The small pieces have never been a regret, the high end pieces I eventually regret it. Now I just keep the quality pieces and flip smalls (video games, cards, rare photographs, autographs, records, pokemon) If I stop collecting stuff I'll lose the excitement of life because your born with the bug or your not
Not gonna lie I purged alot of my cool stuff back in 2017 and it was a huge regret LOL. I say throw it in storage for a month and if you miss it then, take it out. If not, sell it
The constant struggle with collecting just about anything, is finding the line where collecting ends and hoarding begins. EDIT: Just checked VGA's pop reports, your Sonic Labyrinth is the only 85+ and none are higher.
@@AlanSmithee-h6q no that’s just the person self reflecting and fear mongering people into keeping stuff they don’t use anymore, or don’t want. If you’re done with something sell it or donate it, don’t listen to trash advice and proceed to hoard stuff because some random told you so on YT.
"There comes a time, thief, when the jewels cease to sparkle... when the gold loses its luster... when the game room becomes a prison... and all that is left is a man's love for his favorite grails."
This hits home. Been a collector 30 years and theres only a handful of things I have that I truly could never part with. I find myself moving further and further away from being a completionist to just getting what I truly love.
@@EstradaDuran-sg6co I’m all good, I’ve got every current gen console + a decent PC, emulation is far better than owning loads of crap I’ll never use. I can afford whatever I want, I just choose to not be dumb with my money.
Lots of good points in the video. But I would love to see more of your boxes/bins and what games you have stored away. Looking forward to the next video
I just recently made the decision to start selling my collection off and it was way easier when I thought about what it was going towards. In my case it’ll all be going towards a down payment on a house and an engagement ring. I could have both but it would take longer and I think it’ll be fun starting from scratch with a home of my own and beautiful wife to hunt with!
Buying a house will eventually be a major motivator for me as well to get rid of a ton of stuff honestly. And I look forward to it! Good luck on the house and congrats!
Skip the expensive ring and put it toward the house payment or international holiday.
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skip the wife my guy she will only drain your assets spiritually and monetary and worst case scenario she takes all ur shit in a divorce including your house and leave you with only a neo geo ad a shooe box
Im 43. Ive been buying back my childhood for 25 years. I have three very large rooms in my house with 100+ display cases. My basement is full of hundreds of boxes of collectables. I was lucky enough to make six figures right out of college and went crazy buying at a tiny fraction of todays costs. I've never sold anything. I could of 10x'd my money selling during the boom but didn't. It seemed overwhelming and I was too attached. Im hitting a point now were Ive slowed down. A lot of that is because Ive completed so many collections theres nothing more Im really excited about. It is feeling like a weight on me now as I age. My wife actually has anxiety about how shes going to deal with it all when I die. I dont need the money but I do wish I would have sold some stuff during the boom. Especially the stuff in the basement.
im 40 years old. at what point do i stop? will i be doing the same thing in 15 years? in 20? is this healthy? am i doing this because my life lacks something meaningful? these are all questions that have been eating away at me since turning 40.
Dude. I'm 31 right now and I ask myself these same questions about when I'm going to be turning 40 haha! Like... Do I still want to be collecting games at 40? When does it end? At 50 just sounds silly... But will I still be doing it? 😳
It doesn't make a difference imo, whether it's collecting games or going out with your kids or hiking or going to the beach, picking a habit or hobby that you enjoy doing frequently, you are just going to get in the rhythm. Like if your hobby was lounging at the beach every week, it sounds fun at first, but are you really going to do that 52 weeks a year even in your 60s and 70s? At what point does it just sound boring? It's the same thing for collecting games. I don't think you necessarily lack something meaningful, because that doesn't exist. You are what gives meaning to what you do, no one else. If collecting and or playing games brings you joy, there is nothing wrong with doing that for the rest of your life, or giving it up to try and find something better.
plus the fear what will happen on all these things if you one day just die... or the fear of a big fire.. or thieves etc etc....i dontknow man im 43.....and have problem already with all these giant collection of retro console and handhelds.....next month i have to move again to a new house (IF WE FIND ONE?) and i have over 100 30kg boxes only with consoles/handhelds/games... its getting harder and harder every time.....
The stuff (at least here in Australia) I found is a lot, is the more the common stuff, or ones people want. Some is overpriced but it's still crazy regardless. Conker is one hard to find game that is insane money
A few thoughts about stuff I've picked up over the years that might help some of the younger collectors out there: 1. Your interests will change over time and that's ok. That huge Pokemon collection you have in your 20s is super awesome now, but one day in your 40s when you haven't done anything Pokemon related in years, you're probably going to look back and ask yourself "should I have spent all that money on that?" Obviously get the stuff that makes you happy, but don't get super attached to things that you're barely interested in. 2. You don't own stuff; stuff owns you. You think you're going to the store to purchase something and use it, but what you're really doing is setting up a long-term obligation for yourself. You purchased the item and now you have to put it somewhere. You have to clean it. If it's more complex it might involve maintenance and repair costs. Even more complex items involve additional expenses like property taxes and insurance premiums. Whether it's your video game collection or a house AND a car AND a boat AND a riding lawn mower AND AND AND, the more stuff you think you own, the more work you're doing just to keep owning the stuff. 3. You can have anything you want in life, but you can't have everything you want in life. Resources are limited, but the ambitions and desires of mankind are unlimited. Make sure the things you want in life are important to you because they will come at the expense of not having something else in your life.
I’m always looking to improve. I started collecting loose. After a few years I started getting boxes. That turned into CIB. Even then, I wasn’t so concerned about condition. After almost completing the SNES full CIB library, I knew it was really time to focus on my true passion… I sold my entire collection to get Stadium Events and start building my NES collection back. My collection goal is NES, SNES and N64 CIB libraries. Once you break the ice on selling, you realize how much the stuff didn’t really matter, especially if you’re putting the money into something you care about more.
About 10 years ago I fell on hard times and was forced to sell my collection just to keep the lights on, mostly pennies on the dollar for what I originally paid for it. Now that I'm back to being in a good position financially, I can't bring myself to start a new collection because of how much it hurt getting rid of what I had built up. Dunno what that says about me psychologically, but that's how it went for me.
Honestly, I get that fully. I'd very likely be the same way if I were to ever lose everything for some unfortunate reason. Good to hear you're in a better spot now!
Had to do the same, but with my music collection. One thing that's a challenge if trying to rebuild, some items are out of control with pricing, but I noticed when I was trying to rebuild, I was more selective instead of just buying to buy. Regardless, I decided to not rebuild, but just get a few select items and I've been happy with that decision too. For me personally, I got past the point of impressing no one
I've been debating selling my neo geo and games, times are tough and I know I'll never buy another one if I do, I know it'll hurt to sell but times are tight and I have bills idk bro
@FinnMcCool-b3e if you do, don't take a low ball offer. When money is tight sometimes it is easy to. I sold mine for cheap and the guy was still kind of an ass to where I almost told him to forget it.
I face this struggle with my comic collection. I can let go the cheaper stuff but when books go up thousands I get second thoughts about selling. Lots of books I wish I sold a few years ago but also a lot I’m glad I didn’t.
This is a deep subject but basically I think you have to keep what makes you happy, and sell stuff* that you don't care about anymore and really be honest with yourself about both of those. Otherwise you will go crazy with anxiety over your collection which is supposed to be a thing that brings you joy. *The only things i wouldn't sell are things that are hard to replace unless youre 100% sure you will never want it back.
I owned a sealed Pokémon base set booster box in 2016 that I sold when I was finding money for my wife’s wedding ring. I knew when I sold it, I would never buy it back. I sold it for $1.5K and it would be $10K+ to buy it back today. But it do it again, because I had a use for the funds at the time.
I kid you not, I literally listed a few items from my personal collection today that I’m trying to get rid of and took them back down immediately because I just can’t do it, not yet anyway but I’ll try again
You've got me reflecting on my own collection. I once read a quote that goes something like "Your things are never truly "yours", it's just your turn with it."
I have the opposite problem from you; I want to sell a bunch of stuff and have no problem letting it go, but I don’t want to let it go for too cheap. So I’m constantly turning down offers I feel aren’t good enough.
Always wanting to try and maximize every dollar absolutely does lead to some paralysis when it comes to selling. I've started using consignment more overall. Though I do lose some money overall, it has really helped me to ensure I actually do sell the stuff haha. Albeit, yea, sometimes I let stuff sit and have to wait for that proper offer to come in!
My strategy is is start collecting something new and as that collection starts to build, I start to lose interest in my old collection which allows me to start selling it! :)
When i started out collecting, i was buying everything that was cheap and a good price. Got to a point where i was running out of space for the collection and wanted some other more expensive games. I made the decision to cut the fat out of the collection and keep what i wanted. Sold off a small portion of my used and sealed games. I continuously go back through the collection and pull out more stuff. The best decision I've made. i get money and space for more stuff, and my collection is way more curated to what i enjoy. Finally, I got to a point where i dont need everything, but I'll still buy an item if i see it for a steal and either flip it or hold onto it for a while. Did i already have a xenosaga iii? Yes. Did i buy the sealed lenticular version for $200. Hell yeah. Did i need it? No 😂😂
I've been selling off most of my collection over the last year. About 3k games gone. If fact just listed on Facebook yesterday the last of my boxed NES games. Keeping all my Japanese stuff and new Gen consoles and games. Don't regret it one bit
My priorities changed with two kids. I sold 90% and kept the really meaningful things. Now when i look at what i have i appreciate what it instead of seeing the holes.
I evolved over time from, i want to collect everything to the three main consoles that i grew up with NES SNES N64. And it has made collecting much more enjoyable and meaningful. I still do collect for other things but it is more on what i actually have interest in playing. I went through my collection and took out all the stuff that i had no interest in ever playing and started a sale pile. Been a good way to supplement my income when buying stuff i actually care about
@@GetTheGregthey lied to me, telling me the value of the games had dropped, and never paid me for two of my most expensive games. Not sure if I should rebuild my collection. Or whether I should revisit the games through emulation.
The chase IS the hobby. There's no point in owning games, as you've said, they just sit in boxes. So you need to decide how many and which ones are right for you. Personally, as someone who's a little older now, I have a different outlook on what's important in life. I have collections, sure, but I'm generally not one to hang onto expensive things anymore because I'd rather have the money. My advice would be to sell all the highest value items you have and buy what's truly meaningful: a house, home renovation, education, or any other investment in yourself. Getting to where you really want to be and do what you want to do on a daily basis is the hardest part of life. Escaping a dead end job, starting a business or new career, and moving out of your apartment all costs a lot of money, but will give you a lot more satisfaction than what's sitting in bins behind you.
Sometimes hobbies change, your opinion on certain games changes and you should absolutely sell what you don't want anymore. I've made lots of money from what i've initially paid. And it's just better that way. Clutter can get in the way of enjoyment.
I would say at this point, it's impossible for me to "enjoy" my collection. There's too much of it and majority sits in boxes/storage. Unfortunate, but true.
This really hit home. I rarely buy sealed games anymore but I vividly collect statues and I have come to this when is enough enough. I’ve set a goal for myself lately drew layouts and all due to this. It does become overwhelming at times which is why I cut down a lot.
I am 42 now. Over the last 35 years i bought/collect over around 3500 games to the maximum and various consoles. only around 10% of this are left and i keept only the important stuff i played to death as a kid and teen. Most of them are pc games from the 90s and early 2000s. For the console games i only keept what i played and loved when i was young. It was really hard in the beging when most of the stuff were gone. But i don´t regret it anymore because it´s like i get my freedom back. I don´t think about my games every day anymore. And that is great.
I try to keep in mind- I need to limit exposure, and these are taking up too much space. I have a lot of fun doing all of this, but I really try to limit the time I spend on it, of course the money, and the biggest part is the % of money going into this stuff in comparison to stocks, etfs, my house etc. I get the same feelings though, like I will regret it or something. It's stupid. Even on games that aren't in the greatest condition. So I try to have a keeper pile that is the highest graded stuff that would be a real pain to replace, a few place holders, plus my childhood stuff, and everything else to the highest bidder. It is tough.
@@kasezgatembo9661 that's actually a really good way to articulate what I try to do myself. 5-10 percent yearly (although I should probably do a bit more than that haha)
For me, it helped that I had to move out and into a smaller living space. That alone killed off any anxiety I had letting my stuff go. So I either sold to local game stores, which sucked and I had to swallow my pride(Definitely went to pound town selling some stuff to LGS's.) Or at local gaming group swap meets. Which felt better because I knew my games and collectibles were going to other fellow gamers. Looking back it feels good that I let the vast majority of my collection go. Many items I had no emotional attachment to. They were just "there", in the collection. Any regret(s) come from not holding the small amount of games that have greatly appreciated in value in today's market. Though that sting slowly swells down with time.
What helped when I started hoarding like is telling myself and fondamentale changing what collection means for me. Before, it meant, to possess. Now it means, to have for a time. That greatly helped me not being hung up on the potential or value of games. That means I'm happy to have it now but if in 6 month I don't feel the same way then I had my time with it, now its time for another person to have theirs.
It got to a point for me where my attic started to fill up - I realized that if I can't display it, I can't appreciate it, and I must not care about it as much as I once did. That's my litmus test on whether I should keep it or sell it.
Im 40 year old now and collecting since the sega genesis in 1993. I decided to keep only the games i have an emotional connection to it cause thats the only ones i will play again...the rest bye thanks no time and no space 😁✌️
Never sell a collection no matter what. You’ll regret it every single day the rest of your life. Yes I 100% fully am aware it is just stuff to most people but for people like us it isn’t. No it don’t make sense to some people but for us it makes perfect sense. I’ll never part with my collection until I’m dead and gone and leave it to someone that will care for it as much as I did.
Push came to shove, and I sold around 80% of my collection about 15 years ago. Never looked back. Had about 40 years of gaming history. Started collecting again once we bought a house, and only focused on specific games for specific consoles instead of going for everything all over again.
Greg is the best. He is honest and thats what i like. Managing large collections feels like a job. How many of us have tubs of games in the side bedroom full of games we haven't played in years? I'm guilty! ;)
Amazing content, thanks for sharing your experience. I remember back in French high school ('94-ish) there was this girl who was a huge DBZ cards collector. All the rarest Maxx stuff. One day she showed up and gave everything away. I thought her parents had made her do that or something but she later told me she simply decided she was done. Still sounds crazy to my 40 yr old head
Fantastic video. I personally only collect for the switch and unfortunately a lot of stuff becomes expensive when it goes out of print. I try not to stress about the games i missed and i try to stay on top of future releases.
I made it a personal goal to only fill 2 shelves with my favorite figures and games. If there's not more space, then something needs to be trimmed. I've gone through at least 3 cycles of reorganizing the shelves, but as of right now, I'm satisfied with my collection and haven't added anything in over 2 months.
I'm getting to that point with a collection of mineral specimens, I just do not have the space to display more things, and I don't want the solution to be "buy a bunch more shelving". Some material I'll stash as a long-term hold if it's got a decent audience size, the area is mined out, and the price keeps going up. For things not matching that description, I'm definitely ready to let a bunch go, especially those where I've upgraded to a nicer example of the material or locale. The thing that is slightly daunting about that for me is the logistics. Most of those pieces I'm ready to part with 😮not being super high end means there's not really an auction house type situation so I need to photograph things, figure out where to post them that I'm not going to get eaten alive by fees, deal with potentially scammy buyers, etc, etc. It's a lot of work, and I don't have a ton of free time. But I know what comes next, which is resentment, because I'm at that point with my arcade collection. I haven't touched any of it in years, and the 2 machines and a couple dozen boards and miscellaneous parts and artwork take up a lot of space I'd like back, maybe for rock stuff, maybe for general mental well-being. I've been at "I haven't touched it, I'm ready to just ballpark a low price and see if the couple dealers I used to know are still buying collections" for a while. At this point though, the thought of having to pull everything out, take good photos, check which work and which don't, with photos of title screens as proof, trying a chip swap to maybe get one of the machines out of the graphic issue it has, then seek those folks out seems like such an insurmountable obstacle that I'm quickly approaching the mindset of (not literally) "just light a match and make it go away." I almost don't care about the money anymore and just want it gone because I'm so sick of it still being here. It's not a great place to be at, especially with a collection where things are worth good money. So I guess take it from me and don't let it go long enough that you not only are no longer attached to pieces but so long you start actively disliking the collection to the point you're willing to take every bath you can find just to be rid of stuff. It doesn't make sense financially, it's not great to hate something you used to love but just aren't as engaged with anymore, and the stress and dread aren't conducive to sleeping well.
@@SkateSoup thanks for sharing this thoughts so eloquently. That kind of ties into my thoughts when I look up the Gitaroo man and see that it's $100. Then you still have to go through the entire process to get it listed and sold and that also gives me a sense of dread to think about. Selling off a single game doesn't matter, so it feels moot to even start the gargantuan task haha. All part of the reason I'm trying to continually sell stuff gradually!
@@GetTheGreg gradual is definitely the way to go if you have anxiety about it. Those little bites at a time may even reassure your mind enough that you can take increasingly larger groups out of the to be sold pile and into the new game pile.
I found when I started buy/selling games 10+ years ago. That over time, the collection became increasingly consolidated to the point where most of my collection is $500+ games.
I used to collect everything, now I have a very important policy. I only collect games I would personally replay.. I don't collect some rare unknown games just to have them. It has to be something I could play over and over again. I managed to bring down my collection from 1000+ games to about 200...I also keep games that I wouldn't play but for some reason have jumped up in value a lot.
@@GetTheGreg For example. I bought Super Mario All stars on the switch for like 30$. now it's worth over 150$. I'm not a big fan of Mario, but I keep it in my collection. I realized that this game was sold in limited quantity and the value has skyrocketed. My guess is that in the future I might be able to sell it for a bit more, but it's just a guess.
Actually struggled with selling two of my favorite sports cards recently. Had them both listed on eBay for high prices and got offers that honestly made more sense to take than keep the cards. Tough decisions but that’s another way to look at it, would I rather have this game, or the cash (or even another game I could use the money for in my hand instead).
This video is true BUT anytime i sell something, months/years later “i wonder about the game “ and “wonder if id like it more now” and end up rebuying it on several occasions
So I have that same fear at times but its worst at time because of being a content creator. I don't want to be know just for my video games, so getting rid of them at time is healthy for me and my mental health
Yea that's a good point too. Now that I do make content around games, I never want to keep that I don't card about purely because someone else might care if I sell it.
I won’t sell but to avoid toxic collecting I focus on a collection that does have an ending. I’ve collected every single U.S. Pokémon game collection, mainline and spin-off, my collection is done, not getting other language copies, just a specific collection with an ending and I’m happy with my choice 😊
@@GetTheGreg I thought about it and decided not to because that’s when the thought of “when does it end?” kicks in and helps me make the logical decision to focus on 1 collection and only 1. Is difficult to fight that urge to collect but I have to be discipline so that I don’t collect things I don’t care about but can’t justify selling it
This is the way. I focus on one system. Helps me to feel theres a purpose and shape to what I'm doing and it all ties in together. There is also a mostly definite ending point. Im currently getting into weird accessories for my system cause most of the games left on my list are just hard to find in good condition.
That feeling of "if I sell this now I'll likely never get it back" is definitely real for me, especially with all my CIB SNES and N64 games (I only have like 6-7 for each console, but they're all absolute bangers i.e. super mario RPG, DKC trilogy, Mario's, Zelda's etc.) and I paid almost nothing for most of them and that's the kind of stuff that I KNOW I'll never get back, which does trigger anxiety when I think about selling them. I'm almost always okay with selling stuff valued at $100 or less that I know I can easily get back if I wanted to, and there are some exceptions with higher priced things, I've sold a shit load of pokemon grails just because they sell super fast and they never stop going up lol. Used to have almost every main-line pokemon game CIB, now I'm just down to the DS titles because those are the most affordable for me and I enjoy playing them the most.
When I was younger I had this a bit. But I have always been in the business of reselling whether it is for stuff I collect or not. So over the years I have learned that if I ever feel like this I know I will get over this immediately once the item is listed. For me there are just items that I own purely to resell that I have listed. And items that I want to keep but would sell if the offer is good enough. There is nothing I own that I wouldn't sell. There are not many games that I truly think I won't be able to rebuy if I did resell them. But even if repurchasing is not possible it really just depends on the game. What I personally do is just list stuff like that for high prices and see if anyone bites. I don't mind sitting on the for months or years, but eventually I will sell it. I also think that your rigorious method of selling, doesn't particularly benefit some of those rarer titles and might make the transitional period of owning it and it selling more difficult. But on the other hand, it selling for certain within a certain period is also valuable.
One thing you should do is make a video of the games you sre getting rid of. This allows you to monetize having them before their gone, pumps them for viewers who may want to buy them, and honestly sounds like an interesting vid. Hearing about the history of your collecting and some of the stories around certain games is just fun to listen to (it was in this vid ;). As a collector myself I can relate to some of those stories and also compare my experiences to yours.
I've made a killing selling unobtainable items I've collected. I definitely lost out selling my game collection 20 years ago for next to nothing, but if you can't let go of your crap, you are owned by it. The nicest thing my family ever said about me is "he's okay. If his house burnt down he wouldn't even care." I had a precious box of sentimental photos, journals, letters, and home movies all stolen by a scorned lover, and I was crushed. I cried over it. Once that was gone it became easy to let go of everything else which I have since done multiple times. I am back to collecting stuff occasionally, but It's all still just stuff.
I havent purged my collection yet, but i have a growing box + stack of stuff I want to sell. Mostly its poor condition items that I've upgraded and need to sell the lesser copies. I dont see myself selling big chunks of my collection piecemeal though. I predict when Im much older I wont care about this stuff the same way and I'll sell it all. That or I'll sell 90% and keep the 10% that genuinely means a whole lot to me. I think most people feel like you when they dont have a solid reason to keep something but keeping it also bothers them in some way. Like it's taking up too much space or time dealing with it, or its worth a lot of money that you'd really rather spend on something else. I like to say every collector eventually hits a time, space or money constraint. The question is how you deal with it. As for games I dont really care for or want to see but dont want to let go of, I like to hide them in a box somewhere and forget about them, if I have the space. Then its a fun discovery sometime years down the road. That only works if you have plenty of space (or not a lot of things). Fortunately, my games and things I collect dont take up that much space and thats something I'm genuinely grateful for. My mother collects typewriters and thats a whole other beast lol.
Good points. I'm in that category of if I sell something then I'm done with it forever. That's the best way I rationalize it because I hate having to buy stuff again. I sold my Pokemon Leaf Green for 3 bucks in 2009 and I just got it back for a very high price. If I ever sell it again then I'm done. I don't sell much though because I limit my collection down to list of what I really want and disc binder space. It's been a good way of not over collecting games that I never want to play or have.
I think it is important to reflect on why I buy/keep things I buy/keep. Because I tend to be choosy, I don’t typically acquire games that I am not interested in actually playing. However inevitably I do end up with a relatively small amount of stuff that I don’t care about and I usually trade those things in for games I am interested in.
I have a limit that I imposed on myself for collecting. I built a pretty substantial shelving situation at my place that houses my collection. It should support a couple more years of pretty aggressive collecting but once its full, its full, and I'm not building it out any further. At that point I will probably start thinking harder about what's actually in the collection and have to downsize if I want to make space for something new. I think its a pretty good way to go about things.
My hobby changed from retro game collecting to Japanese capsule toys (My TikTok following supports my addiction 😂). Now I have a room of gaming stuff that I don't really have the time to sell 😢
I have sold off about 150k worth of games, only keeping mint CIB + graded Souls and Final Fantasy. Invested most of the money and bought some grails too.
I have a small collection, a few graded, a few sealed but I made sure when I brought them they were ALL games from my childhood I had happy memories of. Pokemon, Diablo, GBA Mario, Crash Bandicoot, Abe's Odessey etc. Some were expensive so it was nice to think they'd go up in time but the primary reason was so I could display them and whenever I look at them they bring a smile to my face as I never intend to sell my childhood memories again (blame 12 year old me). Recently I did go through and sell a few N64 & GBA CIB's that were just there and I had no really attachment to.
I'm new to collecting sealed games but I'm willing to sell off 95% of my funkos and sports cards at this point. Only thing that's slowing me down is the dreaded process pictures, posting and packing. I had a speed set up on our dining room table but my wife shut down the operation and my selling came to a hault.😢
I definitely sell of games that I just don't want anymore. And as often as I can, I will trade for games I want rather than buying. I might not even be saving money doing this, but it does help trim the collection. I will sell games if their value goes up to a point where I feel I'd rather have that cash value instead of the game. Having a focus really does help. There are a handful of consoles I collect for, and I don't stray from them.
I got rid of most of my video games when I was younger, big mistake, I’m still looking for those games I sold to get the nostalgia back. Same with my Pokémon cards
I don’t get collecting stuff to keep them sealed and boxed up. The fun part is opening it, looking at the manuals etc. Life is too short to be boxed up.
If we take the nostalgia out of the mix, at the end of the day, collecting sealed/mint in box games is an investment and you need to decide when it is you want to pull your money back out of them. There are certain games that are worth selling now rather than just sitting in a box stored away for the unforcertain future. And you will feel better once your items are no longer consuming you
@@R0YA. Yup, but unfortunately the emotion and nostalgia is highly intertwined haha. It's the only reason I chose to buy games in the first place! Otherwise it would all just be stocks/traditional investments if I didn't actually care about what I was buying, you know?
I try to be brutally honest about what I love vs what I just like. Because I like a lot of things, but I don't actually love many. If I don't love it, if I see it and feel nothing, it's ok to let it go.
As a rule of thumb, for "collecting". -always buy on sale -dont buy just to buy -You can buy something cheap, but don't be afraid to sell it if you dont like it. -Keep what you really like -Collectors editions only for stuff that is something you love. - enjoy the hunt for deals.
Sold most of my games a few years ago in the Covid bubble. Literally don’t regret it at all; if I ever want to pin bot on the nes I’ll play it on emulator, I don’t need to make space in my small house for games that I will likely never play again
Greg! Just got a CGC 9.8 A++ of "Twisted Metal III" Greatest Hits (special variant) version. My favorite in the series. I'm curious: I think you told me "Twisted Metal 4" was your favorite. What do you think of the other games? 😁😁😁
phsyical games kinda died out after ps3/xbox/wii u area. the ps4 discs and xbox one didnt have all the files in the cd, so u had to download majority from internet. u couldnt just put in the cd and start playing, u had to wait hours to download stuff. kinda miss that, opening a new game on Christmas Eve, go upstairs/downstairs and play the game right after putting the disc. during ps4, u literally had to download the day before, so u could play on Christmas . tbh for me, i dont care that much of physical games because of that, its nice to have yes, but its not what its used to be. the games are litterally still downloaded from the internet stores/files and not from the cd
I've personally made the decision that I don't need multiple copies of a title (zelda excluded) in the collection. So if a game I have gets a rerelease/remaster/remake, then I'll usually just keep the version that's more convenient to play. A recent example of this being Paper Mario TTYD.
OCD and being on the spectrum is one of the things that gets people collecting in the first place. I can guarantee if you sell a couple of big items the rest will follow quite easily.
I get it, man. I've been playing games for over 3 decades now. I still have a decent collection, sitting in boxes in my closet. My kryptonite is comics. I have boxes. And boxes. And boxes. Key issues, full runs, variants, just so much. I'm 42 now and I've slowed down tremendously, the older I've gotten the less i care about this stuff. I'm realizing my mortality and thinking what am i even doing? I think I'll sell everything i own and travel with my girl, what good is all this stuff if i can't take it with me in the end? Oh I've got a nice copy of Giant Sized X-Men, oooh a first print of Hulk 181 signed, a 9.8 Secret Wars 8, none of it matters to me now. But it felt so important at one point. I'll still find myself occasionally buying things i clearly don't need and don't even know why? Impulsion? Idk, i gotta figure something out lol.
I had a gigantic collection like a decade ago. I had so many expensive games and then my car needed struts so I had to sell them. Now I just use flashcards and modded consoles. I do have over 100 physical switch games though.
When It comes to selling things I have brought I look at these points 1. how long have I had it. 2. Within that time how much have I used it and If not why. and 3. Use it until I get bored give it 3 tries within a month or at least 1 or 2 weeks. If It doesn't hit I sell It on and off of course like come back later and see If It still sucks or boring. I have sold many games that I felt were overrated and not so fun. Cool video. ^_^
I don't feel scared to sell my collection.Actually when I look at my small collection , I get anxiety about the time it's going to take to finish playing them all I've been selling parts of my switch collection It's actually really fun It helps me get more stuff
Im same way besides games i gave to my siblings cuz they didnt have any for there console. Recently i sold a snes game i got for free and never played but got 6 games i will play for it. It was a $100 game. First time ive ever sold a game
Things take up space, and most things can be sold for money. If you run out of space, money, or just want to make profit already. You will know when it is time to sell. Sell when it feels right and it makes sense. I sold a lot of my collection a few years back. Got rid of everything that I didn't like the cover artwork for, or have a deep connection to. After all I'm not a video game museum and never will be. This stuff isn't going with me when I die.
My end game is to clean up my backlog when i retire and clean up the trophies. The money im saving on not collecting is going in index funds to make me retire sooner
I am in the comic book selling market and I use that money to fund my game obsession. Eventually I will sell them off but I like to wait for game cons to come around. Sell them at shows with other cool stuff and hopefully get a better profit than on ebay or another app. I think one thing that holds me back are the fees but the affect it will have on my taxes at the end of the year.
I am constantly adding to and removing from the collection. There have some games that I got rid of that I truly regret parting ways with (Original Xbox and Gameboy), while others that don't bother me at all (Mario Party 6). It's impossible to know sometimes whether or not you will regret it until some time has passed since the sale. It's a vicious cycle as collector.
Personally I find that it's even harder to move past the "Death Pile" stage once I've decided something's gotta go, so that's also yet another obstacle to reducing your collection of course!
@@nintendogal9143 the biggest thing I've started doing is utilizing consignment and other means of selling more often. I find when it's my responsibility and my job to get rid of the stuff, I'll procrastinate and put it off to the point of "never selling it". Yes, I get less money in the grand scheme of things, but I successfully get rid of more stuff!
Trimmed off a lot of my collection over the past year. Got back into collecting end of 2020 and it was that initial phase where everything was a cool item that I needed to have. Fast forward three years and I started looking around like why do I have this or why do I have these? My collection is mostly CIB Pokémon games but they’re extremely minty so now it’s pretty trimmed down to that stuff. Plus some other games that I have sentimental attachments to
I miss the early days when the PS2 top rarities were Ico, Rez, Gitaroo Man, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Grandia Xtreme, Zone of the Enders 2nd Runner, Disaster Report, Jurassic Park Operation Genesis, among some others. No talks of Kuon, Rule of Rose (late release anyhow), Echo Night Beyond, Blood Will Tell, Futurama, etc.
There's just not enough people in the hobby yet to have a comfortable price point. We all know what happens when bad auctions happen that can hurt the value of new games. Only up to N64 has really solidified price points. All newer consoles don't have a strong price point yet, and we need more people in the hobby.
I am not afraid of selling my collection. I have a huge collection and I plan to keep almost all of it. Maybe I'll sell off some duplicates /variants. The reason why I collect is because I love to play games and they are super cheap. They are not as cheap anymore. So I have definitely slowed down. I don't care for sealed or graded games. Yes space is a problem. The #1 reason for me to consider selling games is to free up some space.
Yeah… I’m in that boat. I have a collection that dates back 30+ years and most of it, I never use it anymore. But since I’ve had it for so long, I just feels weird to sell it. I managed to make it through my entire life avoiding selling any of my video games so it feels like am, I don’t know, betraying my hobby. It’s weird. Like my N64 collection, there is a very high chance I will never use any of those games again. If I wanna play N64 games, there are just easier/better ways. So why do I keep it? Good topic Greg.
These are the questions and thoughts that keep collectors up at night haha. Hopefully you're comfortable with the decision you're making, or do eventually come to the point where you're OK to let it go!
I'm gonna get dark here. I have those same feelings at times but the i remember we're not taking this stuff with us when we die. Plan on selling unless you're passing them down
Do you also deal with these feelings? How have you been able to overcome it?
The small pieces have never been a regret, the high end pieces I eventually regret it. Now I just keep the quality pieces and flip smalls (video games, cards, rare photographs, autographs, records, pokemon) If I stop collecting stuff I'll lose the excitement of life because your born with the bug or your not
It felt great to purge 70-80% of the number of games in my collection, and I funnelled the funds into high grade expensive grails
Not gonna lie I purged alot of my cool stuff back in 2017 and it was a huge regret LOL. I say throw it in storage for a month and if you miss it then, take it out. If not, sell it
@@cakehoarder if you would have done this, do you think you would have changed your mind in 2017, it’s so hard to predict the future
@@rickd6476 Exactly. No real easy way to do it haha. That's why it's so easy to hoard!
There is very fine line between "collecting" and blind consumerism. Purchasing off impulse rather than according to a plan.
The constant struggle with collecting just about anything, is finding the line where collecting ends and hoarding begins.
EDIT: Just checked VGA's pop reports, your Sonic Labyrinth is the only 85+ and none are higher.
Don’t listen to Greg. If you sell it, you will NEVER get it back
@@TrinhNguyen-85 hahah buy buy BUY!
No one cares.
They do care ... and we all know that grinds gears bald since you took the time post.
@@AlanSmithee-h6q no that’s just the person self reflecting and fear mongering people into keeping stuff they don’t use anymore, or don’t want.
If you’re done with something sell it or donate it, don’t listen to trash advice and proceed to hoard stuff because some random told you so on YT.
@@servare2599 I’m not fear mongering. I was making a joke 😆. I don’t care what y’all do with your stuff
"There comes a time, thief, when the jewels cease to sparkle... when the gold loses its luster... when the game room becomes a prison... and all that is left is a man's love for his favorite grails."
This hits home. Been a collector 30 years and theres only a handful of things I have that I truly could never part with. I find myself moving further and further away from being a completionist to just getting what I truly love.
King Osric
Why do I regret selling nearly every game I have sold? And then I try to immediately replace it, and I can't.
Dang, that doesn't sound like a great spot to be in haha
@@bobthebadguy6876 because you have a hoarders mentality.
@@servare2599
you can't afford games can you?
@@EstradaDuran-sg6co I’m all good, I’ve got every current gen console + a decent PC, emulation is far better than owning loads of crap I’ll never use.
I can afford whatever I want, I just choose to not be dumb with my money.
Lots of good points in the video. But I would love to see more of your boxes/bins and what games you have stored away. Looking forward to the next video
I just recently made the decision to start selling my collection off and it was way easier when I thought about what it was going towards. In my case it’ll all be going towards a down payment on a house and an engagement ring. I could have both but it would take longer and I think it’ll be fun starting from scratch with a home of my own and beautiful wife to hunt with!
Buying a house will eventually be a major motivator for me as well to get rid of a ton of stuff honestly. And I look forward to it!
Good luck on the house and congrats!
Skip the expensive ring and put it toward the house payment or international holiday.
skip the wife my guy she will only drain your assets spiritually and monetary and worst case scenario she takes all ur shit in a divorce including your house and leave you with only a neo geo ad a shooe box
Fuck that keep your games. Now you'll just be unhappy and broke
Im 43. Ive been buying back my childhood for 25 years. I have three very large rooms in my house with 100+ display cases. My basement is full of hundreds of boxes of collectables. I was lucky enough to make six figures right out of college and went crazy buying at a tiny fraction of todays costs. I've never sold anything. I could of 10x'd my money selling during the boom but didn't. It seemed overwhelming and I was too attached. Im hitting a point now were Ive slowed down. A lot of that is because Ive completed so many collections theres nothing more Im really excited about. It is feeling like a weight on me now as I age. My wife actually has anxiety about how shes going to deal with it all when I die. I dont need the money but I do wish I would have sold some stuff during the boom. Especially the stuff in the basement.
your wife doesn't love you?? 😳💀
im 40 years old. at what point do i stop? will i be doing the same thing in 15 years? in 20? is this healthy? am i doing this because my life lacks something meaningful? these are all questions that have been eating away at me since turning 40.
Dude. I'm 31 right now and I ask myself these same questions about when I'm going to be turning 40 haha! Like... Do I still want to be collecting games at 40? When does it end? At 50 just sounds silly... But will I still be doing it? 😳
It doesn't make a difference imo, whether it's collecting games or going out with your kids or hiking or going to the beach, picking a habit or hobby that you enjoy doing frequently, you are just going to get in the rhythm. Like if your hobby was lounging at the beach every week, it sounds fun at first, but are you really going to do that 52 weeks a year even in your 60s and 70s? At what point does it just sound boring? It's the same thing for collecting games. I don't think you necessarily lack something meaningful, because that doesn't exist. You are what gives meaning to what you do, no one else. If collecting and or playing games brings you joy, there is nothing wrong with doing that for the rest of your life, or giving it up to try and find something better.
plus the fear what will happen on all these things if you one day just die... or the fear of a big fire.. or thieves etc etc....i dontknow man im 43.....and have problem already with all these giant collection of retro console and handhelds.....next month i have to move again to a new house (IF WE FIND ONE?) and i have over 100 30kg boxes only with consoles/handhelds/games... its getting harder and harder every time.....
It's a mixture of FOMO, shopping addiction, OCD and other personalities are disorders that we shouldn't encourage.
@@TachibanaTengokuDid you seriously compare anything to spending time with your kids? Nothing else should even come close to that!
The stuff (at least here in Australia) I found is a lot, is the more the common stuff, or ones people want. Some is overpriced but it's still crazy regardless.
Conker is one hard to find game that is insane money
A few thoughts about stuff I've picked up over the years that might help some of the younger collectors out there:
1. Your interests will change over time and that's ok. That huge Pokemon collection you have in your 20s is super awesome now, but one day in your 40s when you haven't done anything Pokemon related in years, you're probably going to look back and ask yourself "should I have spent all that money on that?" Obviously get the stuff that makes you happy, but don't get super attached to things that you're barely interested in.
2. You don't own stuff; stuff owns you. You think you're going to the store to purchase something and use it, but what you're really doing is setting up a long-term obligation for yourself. You purchased the item and now you have to put it somewhere. You have to clean it. If it's more complex it might involve maintenance and repair costs. Even more complex items involve additional expenses like property taxes and insurance premiums. Whether it's your video game collection or a house AND a car AND a boat AND a riding lawn mower AND AND AND, the more stuff you think you own, the more work you're doing just to keep owning the stuff.
3. You can have anything you want in life, but you can't have everything you want in life. Resources are limited, but the ambitions and desires of mankind are unlimited. Make sure the things you want in life are important to you because they will come at the expense of not having something else in your life.
coward
I’m always looking to improve. I started collecting loose. After a few years I started getting boxes. That turned into CIB. Even then, I wasn’t so concerned about condition. After almost completing the SNES full CIB library, I knew it was really time to focus on my true passion… I sold my entire collection to get Stadium Events and start building my NES collection back. My collection goal is NES, SNES and N64 CIB libraries. Once you break the ice on selling, you realize how much the stuff didn’t really matter, especially if you’re putting the money into something you care about more.
That Sculptor's Cut taunts me...
Well done Greg, well done
Hahah glad to hear caught your attention!😅
About 10 years ago I fell on hard times and was forced to sell my collection just to keep the lights on, mostly pennies on the dollar for what I originally paid for it. Now that I'm back to being in a good position financially, I can't bring myself to start a new collection because of how much it hurt getting rid of what I had built up. Dunno what that says about me psychologically, but that's how it went for me.
Honestly, I get that fully. I'd very likely be the same way if I were to ever lose everything for some unfortunate reason.
Good to hear you're in a better spot now!
Had to do the same, but with my music collection. One thing that's a challenge if trying to rebuild, some items are out of control with pricing, but I noticed when I was trying to rebuild, I was more selective instead of just buying to buy.
Regardless, I decided to not rebuild, but just get a few select items and I've been happy with that decision too.
For me personally, I got past the point of impressing no one
I've been debating selling my neo geo and games, times are tough and I know I'll never buy another one if I do, I know it'll hurt to sell but times are tight and I have bills idk bro
@FinnMcCool-b3e if you do, don't take a low ball offer. When money is tight sometimes it is easy to. I sold mine for cheap and the guy was still kind of an ass to where I almost told him to forget it.
I face this struggle with my comic collection. I can let go the cheaper stuff but when books go up thousands I get second thoughts about selling. Lots of books I wish I sold a few years ago but also a lot I’m glad I didn’t.
This is a deep subject but basically I think you have to keep what makes you happy, and sell stuff* that you don't care about anymore and really be honest with yourself about both of those. Otherwise you will go crazy with anxiety over your collection which is supposed to be a thing that brings you joy.
*The only things i wouldn't sell are things that are hard to replace unless youre 100% sure you will never want it back.
I owned a sealed Pokémon base set booster box in 2016 that I sold when I was finding money for my wife’s wedding ring. I knew when I sold it, I would never buy it back. I sold it for $1.5K and it would be $10K+ to buy it back today.
But it do it again, because I had a use for the funds at the time.
Thats why I never end up selling now! Everytime I do, this exact thing happens!
When she divorces you or cheats you will regret way harder
I kid you not, I literally listed a few items from my personal collection today that I’m trying to get rid of and took them back down immediately because I just can’t do it, not yet anyway but I’ll try again
@@PokeRetroFan nothing wrong with that! It's a bit nice to hear that other people deal with these exact same feelings haha.
Aye you better do something especially if you have kids or etc or family because they be buying starbucks and doughnuts with the money
You've got me reflecting on my own collection. I once read a quote that goes something like "Your things are never truly "yours", it's just your turn with it."
I collect to preserve good aspects of childhood; in hopes that I can pass on the experience to my Kin and their friends.
One method I find is asking myself is, "It's worth $X, would I spend $X today to buy it?" If not, then it's a good candidate to sell
I have the opposite problem from you; I want to sell a bunch of stuff and have no problem letting it go, but I don’t want to let it go for too cheap. So I’m constantly turning down offers I feel aren’t good enough.
Always wanting to try and maximize every dollar absolutely does lead to some paralysis when it comes to selling.
I've started using consignment more overall. Though I do lose some money overall, it has really helped me to ensure I actually do sell the stuff haha.
Albeit, yea, sometimes I let stuff sit and have to wait for that proper offer to come in!
This is how I’m getting now lol
And it’s addicting decluttering
My strategy is is start collecting something new and as that collection starts to build, I start to lose interest in my old collection which allows me to start selling it! :)
When i started out collecting, i was buying everything that was cheap and a good price. Got to a point where i was running out of space for the collection and wanted some other more expensive games. I made the decision to cut the fat out of the collection and keep what i wanted. Sold off a small portion of my used and sealed games. I continuously go back through the collection and pull out more stuff. The best decision I've made. i get money and space for more stuff, and my collection is way more curated to what i enjoy. Finally, I got to a point where i dont need everything, but I'll still buy an item if i see it for a steal and either flip it or hold onto it for a while. Did i already have a xenosaga iii? Yes. Did i buy the sealed lenticular version for $200. Hell yeah. Did i need it? No 😂😂
I've been selling off most of my collection over the last year. About 3k games gone. If fact just listed on Facebook yesterday the last of my boxed NES games. Keeping all my Japanese stuff and new Gen consoles and games. Don't regret it one bit
My priorities changed with two kids. I sold 90% and kept the really meaningful things. Now when i look at what i have i appreciate what it instead of seeing the holes.
I evolved over time from, i want to collect everything to the three main consoles that i grew up with NES SNES N64. And it has made collecting much more enjoyable and meaningful. I still do collect for other things but it is more on what i actually have interest in playing. I went through my collection and took out all the stuff that i had no interest in ever playing and started a sale pile. Been a good way to supplement my income when buying stuff i actually care about
I sold some of my games to a video game store and they scammed me on some of my items. Never again will I sell to a video game store.
How did they scam you?
@@GetTheGregthey lied to me, telling me the value of the games had dropped, and never paid me for two of my most expensive games.
Not sure if I should rebuild my collection. Or whether I should revisit the games through emulation.
they do that lol.also retro stores our Facebook market,yardsale.u get plower u price @healthbeauty7853
The chase IS the hobby. There's no point in owning games, as you've said, they just sit in boxes. So you need to decide how many and which ones are right for you. Personally, as someone who's a little older now, I have a different outlook on what's important in life. I have collections, sure, but I'm generally not one to hang onto expensive things anymore because I'd rather have the money. My advice would be to sell all the highest value items you have and buy what's truly meaningful: a house, home renovation, education, or any other investment in yourself. Getting to where you really want to be and do what you want to do on a daily basis is the hardest part of life. Escaping a dead end job, starting a business or new career, and moving out of your apartment all costs a lot of money, but will give you a lot more satisfaction than what's sitting in bins behind you.
Sometimes hobbies change, your opinion on certain games changes and you should absolutely sell what you don't want anymore.
I've made lots of money from what i've initially paid.
And it's just better that way. Clutter can get in the way of enjoyment.
I would say at this point, it's impossible for me to "enjoy" my collection. There's too much of it and majority sits in boxes/storage. Unfortunate, but true.
This really hit home. I rarely buy sealed games anymore but I vividly collect statues and I have come to this when is enough enough. I’ve set a goal for myself lately drew layouts and all due to this. It does become overwhelming at times which is why I cut down a lot.
Less is more. My current goal is to curate a Nintendo top 100 collection between gamecube, wii, & switch.
@@b4rs629 very nice and yes more focused collection is best
I am 42 now. Over the last 35 years i bought/collect over around 3500 games to the maximum and various consoles. only around 10% of this are left and i keept only the important stuff i played to death as a kid and teen. Most of them are pc games from the 90s and early 2000s. For the console games i only keept what i played and loved when i was young.
It was really hard in the beging when most of the stuff were gone. But i don´t regret it anymore because it´s like i get my freedom back. I don´t think about my games every day anymore. And that is great.
I try to keep in mind- I need to limit exposure, and these are taking up too much space. I have a lot of fun doing all of this, but I really try to limit the time I spend on it, of course the money, and the biggest part is the % of money going into this stuff in comparison to stocks, etfs, my house etc. I get the same feelings though, like I will regret it or something. It's stupid. Even on games that aren't in the greatest condition. So I try to have a keeper pile that is the highest graded stuff that would be a real pain to replace, a few place holders, plus my childhood stuff, and everything else to the highest bidder. It is tough.
Great video Greg, I feel getting rid of the bottom 5-10 percent of your collection each year is good practice to have, it’s help me profoundly
@@kasezgatembo9661 that's actually a really good way to articulate what I try to do myself. 5-10 percent yearly (although I should probably do a bit more than that haha)
For me, it helped that I had to move out and into a smaller living space. That alone killed off any anxiety I had letting my stuff go. So I either sold to local game stores, which sucked and I had to swallow my pride(Definitely went to pound town selling some stuff to LGS's.) Or at local gaming group swap meets. Which felt better because I knew my games and collectibles were going to other fellow gamers.
Looking back it feels good that I let the vast majority of my collection go. Many items I had no emotional attachment to. They were just "there", in the collection. Any regret(s) come from not holding the small amount of games that have greatly appreciated in value in today's market. Though that sting slowly swells down with time.
What helped when I started hoarding like is telling myself and fondamentale changing what collection means for me. Before, it meant, to possess. Now it means, to have for a time. That greatly helped me not being hung up on the potential or value of games. That means I'm happy to have it now but if in 6 month I don't feel the same way then I had my time with it, now its time for another person to have theirs.
I like this mindset
I have found that the only way I like to sell are large bulk purges tbh.
It got to a point for me where my attic started to fill up - I realized that if I can't display it, I can't appreciate it, and I must not care about it as much as I once did. That's my litmus test on whether I should keep it or sell it.
Im 40 year old now and collecting since the sega genesis in 1993. I decided to keep only the games i have an emotional connection to it cause thats the only ones i will play again...the rest bye thanks no time and no space 😁✌️
Never sell a collection no matter what. You’ll regret it every single day the rest of your life. Yes I 100% fully am aware it is just stuff to most people but for people like us it isn’t. No it don’t make sense to some people but for us it makes perfect sense. I’ll never part with my collection until I’m dead and gone and leave it to someone that will care for it as much as I did.
Push came to shove, and I sold around 80% of my collection about 15 years ago. Never looked back. Had about 40 years of gaming history. Started collecting again once we bought a house, and only focused on specific games for specific consoles instead of going for everything all over again.
Greg is the best. He is honest and thats what i like. Managing large collections feels like a job. How many of us have tubs of games in the side bedroom full of games we haven't played in years? I'm guilty! ;)
Amazing content, thanks for sharing your experience. I remember back in French high school ('94-ish) there was this girl who was a huge DBZ cards collector. All the rarest Maxx stuff. One day she showed up and gave everything away. I thought her parents had made her do that or something but she later told me she simply decided she was done. Still sounds crazy to my 40 yr old head
Fantastic video. I personally only collect for the switch and unfortunately a lot of stuff becomes expensive when it goes out of print. I try not to stress about the games i missed and i try to stay on top of future releases.
I made it a personal goal to only fill 2 shelves with my favorite figures and games. If there's not more space, then something needs to be trimmed. I've gone through at least 3 cycles of reorganizing the shelves, but as of right now, I'm satisfied with my collection and haven't added anything in over 2 months.
@@luckyretrotwist sounds like a great system honestly
I'm getting to that point with a collection of mineral specimens, I just do not have the space to display more things, and I don't want the solution to be "buy a bunch more shelving". Some material I'll stash as a long-term hold if it's got a decent audience size, the area is mined out, and the price keeps going up. For things not matching that description, I'm definitely ready to let a bunch go, especially those where I've upgraded to a nicer example of the material or locale.
The thing that is slightly daunting about that for me is the logistics. Most of those pieces I'm ready to part with 😮not being super high end means there's not really an auction house type situation so I need to photograph things, figure out where to post them that I'm not going to get eaten alive by fees, deal with potentially scammy buyers, etc, etc. It's a lot of work, and I don't have a ton of free time. But I know what comes next, which is resentment, because I'm at that point with my arcade collection.
I haven't touched any of it in years, and the 2 machines and a couple dozen boards and miscellaneous parts and artwork take up a lot of space I'd like back, maybe for rock stuff, maybe for general mental well-being. I've been at "I haven't touched it, I'm ready to just ballpark a low price and see if the couple dealers I used to know are still buying collections" for a while. At this point though, the thought of having to pull everything out, take good photos, check which work and which don't, with photos of title screens as proof, trying a chip swap to maybe get one of the machines out of the graphic issue it has, then seek those folks out seems like such an insurmountable obstacle that I'm quickly approaching the mindset of (not literally) "just light a match and make it go away." I almost don't care about the money anymore and just want it gone because I'm so sick of it still being here. It's not a great place to be at, especially with a collection where things are worth good money.
So I guess take it from me and don't let it go long enough that you not only are no longer attached to pieces but so long you start actively disliking the collection to the point you're willing to take every bath you can find just to be rid of stuff. It doesn't make sense financially, it's not great to hate something you used to love but just aren't as engaged with anymore, and the stress and dread aren't conducive to sleeping well.
@@SkateSoup thanks for sharing this thoughts so eloquently.
That kind of ties into my thoughts when I look up the Gitaroo man and see that it's $100. Then you still have to go through the entire process to get it listed and sold and that also gives me a sense of dread to think about.
Selling off a single game doesn't matter, so it feels moot to even start the gargantuan task haha.
All part of the reason I'm trying to continually sell stuff gradually!
@@GetTheGreg gradual is definitely the way to go if you have anxiety about it. Those little bites at a time may even reassure your mind enough that you can take increasingly larger groups out of the to be sold pile and into the new game pile.
@GetTheGreg I love the sell a thing and plan what you're going to do with that return idea, that might get me more motivated to put the work in.
I found when I started buy/selling games 10+ years ago. That over time, the collection became increasingly consolidated to the point where most of my collection is $500+ games.
I used to collect everything, now I have a very important policy.
I only collect games I would personally replay.. I don't collect some rare unknown games just to have them. It has to be something I could play over and over again. I managed to bring down my collection from 1000+ games to about 200...I also keep games that I wouldn't play but for some reason have jumped up in value a lot.
I'm curious what your reason is for keeping the expensive games you won't play if it kind of goes directly against your policy
@@GetTheGreg For example. I bought Super Mario All stars on the switch for like 30$. now it's worth over 150$. I'm not a big fan of Mario, but I keep it in my collection. I realized that this game was sold in limited quantity and the value has skyrocketed. My guess is that in the future I might be able to sell it for a bit more, but it's just a guess.
Actually struggled with selling two of my favorite sports cards recently. Had them both listed on eBay for high prices and got offers that honestly made more sense to take than keep the cards. Tough decisions but that’s another way to look at it, would I rather have this game, or the cash (or even another game I could use the money for in my hand instead).
I especially like the vids when you discuss the hobby and give us your thoughts! :) Thanks for that!
This video is true BUT anytime i sell something, months/years later “i wonder about the game “ and “wonder if id like it more now” and end up rebuying it on several occasions
So I have that same fear at times but its worst at time because of being a content creator. I don't want to be know just for my video games, so getting rid of them at time is healthy for me and my mental health
Yea that's a good point too. Now that I do make content around games, I never want to keep that I don't card about purely because someone else might care if I sell it.
I won’t sell but to avoid toxic collecting I focus on a collection that does have an ending. I’ve collected every single U.S. Pokémon game collection, mainline and spin-off, my collection is done, not getting other language copies, just a specific collection with an ending and I’m happy with my choice 😊
Do you plan on collecting/buying anything else now that you're finished the Pokemon set?
@@GetTheGreg I thought about it and decided not to because that’s when the thought of “when does it end?” kicks in and helps me make the logical decision to focus on 1 collection and only 1. Is difficult to fight that urge to collect but I have to be discipline so that I don’t collect things I don’t care about but can’t justify selling it
This is the way. I focus on one system. Helps me to feel theres a purpose and shape to what I'm doing and it all ties in together. There is also a mostly definite ending point. Im currently getting into weird accessories for my system cause most of the games left on my list are just hard to find in good condition.
sell sell sell. you won't want any Pokemon in 10 years from now.
That feeling of "if I sell this now I'll likely never get it back" is definitely real for me, especially with all my CIB SNES and N64 games (I only have like 6-7 for each console, but they're all absolute bangers i.e. super mario RPG, DKC trilogy, Mario's, Zelda's etc.) and I paid almost nothing for most of them and that's the kind of stuff that I KNOW I'll never get back, which does trigger anxiety when I think about selling them.
I'm almost always okay with selling stuff valued at $100 or less that I know I can easily get back if I wanted to, and there are some exceptions with higher priced things, I've sold a shit load of pokemon grails just because they sell super fast and they never stop going up lol. Used to have almost every main-line pokemon game CIB, now I'm just down to the DS titles because those are the most affordable for me and I enjoy playing them the most.
When I was younger I had this a bit. But I have always been in the business of reselling whether it is for stuff I collect or not. So over the years I have learned that if I ever feel like this I know I will get over this immediately once the item is listed. For me there are just items that I own purely to resell that I have listed. And items that I want to keep but would sell if the offer is good enough. There is nothing I own that I wouldn't sell. There are not many games that I truly think I won't be able to rebuy if I did resell them. But even if repurchasing is not possible it really just depends on the game. What I personally do is just list stuff like that for high prices and see if anyone bites. I don't mind sitting on the for months or years, but eventually I will sell it. I also think that your rigorious method of selling, doesn't particularly benefit some of those rarer titles and might make the transitional period of owning it and it selling more difficult. But on the other hand, it selling for certain within a certain period is also valuable.
One thing you should do is make a video of the games you sre getting rid of. This allows you to monetize having them before their gone, pumps them for viewers who may want to buy them, and honestly sounds like an interesting vid. Hearing about the history of your collecting and some of the stories around certain games is just fun to listen to (it was in this vid ;). As a collector myself I can relate to some of those stories and also compare my experiences to yours.
I've made a killing selling unobtainable items I've collected. I definitely lost out selling my game collection 20 years ago for next to nothing, but if you can't let go of your crap, you are owned by it.
The nicest thing my family ever said about me is "he's okay. If his house burnt down he wouldn't even care."
I had a precious box of sentimental photos, journals, letters, and home movies all stolen by a scorned lover, and I was crushed. I cried over it. Once that was gone it became easy to let go of everything else which I have since done multiple times. I am back to collecting stuff occasionally, but It's all still just stuff.
I havent purged my collection yet, but i have a growing box + stack of stuff I want to sell. Mostly its poor condition items that I've upgraded and need to sell the lesser copies. I dont see myself selling big chunks of my collection piecemeal though. I predict when Im much older I wont care about this stuff the same way and I'll sell it all. That or I'll sell 90% and keep the 10% that genuinely means a whole lot to me.
I think most people feel like you when they dont have a solid reason to keep something but keeping it also bothers them in some way. Like it's taking up too much space or time dealing with it, or its worth a lot of money that you'd really rather spend on something else. I like to say every collector eventually hits a time, space or money constraint. The question is how you deal with it.
As for games I dont really care for or want to see but dont want to let go of, I like to hide them in a box somewhere and forget about them, if I have the space. Then its a fun discovery sometime years down the road. That only works if you have plenty of space (or not a lot of things). Fortunately, my games and things I collect dont take up that much space and thats something I'm genuinely grateful for. My mother collects typewriters and thats a whole other beast lol.
Good points. I'm in that category of if I sell something then I'm done with it forever. That's the best way I rationalize it because I hate having to buy stuff again. I sold my Pokemon Leaf Green for 3 bucks in 2009 and I just got it back for a very high price. If I ever sell it again then I'm done. I don't sell much though because I limit my collection down to list of what I really want and disc binder space. It's been a good way of not over collecting games that I never want to play or have.
I think it is important to reflect on why I buy/keep things I buy/keep. Because I tend to be choosy, I don’t typically acquire games that I am not interested in actually playing. However inevitably I do end up with a relatively small amount of stuff that I don’t care about and I usually trade those things in for games I am interested in.
I have a limit that I imposed on myself for collecting. I built a pretty substantial shelving situation at my place that houses my collection. It should support a couple more years of pretty aggressive collecting but once its full, its full, and I'm not building it out any further. At that point I will probably start thinking harder about what's actually in the collection and have to downsize if I want to make space for something new. I think its a pretty good way to go about things.
My hobby changed from retro game collecting to Japanese capsule toys (My TikTok following supports my addiction 😂). Now I have a room of gaming stuff that I don't really have the time to sell 😢
The time and effort of selling stuff is also a great source of some anxiety at times haha. Easier to just ignore it 😅
I have sold off about 150k worth of games, only keeping mint CIB + graded Souls and Final Fantasy. Invested most of the money and bought some grails too.
Dang dude. Is that over the past couple of years here or just very recently?
@@GetTheGreg Last year and a half roughly, I hoarded way too much stuff from the swap meet days 6-10 years ago lol
@@Larson364 good for you man! I'm sure it feels fantastic haha
I have a small collection, a few graded, a few sealed but I made sure when I brought them they were ALL games from my childhood I had happy memories of.
Pokemon, Diablo, GBA Mario, Crash Bandicoot, Abe's Odessey etc. Some were expensive so it was nice to think they'd go up in time but the primary reason was so I could display them and whenever I look at them they bring a smile to my face as I never intend to sell my childhood memories again (blame 12 year old me).
Recently I did go through and sell a few N64 & GBA CIB's that were just there and I had no really attachment to.
I'm new to collecting sealed games but I'm willing to sell off 95% of my funkos and sports cards at this point. Only thing that's slowing me down is the dreaded process pictures, posting and packing. I had a speed set up on our dining room table but my wife shut down the operation and my selling came to a hault.😢
I definitely sell of games that I just don't want anymore. And as often as I can, I will trade for games I want rather than buying. I might not even be saving money doing this, but it does help trim the collection. I will sell games if their value goes up to a point where I feel I'd rather have that cash value instead of the game.
Having a focus really does help. There are a handful of consoles I collect for, and I don't stray from them.
I got rid of most of my video games when I was younger, big mistake, I’m still looking for those games I sold to get the nostalgia back. Same with my Pokémon cards
I don’t get collecting stuff to keep them sealed and boxed up. The fun part is opening it, looking at the manuals etc. Life is too short to be boxed up.
If we take the nostalgia out of the mix, at the end of the day, collecting sealed/mint in box games is an investment and you need to decide when it is you want to pull your money back out of them. There are certain games that are worth selling now rather than just sitting in a box stored away for the unforcertain future. And you will feel better once your items are no longer consuming you
@@R0YA. Yup, but unfortunately the emotion and nostalgia is highly intertwined haha. It's the only reason I chose to buy games in the first place! Otherwise it would all just be stocks/traditional investments if I didn't actually care about what I was buying, you know?
I think about this all the time. It does feel good to have some stuff at Rainier finally
I try to be brutally honest about what I love vs what I just like. Because I like a lot of things, but I don't actually love many. If I don't love it, if I see it and feel nothing, it's ok to let it go.
As a rule of thumb, for "collecting".
-always buy on sale
-dont buy just to buy
-You can buy something cheap, but don't be afraid to sell it if you dont like it.
-Keep what you really like
-Collectors editions only for stuff that is something you love.
- enjoy the hunt for deals.
Sold most of my games a few years ago in the Covid bubble. Literally don’t regret it at all; if I ever want to pin bot on the nes I’ll play it on emulator, I don’t need to make space in my small house for games that I will likely never play again
Greg!
Just got a CGC 9.8 A++ of "Twisted Metal III" Greatest Hits (special variant) version. My favorite in the series.
I'm curious: I think you told me "Twisted Metal 4" was your favorite. What do you think of the other games?
😁😁😁
its hard to let go of physical games cause we are headed to a digital era .. 😢
phsyical games kinda died out after ps3/xbox/wii u area. the ps4 discs and xbox one didnt have all the files in the cd, so u had to download majority from internet. u couldnt just put in the cd and start playing, u had to wait hours to download stuff. kinda miss that, opening a new game on Christmas Eve, go upstairs/downstairs and play the game right after putting the disc. during ps4, u literally had to download the day before, so u could play on Christmas . tbh for me, i dont care that much of physical games because of that, its nice to have yes, but its not what its used to be. the games are litterally still downloaded from the internet stores/files and not from the cd
Well said brother. Though i hope it wont completely die out, like how vinyl kept going
@@viridionwaves Nintendo said chips are expensive to produce thats why sony stick with disc.
I've personally made the decision that I don't need multiple copies of a title (zelda excluded) in the collection. So if a game I have gets a rerelease/remaster/remake, then I'll usually just keep the version that's more convenient to play.
A recent example of this being Paper Mario TTYD.
OCD and being on the spectrum is one of the things that gets people collecting in the first place. I can guarantee if you sell a couple of big items the rest will follow quite easily.
I get it, man. I've been playing games for over 3 decades now. I still have a decent collection, sitting in boxes in my closet. My kryptonite is comics. I have boxes. And boxes. And boxes. Key issues, full runs, variants, just so much. I'm 42 now and I've slowed down tremendously, the older I've gotten the less i care about this stuff. I'm realizing my mortality and thinking what am i even doing? I think I'll sell everything i own and travel with my girl, what good is all this stuff if i can't take it with me in the end? Oh I've got a nice copy of Giant Sized X-Men, oooh a first print of Hulk 181 signed, a 9.8 Secret Wars 8, none of it matters to me now. But it felt so important at one point. I'll still find myself occasionally buying things i clearly don't need and don't even know why? Impulsion? Idk, i gotta figure something out lol.
@@A-1-Sawce sounds like you understand the struggle perfectly haha. Hopefully you can find a resolution that works for you!
I had a gigantic collection like a decade ago. I had so many expensive games and then my car needed struts so I had to sell them.
Now I just use flashcards and modded consoles. I do have over 100 physical switch games though.
When It comes to selling things I have brought I look at these points 1. how long have I had it. 2. Within that time how much have I used it and If not why. and 3. Use it until I get bored give it 3 tries within a month or at least 1 or 2 weeks. If It doesn't hit I sell It on and off of course like come back later and see If It still sucks or boring. I have sold many games that I felt were overrated and not so fun. Cool video. ^_^
I don't feel scared to sell my collection.Actually when I look at my small collection , I get anxiety about the time it's going to take to finish playing them all I've been selling parts of my switch collection It's actually really fun It helps me get more stuff
I limit myself to buying 1 game per month. My collection brings me a lot of happiness and satisfaction and I don't plan on reselling anything I buy.
Over thinking it, go with your gut.
@@C6ZR1 this is absolutely textbook overthinking everything haha
I'm too sentimental. I've literally never sold a game or console. I even have various shitty like cereal pack in or whatever else consoles.
@@Rspsand07 oh my gosh man. That's actually crazy that you can say you've never got rid of anything 😳
Im same way besides games i gave to my siblings cuz they didnt have any for there console. Recently i sold a snes game i got for free and never played but got 6 games i will play for it. It was a $100 game. First time ive ever sold a game
The hard part is figuring out what you truly don't care about and what you take for granted.
Things take up space, and most things can be sold for money. If you run out of space, money, or just want to make profit already. You will know when it is time to sell. Sell when it feels right and it makes sense. I sold a lot of my collection a few years back. Got rid of everything that I didn't like the cover artwork for, or have a deep connection to. After all I'm not a video game museum and never will be. This stuff isn't going with me when I die.
My end game is to clean up my backlog when i retire and clean up the trophies. The money im saving on not collecting is going in index funds to make me retire sooner
i’m 41 i’ve been a gamer since age 8 my worst fear is losing my entire game collection as i know most of it would be irreplaceable 😊i own over 500.
I am in the comic book selling market and I use that money to fund my game obsession. Eventually I will sell them off but I like to wait for game cons to come around. Sell them at shows with other cool stuff and hopefully get a better profit than on ebay or another app. I think one thing that holds me back are the fees but the affect it will have on my taxes at the end of the year.
I am constantly adding to and removing from the collection. There have some games that I got rid of that I truly regret parting ways with (Original Xbox and Gameboy), while others that don't bother me at all (Mario Party 6). It's impossible to know sometimes whether or not you will regret it until some time has passed since the sale. It's a vicious cycle as collector.
I sold my collection of old games back I'm 2016, and I 100% regret it.
Personally I find that it's even harder to move past the "Death Pile" stage once I've decided something's gotta go, so that's also yet another obstacle to reducing your collection of course!
@@nintendogal9143 the biggest thing I've started doing is utilizing consignment and other means of selling more often. I find when it's my responsibility and my job to get rid of the stuff, I'll procrastinate and put it off to the point of "never selling it".
Yes, I get less money in the grand scheme of things, but I successfully get rid of more stuff!
Bought and sold PC Engine & Neo Geo collections over the years, never regretted it once.
Trimmed off a lot of my collection over the past year. Got back into collecting end of 2020 and it was that initial phase where everything was a cool item that I needed to have. Fast forward three years and I started looking around like why do I have this or why do I have these? My collection is mostly CIB Pokémon games but they’re extremely minty so now it’s pretty trimmed down to that stuff. Plus some other games that I have sentimental attachments to
I miss the early days when the PS2 top rarities were Ico, Rez, Gitaroo Man, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Grandia Xtreme, Zone of the Enders 2nd Runner, Disaster Report, Jurassic Park Operation Genesis, among some others. No talks of Kuon, Rule of Rose (late release anyhow), Echo Night Beyond, Blood Will Tell, Futurama, etc.
Haha yes! That's the rarity list that I started collecting with, hence why I still happen to own some of those 😅
There's just not enough people in the hobby yet to have a comfortable price point. We all know what happens when bad auctions happen that can hurt the value of new games. Only up to N64 has really solidified price points. All newer consoles don't have a strong price point yet, and we need more people in the hobby.
I am not afraid of selling my collection. I have a huge collection and I plan to keep almost all of it. Maybe I'll sell off some duplicates /variants. The reason why I collect is because I love to play games and they are super cheap. They are not as cheap anymore. So I have definitely slowed down. I don't care for sealed or graded games. Yes space is a problem. The #1 reason for me to consider selling games is to free up some space.
Yeah… I’m in that boat. I have a collection that dates back 30+ years and most of it, I never use it anymore. But since I’ve had it for so long, I just feels weird to sell it. I managed to make it through my entire life avoiding selling any of my video games so it feels like am, I don’t know, betraying my hobby.
It’s weird. Like my N64 collection, there is a very high chance I will never use any of those games again. If I wanna play N64 games, there are just easier/better ways. So why do I keep it?
Good topic Greg.
These are the questions and thoughts that keep collectors up at night haha. Hopefully you're comfortable with the decision you're making, or do eventually come to the point where you're OK to let it go!
I'm gonna get dark here. I have those same feelings at times but the i remember we're not taking this stuff with us when we die. Plan on selling unless you're passing them down