Tips for Collecting Nes Games

October 19, 2010 by Crystal Canole

I am an avid game player from Nes to PlayStation 3.  I enjoy old and new games.  I have recently, over the past year or so, begin collecting video games.  I have set aside an entire room in my house to be a gaming room.  I have many different systems but I decided to begin collecting Nes games.  


At first site, it is overwhelming to see the amount of games that were actually made for the system.  For me it was a goal set high that I must achieve.  In today's market on eBay, normal games are going from 1-5 dollars.  The rare ones and ones that contain the manual and box are obviously going for more.  


I decided to set up an excel spreadsheet to accumulate the total amount of money that I am spending on games.  In the beginning I was looking for ones that I wanted to play and buying separately. THIS WAS A BIG MISTAKE.  When you think about buying a game separately you are going to pay at least double what you would of paid if it came from a lot.  I then decided to start buying lots of Nes games and just reselling the games that I received from the lot that I already had.   


A real cheap way to get a collection going is by garage sale hunting.  At garage sales some games maybe only be .50 cents.  Some people see the games as old and useless so they just want to get rid of them.


Another way to get games for a good deal is by asking the people you already know.  A lot of people have old games and systems lying around that they do not care for.  These purchases will be amongst your cheapest investments into game collecting.


The last thing to consider are the rare games.  Rare games are gonna cost a lot more than a couple bucks but there are still some great deals out there.  The key to getting a good deal on rare games is knowledge.  Watch how much the game is selling for on eBay and look up what stores are selling them for.  I always use the rule of 10 dollars less than the lowest price I have seen the game going for.  I have gotten lucky with this technique and have gotten some really great games.  This is a very slow process though.  You may have to bid on multiple listings before you get your big break. 


In the end collecting video games is not going to make you rich one day.  You have to have the passion and drive for video games to make it.  This type of collecting is for pure enjoyment and realize that you will end up spending more money on the games than you will get when you go to sell them all.


If anyone has any questions or suggestions please do not hesitate to contact me.