In Collecting

I've been reading different posts on this site for some time now and I feel so lucky to live in the Northwest ...(Seattle area) and man-o-man it's absolutely insane how much I've been picking up for dirt cheap. I just wish I could fly some of you guys who live in places without a lot NES opportunity out here so you can go crazy in the thrift stores, pawn shops and gargage sales. I started collecting because where I teach we have this rewards program called incentive day where kids get to do an activity once per quarter if they get their assignments in. I thought ...hey how about a videogame room? During the first couple incentive days I hosted we used only new systems but I thought why not have retro videogame day? Maybe these kids will appreciate some of the games I played when I was young? So I started hitting thrift stores and man I'm fully addicted now. Spending my own cash to finance it too. So far in two months collecting I've spent about 300 bucks and have the following NES items:

-7 complete NES systems (nice ones w/o yellowing or cracks) I passed on crappy ones.

-3 complete SNES systems

-80 games or so (mostly NES) Small typical example. The other day I met a guy off Carig's List who gave me 2 complete NES systems with 15 games (Tecmo Bowl, Castlevania...etc) for 40 bucks. The kicker? After I got them home and looked over all the games I found Contra in one system and SMB 3 in the other!!! Cool huh?

-mothership (standard controller which fits into base of joystick)

-2 NES advantages

-2 SNES advantages (one in box never used)

-4 score

-satellite (wireless)

-acclaim double player (wireless)

-6 zap guns 3 orange, 3 grey

-tons of extra controllers

-tons of extra cords, ac adaptors, rf(s)

-and much, much more!!! I do have a problem I think!!

in two months you got all that, and only spent $300? yeah, I wanna go there.

To the guy in Ottaws? Where do you find most of your stuff?

Ok ,so now I'm feeling a little guilty. Maybe not 300 when you include gas. Maybe like 500. Damn gas prices!! One lucky thing though? I do have 4 thrift stores within 3 mile radius of my apartment. I tell my wife, "I'm hitting the '4' and then I'll be home. Ha ha!! We gotta do what we gotta do right?

Oh, I don't .

Oh, I don't

Ok, Ok so what are things like on an average NES hunting day in Ottawa? Just curious.

Oh, I don't



Sounds like you got it pretty good there man! I have spent about $200-300 in the last six months and got just about as much, if not ... However, that is after hunting ebay for hours, upon hours, upon hours. It would be nice to just drive, buy, and then go home and play it! And with ebay you hardly ever get "freebies" like the SMB3 and Contra cart.

And around here most games go for $5 unless its a sports game then its proly $3-5 ... You can find better deals (Not much better) you just gotta look around.

Do you think it's the whole Nintendo starting in Redmond Washington thing? I mean what else are you going to do when it's so rainy and gloomy outside?

When I started in 1999 - 2000 I got plenty of deals every week. Now it's harder to find something I need and when I do it's usually overpriced.

Yeah, lately I've been trying to figure out what systems/games hit thrift stores and when? Cuz I mean someday we'll start to see ps2s and xboxs at second hand stores right? So you are saying NESs were most often in thrift stores in your area during the late 90s early 2000? Actually I think you are right. I did ask a gal who had been working at one thrift store for the past 15 years and she told me that NES systems and games were big around 2000. She said she saw them all the time. At least in my area would most of you agree that the PS1 is the most common thrift store system? I guess it would make sense then that we have entered it the "easy to find PS1s phase?" Man, if things seem to me to be this good now, I wonder how they would have been in my area around 2000? Lately my wife has grown tired of me coming home with stuff every single day but I can't resist...especially when it's so cheap and just around the corner. Some days I'll simply walk to the 4 thrift stores around me. I am so thankful I found this forum and so gald to know that there are other people out there just like me.

Wow.
That much stuff for only 300$ (we don't count gas prices here), that's great.
I thought Japan was good, but what you have there isn't bad, either.
Should I visit Seattle one time, be sure to show me the best places.