ColecoVision collection on eBay

[mumbai]

And judging by the amount of money people have been paying lately for boxed games that I would consider commons, this collection is most certainly worth the selling price (with substantial savings on individual shipping costs). I've seen games sell for $30, and a few weeks later, the same game sells for close to $300.

And I think I can put a name to one clear example of that, one which puts you on the $300 side of that equation, something that erodes whatever point is to be made here. Shipping costs be damned. If "collectors" don't factor shipping prices into individual item bids, that point is moot, not to mention one that no one seems to care to argue except in a defensive manner. The auction sold and I'm sensing no one detracting from that, rather it seems a number of people have weighed in on why they themselves felt no need to bid.

 

I've certainly been there (have paid substantially more for a game than I should of). Lately , it seems almost every CIB colecivison game selling (common or not) is selling for upwards of $100.

Again very true, but the fact is those people are doing exactly what you were doing...overpaying. You, chuys450, and a few other people are one of the main reasons why prices are where they are right now. You paid over $130 for that boxed Oil's Well (by outsniping chuys450)...then, a few weeks later, I got mine for half that without the two of you bidding on it. Some other new people have shown up and started bidding crazy prices as well.

wickey's position is a gross exaggeration, though it cannot be denied that a somewhat disproportionate number of titles have gone over the $100 line in the past few months compared to past eBay averages. pingvin's underlying point is that, on eBay, it really only takes two people for any given auction to go overboard, which explains in large part the see-sawing of final auction prices. That, and there's no authoritative notion of grading or valuation in this particular collecting space (not to mention lack of reliable "supply" or "demand"). The Oil's Well auction pairing is somewhat illustrative, though from what I recall, neither specimen was is great shape, something that may not factor in to some buyers' decision-making, but a point that always seems to get lost when people start measuing up their eBay hauls.

 

Yes, the CV market is very volatile right now...but that won't last.

Oh, how many times have I heard that one before?

[+Psionic]

pingvin's underlying point is that, on eBay, it really only takes two people for any given auction to go overboard, which explains in large part the see-sawing of final auction prices. That, and there's no authoritative notion of grading or valuation in this particular collecting space (not to mention lack of reliable "supply" or "demand"). The Oil's Well auction pairing is somewhat illustrative, though from what I recall, neither specimen was is great shape, something that may not factor in to some buyers' decision-making, but a point that always seems to get lost when people start measuring up their eBay hauls.

That is exactly my point...the final price of the two auctions had little to do with the actual items themselves and everything to do with who was bidding. No, neither one was in immaculate condition, and yes, the copy he won may have been in better condition, but it was not in so much better condition that it should sell for $50 more...just as that Star Wars: TAG that lakesideman sniped from wickey was not in so much better condition that it should sell for $80 more than the copy I bought from Zwackery for $14 (which wickey tried to bid on and was not able due to Zwackery's bid restrictions against Canadian bidders).

 

Yes, the CV market is very volatile right now...but that won't last.

Oh, how many times have I heard that one before?

Well, it's hard to say...as I posted earlier in the week, I'm not denying that CV prices are going up and CV games are being taken more seriously as collectable since much of the supply out there is drying up. My ultimate point is that there are simply a lot of people overpaying for stuff, and despite the fact that wickey had a very nice collection, it was not exactly put together on the cheap and could have been assembled much cheaper with more patience. As I already stated, I have a relatively modest CV collection in comparison to his...but if I were to sell mine, I'd actually make money on it. wickey states that his collection was well worth his asking price ($5,100). Fair enough...only problem is, he stated himself in the auction that he spent over $8,000 assembling it. He says he had fun collecting it...more power to him...but losing $3,000 on a collection is not my idea of a good time.

Edited September 4, 2007 by PingvinBlueJeans

[mumbai]

wickey states that his collection was well worth his asking price ($5,100). Fair enough...only problem is, he stated himself in the auction that he spent over $8,000 assembling it. He says he had fun collecting it...more power to him...but losing $3,000 on a collection is not my idea of a good time.

Not that I would bother to tally up known purchases, but I would hazard a guess that the $8k figure includes additional sideline activities like the acquisition of numerous (20?) TeleGames Personal Arcades from A2600.com for flipping on eBay, etc. Otherwise, I would have to question the haste in taking a 35% loss if liquidity weren't at stake (which, apparently, it wasn't). Though the why's don't really matter at all. Anyway...

[wickey27]

Take a look at my ebay purchase history (as I'm sure many of you have) and do the math for yourself....it seems many of you have kept pretty good tabs on all of my past purchases…so it shouldn’t be too hard to realize exactly how much I have invested in this collection….

Did it ever occur to any of you that there are people in the world that do not consider money an issue? Not that I'm saying I have a money tree growing in my back-yard......but do not make "assumptions" unless you can back up your claims......I can certainly back up mine…..

 

BTW - I've been outbid by several reputable bidders MANY TIMES - such as Trade-n-games who outbid me to the tune of close to $300 each for several XONOX boxed games.....

 

Did I lose money on this collection? Absolutely....

Did I make it up on other ebay sales/flips? Absolutely!

Would I do it all over again??? ABSOLUTELY!!!

That's the fun of it for me!

Now it's time to move on.....

[Crazy Climber]

Colecovision...Bleh!

....can't stand those controllers

[+Psionic]

Did it ever occur to any of you that there are people in the world that do not consider money an issue?

Yes, it has...and it's a major problem in the world today.

 

Now it's time to move on.....

Truer words were never spoken.

 

Colecovision...Bleh!

....can't stand those controllers

Quiet you! Go play with your KidVid module!

[Murph74]

Did it ever occur to any of you that there are people in the world that do not consider money an issue?

Yes, it has...and it's a major problem in the world today.

 

Now it's time to move on.....

Truer words were never spoken.

 

Colecovision...Bleh!

....can't stand those controllers

Quiet you! Go play with your KidVid module!

 

I know it's not gonna be the popular opinion, but I kind of am inclined to agree with wickey here... It's not about the money for a true collector.

 

While the price was too high for me, it obviously wasn't for someone else. But the important part here is again defining the line between collector and dealer. If you're profit motivated, you're a dealer. If you're simply in it as a hobby and to enjoy it, you're a collector. I'm yet to find someone who is both, and I'm not sure it's possible. While it's nice to have your hobby have items that increase in value (baseball cards, antiques, classic games, etc), I'm of the opinion that if you're continuously selling things from your chosen hobby at a profit, that makes you a dealer. If you're selling off or trading the occasional double, then you're a collector. If you're selling off everything you have, then you're most likely either tired of collecting, got all you could, or are tired of everyone claiming to be a collector when they're really a dealer.

 

I've said it before, I have nothing against dealers, they serve a need and fill a void for the community. Without them, if nothing else, I'd be afraid to count the number of games lost forever when Grandpa gleans out the basement and thinks about throwing the kids old video games away (ala baseball cards) but decides instead to take them to the local gaming store where he rarely will get a fair sell price, but the games are at least not lost.

 

So, my point in ranting here is that if you ARE a collector, the price tag-- plus or minus-- isn't always the issue. Sure, cheaper is better, that's the greed-induced way of the world, but I've GIVEN away things to collectors who I believed were NOT profit motivated (like an Atari Video Music), but in it for the fun of it, and the enjoyment. With that, Wikey, you've impressed me by not being a victim of the profit monster. Thank you. Karma shall be on your side me thinks.

 

And I dare say any money you lost on your Colecovision journey was still a bargain compared to what you may have lost on a Meth habit or something less productive.

[Pixelboy]

And Pixel plese keep us posted on how this collection turns out-- I'm not expecting any surprises, but the pictures also left some details to be desired.

Well, I received the (rather large) package. It arrived last Thrusday, but I could only go pick it up yesterday (Saturday) at my local post office.

 

Upon opening the package, I was pleasantly surprised at the generally good condition of the boxes. Only a few are in really bad shape (Learning with Leeper, Smurfs, Sammy Lightfoot and Dam Busters), the rest are in a more than acceptable shape. There was even an extra game, box and manual included, that wasn't even mentionned in the auction description, namely Mr Do's Castle!

 

There's not much more I can say right now, because I don't have time to test all the carts (I'll get around to that eventually), but overall, I'm glad I acquired this collection, despite its high asking price.

[jboypacman]

Congrats on the purchase and if you ever get a chance i would love to see some pics of this collection on display in your home.