Here in my country retro games used to be cheap and easy to find at flea markets and such, little did I know the craze would spread here too, had I known I would have bought more stuff when I had the chance instead of being picky and only getting what I absolutely needed.

Now the local flea markets are full of uneducated, barely literate people who heard retro games are all the rage aborad and hoard everything up, for someone who can't see well and can't legally drive such as myself it's an ever losing battle because I can't drive myself to these flea markets and there I can't see what's on sale quickly enough before a reseller swoops in and grabs everything retro they can.
Some of my dealers who used to sell me cheap games are now obsessive hoarders hoping to someday sell these games abroad since it appears we can't sell on ebay easily just yet(and thank god for that).

People who know nothing about games hoard these games and end up selling them or keeping them forever in hopes someday they'll be able to sell for huge profit. There's this old guy who sells n bulks for 10 euros a pop, except you have to buy hundreds of games from them and can't choose what you want, making it impossible for the average person to afford all that junk. I often deal with these people, they're despicable dealers in stolen goods, con men, people who can barely read or use the internet, they just heard from word of mouth about the value of these games and now believe that every old Nintendo game is worth a ton(they still don't seem to know other systems have expensive games too, fortunately) 
Even supposed friends of mine are now resellers and try to screw me over out of good hauls every chance they get, they literally interrogate me if I bought something, if somebody called, they borderline threaten me not to offer highrer prices than what they're willing to pay yet once they get the games aren't willing to share the loot with me and let me have what I needed. They know as an illustrator I make good money and can afford to and do pay more than anybody and that pisses them off to no end.

I'm glad I have a good retro collection, but at the same time it saddnes me to see amazing games go to these people who never play them or know what they are.
Earlier this summer I was offering to pay this old guy 2000MKD(which is a lot of money in Macedonia) for Snow Bros for NES, that's around $35-$40 which is big money here...he didn't sell it to me, ended up selling it to some guy from who lives and works in France, another lowlife uneducated reseller who just sells random junk there. He sold the game for less than 10 euros just because the guy bought over 100 games from him, all other games however were trash.

IMO guys, resllers especially the uneducated kind who knows nothing about this stuff, people who literally can not read the titles of the games they're selling, you have to see this to understand how pathetic it is, are ruining our hobby.
 

No they aren't. Gaming/collecting games becoming the cool thing to do did. Resellers see an opportunity and use it. Video game collectors made that opportunity. Not only that, but most resellers I know are collectors and use their knowledge of the system to help fund further video game purchases. It's just the way that collecting games has evolved. When more money gets involved, more people get involved for the money. I don't blame them for it. If anything, it is an indicator that our crazy hobby is becoming more and more mainstream.

Hopefully it'll get better for collecting over there in Macedonia. Would it be worth it to go and look in other countries?

That's pretty messed up. I can remember a day where I could walk into stores and buy games for cheap. The selection was amazing back in 2003-04, now it's just common junk and sports titles lining the shelves. You say $35 is a lot of money there in Macedonia. If true, then perhaps these resellers are exporting games elsewhere. The standard of living is pretty high in lots of places in Europe. Oh well. It is what it is. At least these games aren't going into dumpsters and landfills. But still I think the videogaming bubble may crest soon. I long for a day once again when retro games are cheap and plentiful. It's really the "collect everything" people driving up the prices rather than actual gamers.

Heads up, i can see this thread attracting a lot of negative attention. Just a heads up. A lot of people get sensitive when people complain about resellers and stuff. 

It's a tough market right now. Would it be nice if everyone who bought retro games would cherish them and share with everyone? Of course

But unfortunately no one is entitled to these games anymore than anyone else.

You just have to roll your sleeves up and beat these other people to the stuff you want. If the hobby is worth it to you it actually becomes kind of fun. A challenge.

Also makes you appreciate what you have.

Where you are from a different country though your experience could be much more frustrating than here in the US. 

The bubble will definitely pop to some degree. What I mean is, I see the same thing at certain yard sales here, where ANY retro game is immediately overpriced, higher than Ebay. I can understand high prices for truly rare or in-demand games, but these people don't know what they're doing, and just overpricing any video game hoping for fast cash. That's the bubble that will burst.

Another price thread, hooray!

The cost of bread has gone up 400% since the 90's

Farmers are hoarding grains and the damn bakers are reselling bread for an increased price. They're ruining the sandwich hobby.

^ this right here is perfect 
 

The booming craft beer industry swooped in and drove costs up further.
 

I usually stay out of these threads but seriously, enough already. It is what it is. Nobody's ruining anything. If anything stock is more readily available. What reseller complainers mean actually is that they don't like having to pay close to market value for games. Get an everdrive or prioritize your purchasing. What I'm really hearing is I can't find a $50 game for $5. Blame yourself...or god. if it distresses you this much maybe you should've gotten in earlier.

And now there's "market prices" because of that.  When I first started collecting, it was "compare this store's prices to gamedude and funcoland prices and buy from the cheapest place".

And mail order games didn't show quality of the item, you buy a used cart, you're not getting a CIB snes game. 

All these people are comparing current prices to one time when everything was at it's lowest (Which happened to be during the biggest recession since the great depression), and they aren't factoring in other items too.  Like how they're most likely making more money now then then, just like every other person collecting.

 

Fucking hipsters!
 

Hoarding *is* my hobby.

When I buy games and resell them, its because I am a collector.

When someone else buys the games I want to buy, DAMN RESELLERS ARE RUINING THIS HOBBY

Just do what I did and get an everdrive. I can play all the games and not have to shell out a dime to do so.

I play all my games on Retroarch and my modded consoles just fine and honestly don't notice a difference between hardware and emulation for 8 and 16bit systems. I sometimes play on hardware, sometimes use emulators, depending on mood.
I don't think you guys understand my biggest complain here

These aren't people who understand what video games even are, they're not people who know "the market" as there is no market for such things here. These people literally are not able to pronounce or even read the titles of the games they're selling. But the worst thing is they don't sell individually even if you offer a good price.
I pay more than anyone would in my country and everyone knows that by now hence why they're scared of me getting their hauls, but they refuse to sell me stuff now even though I offer more than anyone would for a single game, but they are these strange types who either want everything to go or won't split the hauls...and that everything for some of them amounts to over 1000 euros, nobody has that kinda money to waste on junk games for just a single good game.

Then there are those who despite my beyond fair price offers refuse to sell, period in hopes of selling abroad except one guy who tried that had his 100+ games confiscated at customs never to see them again.

And then we come to the last and biggest issue, they don't and can not differentiate between bootlegs and legit games and price them the same. When I was a kid my entire Mega Drive collection was bootleg carts that I bought at the same prices as my original cartridges and I only learned to distinguish them in the past few years, but these people don't care, whether it's a bootleg or an original they hoard it regardless and try to sell it for the same amount.
If I note that they're trying to sell me a bootleg they go up in arms saying I'm trying to swindle them.

I only know of one reseller who isn't being a dick about this and lets me have bootlegs for a dollar while the rest of the games for about $6-$10 per game which is fair, BUT he stopped selling now and is just hoarding...everything

EDIT: I'm glad that at some users seem to understand perfectly well where I'm coming form and why I find it annoying

ether way it's annoying and not something I can stand by and take idely just because it's happening all over the world, it bothers me and I want to voice that and want to say how I feel about it.
 

I've been in this hobby for a looong time. A little over 20years now!

I can remember in my early days of collecting Atari 2600 & NES.
This was in the mid 90's.

While goodwill shopping people would chuckle when I carried a vintage console to the checkout line.
My friends and I did not have much money. So we played old games, we could buy 15 NES games for the cost of one modern game.


Totally not like that now.

That's what I miss from the hobby.

We've heard it all before. That's why you're not getting an enthusiastic reply. Sorry, but it is what it is, and if there was something you could do about it, people would have done it already.
 

Everyone understands your complaint but it still reeks of entitlement. And you are by no means the first person to say this. This thread pops up on almost a weekly basis now. It's usually newer members/collectors. 

It doesn't matter what these people do with "their" games. If they want to light them all on fire and burn them that's their perogative. If the prices are too high or not what you want just order from online like everyone else has to do. What is stopping you from ordering things online???? If these people really are as bonkers as you say, why not just avoid them altogether?

The bootleg issue i can't relate because here in the US that's not really an issue........yet. 


EDIT: Also if you are totally fine with playing on emulators and such, why is this such a problem for you? It just sounds like you wish retro games were $4 like they used to be before they became popular. Things go up in price and like any business/hobby you are going to have people who are only in it for the money.  

It's hard not to hear whining and entitlement in threads like these.

I would love to have every SNES game i want, well guess what? I can't because they cost so damn much now. But i am not mad at anyone for that, i just pick the games that mean the most and pay the price and if i happen to come across them for cheap it's even better. If someone is asking a retarded amount for a game, i move on. 




 

Here's what's stopping me from ordering online
All this got lost never to be seen again:
SNES:
- Pocky & Rocky 2
- R-Type 3
- Violinist of Hameln
- Umihara Kawase

PS2:
- Gift - English version
- Summoner 2

I had to literally fight with my post office to get my misplaced Cotton 100% and a few days later had to go through the same shit to get my Rockman X as I explained in my topic about the post office

I offer them good prices for our region, better than good and they sitll refuse to sell
I do order online but it's very risky as it turns out

Edit: Also I disagree with the notion that I shouldn't be bothered how they use these games just because it's "their" games when I know they bought them for less than a dollar a piece and know the kind of people they are. I can pretend to be righteous and right, pretend that I'm cool with whatever somebody chooses to do with their own stuff but that would be one big fat lie and I'm an honest guy.

It bothers me and I like voicing that.

Of course I know this topic pops up on these types of forums and that's ok, people should rage about it if they feel like it, let it be it's part of the hobby and it's something that bothers many of us so sharing that with people who love video games helps ease the frustration. So don't get annoyed by it, just let it slide. Not everyone is as strong or as righteous as to not be bothered by these things.

Wait what's a "reseller"?

It's better that you don't know, son
just know that when you see one you grab your retro games and RUN! Don't look back just run and forget you ever saw it.



 

Well dude, it sucks, but it is what it is. It's no ones fault you live in a place that sucks for collecting and a terrible postal service. 

Out of curiousity are these products insured? I would assume you can have this stuff insured so when it is lost you at least get reimbursed for it.

So yes, a pain in the ass, but there are ways around it. I could be wrong but it seems insurance can easily be purchased.

http://pe.usps.com/text/Imm/mo_00...

Also if you are one of those people that is always worried what other people are doing/with their stuff " you're gonna have a bad time"

It doesn't matter what they bought them for. If you found a little samson for a $1 are you telling me you are NOT gonna sell it for market price?? Get real dude. 

Everyone misses the good old days of something. But to be mad and upset is just silly. 

EDIT: Just so you know i am no better than you, i felt the same way before. But after really anayzing it and having a lot of members here explain it to me in a perspective i couldn't see. They ended up being right. And i enjoy collecting way more now.