Which style of thrift store

[totallyterrificpants]

It also depends where you live. In a small town the old games go to the pawn stores or they go to eBay, in a bigger city there may just be 10 areas near you they could go to.

 

Unfortunately most people think they have gold just because it's old. Tapes I got for 10 cents people have on eBay for $30 buy it now. To me most tapes are worth $2 max and of course the occasional one maybe $10 max. No way you are getting $30 for a tape of a kids show I used to watch and I want to laugh at with friends. I'll pay $2 for that pleasure but no way am I doing $30.

 

Same with games. I got rid of ebay to save me from myself haha but in the wild as a rule $5 is my average for a common atari game, then about $15 for more uncommon stuff then it goes from there. On average my games were $6. Two most expensive games for me were Beat em and Eat em for $50 and Pitfall II for $30.

[Professor Gull]

I like the thrill of the hunt at times to find things "In The Wild". But it does get old driving around to 20 places and only coming home with minimal stuff. Time could be better spent doing other things like paying the games. I do work Craigslist or Let It Go or Offer Up though with decent success but its never an amazing deal. Then again do you want an awesome deal or pay slightly under Ebay and support your local retro store? That's kind of where I am at right now anyhow.

[The Eyeball Mural]

What style of thrift store will I most likely to find atari games and systems. Chain ones like goodwill or will I get more lucky going to a church thrift store To find something.

 

These days here in East Tennessee Atari and Intellivision cartridges are pretty easy to find. McCay's (a regional dealer in used books, video, games etc.) usually have lots of vintage carts to choose from at each of their two locations. The video game chain stores also have vintage carts in their used bins. My brother is kicking his retrogaming and collecting into high gear and he keeps making amazing discoveries by prowling around stores in Knoxville. The other day he found an Odyssey2 complete-in-box sitting on a store shelf. A few years ago he went into a thrift store in Ohio and found a working, complete-in-box Vectrex with several games. Getting out and exploring can be worth the effort.

 

Twenty years ago around here I bought lots of Atari 2600 games new-in-box from Radio Shack and Toys-R-Us by using their in-store catalogs and by calling stores and asking about what they had in the back, but that's just a memory now. Radio Shack would take orders at the register from the in-store catalog and fulfill from a warehouse in Texas. They shipped directly to the customer's home. Goodwill also used to be a pretty reliable source but not anymore.

 

These days eBay and Craigslist are of course good sources. Etsy might have something occasionally. Exploring online can be just as fruitful as exploring in the real world. But don't forget to ask relatives and old friends if they have anything in the garage or the closet. Sometimes folks forget about something and a reminder can lead them to recall and put you in a position to acquire some goodies. I've picked up video game stuff from co-workers and relatives that way, stuff they had forgotten or had no interest in. And check out garage sales and estate sales. Find ads for those in your local newspaper.

 

You can also visit electronics component distributors or ham radio fests/field days and ask around. Any gathering of people who have an interest in electronics with an emphasis on hands-on work will possibly include folks who have some video game stuff or know someone that does. It's like hunting for or researching anything: if you enjoy meeting people, making friends and asking questions you'll amaze yourself at what you learn and what you find. Just don't be afraid to put forth the effort.

 

Happy hunting!

[Hannacek]

I want to update a previous post I made about Cassette tapes. Over 95% of the time when a tape sounds bad or is unplayable, it is because the little felt pad that goes behind the tape has fallen off, or needs to be replaced. You can just glue it back, or buy a replacement and glue in on, and the tape will sound great again.

[totallyterrificpants]

I'm down for anything music. I'm a guitar player and music lover first, Atari collector second.

[Keatah]

I like the thrill of the hunt at times to find things "In The Wild". But it does get old driving around to 20 places and only coming home with minimal stuff. Time could be better spent doing other things like paying the games. I do work Craigslist or Let It Go or Offer Up though with decent success but its never an amazing deal. Then again do you want an awesome deal or pay slightly under Ebay and support your local retro store? That's kind of where I am at right now anyhow.

 

Even in large metro areas this takes time and is always a crapshoot as to the condition.

[toiletunes]

This thread inspired me to give thrifting another try for old times sake. This is the closest I could find (besides PS2 Madden and VTech)

 

[totallyterrificpants]

The Ataris are a good band. On a punk kick, lately.

[The Usotsuki]

I only know one of their songs and it's a Don Henley cover (and iirc, it's on that album).