Old gaming systems

[writerguy]

I know that a lot of the forum members here are into old school gaming, so I figure that some of you might have an answer to this:

Where are old systems like Atari 2600s, Commodore 64s, TRS-80s, Intellivisions, and other systems of the 1980s available?

Any information anyone has would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[ctophil]

Well, I accumulated my collection from the following places over the years.

1. http://www.ebay.com -- Ebay is always the best place online for its large customer base. So you can get really rare stuff if you look everyday.

2. http://www.playntrade.com -- They have local stores around the country. Check to see if there is one near you.

3. http://www.gogamexchange.com -- These guys also have local stores. I bought a majority of my classic systems and games here.

4. http://www.craigslist.org -- Another good source online. I recommend not just going local areas. Contact people in other states as well. They usually will ship it to you anyways.

5. http://www.amazon.com -- Here is another large marketplace of folks selling classic systems and games. Some sellers here can be quite overpriced. So watch out. Do research on Ebay to see the current value first.

6. http://www.jjgames.com -- Good site that actually tells you the condition of the system or game before you buy it. I recommend it, fast shipping and games in great condition even though it only says "good condition."

7. Flea markets -- I used to search these local places when I was younger. But the system or game condition is usually lame. But you never know, sometimes you can find retro gems once in a while.

[writerguy]

Thanks for the list of places. It's a great help in at least starting to find some of these great systems and games. I appreciate the help.

[DPsx7]

1 and 7 are my options as there aren't any good 'retro' shops around here that I know of. Problem is Ebay isn't a good place to gauge prices as any yokel could pull a price from their ass and claim it's the only one on the site. Look for bids to determine what's fair. Most of my really retro items were hand me downs.

[ctophil]

There's nothing like doing a bunch of research on retro consoles and their games before going out to buy them. This allows you to figure out their values and create a budget for collecting. Also, you will be well informed on what console you truly want to collect instead of just nostalgic value. A good site to start reading at is http://www.racketboy.com. This is one of the best web sites on the internet to do research, and it's just plain fun reading about your favorite or that obscure game system no one has heard before. They also have sections that talk about the most expensive and rare games currently, as well as the least expensive ones to get you collecting right away. Check out their Retro Gaming 101 area to get started: http://www.racketboy.com/guide/retro-gaming-101.

I also recommend you read up books like Videogames Hardware Handbook Vol 1 & 2 by the publishers of Retro Gamer Magazine. Those two books combined will tell you what systems you're missing and a mountain of information on each console. The only problem is that they do cater towards the UK market and may talk about consoles you don't really care about. But still a good value. You can't buy the physical editions anymore, but you can download the digital copies here: https://www.imagineshop.co.uk/bookazines/videogames-and-retro.html

Good journey on retro collecting!

[writerguy]

Thanks Ctophil. That looks like a great site. I'll definitely be spending a bit of time reading through the new wealth of information that you've pointed to there. I appreciate all of the help so far.