Is ebay ruining our hobby?

[SS]

Am I the only person around here who plays his original collection he bought in 1977-84 or so and doesn't really go out of his way to buy second hand games?

 

I think so. The idea of not hunting for carts and playing only what I had in the 80s (maybe 15 or so carts) is so forign an idea to me that I can't even comprehend it!

[MegaManFan]

Let's face it - at any given time something that's not really rare or valuable can sell for a ridiculous amount of money. Conversely, something that's extremely rare (like a copy of River Patrol) can suddenly pop up out of the blue for $6. That's the yin and the yang of eBay. I tend to bargain hunt for good deals, splurge occasionally on something I want, and pass up the rest. I also don't limit myself to eBay - I hunt for games locally, trade with other collectors, and attend gaming conventions.

 

Does eBay ruin the gaming hobby? Let's look at things objectively from the example you cited. Pawn Store Owner A looks at a selection of 20 common Atari carts on eBay being sold by an overly ambitious seller. He notes the starting price of $2.99, and never bothers to check to see whether they actually sold for that price. If the seller was lucky, maybe one did, or two (probably Ms. Pac-Man and Pitfall). Owner A prices all his Atari carts at $2.99. Consumer B is your average collector. He hits thrift stores, garage sales, and occasionally even gets a bargain on eBay. When B meets A he asks, "Why are these carts so expensive?" A says they sell for that on eBay. B tries to explain that just because they get listed for that price doesn't mean they sell for it. A is obstinant and says, "Ey that's the price - if you want it you pay it if you don't you won't." What's the answer? Walk away. Either some other schmoe will pay his ridiculous price, or the carts will sit in the store unsold and untouched for years; until finally the seller unloads them in a big lot on eBay and gets $20-$25 if he's lucky.

 

Bottom line, eBay doesn't ruin the hobby. Bad sellers don't ruin the hobby. Naive buyers (yes even me) who overpay for some things that aren't worth it don't ruin the hobby. The only thing that ruins the hobby is when you decide that it's ruined. If you look for bargains and stick to your guns, you'll get what you want eventually. If you want something right away and don't want to wait, you'll pay a little more and be happy. If you overpay for everything and resent it each time you're only doing one thing: fueling the end for yourself that much quicker.

[aikido_jason]

Not alot of goodwills or salvation army's in my area. Without e-bay , I would be Atariless!

[bcprs1]

All I can say is that if wasn't for ebay, I would never have been able to get all the games I have. Also, one good thing about ebay is that people now realize the games do have a value and are not throwing them away. I admit that some people are taking advantage, but I say give it some time. Eventually the market will cool off and the prices will come down again. I have already seen this happen with many 7800 games. Many of the carts that used to go for $30-$40 are now getting $15-$25.

[Stella'sGhost]

So, my long-winded point is that either we collectors are screaming that we're getting screwed or we collectors are crowing about the fact we screwed someone who was unaware of what this stuff is actually worth. I'm kinda tired of discussing values of carts in either direction. "eBAy's evil, blah, blah, blah." "I got Mangia for a dollar, blah, blah, blah."

 

Tiring....

 

This is true, it is boring but at least its usually new collectors who complain, I don't give a rats behind anymore, I just buy what I want at what price I want, like most of us.

 

But it doesn't bother me to read about it, complaints are all part of starting out.....

[AtariLeaf]

I always find it amusing, these trite comments. You're tired of talking about this but you made a long winded post anyway. Thats funny. My point, as some seem to be missing it, is that my regular haunts have steadily been going up for the past 3 to 4 years and I've always expected ebay had something to do with it.

 

Sure some yard sales, flea markets, thrift stores, etc charge more then others and thats to be expected but I'm talking about the places I go week after week showing a steady increase in the prices of the same item.

For example - 3 years ago: Pacman - $1.00, 2 years ago: $3.00, last year: $5.00, now: $6.00.

This game is no more rare now then it was 3 or 4 years ago but the price still goes up.

 

Now, if you read the original post, I have confirmation from the mouth of an employee in the store that ebay is directly responsible for the huge price jump.

[Snider-man]

And *MY* point was that this topic has been beaten to a bloody, pulpy DEATH. (Of course, here I am, writing on the subject, so that makes it a self-fufilling prophecy, eh?)

 

It seems like - everytime someone discusses cart prices in the wild/on eBay, it's either "I GOT SCREWED!" or "I SCREWED THEM!" Whatever...stuff is worth what you're willing to pay. The days of 50 cent Goodwill brags are over. And eBay is pretty much the setter of prices now that the common vendor has discovered that web address. If they're too high, don't buy.

 

Did eBay ruin the hobby? No more than any other method used to set prices. It's like saying the DP guide ruined the hobby. Or the VGB ruined the hobby. Or JerryG's pricelist ruined the hobby. Or the AA Rarity ratings ruined the hobby. Or blah-blah-whine ruined the hobby.

 

I'm done on the subject.

[MegaManFan]

Did eBay ruin the hobby? No more than any other method used to set prices. It's like saying the DP guide ruined the hobby. Or the VGB ruined the hobby. Or JerryG's pricelist ruined the hobby. Or the AA Rarity ratings ruined the hobby. Or blah-blah-whine ruined the hobby.

 

I'm done on the subject.

 

Count on your friendly neighborhood Snider-Man to sum up so succinctly what it took me a whole page and a half to say.

[AtariLeaf]

Geez, like I said before, I'm new here and haven't seen a similar thread myself so I posted my observations. Didn't know I was going to be gang raped for it though. . .

[MegaManFan]

Geez, like I said before, I'm new here and haven't seen a similar thread myself so I posted my observations. Didn't know I was going to be gang raped for it though. . .  

 

Buck up ILCA. I don't see the posters here as personally attacking you, more just attacking the notion that eBay ruins Atari collecting. Seperate the two and you'll see you're not being "gang raped" at all. For better or worse you probably stumbled on a sensitive subject for a lot of folks.

[AtariLeaf]

Ironically, I just checked the mail and guess what arrived?

Two games (Jr. Pac man and Robot Tank) which I paid $6 and $5 respectively. So I'm not anti-ebay. I just think that its existence is making some local vendors more "aware" then they would have been. I mean come on, these little old ladies and junk store managers aren't consulting obscure classic video games price guides but everyone does know of ebay and most have visited it.

 

And are people sensitive you say? I guess so! You'd think I slapped their mothers for crying out loud