Old video games and Ebay

[pontifex]

I cleaned out my old closet at my parent's house last week and found some old video games - SNES, NES, and TG16.

I saw on ebay some were going for a bit of money so I thought I'd see what I'd get.

1 of the TG16 games (Samurai Ghost) sold for $71.99!! Another one sold for $45 (Somer Assault).
The first one had the manual, 2nd one didn't.

Sold a SNES copy of FF3 - just the game for $32.

I had a PS3 copy of Guitar Hero World Tour - game and guitar pack with all accessories and original box - that's currently at $50 but part of that has to go to shipping.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for DS is at $10 currently

Also sold:
Original Contra for NES for $12.50

Super Mario World (SNES) for $7.00
Super Mario All Stars for $8.50

Breath of Fire 3 strat guide for $10
Lunar Silver Star Story strat guide for PS1 - $5
Castlevania SotN guide for $5

These are all used items too, most are just the game cartridge, no box, no manual.

I sold a bunch of PS1 and PS2 games a few years back but don't think I got much for the stuff. I should have some more TG16, SNES, and NES games somewhere. Must be in another box I missed. Hopefully I'll get some more for those!

 

[Tweak155]

I threw out my guitar hero world tour stuff lol.

 

[gothamhunter]

Calling ExDeath.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

i have some snes/nes games but profit seems kind kind of low for those. Are those prices before shipping costs/ebay fees?

 

[Fallen Kell]

It all depends on the games. Now that most Gamestops have stopped selling PS2 games, you can expect to see them starting to go up in price on Ebay (at least for good uncommon games/gems).

 

[pontifex]

i have some snes/nes games but profit seems kind kind of low for those. Are those prices before shipping costs/ebay fees?

before ebay costs and shipping

some stuff doesn't sell very well but others does. Depends on the game. Check what it sold for previously on ebay and then decide.

 

[Aikouka]

It's pretty rare that I do free shipping on my eBay auctions. However, I am rather meticulous, and I enter all of the packaging dimensions and weight. A kitchen scale is an awesome item for anyone selling a modest amount of smaller items. I use a bathroom scale for anything over 10 pounds. To make sure that my values aren't off, I normally watch the person at FedEx or UPS check the item in, and my values are spot on.

I've had some odd times selling games in the past. For example, I sold some of my game consoles prior to the next generation's launch. This one lady was trying to get a PS3 for her son, and a previous buyer had screwed her over. So, I shipped her the unit, and when she got it, she told me it didn't work. I was rather perplexed since I knew the unit worked when I packaged it up. At first, I thought it broke during shipping, but then I realized, "Oh wait... hold the power button down for 10 seconds." If the output settings aren't compatible with the TV, the console won't output anything, and that's what happened.

I've had mostly good experiences selling things though. I think people usually appreciate that I'm quick at shipping. All of my items are packaged up, so I just leave them in the car. If you buy my item prior to lunch, I'll drop it off while I'm out. If it's an expensive item and you buy it after lunch, I'll sometimes go out of my way to get it out the same day. I also normally pay for insurance out of my own pocket, but I don't charge buyers for it. ...mostly because no one ever pays for it, and the last thing I want to do is get screwed over by a negligent carrier.

Overall though... you'd be surprised what crap people will buy. I had an old Logitech Z5450 speaker system that had a failed speaker. So, I parted out the majority of the system. The tiny remote control alone sold for $25!

I threw out my guitar hero world tour stuff lol.

I sold all of my Guitar Hero and Rock Band stuff for about $250. The games were just sitting on a shelf and the "instruments" were just sitting in storage; so, it's not like they were doing me any good. Honestly, the worst part about it was finding a box to ship that stuff in. I actually shipped them in a Christmas tree box.

 

[exdeath]

Meh ebay.

So glad I have all the expensive games I care about before the retro collector/reseller craze exploded: aka most all RPGs for all systems.

 

[pontifex]

damn, didn't know Ebay took 10% of the shipping costs also. greedy bastards.

I made $303 including shipping costs, after shipping it's $223. After ebay fees I net $191.

the thing is, I never expected to get what I got for some of those games. Had I put them up on the FS/FT forum, my prices would have probably been way lower.

 

[Aikouka]

damn, didn't know Ebay took 10% of the shipping costs also. greedy bastards.

Yep. :\ Honestly, it's probably because people abused the system in the past. If they didn't also include your shipping rates, people would just start selling the items for low amounts but jack up the shipping costs. Some people still do that, but it's more of a scam to capture unaware people than curtail eBay's system. I usually report those auctions as exceptionally high shipping costs are against eBay's ToS.

 

[pontifex]

Yep. :\ Honestly, it's probably because people abused the system in the past. If they didn't also include your shipping rates, people would just start selling the items for low amounts but jack up the shipping costs. Some people still do that, but it's more of a scam to capture unaware people than curtail eBay's system. I usually report those auctions as exceptionally high shipping costs are against eBay's ToS.

But then eBay forces a max shipping price on certain options also which is usually too cheap

 

[Aikouka]

But then eBay forces a max shipping price on certain options also which is usually too cheap

I've never run into a problem with not being able to charge accurate shipping costs. However, I put my box's dimensions and weight into eBay at listing so it can calculate the shipping costs. You actually do get a bit extra because you get discounts through eBay, which aren't factored into the amount charged to the buyer. Said discounts won't make up for buying a box or whatever, but that's why I have a ridiculous amount of boxes from Amazon, Newegg, etc.

 

[Soundmanred]

How much can I get a N64 with two controllers, Goldeneye, Star Wars, and Crash Bandicoot for?

You can't get that for any price.

 

[Arkaign]

I've never run into a problem with not being able to charge accurate shipping costs. However, I put my box's dimensions and weight into eBay at listing so it can calculate the shipping costs. You actually do get a bit extra because you get discounts through eBay, which aren't factored into the amount charged to the buyer. Said discounts won't make up for buying a box or whatever, but that's why I have a ridiculous amount of boxes from Amazon, Newegg, etc.

I can't remember the exact details now, but I remember being limited to $3.99 for shipping even when actual shipping costs were much higher (sets of NES games and other bundles of old games I had sold on there). They have fixed that since I believe, because I haven't had that same problem recently.

As a seller, I've changed my tactics to just ALWAYS doing free shipping, but factoring that into a very fair BIN price. That way you can't get downrated for shipping costs. I can't tell you the amount of sheer *Expletive* worthless scum that will buy something from you on Ebay and then give you a crap rating for shipping price if you don't do that.

Example : you sell item X @ $27.50. It costs $9 to ship it due to size/weight, just the postage, not including the box/tape/bubble wrap, etc. You charge $3.99 for shipping (simply because it was the max available). After the new box and bubble wrap is included the real price is more like $13-$14. After paypal/ebay fees, that $27.50+$3.99 ($31.49) is more like $25ish net to you. After the losses on shipping costs, you come out with roughly $15ish? And THEN some a-hole gives you bad ratings for shipping cost for charging less than half the actual cost listed on the label.

Basic rule of thumb : people are absolutely horrible, so give them as little chance to affect your life as possible.

 

[Aikouka]

I can't remember the exact details now, but I remember being limited to $3.99 for shipping even when actual shipping costs were much higher (sets of NES games and other bundles of old games I had sold on there). They have fixed that since I believe, because I haven't had that same problem recently.

Are you sure you aren't talking about Amazon? I've been on eBay for a long time, and while I'm certainly no power seller, I don't recall being limited on shipping fees. Now, Amazon on the other hand... they limit your shipping fees, which you see even when you buy the things. "Wow! Everyone just happens to charge $2.99 for shipping!"

As a seller, I've changed my tactics to just ALWAYS doing free shipping, but factoring that into a very fair BIN price. That way you can't get downrated for shipping costs. I can't tell you the amount of sheer *Expletive* worthless scum that will buy something from you on Ebay and then give you a crap rating for shipping price if you don't do that.

I find that it doesn't really matter. If people sort by price, which includes shipping, I normally come out ahead depending on their location. I charge actual rates for most of my auctions, and I have a 5/5 rating for shipping charges.

My ratings are:
Description: 5/5
Communication: 4.9/5
Shipping Speed: 4.9/5
Shipping Cost: 5/5

Although, both of those 4.9s bother me a bit. I usually send my communication through the message box when I print the shipping label. In that box, I say the date when I will ship it, and when the package should start moving. What more do you need? If anything changes or I notice something odd, I'll send a message about it. When someone bought my iPhone 5, he almost sent it to his old address, which I caught the error.

As for shipping speed, as I mentioned above, I usually go out of my way to get packages out quickly. If you want it shipped faster, then pay for faster shipping. :|

not including the box/tape/bubble wrap, etc. ... After the new box and bubble wrap is included the real price is more like $13-$14.

Why are you paying for most of that stuff? Yes, I'll sometimes buy bubble wrap, but a $5 roll lasts for quite a while, and I only use it for more expensive items or breakable things. Boxes? I save my boxes from Amazon and Newegg. Those aren't good enough? Go to your local grocery store! Packaging material? Use plastic bags. They're less annoying than peanuts, easier to use (very simple to stuff in nooks and crannies) and free. I have two huge bags (the clear plastic ones that UPS leaves packages in when it's going to rain) full of plastic grocery bags.

 

[Arkaign]

Yep, it was Ebay. It was for a group of NES carts. I probably could have talked to support and gotten it fixed, but was too busy to bother. $3.99 was the highest it would let me set it.

I've had a few knuckleheads, but am sitting at exactly 300 feedback now with 100% current positive ratings, and the only 4.9 is because of one particular jackhole.

The guy buys something at 11PM on a Saturday night. I see it Sunday morning, print the label, seal the box, and mail it at 8AM Monday. With USPS Flatrate PRIORITY box. Guy complains that shipping was slow, and he gets it Wednesday. Some people are just beyond ridiculous. (the shipping was listed as 'standard').

I had an extortion attempt on there that I fought for over three weeks of daily calls with Ebay support until they finally removed the bad feedback and closed the case. Guy had bought a laptop from me which was clearly labeled for parts/repair, and which in 24pt bold font mentioned the things which work and which didn't work, along with a ton of detailed photos. Guy opens case 'Laptop is not new! Laptop does not work!'. No crap genius, the title of the auction is 'Non-working laptop for parts/repair'. Not to mention it was like $60 or something like that with free shipping. Guy wanted $50 partial refund (to keep everything), I countered with an offer for a full refund on return of my item, and that's when he kept pushing it further and further into insanity. Giving him $50 would have actually lost me both my money AND my item.

I don't order enough stuff to have enough boxes to keep, nor does the shape always match what I'm shipping close enough.

Ebay fees are horrible, and the overall system is absolutely incredibly flawed and easy to abuse. If I hadn't called in several times a day for over three weeks, I would have a negative mark still on my account. Despite the clear fact that any idiot working at their support could read his messages and view the listing + photos that clearly showed he was a scammer. His profile was FULL of negative ratings for others as a buyer, he was a serial scam artist.

Basically anyone can buy anything on Ebay, claim they either didn't get it, or that it was 'not as described', and they get free stuff. They can just send back a box of rocks (this has happened to someone I know personally, in place of a $2,000 camera).

So in the end I just use Ebay to clear random stuff that is not worth a lot, but is unlikely to find a local buyer easily. Craigslist has it's own problems. Lately I've found facebook garage sale groups are becoming better and better.

 

[Subyman]

Luckily, a lot of stuff I sell is vintage and can go through Etsy. I've had a great time using Etsy to sell. If it is older than 1994 then it is vintage and can go there. I haven't seen a lot of games on Etsy, but I've had an easy time selling other 80's video game memorabilia. They have a 20c listing fee and only take ~3%. They also offer discounted shipping and direct deposit to your banking account. I believe their processing fee is lower than paypal.

I only use Ebay for computer parts I want to dump quick otherwise the fees are too high.

 

[Sonikku]

damn, didn't know Ebay took 10% of the shipping costs also. greedy bastards.

I think they do that because they get so many people that are practically giving away something for the buy it now price, but get their money in shipping. Take Magic the Gathering cards for example. Cost of a card? 50 cents. Cost to put it in an envelope and stamp it? 5 dollars. That stamp had better have been licked by Jesus.