This guy is 100% on the dot for the flea market experience. Back in the early 2000s I was so excited to spot any hidden game gems for cheap. Nowadays, every booth is practically the same and are all selling for retail price.
The problem is that there are multiple youtube channels bragging about getting these awesome deals. They then turn it over a week later, earning a profit. I don't blame flea market owners. Why let someone else keep that profit and then rub your face in it on a TH-cam video?
Exactly. As a gamer I always compare prices with the online averages, if the seller is way too overpriced I rather think, yeah no thanks man. This guy adds gems in the store for people to find for a steal, buying one of those makes us easier receptable to buy more from him, there is no shipping cost and its like a candy store. I think most of us would at least check the place out if we lived close to it.
@overused6632 gamestop is a game store, not a toy store. Same with this guy's business. I haven't shopped at a gamestop (as a previous regular customer) in like 4 years because they turned over half the store into stupid toys and "collectibles". I love dedicated game stores like this guy has.
It would be cool to see a game store / play place hybrid. Have every system up and let people try the games. These places always look like waiting rooms to me.
SNES release. Shop by me had like 4 systems and tvs. They sold games and you could test them for a while before you bought them. The golden age of gaming. Place was packed on weekends and after school.
yeah and you just don't need that anymore today thanks to facebook groups and subreddits. You can get that same feeling of community right at your finger tips
This guys is the most friendliest and kindest game store owner ever!! His shop is so welcoming and he makes you feel comfortable and sells and buys for a fair price!!
“It’s summer outside, it’s beautiful, school outs , you don’t have responsibilities, don’t have bills , moms making dinner “……. Bro I felt that to the CORE .💔
The genuine customer service shines with this guy. Way too many grumpy small store owners with a "get out of here" attitude that go belly up and wonder why they failed.
YES. like I get its tough being small business owner and having to compete with big business but if you can't compete in experience, why ppl want to shop at your place (and dont give me help local business/ economy stuff
Theyre so ancy about their collectibles. My local mall the dude who owns it eyes you like youre gonna steal it or worse break em Sadly we got a store like this guys who had comics collectibles they had gatherings for starcraft LoL fps yugioh magic gathering DnD etc. Games and get togethers. Then....covid made it flop sadly. Even some of the stuff was legit low cost
Yeah it always cracked me up when my boss/owner of the business would complain about how bad business was or how difficult it was to compete when they had TERRIBLE service and did nothing to compete. It's like I want to agree with you but honestly I can't, I wouldn't recommend anyone shop here.
This guy clearly knows his stuff and is the best combination of a shrewd businessman and genuine customer service advocate. Wish him and his business the best.
Guy will be in business forever. Care about the customer, focus on sales turnover and not margin, focus on customer experience. He's optimizing common sense. Nice work!
You don't make videos like this if you are doing well, you make videos like this because you are desperate for customers. Also, never believe what anyone says about how much money they make unless you see their monthly bank statements from the business.
@@GregoryAlanBaileygamereviews250k revenue and 75k profit, unless he's making minimum wage I can't imagine he's giving himself a salary. 75k is his take home, which is not good considering effort and risk.
@@arksin11 Did you not watch the video? He sells for cheaper than most stores. Physical stores increase the availability of retro games. Most people would not bother peddling their collections online, as shipping is a hassle. It's much easier to put them all in a box, bring them to some guy, and he just takes them all.
I can tell that vulnerability is what gained him a loyal following. He's real and he tries to be on the same page with you and do right by you. Mans got a good heart and passion.
He's emotional because his business is going to fail and his passion is not enough to save it. There is a huge reason why a business like this does not exist anymore, its all digital now and buying older consoles is a waste because no one can repair them well enough to justify keeping them around.
Was really interested in the video until 3:15... AI images are morally incorrect (from my POV). Hope you start using sotck photos since they are made without stealing from artists
Yeah, that pretty much did turn me off of the video. It's a bit disappointing you can't just find a few royalty free photos or just emphasize through his hand / body motions over photos. It's a bit silly
Having done business a few times (buying and selling) with Mark, he really is a stand up dude. No nonsense, quick, responsive, kind. Great dude. Love to see this.
I agree about how rewarding it can be. I’ve sold two games where the customer was literally crying bc they were so happy to have the game that they played with their late father. That was one of the best feelings in the world, to be able to sell them the game that means so much to them.
I remember selling an old game I had and not thinking much about it. But after they got it in the mail they sent me a message later telling me how happy they were to have a copy of something that meant a lot to them as a kid. It's super rewarding making that connection for someone.
hellyea id love to visit his store too im just a guy who loves games and its hard as shit to find old games even handheld consoles like the ds systems that are hard to find in good condition
Antique stores that cares about their product and what they're selling got so much history and love to them it's hard not to be interested to take a look even if it's not your thing in general.
No joke. This might be the first retro store I've seen the prices at and have thought to myself "Oh, well those are reasonable prices". lol. Seems like a great guy. Best of luck to him and his fantastic business.
jajaj you are missing the point its about nostalgia and owning phyisical things, some people like to touch smell stuff. Its not for everybody but its just basically the reason why most people collect stuff. @@anthonyfaucy2761
@@draguOdoT 1) These are multibillion dollor corporations who want everyone to everything back to them instead. 2) This is a good point but even then its just pointless as emulation has got to a point where its very good quality. Extra hardware is just clutter. 3) If anyone has enough intelligence to create a google account they have enough to figure out how to use emulators. Everyone has access to youtube and all they need to do is follow a video step by step. Its not rocket science. 4) Physical software and hardware is literal junk. Its plastic crap that is worthless. 5) Going to a store to buy a videogame is very outdated concept. With access to internet being so readily available why would anyone prefer the hassle?
His store is an OCD dream. I love how everything in your store is lined up perfectly and you utilize your space perfectly. Definitely the cleanest and professional looking store I’ve seen. Wishing you tons of success.
Now THIS is a video game store > shelves stocked with games people ACTUALLY want to buy AND at fair prices > passionate, friendly, knowledgeable owner you could talk to for hours > store is clean, inviting and well organized > not a single Funko Pop in sight OTHER VIDEO GAME STORE OWNERS/CHAINS: TAKE NOTES
Care to elaborate on the funko pop part? 😅I mean not like I've ever seen someone buy a funko pop so I assume those hardly ever restock except by direct order, but what's bad about them?
@@randomguyontheinternet5030 Funko Pops are good for resellers and that is it. I don't personally collect them, but I sometimes buy them directly from Funko and put them into storage for a year or two. When the time comes to sell them, I usually sell them for £50 - £75 each depending on how rare they are and if Funko plan on re-releasing them.
I'll summarize the owner's success in one word: PASSION. If you are passionate about what you do, you will succeed. Inspiring video, greetings from Lima, Peru!.
This is not true at all. Your passion has nothing to do with making a profit and running a successful business for years to come. This is what happens when nerds think they are business people.
THIS guy is giving a masterclass on business! When you treat the customer fairly, you won’t have to worry about money. He’ll have customers for life because of satisfied customers & word of mouth. Character & morals are the pinnacle of business.
him and the tech guy i follow, its not about what the business is, its about treating customers right in a market where people want something without worrying about being tricked or scammed online
Also the philosophy of mantaining velocity over maximum profit margin. There's a lot of people who've been burned in the "crash" because they bought at peak or bought early but just kept sitting on it until it was too late. It sounds like his philosophy of "buy it, mark it up a bit, flip it, lock in profit" and not holding on for maximum margin has done him well.
@@milhousevanhoutan9235 getting people what they want for a fair price is a service, and will always be in demand. squeezing out every last margin of profit is doable, but, is much more risky.
Yeah this plus having a good customer base is how you keep regular business. One of my favorite stores had nothing but druggie burnouts there every day so I got sick of dealing with them and eventually quit going because his store had nothing to offer me anymore.
My god people what is wrong with you? just because someone has passion, doesn't mean their business is a good one or will survive. This guy is desperate for money, and it shows. Having a business like this is a death sentence because its too out dated to keep running efficiently. You can be the nicest guy in the world and offer the best customer service and none of that will matter when the bills are due each month including his lease.
Nobody wants to admit that the old school 'peer to peer' market experience was a competition of knowledge and a grift economy at the end of the day. Now that you can research nationwide prices and find the 'meta' in like 5 seconds with your portable connection to almost all data of humankind... it just won't be like that anymore. This guy hosting local swapmeets and still profiting even amongst a bunch of commerce he isn't DIRECTLY related to is absolutely GENIUS. Because that really IS how you get that 'yard sale' vibe. It's not a 'walk up' deal any more, it's something that has to be created with events and communal vibes.
The transparency in this video is absurd. 10/10. Insightful and helpful. I’ve been enjoying my side of this hobby because it’s all about heart. Getting people connected with things that move them is a borderline spiritual feeling.
He said what he does different in his store is customer service. This is by FAR the biggest thing when it comes to these games stores. I can't tell you how many of these indie stores I've been in where the prices are sky high and the employees are indifferent. You can ALWAYS tell the good ones when the person behind the counter will not only know the products, but geek out about the hardware side of things and specifics. Wonderful business this guy has AND the right attitude.
So true. Online sellers will be more convenient and have more options, being friendly to your customers and having better prices is about the only way to compete.
You say "nerds" but I've been into plenty of non-nerd niche shops that lacked customer service. Most people aren't suited for running a brick and mortar business and that's why they fail. This guy gets it.
@@WiiFitGOTY A physical store cannot and should not compete on price with online sellers. Ever. They should compete on customer service above all else, which one store I know does well. They also have a system where if you trade in a game for another, the trade in value is 25-30% or more above what they will give you in cash. You don't even have to trade in right away, but they'll give you store credit if you prefer. So, they have a lot of good retro inventory because people trade in retro stuff they get a good deal on to buy new stuff, or newer gen 2nd hand stuff. They do have an online store, but IMO the physical store is an experience in itself, tons of old console displays etc where you can play old legendary games on the original hardware, and should you want to, you can buy it. Not 100% is for sale, but very close to everything is, but not necessarily cheap. All retro games and consoles are tested and sold with a warranty, provided you're not me who takes a discount and handshake deal over warranty lol. I've done all sorts of unorthodox deals with them but I'm more of a "free agent" than a straight up customer, I'll find games or consoles for them at times, sometimes help get rid of something they have too much of, but they will keep aside specific things for me if they come in. They get sold to me without ever being listed as inventory.
@@KarlTheExpert he created a market space. if you love burgers and there are no burgers chains in your town the man who creates the space creates the supply. "he didnt make the videogames hes selling so he didnt make anything" is the understanding of a literal child
This guy embodies the spirit of what so many people wish they had, he’s captured that lightning in a bottle! I wish him the best of luck with that retirement by 50 🙏
He won't be able to, with our current economy and the rate at which the prices are increasing for just general goods, he will be lucky to retire before he dies.
@@whitecloud2002 Given the fact that big retail stores are no longer selling physical media I imagine it would mean more business for him. Also the fact that there are allot of gamers who want to buy physical media vs. going all digital. Let's also not forget that there were people during Covid willing to buy a PS5 for 1k$ therefore at the very least we know there are some die hard gamers willing to pay no matter the price or economy thus I do not believe his job will be going anywhere anytime soon.
OHMYGOD I know him!! I go to this game store all the time!! Really amazing guy and overall passionate and willing to make great deals with people!! He's been a friend to my dad for many years even before he opened this store, he's really come a long way. It's incredibly impressive to be able to run a business off a market that's constantly fluctuating in demands, availability, and price changes. I also noticed you left him a signed poster! super dope! It's heartwarming to see the community so connected like this, especially with a person within my area!! Keep up the amazing content, this was a super cool connection for me!! :)
@@kingcatx2 I agree but we are all in different situations. I had the luck to find a job that gave me better pay and work life balance but not everybody gets that. However, would I love to own a video game store too probably yeah. It looks like he followed a passion and he's trying to make the best of it. Not everybody will like it or agree with it.
@SpartanArmy117 money is not worth it if it means sacrificing your relationship with your wife and kids. My father worked as much as this guy and I barely even knew him. He taught me one thing, though, that I will never do that to my kids.I spend almost every free moment I have with them.
God Bless this guy - he left a 20 year job he didn’t seem to enjoy and decided to go with his passion and make a business out of it and sounds like he puts customers first - he is brave, passionate and deserves all the success that comes his way
It will eventually fail being passionate means nothing in the world of business, you have to make money to survive and a business like this is not in demand enough to make it long term. He will eventually fail and lose it because his passion got in the way of common sense.
I really thought Video Game Stores died couple of years ago. We had some of them back in the days in Germany but nowadays you really cant find them anymore because everything is getting sold over the Internet - i really miss those days when you could play at a Supermarket some PS2/Gamecube ...
I hate to say this, but this is a genuinely good video. Normally I hate your "get the money" based videos, they lack passion for the collecting hobby, but you did a great job interviewing someone who actually gives a shit about the community and gaming.
This guy's really on to something. He undercuts the Ebay price to turn over product quickly. In doing it like this, he creates a motivation for the consumer to visit a physical store in pursuit of a better deal than price-gouging speculators, keeps retro gaming accessible to regular people, fostering a community of repeat customers, and he cuts down on the time he has his product in storage, which is a huge concern for businesses at scale. He also profits off of speculators, in the event they buy his product in an effort to sell it for more down the line, which only works in the speculator's favor if they have the money to pay for storing those games for months, if not years, just to make a middling profit. Speculators usually don't even consider those things in the first place. He does so many things with a single move, this guy is a genius.
He is able to afford to do this because it seems like he doesn't have any employees. The man is a workhorse but he's able to be that because he doesn't consider what he's doing work, it's his passion. The man is truly living the dream.
But is he under cutting ebay? This video quickly showed Super Smash Bros. Melee Player's Choice for $75. I checked ebay and it goes for typically $50-$60, with many CIB going for under $55 after shipping.
Pawn shops know and implement this same strategy and have been since the dawn of pawn shops. The benefit he has is its a targeted niche instead of just anything that comes in the door.
I'm just now seeing this but the love he has for this is can just see the energy... that man is holding on a squirttle while talking lol he genuinely loves this frfr blessings to him and his family protect this man at all cost...
Cognitive dissonance high among gamers. Reduces threshold for suspension of disbelief increasing enjoyment of video games, its like edging before masterbation an art also perfected by many a gamer😂
New hero. ESPECIALLY for the customer service part. No one who loves games , video or card or whatever, at least everyone i know, all of us feel like theres NO POINT trying to go reSELL your games or cards, cause places, stores around here fucking SUCK. but THIS guy looks like he will give you an HONEST chance, and tried to have someone COME BACK, by giving them a FAIR deal, rather than SCREWING people over to hopefully make money by cheating someone out of something worth something.
I have to compliment Mark, his store is very clean, all his games seem to have intact packaging and labels, it really does feel like you look to sell quality pieces over just accepting and selling games that end up as shelf fillers XD good job! I hope business goes well for you! If I ever headed your direction, would LOVE to visit
He must get filler, what does he do just donate it? My guess is he uses game cases for recasing good games and just blows out the fluff. It is impossible to avoid unless you are a cherry picker and pull all the good stuff out of deals you see (like FB Marketplace stuff),
The fact that he is holding a Squirtle plushie during the entire sit down part of the interview makes him cool as hell and makes me want to go to his store and buy stuff.
@alexraj9436 F charalamander. The cameraman needs a hug. Actual physical contact for once. He has to record everything since time immemorial from metor showers to people on a cross and even a crying a charalazard in the rain. Unable to do anything but record.
“Nostalgia you live, you remember. You’re 10 yrs old again, sitting on your bed. It’s summer outside, it’s beautiful. Schools out. You don’t have responsibilities.” That line brought tears to my eyes cause as a 26 year old with 2 girls at home and working as a server myself working hard to provide. Nostalgia has become my favorite thing to indulge into. Bringing back those memories and emotion you had when life was so much simpler and pure.
Please don't neglect your family in order to retire by 50. My dad worked like this during my childhood. He wasn't there to notice and give me the unvoiced help I needed, my parents divorced over it when I was in college and my youngest sibling was in high school, during my childhood, and he has regretted it to this day. Growing up I would have happily moved to another house, not had cool things, not had my own car, and taken on more college debt myself if that's what it took. I'm no business guy, but maybe take a pay cut, release some business control, and hire a good high school or college kid to help out if that's what it takes. A business major might even love learning about and improving a real world business. Either way, these years are the years to be present.
So much this. I'd rather make less money than ever go back to working a full time office job with a commute. Did it for a few years when my kid was born because I had to make bills, but there were stretches of days I didn't even see her awake. Couldn't pay me enough to go back to that...
At the beginning of the video he said gross sales were 1/4 mil and net profit was 75k and thats prob before taxes. Give this guy a break hes doing what he can ....75k a year is literally BS money
...also rerire by 50? He never said he was trying to do that. Hes OBVIOUSLY already over 50y. Hes barely making money. Hes just tryng to make it. You must be a kid.
@@ToddBacon "the endgame is uh, to retire by 50" and literally just by listening a few seconds later he states that he and his wife had been together for 23 years since they were 14 which would make him 37, and not even in his 40's.
Mark hit on something that I think many hobby oriented retail stores forget: customer service and experience for the customer. It's not just video game stores - ANY hobby in which you want to create a store/club, there is a terrible tendency to create the attitude of "well this is my community, so I'll do what I want" rather than "what does the customer want? what will bring that new person back time after time while also maintaining the first customer when I open?" I see this most prevalently in traditional game stores (D&D, Magic, Board Games, Miniature games) where the owners treat their store more like a hang out, something where "this is going to be a place to hang out for my friends!" and less in the mind frame of "my job is to make a good experience for anyone who walks through the door." I wish Mark a ton of success, he has the right mind set and I believe he will do incredible.
I'm paused about 1/4th the way through and I just wanna commend the store owner for having such an amazing GameCube collection and understanding how hard it is to get some of these games. I've been to 10+ game exchanges and visited those stores many times and never have found such an amazing selection. I've been collection GameCube games for 6 years and have never seen a shelf that full of premium titles that I want to buy. Shout out to this guy for selling nostalgia correctly and also giving out great customer service with it and not overcharging everyone
Just from the clips going through the store it looks like straight gas, no shovelware games or filler like funko pops, actually just straight quality. It’s always the best feeling to find a shop like that.
11:00 dude I felt that. He put me into a mode of Nostalgia :). Its summer, schools out, mom's making dinner, no bills to pay, no responsibility. You are just having fun, simple simple life.
I think it's insightful when you talk about the way video games help us recapture the feeling of being safe, in our mom's basement, playing Nintendo. When I look at my life, I always play video games more when I need relief from feeling overwhelmed with adulting.
Shoe store owner here. Very similar business model, and very similar experience to this guy. Really refreshing to see a business owner that is honest and tells it like it is. Best of luck to you both!
Dude has a really smart business model and good customer service; respect. Not sinking all of his cost into dead product but instead mostly high movers with sustainable prices. Through him clearly being a passionate nerd and doing market research, he has ruled out a lot of product obsolescence. I hope he gets a lot more traction off of this video.
Physical Store is just not working anymore. In my country the only last remaining Physical Game Store is about to be out of business. Everything is online now. You can get better price and same day delivery for hardwares. While for games, Online purchase and cloud library like Steam, Epic, Playstation Store, Microsoft Store, are considered more convenient rather than having stacks of DVDs and Blurays laying around your room.
Sometime instagram and youtube makes it seem like business and reselling is easy. I really appreciate you and others being transparent in the process. It shows how much passion drives us
I have a similar story to this guy in which I was in the hospitality business for 20 years and excelled at it greatly. And it is 100% true that what most businesses are missing nowadays is true customer service and hospitality. Whenever I would train people I would always tell them that we aren't just serving food and drinks. We're creating an experience for them. We're creating relationships. And that is why they come back. This guy's got everything he needs to be a massive success and I wish him the best of luck!
Customer service isn't for everyone, people assume they can do it easily cause they're sociable but it takes a lot of effort and patience to be kind and courteous towards people screaming at you for something out of your control and threatening your job at you. You really gotta be a saint to smile and wish someone a good day after they insult you, your family then your entire bloodline then take the next customer in 5 seconds.
I started doing HP/Compaq support in an outsourced call center. I got taken off the phones the first month to work on a starting line project to pad the drastic difference of being an agent vs training. Like my class didn't have that and half of them were gone within a week which was the norm then. I got to rebuild the training syllabus not that they used it but i did which along with a notetaking tool i started writing in training and actually built out into some smart code that linked together their otherwise very disparate tools taking so much manual daily searching workload off me as an agent. Our site went from dead last to #1 after around 120 of my agents hitting the floor. I lied the idea of instead of taking 20 calls myself/day I'll copy my technique train it then like spin up all these virtual me's and take 500x the calls 10k/day done very much at a high level of support like the didn't need the 2nd level agent-help-line any more I had accidentally made myself and all my peers redundant so they reworked it and we became relevant but they always hated me then elitest losers can't stand a DJ would be so much more technically skilled like DUH bro. And the girls only talk to me because i don't hit on them, grow up. I burnt out after ~500 agents alone when it would normally take ~3 of us. I could only get basic agent pay for the first year when I should have been getting a trainers salaried position of double that after the first month. I didn't smoke so never took a single break and usually just ~5 min lunch cuz I got 20 arms up or agent's melting down and I know there's 1 or 2 often women back to work after spending 3 years raising a kid in what seemed like seclusion usually that might be struggling technically (cuz they were NOT nerds) and we hadn't trained them properly like we promised it's NOT their fault but they came in w better support aptitude then you can ever teach someone. If they were there after the 1st week would keep coming in on time, for longer then i did whereas tech nerds get bored after a month and skip out or collect up 5 lates in a year or 1 no call no show. Actually my overall agent loss so unbeatable as to be unfair to compare for whatever reason (instilled passion thru shortform concentrated training + my tool). My rant concludes with the unexpected loss of fulfillment I had after I suddenly learnt of SH, bordering on abuse by a few male supervisors against lower level agents and gave my 2 weeks. HP doesn't outsource there any longer and it moved to another city. :)
one of the reasons I stopped going into a lot of the gamestores I saw was because almost every time you walk in, nobody says hi, you try to strike up a conversation, and they dont listen, or care. Much like Mark, I spent 10 years doing restaurant work and I learned something, and always said to new workers that I had to train, you don't treat people like walking wallets, you make em feel welcome, you don't know if people are having a bad day, lost someone close, lost their job, its our job to make them feel welcome, because they will remember that, they will come back, and they will take care of you as you took care of them. Its how you build clientele. Me and my friends worked at a gamestore that sadly closed 11 years ago but we always had a blast, yeah it was tough, but those memories of hanging out, talking to new people coming in, helping families find the right games, throwing smash bros tournaments, that was everything. If your kind to people, have good prices, and treat them well, they will come back and be loyal to you. I honestly wish more game stores were like Mark's instead of ones that are just filled with grumpy 40-50 year olds who just clearly want your money.
That sucks cuz tbh i hate and low key get annoyed when employees talk to me.Needy customers like yall are annoying.If they have the game buy it.Why do you need to be catered and talked to soo much??Sheesh
@@fabmelo4195 With you on this. I'm Dutch that was forced to be in America, and honestly prefer they """non-existent""" customer service. I also work in customer service, so I know full well how fake the "kindness" they show is, because they will not remember me 3 seconds after I walk out. I'm still a walking wallet to them, they just think, or have been trained, to beleive kindness will make me open it up wider. It's actual emotional manipulation by definition and I don't like it. Now I actually come seeking assistance or have questions about the product and just get ignored, that's entirely different.
Yeah well when there's 15 people a day that try to stand there and talk to you about Xbox 360 games, it gets old. It's a business, and there's a limit to bullshitting. I knew people that lived at GameStop and never bought anything. That's a fucking problem.
@@DriftKingfromTekken3 sounds like a problem for you. All you have to do is be nice but. It give that much attention and they go away. Always worked for us when people like that came in.
It's not your job to make people feel welcome. Treating people normally isn't a "job," it's just what you do because you're a person. It's your job to give them food.
This Is My First Time In This Channel & Listening To This Guy Story About Game Collecting & Selling…. Man! His Energy Is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Right Away This Guys Is Awesome 👏🏻👍🙌🏻💯
This guys level of customer service and emphasis on customer service is the reason I stick to one game shop in my area. The store manager is the primary reason that I always hit up his shop and only order things from his shop! I wish this store owner nothing but the best!
How can someone beat this guy as a competitor? All of his answers checked every box to perfection! What a guy! A 43 min videos felt so short! Also kudos to Phoenix for asking the right questions!
I'm glad this owner was being real and open about his business. He's also right about physical games. How nostalgic it is to hold it and put the disc/cartridge in whatever you play on.
That's why I wanted a PS2 for Christmas last year. Games like mortal Kombat deception silent Hill 2 resident evil code Veronica pac man world 2 super monkey ball world were all nostalgic to me. I grew up with those titles. So to hear it again was amazing
His take on selling at the flea markets is spot on. You sell at yard sale price, to make deals. You don’t hear this type of thing on social media. Most people selling at flea markets are selling above pricecharting and eBay. A lot of the sellers at flea markets think because it’s old, I’m gonna sell this for a lot of money. Mark gets it. Good luck to you! Great video!
As someone who owned and ran a comic and collectibles business for close to a decade, I love to see the passion. People have it or they don’t. Just remember there is more to life than the store. I have fond memories of my store but I still regret some of the sacrifices I chose to make. Work/life balance is important no matter the business if your goal is longevity. I wish you the best. 🥰
This dude is an inspiration. I've encountered so many resellers, particularly on eBay and amazon, who come across so pretentious and like to overprice everything that it's incredibly off putting. This guy obviously has a passion for what he's selling, knows about what he's selling and is very aware of his competition and wants to serve his customers to the best of his abilities. I hope he thrives.
Its a society problem. So many people have been taught greed. They want to be the next millionaire and have no issue ripping people off to get there. Many people have forgotten real happiness comes not from money but from family and doing things you enjoy.
The customer service piece Mark discussed is EXACTLY right. Video game and comic book shops by and large lack friendliness from staff. When I visit these stores, I'm looking for recommendations, and ask what people are reading/playing. No doubt this is a key to his success.
Mark seems so cool, I would honestly just hang out at his store and play games, the environment he has made in the store look so calming and relaxing!!
People always complain that retro game stores prey on nostalgia. But the thing is that’s exactly what I came for. If a game store charged less for old videogames you bet your ass I would go to only that store and go shopping more frequently. I like this guy
"Social Media is like a Reddit thread that never stops" - This guy is dropping gems and quotes every other minute. Loved this interview!
11 หลายเดือนก่อน +97
This guy is INCREDIBLE, he kicks so much ass, he's so knowledgeable, and he is so generous with his knowledge. I hope his store thrives and I honestly wish I could visit. Kudos to you, Mark!
I am from the Philippines and I would love to visit and buy from his store. This guy gets it. Customer service is priority and making customers happy will make a business thrive. Kudos to him and his store! ❤
Honestly not that much considering the amount of work he puts in as owner and primary operator. $75k is good but I guarantee he wishes he was making more for the amount of time and effort he puts in
100% its NOT all about the Monetary value! being a resellers NO matter what it is and no matter how you do it either online, flea markets , shows , owning a store or even having weekly yard sales You have to love it like 100% all of it no matter if its a grind or not because if you don't it can eat you REAL quick take it from someone that has done full time reselling for the last 25 years both online and off line multiple avenues (eBay, amazon, mercari, poshmark, offline via FB marketplace, Craigslist, flea markets and shows) one thing i have not tried and i commend those that do is doing the retail shop thing its HUGELY expensive to do that and most business that try fail in 3 years like Mark stated many do not treat the business as a business and close shop within a year hopefully Mark has made it this long he can hold off and make it a long long time.
@@baloo1522 thing is he states it is work (don't let any one fool you) but he LOVES what he does (and all the benefits you get from being your own boss and owning/running your business it outweighs working a 9-5 minimum wage job answering to someone else and helping someone else or another company get richer) and after 25 years of full time reselling both online and off line many different platforms and venues (off line) I'm a VERY VERY firm believer in the saying "if you love what you do then you will never have worked a day in your life" so if you go to a 9-5 and DREAD getting up in the morning doing that JOB your going to look back on your life and hate it but if you LOVE YOUR JOB and what you do then you will never feel like you worked a day in your life you will look back at your life with NO regrets
I like that he has the balance between passionate geek and shrewd business person. Seems like a welcoming environment. I'd be glad to have such a store locally.
This is the most honest interview of a business owner I've seen on TH-cam. In other interviews, it's all rainbows and unicorns. Hope he continues to be successful.
He’s a gem in the gaming community. A lot of resellers overprice these classic games and fuck it up for people. He wants to create memories and give an experience which would almost never fail. As long as he maintains that he will be profitable regardless of anything and I respect that. May God bless him and his journey to last for many generations 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
I cannot tell you how happy I am to see this video. As someone who spends a lot of time shopping, and spent a lot of money here I can really tell you that Mark is very sincere, honest, great and just pure awesome guy. I drive well over an hour just to come to the store, roughly a couple times a months always because of Mark, and when he says his prices are low, they are very low, and honestly some of the best in the business. I started shopping here from the first couple days he opened, and to see him grow and most recently move into the bigger store he is in now is just amazing, This guy deserves it.
I guess he didn’t exploit too much if his profit margins are supposedly so low. Him not buying their stuff during Covid would have helped those desperate people? Them not getting money or getting less money from someone else is good?
@@alainbelanger9852 it's possible, though I strongly suspect he made good money off those initial exploitation profits (so much so that he mentions is here in his own puff piece) but it is NOW that he faces a squeeze. He is the one that admitted it himself. Has he got thin margins now, that were equally thin in the desperate sellers market? That is assuming we take him at his word - a dubious assumption. It's not as though the poster has a reputation for generosity outside his own echo chamber! :-)
@@datacipher What backwards logic is this? now exploitation is people contacting him to sell their stuff online during a tough time? or actually serving entertainment during a crisis? or what do you think constitutes exploitation?
@@datacipher If thats how you choose to see it, thats up to you. But thats not how i see it. We are stuck inside doing fuck all and this guy sell good priced games for me to pass the time while being bored out of my mind. Whats wrong with that? Every businessman exploits some flaw to succeed, but selling video games is way less detrimental to your health than selling heroin or crack to desperate people during bad times.
Mark seems to be a super cool guy, holy shit. I sadly live like 3 hours away and never really visit Fort Myers, but there's a part of me that wants to drive all that way just to check it out. From a video perspective, this was fun and interesting to watch. From a consumer perspective, those trade nights sound super fun. Some of my local card shops offer trade nights, and they're always the highlight of my week whenever they take place. I meet so many people, and the cards I trade for end up with stories behind their acquisition, which to me is more valuable than just buying a card off TCGplayer. I love these brick and mortar stores so much, and I love visiting them again and again.
Velocity over margins is something that 90% of industries simply cannot wrap their minds around, and here this guy is figuring it all out by himself. Awesome stuff and really cool store!
My neighbor opened a game store back in 2006…. He was in debt and out of business in 2013… He said it was one of the worst businesses he ever ran. Minimal profit margins, long hours. The only thing he liked was being able to get games and consoles early and play them before anyone else for a week or 2..
Dang, Mark is everything RIGHT with business owners. Love it. Nostalgia, being teleported back to a better time when you step into the store. Friendly and engaging. I can tell all of that from this vid. Keep going dude!
We bought a rather expensive Pokémon Card binder from Mark at the Palm Beach card show a few months ago. He’s super fun to talk to and easy to work with. I love seeing his methodology behind his business spelled out. Nice work, love the content
Mark has one of the best business skills ever. Very smart to buy and sell like he does. Undercutting just a little under the competition is the way to go. You lose a little money over your competitors at the time but you get more customers so you actually end up making more than the competition in the longrun. Your reputation is positive and everyone talks about you because you're fair with your deals.
Under bidding only gets you so far, especially if you have direct competition. And if it ends up actually turning into a price war, no one wins. If you can, the real way to distinguish yourself from the competition is not just in price, but in adding value in the form of great service and other benefits that get added to the sale. How do you do that? Well, that's a good question ... anyone who can answer that question successfully will be very successful and end up owning their competition at some point.
Listening to him talk about him missing out on his family was just depressing. There's sacrificing something for your business and then there's what he's doing. No one should have to give up that much of their life just for work. He seems like nice guy too so I hope he has a wake up call sooner rather then later
@JeanRodo success isn't guaranteed He's trading memories for a hope of retiring at 50 and making up for it Tons of people chase the carrot and miss the world around them just focusing on that carrot IMO it sounds like he needs investors and partners to off load some of those 70 hours so he can also invest time in family so 15 years from now he has amazing relationships with his wife and kids and not hate and resentment...because that supportive part wears , and that dad wasn't around hurts
I have stopped shopping at some nearby game/comic stores because their customer service was bad. I appreciate a warm greeting when I walk in, but I have been in business where they dont greet and are plain rude when you have interactions. Some business owners' mentality change when they feel big enough. Kuddos to this guy. I hope he gets to see his kid walk and duplicate his business.
It's a brutal business. Horrible hours. Slim margins. Extremely price sensitive customers. High rent. $75k? You can make that answering IT support calls in your pajamas at home. It's a brutal amount of work for a very blah paycheck. He's not exactly a radiologist or a periodontist printing money. He's got a price sensitive clientele hemming and hawing over a $20 game cart from 1997. You're chained in that store like a dungeon, you leave to take lunch... you're not making a dime while other people want to shop there on their lunch. Cheaper way to run this low-margin business is from your basement with a $25/month UPS store PO Box for mailing address and returns. No retail rent, no long hours, tax deductible home business, much less overhead. You're home, you'll see the little one take her first steps, you don't gotta do much on Sunday, just ship on Monday.
I agree with you. If he has three bad months in a row he is toast. I wonder if he has adequate health insurance and retirement in place. I don't think it's worth it unless he was single with no kids and could dedicate 70+ hours a week without being missed at home.
Yep, so many people think having a store is the end goal when really, he'd be way more profitable selling online via eBay/marketplace/OfferUp. Plus, you can actually have days off.
Depends on if he is taking his salary out of that 250k, and then 75 is the profit after that. Some business put that 75 right back in the business. Some business pocket that 75k and hurt later on.
This guy has great instincts. I’ve shopped at so many stores like this over the years and they all die out for the same reason. They start increasing the price and holding onto items for longer. They start making more money for a while, but it kills their business. Why? Because people get bored. They always have the same stuff, so visits for the customers become stale. They stop going back. They have more and more trouble moving stuff, and eventually they disappear. This guy sells novelty and he knows it (this isn’t a slight, it’s an important distinction).
"Velocity" is such a good way to describe it. When I sell stuff on ebay/Facebook marketplace I always prioritize SELLING the item over trying to shake someone down for a ridiculous price.
I love finding old gems and black and white movies for 50 cents. The old horror genre movies seem to be at least $5-$10 online for a dvd. I'm currently switching over to blu-ray for all the features and durability.
Physical copies you own, with streaming you rent and they can even change them or stop offering them. Disney often edits the movies they stream you don’t get to see the original on Disney+.
There’s a store in Columbia SC called The Fine Art of Baseball. It got me into tcgs nearly two decades ago, and I found it again recently visiting home. He had moved, but remembered me and was still hustling tcg and anime merch with decent success. This video reminded me of him, and how these kinds of stores with great service can change lives in wonderful ways.
Retail isn't dead it just needs to change. The only way to compete with amazon and the online stores etc is to offer something new. This guy gets that. The community, the customer, the building a brand of quality and trust. That's how retail wins. Im glad you've cracked the code and the effort is paying off.
This guy is everything Phoenix resale wishes to be but can’t be because of greed.
Don’t forget my bad reputation too
qrd?
@@PhoenixResale does he got ps vIta or steam decks n also for vr I recomend the pIco 4 n ps5 headsets
They make TH-cam videos about you where the thumbnails have you crying and they call you names *shudder*@@PhoenixResale
You're right. He seems like a super mellow cool dude. I wish him the best as well.
the guy has the right mindset for business, I wish him the best
Agreed
Exactly what I was going to say,,, very well putt.
100% this guy gets it! Wish him nothing but success for him and his business
I just hope he doesn't one day regret missing out on his kids early years. You can never get those back.
The Cains vs. The Abels
I hope that owner 10X his sales this year! So glad he shared his experience
all of us can learn from his ethics
Let’s hope it’s 30x times he the shit
He will if he focuses equally on Gunpla, the junkies don't stop. 😂
I hope he does well too but dedicated game stores is a dying business model.
wuz good didnt expect to find you here lol
This guy is 100% on the dot for the flea market experience. Back in the early 2000s I was so excited to spot any hidden game gems for cheap. Nowadays, every booth is practically the same and are all selling for retail price.
Na they're selling at max+ bid price at the last 5 seconds price
This is the problem with the Internet, everybody has all the same information and you can only get a good deal if the seller is desperate or died.
Yeah whenever I see a game I care about it tends to sell more now used with no box and manual than it cost new back then
The problem is that there are multiple youtube channels bragging about getting these awesome deals. They then turn it over a week later, earning a profit. I don't blame flea market owners. Why let someone else keep that profit and then rub your face in it on a TH-cam video?
amazon changed it, its a tapped market. @@googiegress
Happy for this guy. Followed his dreams regardless of how people tried to drag him down. Seems like a good guy who works hard.
Exactly. As a gamer I always compare prices with the online averages, if the seller is way too overpriced I rather think, yeah no thanks man. This guy adds gems in the store for people to find for a steal, buying one of those makes us easier receptable to buy more from him, there is no shipping cost and its like a candy store. I think most of us would at least check the place out if we lived close to it.
Following your dream could very well be the worst business decision you could make.
I like the clean look of the store and how it’s not filled with a bunch of worthless toys.
gamestop *cough cough*
Wouldn't be so bad if it was quality stuff, but they sell alot of junk
Damn it I was gonna say that😂😂@@kasrakh86
@overused6632 gamestop is a game store, not a toy store. Same with this guy's business. I haven't shopped at a gamestop (as a previous regular customer) in like 4 years because they turned over half the store into stupid toys and "collectibles". I love dedicated game stores like this guy has.
Thinking collectibles are stupid but video games aren't is at least a little silly.
I’m a frequent at his store, he’s a super cool guy. Fair prices and negotiable. I’m rooting for him and his business.
Where is his store located?
@@channelfour6098 It's called Dynamo Collectibles, and it's in Fort Myers, Florida.
@@channelfour6098At the end of the video they say Fort Myers (FL?)
He’s located in Fort Myers, Florida
@@SP_Souryeah that doesn’t answer the question there’s a bunch there
Game stores in the 89s/ 90s were the place to hang out at the weekends, to see and play, the latest and upcoming games.
It would be cool to see a game store / play place hybrid. Have every system up and let people try the games. These places always look like waiting rooms to me.
SNES release. Shop by me had like 4 systems and tvs. They sold games and you could test them for a while before you bought them. The golden age of gaming. Place was packed on weekends and after school.
yeah and you just don't need that anymore today thanks to facebook groups and subreddits. You can get that same feeling of community right at your finger tips
Yeah as opposed to the swimming pools
@@PublicFreakoutReviews Eh, no. There is no feeling of community when talking to faceless randoms unless you’re suffering from social anxiety.
This guys is the most friendliest and kindest game store owner ever!! His shop is so welcoming and he makes you feel comfortable and sells and buys for a fair price!!
What’s it called
“It’s summer outside, it’s beautiful, school outs , you don’t have responsibilities, don’t have bills , moms making dinner “……. Bro I felt that to the CORE .💔
but you have 3 mountains of essay homework
Same bro, same 🥲
11:02 (for timestamp) - completely agree. It’s alright that those times have passed, but they’re not gone. They’re still in our minds and hearts
me in the windwaker days
Cringe
The genuine customer service shines with this guy. Way too many grumpy small store owners with a "get out of here" attitude that go belly up and wonder why they failed.
Lol the Comicbook Guy from the Simpsons types.
YES. like I get its tough being small business owner and having to compete with big business
but if you can't compete in experience, why ppl want to shop at your place (and dont give me help local business/ economy stuff
Yeah. I hate those types of owners. They don’t know the basics of client relations
Theyre so ancy about their collectibles.
My local mall the dude who owns it eyes you like youre gonna steal it or worse break em
Sadly we got a store like this guys who had comics collectibles they had gatherings for starcraft LoL fps yugioh magic gathering DnD etc. Games and get togethers.
Then....covid made it flop sadly. Even some of the stuff was legit low cost
Yeah it always cracked me up when my boss/owner of the business would complain about how bad business was or how difficult it was to compete when they had TERRIBLE service and did nothing to compete. It's like I want to agree with you but honestly I can't, I wouldn't recommend anyone shop here.
This guy clearly knows his stuff and is the best combination of a shrewd businessman and genuine customer service advocate. Wish him and his business the best.
Guy will be in business forever. Care about the customer, focus on sales turnover and not margin, focus on customer experience. He's optimizing common sense. Nice work!
I wonder if the 75k profit is including his pay or if the profit is his pay
You don't make videos like this if you are doing well, you make videos like this because you are desperate for customers. Also, never believe what anyone says about how much money they make unless you see their monthly bank statements from the business.
@@GregoryAlanBaileygamereviews250k revenue and 75k profit, unless he's making minimum wage I can't imagine he's giving himself a salary. 75k is his take home, which is not good considering effort and risk.
I wish every video game seller is like him. He truly cares for his customers.
He cares about money.
@@RealHomeRecording no shit
@@RealHomeRecordingdo you work for free?
Work for free vibes in this section
yes but the owner isnt the employees. he undoubtedly has some jerkoff employees who dont care about the customers, thats a sure thing.
This guy deserves to make it. I hope the community continues to support him.
why, what did he do? buy games for cheap and resell for more? what a noble cause! lol, yet another kick in the face of gamers
@@arksin11 Did you not watch the video? He sells for cheaper than most stores. Physical stores increase the availability of retro games. Most people would not bother peddling their collections online, as shipping is a hassle. It's much easier to put them all in a box, bring them to some guy, and he just takes them all.
@@arksin11 You're not very smart
He needs to not work so much and ordering take out
@@arksin11 Do you even know what business even means. I guess you are too young to know it. I mean these days youtube is filled with kids anyway.
I am blown away by how emotionally vulnerable and how real he can get for an interview. What a passionate dude, wish him all the success in the world
I can tell that vulnerability is what gained him a loyal following. He's real and he tries to be on the same page with you and do right by you. Mans got a good heart and passion.
The way he frequently talks about and prioritizes how the customer feels rather than how they affect his numbers is so 👌👌👌
He's emotional because his business is going to fail and his passion is not enough to save it. There is a huge reason why a business like this does not exist anymore, its all digital now and buying older consoles is a waste because no one can repair them well enough to justify keeping them around.
@@CompetitionSportsNetwork physical retail is dying because the corporations want to cut costs and shift towards digitisation. This guy will succeed.
Was really interested in the video until 3:15... AI images are morally incorrect (from my POV). Hope you start using sotck photos since they are made without stealing from artists
Yeah, that pretty much did turn me off of the video. It's a bit disappointing you can't just find a few royalty free photos or just emphasize through his hand / body motions over photos. It's a bit silly
Having done business a few times (buying and selling) with Mark, he really is a stand up dude. No nonsense, quick, responsive, kind. Great dude. Love to see this.
Does he have a website? Didn’t see info for his store in the description
Does he have a website or Instagram?
This stupid channel doesn't link to his website or business. How do we find him?
@slurpwis Google dynamo collectables that's the name of the store, I don't think he has a website but he has a Facebook
We need contact information, and if the store hosts tournament play or not.
I agree about how rewarding it can be. I’ve sold two games where the customer was literally crying bc they were so happy to have the game that they played with their late father. That was one of the best feelings in the world, to be able to sell them the game that means so much to them.
I remember selling an old game I had and not thinking much about it. But after they got it in the mail they sent me a message later telling me how happy they were to have a copy of something that meant a lot to them as a kid. It's super rewarding making that connection for someone.
What games were they?
@@joeynova9896 GTA 6
This guy makes 75k a year working 7 days a week and not seeing his kids. Not worth it at all.
I'm NOT a gamer, and I legit want to visit this store just to look at the vintage games! The presentation here is EVERYTHING
noob
I agree!
hellyea id love to visit his store too im just a guy who loves games and its hard as shit to find old games even handheld consoles like the ds systems that are hard to find in good condition
Antique stores that cares about their product and what they're selling got so much history and love to them it's hard not to be interested to take a look even if it's not your thing in general.
No joke. This might be the first retro store I've seen the prices at and have thought to myself "Oh, well those are reasonable prices". lol. Seems like a great guy. Best of luck to him and his fantastic business.
The best thing about selling by velocity and not maximum profit is that it keeps the retro gaming culture accessible and alive.
Boom! It should always remain accessible. That's why I fkn hate these kind of stores. They're selling Dreamcasts for 250$. Like wtf?
Lol its a waste of money. Why buy all these overpriced retro games when you can just download off the internet for free and play them with an emulator
jajaj you are missing the point its about nostalgia and owning phyisical things, some people like to touch smell stuff. Its not for everybody but its just basically the reason why most people collect stuff. @@anthonyfaucy2761
Love this video. Super interesting to learn what it takes to own a business. This guy is living his dream. Earning a living from what he loves.
@@draguOdoT 1) These are multibillion dollor corporations who want everyone to everything back to them instead.
2) This is a good point but even then its just pointless as emulation has got to a point where its very good quality. Extra hardware is just clutter.
3) If anyone has enough intelligence to create a google account they have enough to figure out how to use emulators. Everyone has access to youtube and all they need to do is follow a video step by step. Its not rocket science.
4) Physical software and hardware is literal junk. Its plastic crap that is worthless.
5) Going to a store to buy a videogame is very outdated concept. With access to internet being so readily available why would anyone prefer the hassle?
His store is an OCD dream. I love how everything in your store is lined up perfectly and you utilize your space perfectly. Definitely the cleanest and professional looking store I’ve seen. Wishing you tons of success.
Wood floors yellow walls and the lighting make me not like it for some reason . None the less hope his business goes well
i love yellow walls! @@SleepyCardinal-yx2lk
@@SleepyCardinal-yx2lkagreed, it's horrible. He's a nice guy though.
@@SleepyCardinal-yx2lkYeah he isn’t gonna tear down everything to redo walls, floors, and lighting that would take ages.
@@CleverCheetah didn’t expect him to
Now THIS is a video game store
> shelves stocked with games people ACTUALLY want to buy AND at fair prices
> passionate, friendly, knowledgeable owner you could talk to for hours
> store is clean, inviting and well organized
> not a single Funko Pop in sight
OTHER VIDEO GAME STORE OWNERS/CHAINS: TAKE NOTES
Care to elaborate on the funko pop part? 😅I mean not like I've ever seen someone buy a funko pop so I assume those hardly ever restock except by direct order, but what's bad about them?
@@randomguyontheinternet5030 no one actually likes funko pops no offense
I do@@sketch319
You're SO right about the god damn funko pops, good lord...
@@randomguyontheinternet5030 Funko Pops are good for resellers and that is it. I don't personally collect them, but I sometimes buy them directly from Funko and put them into storage for a year or two. When the time comes to sell them, I usually sell them for £50 - £75 each depending on how rare they are and if Funko plan on re-releasing them.
I'll summarize the owner's success in one word: PASSION. If you are passionate about what you do, you will succeed. Inspiring video, greetings from Lima, Peru!.
This is not true at all. Your passion has nothing to do with making a profit and running a successful business for years to come. This is what happens when nerds think they are business people.
Nah passion is what started it, it's discipline that saw it through
THIS guy is giving a masterclass on business! When you treat the customer fairly, you won’t have to worry about money. He’ll have customers for life because of satisfied customers & word of mouth. Character & morals are the pinnacle of business.
him and the tech guy i follow, its not about what the business is, its about treating customers right in a market where people want something without worrying about being tricked or scammed online
Also the philosophy of mantaining velocity over maximum profit margin. There's a lot of people who've been burned in the "crash" because they bought at peak or bought early but just kept sitting on it until it was too late. It sounds like his philosophy of "buy it, mark it up a bit, flip it, lock in profit" and not holding on for maximum margin has done him well.
@@milhousevanhoutan9235 getting people what they want for a fair price is a service, and will always be in demand. squeezing out every last margin of profit is doable, but, is much more risky.
Yeah this plus having a good customer base is how you keep regular business. One of my favorite stores had nothing but druggie burnouts there every day so I got sick of dealing with them and eventually quit going because his store had nothing to offer me anymore.
My god people what is wrong with you? just because someone has passion, doesn't mean their business is a good one or will survive. This guy is desperate for money, and it shows. Having a business like this is a death sentence because its too out dated to keep running efficiently. You can be the nicest guy in the world and offer the best customer service and none of that will matter when the bills are due each month including his lease.
Modern yard sale experience is buying stuff for $20 that originally sold at retail for $22. Not really a deal anymore...
It sucks. When I was a kid my mom and I would go to yard sales all the time. We always got deals not it's just not even worth it
What game ever sold for 22 that wasn't bargin bin? A lot of NES games cost as much as current games do when they were released.
Yeah I'm not paying 30 dollars for ANY GameCube game
@@kitten-whisperer back in 86 i was in america we had all my toys from yardsales and yes i twas yard sale cheap
Nobody wants to admit that the old school 'peer to peer' market experience was a competition of knowledge and a grift economy at the end of the day. Now that you can research nationwide prices and find the 'meta' in like 5 seconds with your portable connection to almost all data of humankind... it just won't be like that anymore. This guy hosting local swapmeets and still profiting even amongst a bunch of commerce he isn't DIRECTLY related to is absolutely GENIUS. Because that really IS how you get that 'yard sale' vibe. It's not a 'walk up' deal any more, it's something that has to be created with events and communal vibes.
The transparency in this video is absurd. 10/10. Insightful and helpful.
I’ve been enjoying my side of this hobby because it’s all about heart. Getting people connected with things that move them is a borderline spiritual feeling.
I’m happy he has his support Squirtle with him.
He said what he does different in his store is customer service. This is by FAR the biggest thing when it comes to these games stores.
I can't tell you how many of these indie stores I've been in where the prices are sky high and the employees are indifferent. You can ALWAYS tell the good ones when the person behind the counter will not only know the products, but geek out about the hardware side of things and specifics. Wonderful business this guy has AND the right attitude.
So true. Online sellers will be more convenient and have more options, being friendly to your customers and having better prices is about the only way to compete.
there nerds, u expect them to have social skills
You say "nerds" but I've been into plenty of non-nerd niche shops that lacked customer service. Most people aren't suited for running a brick and mortar business and that's why they fail. This guy gets it.
Hi rush, You still doing watch parties?
@@WiiFitGOTY A physical store cannot and should not compete on price with online sellers. Ever. They should compete on customer service above all else, which one store I know does well. They also have a system where if you trade in a game for another, the trade in value is 25-30% or more above what they will give you in cash. You don't even have to trade in right away, but they'll give you store credit if you prefer. So, they have a lot of good retro inventory because people trade in retro stuff they get a good deal on to buy new stuff, or newer gen 2nd hand stuff.
They do have an online store, but IMO the physical store is an experience in itself, tons of old console displays etc where you can play old legendary games on the original hardware, and should you want to, you can buy it. Not 100% is for sale, but very close to everything is, but not necessarily cheap. All retro games and consoles are tested and sold with a warranty, provided you're not me who takes a discount and handshake deal over warranty lol. I've done all sorts of unorthodox deals with them but I'm more of a "free agent" than a straight up customer, I'll find games or consoles for them at times, sometimes help get rid of something they have too much of, but they will keep aside specific things for me if they come in. They get sold to me without ever being listed as inventory.
He just gave a master class of Retrogame Marketing. He actually created the need for people to buy games to satisfy their nostalgia and escapism.
He 'created' nothing tho?
There is no escapism.
@@KarlTheExpert he created a market space. if you love burgers and there are no burgers chains in your town the man who creates the space creates the supply. "he didnt make the videogames hes selling so he didnt make anything" is the
understanding of a literal child
@@satsu3098 the original comment said "he created THE NEED" Which is not true. There was a need and he created the solution to it.
@@satsu3098weirdo
This guy embodies the spirit of what so many people wish they had, he’s captured that lightning in a bottle!
I wish him the best of luck with that retirement by 50 🙏
He exploited people desperate from covid unemployment. Unreal.
@@datacipher He exploited them how?
He won't be able to, with our current economy and the rate at which the prices are increasing for just general goods, he will be lucky to retire before he dies.
@@whitecloud2002 Given the fact that big retail stores are no longer selling physical media I imagine it would mean more business for him. Also the fact that there are allot of gamers who want to buy physical media vs. going all digital. Let's also not forget that there were people during Covid willing to buy a PS5 for 1k$ therefore at the very least we know there are some die hard gamers willing to pay no matter the price or economy thus I do not believe his job will be going anywhere anytime soon.
@@datacipherwho didn’t?!
OHMYGOD I know him!! I go to this game store all the time!! Really amazing guy and overall passionate and willing to make great deals with people!! He's been a friend to my dad for many years even before he opened this store, he's really come a long way. It's incredibly impressive to be able to run a business off a market that's constantly fluctuating in demands, availability, and price changes. I also noticed you left him a signed poster! super dope! It's heartwarming to see the community so connected like this, especially with a person within my area!! Keep up the amazing content, this was a super cool connection for me!! :)
"It hurts" I saw the slight knot in the throat and him holding them tears back. Mans deserves all the success and I hope he gets it!
Money ain’t worth it
@@kingcatx2 I agree but we are all in different situations. I had the luck to find a job that gave me better pay and work life balance but not everybody gets that. However, would I love to own a video game store too probably yeah. It looks like he followed a passion and he's trying to make the best of it. Not everybody will like it or agree with it.
@@kingcatx2 Disagree, money CAN be worth it if you're setting up future generations. But for 75k a year? Definitely not worth it.
@SpartanArmy117 money is not worth it if it means sacrificing your relationship with your wife and kids. My father worked as much as this guy and I barely even knew him. He taught me one thing, though, that I will never do that to my kids.I spend almost every free moment I have with them.
@@SpartanArmy117 agreed hopefully his sells pick up!
Can vouche that his customer service is off the charts. I've sold/bought from Mark numerous times.
How old is this video made ?
Is his authentic pokemon games from gba>ds good pricing??? Or over 200$ like every other video game store i see
Lies
@@FatalShotGGof P
@@Dialogos1989 Lol
God Bless this guy - he left a 20 year job he didn’t seem to enjoy and decided to go with his passion and make a business out of it and sounds like he puts customers first - he is brave, passionate and deserves all the success that comes his way
Whats sad is this youtuber probably makes more than him
Indeed I am nowhere near that much of a risk taker.
Well, it doesnt matter that he is broke and he spends too little time with his family, but at least he can sell videogames. What a childish clown.
It will eventually fail being passionate means nothing in the world of business, you have to make money to survive and a business like this is not in demand enough to make it long term. He will eventually fail and lose it because his passion got in the way of common sense.
I really thought Video Game Stores died couple of years ago.
We had some of them back in the days in Germany but nowadays you really cant find them anymore because everything is getting sold over the Internet - i really miss those days when you could play at a Supermarket some PS2/Gamecube ...
I hate to say this, but this is a genuinely good video. Normally I hate your "get the money" based videos, they lack passion for the collecting hobby, but you did a great job interviewing someone who actually gives a shit about the community and gaming.
Why do we call it a community when it isn't?
This guy's really on to something. He undercuts the Ebay price to turn over product quickly. In doing it like this, he creates a motivation for the consumer to visit a physical store in pursuit of a better deal than price-gouging speculators, keeps retro gaming accessible to regular people, fostering a community of repeat customers, and he cuts down on the time he has his product in storage, which is a huge concern for businesses at scale. He also profits off of speculators, in the event they buy his product in an effort to sell it for more down the line, which only works in the speculator's favor if they have the money to pay for storing those games for months, if not years, just to make a middling profit. Speculators usually don't even consider those things in the first place. He does so many things with a single move, this guy is a genius.
He is able to afford to do this because it seems like he doesn't have any employees. The man is a workhorse but he's able to be that because he doesn't consider what he's doing work, it's his passion. The man is truly living the dream.
"He undercuts the Ebay price to turn over product quickly."
This is actually standard practice for most video game stores.
not anywhere around me@@MK_ULTRA420
But is he under cutting ebay? This video quickly showed Super Smash Bros. Melee Player's Choice for $75. I checked ebay and it goes for typically $50-$60, with many CIB going for under $55 after shipping.
Pawn shops know and implement this same strategy and have been since the dawn of pawn shops. The benefit he has is its a targeted niche instead of just anything that comes in the door.
"Games you play, nostalgia you live" Wise words...
x2.
When I heard that it was like a bucket of cold water.
I'm just now seeing this but the love he has for this is can just see the energy... that man is holding on a squirttle while talking lol he genuinely loves this frfr blessings to him and his family protect this man at all cost...
"My home business nearly ended my marriage. This is my Nintendo 64 section." Beautiful transition 😩👌 (~3:30)
Cognitive dissonance high among gamers. Reduces threshold for suspension of disbelief increasing enjoyment of video games, its like edging before masterbation an art also perfected by many a gamer😂
@@RPcropland Oh okay
LOL! C’mon man gimme a break, did you come for the N64 section or marriage advice? -the guy
@@RPcroplandtouch grass
New hero. ESPECIALLY for the customer service part. No one who loves games , video or card or whatever, at least everyone i know, all of us feel like theres NO POINT trying to go reSELL your games or cards, cause places, stores around here fucking SUCK. but THIS guy looks like he will give you an HONEST chance, and tried to have someone COME BACK, by giving them a FAIR deal, rather than SCREWING people over to hopefully make money by cheating someone out of something worth something.
I have to compliment Mark, his store is very clean, all his games seem to have intact packaging and labels, it really does feel like you look to sell quality pieces over just accepting and selling games that end up as shelf fillers XD good job! I hope business goes well for you! If I ever headed your direction, would LOVE to visit
He must get filler, what does he do just donate it? My guess is he uses game cases for recasing good games and just blows out the fluff. It is impossible to avoid unless you are a cherry picker and pull all the good stuff out of deals you see (like FB Marketplace stuff),
@@CanadianRetro Like he mentioned, probably the less pristine ones are sold for less and are stacked in a pile somewhere
"we emphasize putting out games the people want rather than ones they don't, like sports games"
based
😂😂
The fact that he is holding a Squirtle plushie during the entire sit down part of the interview makes him cool as hell and makes me want to go to his store and buy stuff.
this dude markets
F squirtle a real og would be holding charmander
@@alexraj9436 squirtle destroys your charmander, and that is an argument you simply cannot dispute.
@@terraversalvoid5391 funny charizard consistently beats blastoise both in the game and cartoon despite blastass having an advantage
@alexraj9436 F charalamander. The cameraman needs a hug. Actual physical contact for once.
He has to record everything since time immemorial from metor showers to people on a cross and even a crying a charalazard in the rain.
Unable to do anything but record.
“Nostalgia you live, you remember. You’re 10 yrs old again, sitting on your bed. It’s summer outside, it’s beautiful. Schools out. You don’t have responsibilities.” That line brought tears to my eyes cause as a 26 year old with 2 girls at home and working as a server myself working hard to provide. Nostalgia has become my favorite thing to indulge into. Bringing back those memories and emotion you had when life was so much simpler and pure.
Please don't neglect your family in order to retire by 50. My dad worked like this during my childhood. He wasn't there to notice and give me the unvoiced help I needed, my parents divorced over it when I was in college and my youngest sibling was in high school, during my childhood, and he has regretted it to this day. Growing up I would have happily moved to another house, not had cool things, not had my own car, and taken on more college debt myself if that's what it took. I'm no business guy, but maybe take a pay cut, release some business control, and hire a good high school or college kid to help out if that's what it takes. A business major might even love learning about and improving a real world business. Either way, these years are the years to be present.
So much this. I'd rather make less money than ever go back to working a full time office job with a commute. Did it for a few years when my kid was born because I had to make bills, but there were stretches of days I didn't even see her awake. Couldn't pay me enough to go back to that...
At the beginning of the video he said gross sales were 1/4 mil and net profit was 75k and thats prob before taxes. Give this guy a break hes doing what he can ....75k a year is literally BS money
...also rerire by 50? He never said he was trying to do that. Hes OBVIOUSLY already over 50y. Hes barely making money. Hes just tryng to make it. You must be a kid.
@@ToddBacon30:37
@@ToddBacon "the endgame is uh, to retire by 50" and literally just by listening a few seconds later he states that he and his wife had been together for 23 years since they were 14 which would make him 37, and not even in his 40's.
The way this guy explains things is so applicable, entertaining, and pleasant to listen to. Very good speaker.
Mark hit on something that I think many hobby oriented retail stores forget: customer service and experience for the customer. It's not just video game stores - ANY hobby in which you want to create a store/club, there is a terrible tendency to create the attitude of "well this is my community, so I'll do what I want" rather than "what does the customer want? what will bring that new person back time after time while also maintaining the first customer when I open?" I see this most prevalently in traditional game stores (D&D, Magic, Board Games, Miniature games) where the owners treat their store more like a hang out, something where "this is going to be a place to hang out for my friends!" and less in the mind frame of "my job is to make a good experience for anyone who walks through the door." I wish Mark a ton of success, he has the right mind set and I believe he will do incredible.
I'm paused about 1/4th the way through and I just wanna commend the store owner for having such an amazing GameCube collection and understanding how hard it is to get some of these games. I've been to 10+ game exchanges and visited those stores many times and never have found such an amazing selection. I've been collection GameCube games for 6 years and have never seen a shelf that full of premium titles that I want to buy. Shout out to this guy for selling nostalgia correctly and also giving out great customer service with it and not overcharging everyone
Just from the clips going through the store it looks like straight gas, no shovelware games or filler like funko pops, actually just straight quality. It’s always the best feeling to find a shop like that.
I like funkopops….
11:00 dude I felt that. He put me into a mode of Nostalgia :). Its summer, schools out, mom's making dinner, no bills to pay, no responsibility. You are just having fun, simple simple life.
I think it's insightful when you talk about the way video games help us recapture the feeling of being safe, in our mom's basement, playing Nintendo. When I look at my life, I always play video games more when I need relief from feeling overwhelmed with adulting.
Shoe store owner here. Very similar business model, and very similar experience to this guy. Really refreshing to see a business owner that is honest and tells it like it is. Best of luck to you both!
You sale shoes? Do you have a site or anything?
Dude has a really smart business model and good customer service; respect. Not sinking all of his cost into dead product but instead mostly high movers with sustainable prices. Through him clearly being a passionate nerd and doing market research, he has ruled out a lot of product obsolescence. I hope he gets a lot more traction off of this video.
Physical Store is just not working anymore. In my country the only last remaining Physical Game Store is about to be out of business. Everything is online now. You can get better price and same day delivery for hardwares. While for games, Online purchase and cloud library like Steam, Epic, Playstation Store, Microsoft Store, are considered more convenient rather than having stacks of DVDs and Blurays laying around your room.
yea your got great insights in a youtue comment section your must be doing so good since you clearly know what to do
Sometime instagram and youtube makes it seem like business and reselling is easy. I really appreciate you and others being transparent in the process. It shows how much passion drives us
Yes, its very hard. But you can still get an easy job at a coal mine.
Its EXPECTATIONS. Nothing is easy even when its handed to you. Most people forget YOU HAVE COMPETITORS.
I have a similar story to this guy in which I was in the hospitality business for 20 years and excelled at it greatly. And it is 100% true that what most businesses are missing nowadays is true customer service and hospitality. Whenever I would train people I would always tell them that we aren't just serving food and drinks. We're creating an experience for them. We're creating relationships. And that is why they come back. This guy's got everything he needs to be a massive success and I wish him the best of luck!
Customer service isn't for everyone, people assume they can do it easily cause they're sociable but it takes a lot of effort and patience to be kind and courteous towards people screaming at you for something out of your control and threatening your job at you.
You really gotta be a saint to smile and wish someone a good day after they insult you, your family then your entire bloodline then take the next customer in 5 seconds.
I started doing HP/Compaq support in an outsourced call center. I got taken off the phones the first month to work on a starting line project to pad the drastic difference of being an agent vs training. Like my class didn't have that and half of them were gone within a week which was the norm then. I got to rebuild the training syllabus not that they used it but i did which along with a notetaking tool i started writing in training and actually built out into some smart code that linked together their otherwise very disparate tools taking so much manual daily searching workload off me as an agent. Our site went from dead last to #1 after around 120 of my agents hitting the floor. I lied the idea of instead of taking 20 calls myself/day I'll copy my technique train it then like spin up all these virtual me's and take 500x the calls 10k/day done very much at a high level of support like the didn't need the 2nd level agent-help-line any more I had accidentally made myself and all my peers redundant so they reworked it and we became relevant but they always hated me then elitest losers can't stand a DJ would be so much more technically skilled like DUH bro. And the girls only talk to me because i don't hit on them, grow up. I burnt out after ~500 agents alone when it would normally take ~3 of us. I could only get basic agent pay for the first year when I should have been getting a trainers salaried position of double that after the first month. I didn't smoke so never took a single break and usually just ~5 min lunch cuz I got 20 arms up or agent's melting down and I know there's 1 or 2 often women back to work after spending 3 years raising a kid in what seemed like seclusion usually that might be struggling technically (cuz they were NOT nerds) and we hadn't trained them properly like we promised it's NOT their fault but they came in w better support aptitude then you can ever teach someone. If they were there after the 1st week would keep coming in on time, for longer then i did whereas tech nerds get bored after a month and skip out or collect up 5 lates in a year or 1 no call no show. Actually my overall agent loss so unbeatable as to be unfair to compare for whatever reason (instilled passion thru shortform concentrated training + my tool). My rant concludes with the unexpected loss of fulfillment I had after I suddenly learnt of SH, bordering on abuse by a few male supervisors against lower level agents and gave my 2 weeks. HP doesn't outsource there any longer and it moved to another city. :)
one of the reasons I stopped going into a lot of the gamestores I saw was because almost every time you walk in, nobody says hi, you try to strike up a conversation, and they dont listen, or care.
Much like Mark, I spent 10 years doing restaurant work and I learned something, and always said to new workers that I had to train, you don't treat people like walking wallets, you make em feel welcome, you don't know if people are having a bad day, lost someone close, lost their job, its our job to make them feel welcome, because they will remember that, they will come back, and they will take care of you as you took care of them. Its how you build clientele.
Me and my friends worked at a gamestore that sadly closed 11 years ago but we always had a blast, yeah it was tough, but those memories of hanging out, talking to new people coming in, helping families find the right games, throwing smash bros tournaments, that was everything.
If your kind to people, have good prices, and treat them well, they will come back and be loyal to you. I honestly wish more game stores were like Mark's instead of ones that are just filled with grumpy 40-50 year olds who just clearly want your money.
That sucks cuz tbh i hate and low key get annoyed when employees talk to me.Needy customers like yall are annoying.If they have the game buy it.Why do you need to be catered and talked to soo much??Sheesh
@@fabmelo4195 With you on this. I'm Dutch that was forced to be in America, and honestly prefer they """non-existent""" customer service. I also work in customer service, so I know full well how fake the "kindness" they show is, because they will not remember me 3 seconds after I walk out. I'm still a walking wallet to them, they just think, or have been trained, to beleive kindness will make me open it up wider. It's actual emotional manipulation by definition and I don't like it.
Now I actually come seeking assistance or have questions about the product and just get ignored, that's entirely different.
Yeah well when there's 15 people a day that try to stand there and talk to you about Xbox 360 games, it gets old.
It's a business, and there's a limit to bullshitting. I knew people that lived at GameStop and never bought anything. That's a fucking problem.
@@DriftKingfromTekken3 sounds like a problem for you. All you have to do is be nice but. It give that much attention and they go away. Always worked for us when people like that came in.
It's not your job to make people feel welcome. Treating people normally isn't a "job," it's just what you do because you're a person.
It's your job to give them food.
This Is My First Time In This Channel & Listening To This Guy Story About Game Collecting & Selling…. Man! His Energy Is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Right Away This Guys Is Awesome 👏🏻👍🙌🏻💯
This guys level of customer service and emphasis on customer service is the reason I stick to one game shop in my area. The store manager is the primary reason that I always hit up his shop and only order things from his shop! I wish this store owner nothing but the best!
Running a small retail store is no joke. Props to him.
Hope him the best and much success.
These videos are so freaking amazing. People speaking openly about business is a good thing. Loved this guy and this interview! Rooting for you
How can someone beat this guy as a competitor? All of his answers checked every box to perfection! What a guy! A 43 min videos felt so short! Also kudos to Phoenix for asking the right questions!
I'm glad this owner was being real and open about his business. He's also right about physical games. How nostalgic it is to hold it and put the disc/cartridge in whatever you play on.
That's why I wanted a PS2 for Christmas last year. Games like mortal Kombat deception silent Hill 2 resident evil code Veronica pac man world 2 super monkey ball world were all nostalgic to me. I grew up with those titles. So to hear it again was amazing
His take on selling at the flea markets is spot on. You sell at yard sale price, to make deals. You don’t hear this type of thing on social media. Most people selling at flea markets are selling above pricecharting and eBay. A lot of the sellers at flea markets think because it’s old, I’m gonna sell this for a lot of money. Mark gets it. Good luck to you! Great video!
This guy is above ebay and pricechart as well check out the prices.
As someone who owned and ran a comic and collectibles business for close to a decade, I love to see the passion. People have it or they don’t. Just remember there is more to life than the store. I have fond memories of my store but I still regret some of the sacrifices I chose to make. Work/life balance is important no matter the business if your goal is longevity. I wish you the best. 🥰
Work at fed ex and talk to me about work life balance lol.
@@alexander2685bro is trying to have a pissing contest online 😭
Are you gatekeeping work/life balance?
No, haha just passing on some wisdom before my time is done.@@ian8956
Really awesome to see standalone shops like this, wishing this dude the best!
Everyone should have an emotional support Squirtle. Thanks for the candid conversation. All the best to Mark and his family.
Yeah we call them babies, they love stuffed animals
Me and my girl gave that to him lol seems he is enjoying it@@Truekingr6
He exploited people desperate from covid unemployment. Unreal.
@@datacipher lol that's not exploit at all. If you want fast money for your stuff you get a huge cut. That's how it works.
@@promero14 “Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
exploitation | BUSINESS ENGLISH
exploitation
noun [ U ]
UK /ˌeksplɔɪˈteɪʃən/ US
Add to word list
the use or development of something for profit or progress in business”
That’s right, he used the desperation of Covid unemployment to take a huge cut. If you want to call it something else you can do so. We at least agree on what he did.
This dude is an inspiration. I've encountered so many resellers, particularly on eBay and amazon, who come across so pretentious and like to overprice everything that it's incredibly off putting. This guy obviously has a passion for what he's selling, knows about what he's selling and is very aware of his competition and wants to serve his customers to the best of his abilities. I hope he thrives.
Its a society problem. So many people have been taught greed. They want to be the next millionaire and have no issue ripping people off to get there. Many people have forgotten real happiness comes not from money but from family and doing things you enjoy.
The customer service piece Mark discussed is EXACTLY right. Video game and comic book shops by and large lack friendliness from staff. When I visit these stores, I'm looking for recommendations, and ask what people are reading/playing. No doubt this is a key to his success.
Mark seems so cool, I would honestly just hang out at his store and play games, the environment he has made in the store look so calming and relaxing!!
People always complain that retro game stores prey on nostalgia. But the thing is that’s exactly what I came for. If a game store charged less for old videogames you bet your ass I would go to only that store and go shopping more frequently. I like this guy
"Social Media is like a Reddit thread that never stops" - This guy is dropping gems and quotes every other minute. Loved this interview!
This guy is INCREDIBLE, he kicks so much ass, he's so knowledgeable, and he is so generous with his knowledge. I hope his store thrives and I honestly wish I could visit. Kudos to you, Mark!
Yeah i bet he's generous alright with those prices
I am from the Philippines and I would love to visit and buy from his store. This guy gets it. Customer service is priority and making customers happy will make a business thrive. Kudos to him and his store! ❤
Dude makes $75k+ & u can tell he absolutely loves what he’s doing & that’s invaluable 👏👏👏🙌
Honestly not that much considering the amount of work he puts in as owner and primary operator. $75k is good but I guarantee he wishes he was making more for the amount of time and effort he puts in
@@baloo1522 That's to be expected, that's why he wants to expand the business more. More marketing, more connection, etc...
@@baloo1522 I'm busting my ass making 40-50 every year I would love to do what he does.
100% its NOT all about the Monetary value! being a resellers NO matter what it is and no matter how you do it either online, flea markets , shows , owning a store or even having weekly yard sales You have to love it like 100% all of it no matter if its a grind or not because if you don't it can eat you REAL quick take it from someone that has done full time reselling for the last 25 years both online and off line multiple avenues (eBay, amazon, mercari, poshmark, offline via FB marketplace, Craigslist, flea markets and shows) one thing i have not tried and i commend those that do is doing the retail shop thing its HUGELY expensive to do that and most business that try fail in 3 years like Mark stated many do not treat the business as a business and close shop within a year hopefully Mark has made it this long he can hold off and make it a long long time.
@@baloo1522 thing is he states it is work (don't let any one fool you) but he LOVES what he does (and all the benefits you get from being your own boss and owning/running your business it outweighs working a 9-5 minimum wage job answering to someone else and helping someone else or another company get richer) and after 25 years of full time reselling both online and off line many different platforms and venues (off line) I'm a VERY VERY firm believer in the saying "if you love what you do then you will never have worked a day in your life" so if you go to a 9-5 and DREAD getting up in the morning doing that JOB your going to look back on your life and hate it but if you LOVE YOUR JOB and what you do then you will never feel like you worked a day in your life you will look back at your life with NO regrets
I like that he has the balance between passionate geek and shrewd business person.
Seems like a welcoming environment. I'd be glad to have such a store locally.
This is the most honest interview of a business owner I've seen on TH-cam. In other interviews, it's all rainbows and unicorns. Hope he continues to be successful.
This is actual journalism 👏 As someone who took journalism when I was in high school? Call me impressed. Oh, and this guy is inspiring.
My heart goes out to this man. I wish him luck and prosperity in his future endeavors. Keep physical media alive.
He’s a gem in the gaming community. A lot of resellers overprice these classic games and fuck it up for people. He wants to create memories and give an experience which would almost never fail. As long as he maintains that he will be profitable regardless of anything and I respect that. May God bless him and his journey to last for many generations 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
He exploited people desperate from covid unemployment. Unreal.
I cannot tell you how happy I am to see this video. As someone who spends a lot of time shopping, and spent a lot of money here I can really tell you that Mark is very sincere, honest, great and just pure awesome guy. I drive well over an hour just to come to the store, roughly a couple times a months always because of Mark, and when he says his prices are low, they are very low, and honestly some of the best in the business. I started shopping here from the first couple days he opened, and to see him grow and most recently move into the bigger store he is in now is just amazing, This guy deserves it.
He exploited people desperate from covid unemployment. Unreal.
I guess he didn’t exploit too much if his profit margins are supposedly so low. Him not buying their stuff during Covid would have helped those desperate people? Them not getting money or getting less money from someone else is good?
@@alainbelanger9852 it's possible, though I strongly suspect he made good money off those initial exploitation profits (so much so that he mentions is here in his own puff piece) but it is NOW that he faces a squeeze. He is the one that admitted it himself. Has he got thin margins now, that were equally thin in the desperate sellers market?
That is assuming we take him at his word - a dubious assumption. It's not as though the poster has a reputation for generosity outside his own echo chamber! :-)
@@datacipher What backwards logic is this? now exploitation is people contacting him to sell their stuff online during a tough time? or actually serving entertainment during a crisis? or what do you think constitutes exploitation?
@@datacipher If thats how you choose to see it, thats up to you. But thats not how i see it.
We are stuck inside doing fuck all and this guy sell good priced games for me to pass the time while being bored out of my mind. Whats wrong with that?
Every businessman exploits some flaw to succeed, but selling video games is way less detrimental to your health than selling heroin or crack to desperate people during bad times.
Mark seems to be a super cool guy, holy shit. I sadly live like 3 hours away and never really visit Fort Myers, but there's a part of me that wants to drive all that way just to check it out. From a video perspective, this was fun and interesting to watch. From a consumer perspective, those trade nights sound super fun. Some of my local card shops offer trade nights, and they're always the highlight of my week whenever they take place. I meet so many people, and the cards I trade for end up with stories behind their acquisition, which to me is more valuable than just buying a card off TCGplayer. I love these brick and mortar stores so much, and I love visiting them again and again.
Velocity over margins is something that 90% of industries simply cannot wrap their minds around, and here this guy is figuring it all out by himself. Awesome stuff and really cool store!
My neighbor opened a game store back in 2006…. He was in debt and out of business in 2013… He said it was one of the worst businesses he ever ran. Minimal profit margins, long hours. The only thing he liked was being able to get games and consoles early and play them before anyone else for a week or 2..
Dang, Mark is everything RIGHT with business owners. Love it. Nostalgia, being teleported back to a better time when you step into the store. Friendly and engaging. I can tell all of that from this vid. Keep going dude!
I can see why this guy is successful - what a wonderful person.
We bought a rather expensive Pokémon Card binder from Mark at the Palm Beach card show a few months ago. He’s super fun to talk to and easy to work with. I love seeing his methodology behind his business spelled out. Nice work, love the content
Awww thanks!
@@DynamoVideoGamesthe legend himself?!
Mark has one of the best business skills ever. Very smart to buy and sell like he does. Undercutting just a little under the competition is the way to go. You lose a little money over your competitors at the time but you get more customers so you actually end up making more than the competition in the longrun. Your reputation is positive and everyone talks about you because you're fair with your deals.
Under bidding only gets you so far, especially if you have direct competition. And if it ends up actually turning into a price war, no one wins. If you can, the real way to distinguish yourself from the competition is not just in price, but in adding value in the form of great service and other benefits that get added to the sale. How do you do that? Well, that's a good question ... anyone who can answer that question successfully will be very successful and end up owning their competition at some point.
Listening to him talk about him missing out on his family was just depressing. There's sacrificing something for your business and then there's what he's doing. No one should have to give up that much of their life just for work. He seems like nice guy too so I hope he has a wake up call sooner rather then later
At the same time it’s also a means to provide for said family.
@JeanRodo success isn't guaranteed
He's trading memories for a hope of retiring at 50 and making up for it
Tons of people chase the carrot and miss the world around them just focusing on that carrot
IMO it sounds like he needs investors and partners to off load some of those 70 hours so he can also invest time in family so 15 years from now he has amazing relationships with his wife and kids and not hate and resentment...because that supportive part wears , and that dad wasn't around hurts
I own a game store in Texas and I’m closed two days a week for family time. You can’t make up that time.
It's what u have to do
@@idrumcovers Exactly. We close on Sundays now for this very reason.
I have stopped shopping at some nearby game/comic stores because their customer service was bad. I appreciate a warm greeting when I walk in, but I have been in business where they dont greet and are plain rude when you have interactions. Some business owners' mentality change when they feel big enough. Kuddos to this guy. I hope he gets to see his kid walk and duplicate his business.
It's a brutal business. Horrible hours. Slim margins. Extremely price sensitive customers. High rent.
$75k? You can make that answering IT support calls in your pajamas at home. It's a brutal amount of work for a very blah paycheck. He's not exactly a radiologist or a periodontist printing money. He's got a price sensitive clientele hemming and hawing over a $20 game cart from 1997. You're chained in that store like a dungeon, you leave to take lunch... you're not making a dime while other people want to shop there on their lunch.
Cheaper way to run this low-margin business is from your basement with a $25/month UPS store PO Box for mailing address and returns. No retail rent, no long hours, tax deductible home business, much less overhead. You're home, you'll see the little one take her first steps, you don't gotta do much on Sunday, just ship on Monday.
I agree with you. If he has three bad months in a row he is toast. I wonder if he has adequate health insurance and retirement in place. I don't think it's worth it unless he was single with no kids and could dedicate 70+ hours a week without being missed at home.
Yep, so many people think having a store is the end goal when really, he'd be way more profitable selling online via eBay/marketplace/OfferUp. Plus, you can actually have days off.
It support that pays 75k? Damn, hook a brother up with some of that, sheesh
Depends on if he is taking his salary out of that 250k, and then 75 is the profit after that. Some business put that 75 right back in the business. Some business pocket that 75k and hurt later on.
@@faisfaizal5194 Only in specific areas in the US where cost of living is 50% on top of that.
The fact he knows his product, his customer and also diverse sales strategies - he is the ultimate entrepreneur
This guy has great instincts. I’ve shopped at so many stores like this over the years and they all die out for the same reason. They start increasing the price and holding onto items for longer. They start making more money for a while, but it kills their business. Why? Because people get bored. They always have the same stuff, so visits for the customers become stale. They stop going back. They have more and more trouble moving stuff, and eventually they disappear. This guy sells novelty and he knows it (this isn’t a slight, it’s an important distinction).
Retail is a tough business, no matter what you're selling. Mark seems like a pretty nice guy - I wish him all the luck in the world.
"Velocity" is such a good way to describe it. When I sell stuff on ebay/Facebook marketplace I always prioritize SELLING the item over trying to shake someone down for a ridiculous price.
*KEEP PHYSICAL MEDIA ALIVE!*
(I am strictly a movie collector but can totally symphatize with game collectors)
I love finding old gems and black and white movies for 50 cents. The old horror genre movies seem to be at least $5-$10 online for a dvd. I'm currently switching over to blu-ray for all the features and durability.
Physical copies you own, with streaming you rent and they can even change them or stop offering them. Disney often edits the movies they stream you don’t get to see the original on Disney+.
@@SRose-vp6ewyup owning physical or piracy of the original files are the only options
There’s a store in Columbia SC called The Fine Art of Baseball. It got me into tcgs nearly two decades ago, and I found it again recently visiting home. He had moved, but remembered me and was still hustling tcg and anime merch with decent success. This video reminded me of him, and how these kinds of stores with great service can change lives in wonderful ways.
Retail isn't dead it just needs to change. The only way to compete with amazon and the online stores etc is to offer something new. This guy gets that. The community, the customer, the building a brand of quality and trust. That's how retail wins. Im glad you've cracked the code and the effort is paying off.