My Grandfather liked to tell me that; “one man’s trash is another’s treasure.” This didn’t mean he liked to shop at the city dump; more like he enjoyed buying run down pieces of furniture from thrift stores and garage sales which he could bring back to life.
Those days have long gone and today the world is a much different place. Back then people were just about giving away gaming related gear in garage sales and thrift stores. I actually remember playing my new Sega Mega Drive and thinking why would I ever play a stupid Master System again, I have a Mega Drive! These days on the other hand, we are seeing prices continue to rise.
It’s the Re-sellers!
I often hear people talk negatively about re-sellers; blaming them for current prices. To an extent I agree and to add to this I’ve come across my fair share of unscrupulous re-sellers who employ questionable tactics to obtain valuable loot. But as they say; it takes two to tango and like in any market, there are sellers and buyers.
Apples and oranges
Anyone who studied high school economics should understand that the price of a product is based upon the degree of its demand and the extent of its supply within a market (otherwise known as the law of supply and demand). A simple way to understand the law is to consider this: If apple growers experience a consistent warm summer, they are able to supply the market with a lot of product. This results in the retail price falling as each delivery arrives to the retailer. However, if bad weather causes a dismal harvest, growers aren’t able to supply as much to the market. They still need to be paid, so what does make it onto the wholesaler market will cost the retailer a little more, and the short supply often sees retailers raise prices; only allowing the customers who are prepared to pay a premium price enjoy apples, while others go without, or end up settling on oranges.
What the law of supply demand is telling us is that price is based off supply (sellers) and demand (buyers). My above example does demonstrate how a retailer (or re-seller) can have some control in the market, and as buyers we shouldn’t let em, because we are the demand! But really, as buyers who are we? Well let’s take a look back..
Layby?!
Thinking back to ’90s, we had something called layby. This is where the retailer holds onto a prized console while you (or your parents) drop into the store and make payments until it’s paid off. If you were lucky, bringing home a brand new console was closely followed by a birthday or Christmas where a new game would be at the top of your wish list.
Today I’m fairly sure layby doesn’t exist, simply because consumers want things on demand. In-store finance and credit cards have made it possible for even the average Joe to afford the latest console and a collection of titles to be proud of, and all within 30 minutes, not 30 days!
The on-demand mindset
This must have mindset doesn’t exclude retro game collectors, with eBay being the go to for a lot of gamer’s. eBay offers an on-demand service that covers a worldwide market. This enables collectors to search for a specific title, assess the different quality options, and based off all the information available to them (including price) make a decision to buy. All which can be done within 10 minutes, from the comfort of your home, with it arriving at your doorstep!
Premium service; Premium price
I understand that there are most likely people in parts of the world who may pick up things cheaper on eBay than in their local market, but for many of us we are paying a premium for this service. By rushing into that eBay purchase you’re only feeding re-sellers and enticing them to list a little higher next time.
I’m not saying don’t buy off eBay, as there are bound to be titles listed you’re not going to see elsewhere. Just please don’t be that collector that pays a premium for a game and then complains about re-sellers and how buying retro-games is getting expensive. Yes, I dislike these overpaying eBay buyers, however it’s the collectors who see eBay prices as market value who really grinds my gears.
Market value; pffft
The price a product sells for, on a site that is pretty much accessible by anyone with an internet connection, is its value within that given market. Local auction sites, Facebook groups, garage sales, flea markets, and op shops are not selling within a worldwide market and shouldn’t be priced or valued as they are.
Think about it like this; the sheer size of eBay results it in being a pull service. You tell it what you want and you pull a price from it. Anyone selling items via the other means listed above are pushing a product onto you, and doing so within a considerably smaller market. If they are happy to sell something for a quarter for what it sells for on eBay that’s awesome. The seller has moved something they didn’t want for a price they’re happy with and the buyer has come across something they may have wanted for a great price, We call it a score where I’m from. Should the buyer feel like he ripped off the seller? “Heck no” my Grandfather would likely say, “that’s his trash, and now your treasure.”
It seems like lately I’ve come across too many instances where a Bell end has piped up and told a green seller “He’s ripping you off” or “Its worth XXX.” All this because they’ve seen it on eBay, where a Knob jockey has had it listed for three months, waiting for a Dick head to come along and overpay, which then results in all the Bell ends, Knob jockeys, and Dick heads seeing sale price and believing that’s its market value, everywhere!
OK rant over, and to the ones that aren’t Bell ends, Knob jockeys, or Dick heads just continue what you’re doing. Take your time, shop around, and join a retro-gaming community where you can put titles up for trade. I have no issues with buying and selling on eBay, just sell fairly and consider how much you’re about to pay before you click that buy now!
Ramblings of a Retrogamer 