I want to start an auction, but need advice ...

[recspecz]

Hey, so I want to start my first Atari 2600 bundle auction, but I need some advice on a good starting price.

 

It's a 4-switch model that comes with 2 joysticks, one set of paddle controllers, the original tv-game switch box and a straight-connector I picked up from Radio Shack for a few bucks. It'll also come with 4 12-cart plastic storage containers and one stand-ip 12-cart sotrage tower. It has 127 games, ~50% of them have manuals (most of those are in very good shape), all listed below:

 

• Adventure
  
• Adventures of Tron
  
• Air Raiders
  
• Air Sea Battle
  
• Amidar
  
• Armor Ambush
  
• Asteroids
  
• Astroblast
  
• Atlantis
  
• Barnstorming
  
• Basketball
  
• Battlezone
  
• Berzerk
  
• Bowling
  
• Boxing
  
• Breakout
  
• Bugs
  
• Canyon Bomber
  
• Casino
  
• Centipede
  
• Championship Soccer
  
• Chopper Command
  
• Circus Atari
  
• Combat
  
• Crystal Castles
  
• Defender
  
• Demon Attack
  
• Demons to Diamonds
  
• Dig Dug
  
• Dodge 'Em
  
• Dolphin
  
• Donkey Kong
  
• Donkey Kong Junior
  
• Dragster
  
• E.T.
  
• Enduro
  
• Fast Eddie
  
• Fire Fighter
  
• Fishing Derby
  
• Football
  
• Freeway
  
• Frogger
  
• Front Line
  
• Frostbite
  
• Galaxian
  
• Ghostbusters
  
• Golf
  
• Gorf
  
• Grand Prix
  
• Hangman
  
• Haunted House
  
• Home Run
  
• Ice Hockey
  
• Indy 500
  
• Joust
  
• Jungle Hunt
  
• Kaboom!
  
• Kangaroo
  
• Keystone Kapers
  
• Laser Blast
  
• Lock 'n' Chase
  
• M*A*S*H
  
• Mario Bros.
  
• Math Gran Prix
  
• Maze Craze
  
• Megamania
  
• Millipede
  
• Missile Command
  
• Moon Patrol
  
• Mountain King
  
• Ms. Pac-Man
  
• Night Driver
  
• Othello
  
• Outlaw
  
• Pac-Man
  
• Phoenix
  
• Pitfall!
  
• Plaque Attack
  
• Pole Position
  
• Popeye
  
• Q*bert
  
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
  
• RealSports Baseball
  
• RealSports Soccer
  
• RealSports Volleyball
  
• River Raid
  
• Robot Tank
  
• Seaquest
  
• Skiing
  
• Sky Diver
  
• Sky Jinks
  
• Slot Racers
  
• Space Attack
  
• Space Invaders
  
• Space War
  
• Spider Fighter
  
• Spider-Man
  
• Sssnake
  
• Stampede
  
• Star Raiders
  
• Star Voyager
  
• Star Wars: Death Star Battle
  
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
  
• Starmaster
  
• Strategy X
  
• Street Racer
  
• Super Breakout
  
• Super Challenge Football
  
• Superman
  
• Surround
  
• SwordQuest: Earthworld
  
• SwordQuest: Fireworld
  
• Target Fun
  
• Taz
  
• Tennis
  
• Trick Shot
  
• Tron Deadly Discs
  
• Turmoil
  
• Tutankham
  
• Vanguard
  
• Venture
  
• Video Chess
  
• Video Olympics
  
• Video Pinball
  
• Warlords
  
• Warplock
  
• Yars' Revenge
  

 

I've also done the research and listed each publisher and label type as well as commented on the conditions (missing end label, name written in acrylic pen, etc.) Is $199.99 too high of a starting price? Should I go lower? I need this thing to be bought, but I also want to help bring back some of the monies I spent on collecting Atari.

 

Thanks for the advice.

[+Psionic]

I've also done the research and listed each publisher and label type as well as commented on the conditions (missing end label, name written in acrylic pen, etc.) Is $199.99 too high of a starting price? Should I go lower? I need this thing to be bought, but I also want to help bring back some of the monies I spent on collecting Atari.

 

Thanks for the advice.

I don't have experience selling system packages like this, but you should probably just list it at a fixed price (whatever price you'd like to get ideally) Buy It Now with a best offer option. I would think that would probably be a better strategy for selling it than listing it at auction with a very high starting bid like that, but I really don't know what people are paying these days for something like this.

[atari181]

If you auction it start it at .99, you will get lots of "early" bidders watching it and cost less to list it. Take lots of clear pictures, especially of the carts

[hhwolfman]

I've also done the research and listed each publisher and label type as well as commented on the conditions (missing end label, name written in acrylic pen, etc.) Is $199.99 too high of a starting price? Should I go lower? I need this thing to be bought, but I also want to help bring back some of the monies I spent on collecting Atari.

 

Thanks for the advice.

I don't have experience selling system packages like this, but you should probably just list it at a fixed price (whatever price you'd like to get ideally) Buy It Now with a best offer option. I would think that would probably be a better strategy for selling it than listing it at auction with a very high starting bid like that, but I really don't know what people are paying these days for something like this.

 

This is the best way. IMO HHW

[Cebus Capucinis]

Agreed! Something like this you'll guaranteed get fair price for it. I often balk at making .99 auctions for fear of bad timing or some other factor making my item sell for a lot less than it otherwise would, but with something like a VCS console with a nice set of games you're going to get a good price out of it in bids no matter what. I'd say use the free .99 offer eBay has right now, too, since you'll get free listing fees.