Possibly FS: 4 Famicom mystery packs.

[MaxXimus]

I am kind of in need of money at this point due to personal reasons and was trying to come up with ideas about how I could make some cash. This idea came to mind, but I wouldn't consider it unless there was interest.

Here is the idea.

4 bubble envelopes, each with famicom games in them. I would sell each bubble envelope for around $100 shipped to anywhere in Canada or the USA. (possibly other places depending on cost) I would label the envelopes 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each would have 4 random games from my collection, except for one. One of the envelopes would contain:

Somari
Super Mario World
Super Mario Bros. 2j
Bubble Bobble

Would there be any interest in this mystery sale? If all 4 sold, one person would come out a happy person. Post your thoughts.

[133MHz]

IMHO it's too risky to blow out a hundred bucks with only a 1/4 probability of getting the good stuff.

[MaxXimus]

I know the price seems high, but for the lucky one who gets the good pack, they would probably be happy.

Somari is about $25
Super Mario World is about $60
Super Mario Bros. 2j is about $35
Bubble Bobble is about $25

That's $145, a $45 savings.

I suppose in the other 3 I could include 1 Mario hack each.

It really was just an idea floating around in my head.

[133MHz]

Yeah I think rare stuff in every pack would be better, since the other three guys which paid $100 for common-as-dirt games would feel pretty ripped off.

[MaxXimus]

That would be the luck of the draw.

In any case, I'll just wait to get some more input from others before I make any choices.

[JC]

I think you're a bit off on your prices. You've got Somari and SMW about right, but SMB2j is worth about $20 max and Bubble Bobble is worth about $12 max, if that's a pirate. The real thing would be worth about $25. I agree, too risky.

[michaelthegreat]

I've sold mystery items to some success when I truely felt they were worth my asking price, but to me this seems like a slimy way to make 4 times the profit. I guess if it were a lot less money, I wouldn't feel nearly as strongly.

[MaxXimus]

Does $70 sound better?

[Paul-FC]

Does $70 sound better?

a little

[MaxXimus]

Well considering the person who would get the good pack would be saving a hell of a lot of money, I say it sounds like a good deal to me. Not everyone can be a winner you know.

[JC]

The logic behind this is the same as with "grab bags," usually of trading cards. The difference is that with grab bags you pay $1. So, I think this only works if people pay a small amount per bag.

In another sense, it's kind of like a raffle. In a raffle, there is always one big prize. You buy your tickets for cheap, hoping to get the prize. For instance, a school around here raffles off a $20,000+ car every year. The school doesn't make people pay $20,000 for each ticket, hoping they'll win the car. They pay $100 per ticket, which is easier to swallow. You, the seller, must maximize ticket sales to make your profit.

You would have to sell your "mystery packs" (tickets) for a cheap price, probably less than $15. In this way, though, you'd have to sell a lot more "mystery packs" (same as with the tickets).