not sure if anybody would even be willing to buy what I have given the current market prices.


it thoroughly depends on how you defined 'the current market price'. What if you calculated it wrong?

in my definition, the current market price is the maximum price that people are willing to pay for something. So, if you can't sell something over a long period of time, then the problem is your price is not the current market price. Market price is not about the price the seller asks for, it's about the price the buyer really pays.

over the last few years, i can notice only that the bargains almost disappeared. That's totally expected as they can't last forever.

C64c

I have just started buying into the Famicom. Prices I'm paying I think are ok but I expect to pay more based on importing from overseas.  :redcart: