Buying Retro Games

Hello

I am going to Japan this month. I will go to Tokyo, Sapporo and Kansai area.

I am looking for some retro games. I may want to resell some in Canada. That being said i need to find a decent price if i want to flip anything.

I know of places like Super potato in Akihabara. But places like these are tourist traps. There is no money in it if i have to spend high Ebay prices.

Could you recommend me places to go that are not so well known?

Could you be more specific about the game?

Im not looking for one game. I am looking for deals. Id like to be retro systems like pc engine and famicom.

Resale in Canada? Most games in Japan will be in Japanese........

And what of it, Will?

Despite not speaking the language or owning an NTSC-J console, I still have about 55 games or so from Japan, in Japanese, spread out over 4 consoles and a handheld and I've beaten most of them.

Then there are all of the JP-only Ryu ga Gotoku titles that I have all beaten and completed more than 50% of.

Of course they will be in Japanese.....

thats not a problem!

systems like famicom are becoming popular to collect for in North America.

I'm sure you've already realized you're not the only one who's trying to make a quick buck out of that system. And those there have learned that years ago and are making you pay for it!

I don't think you're going to find shops that aren't aware of the potential value of what they're selling, so you'll have to pay out of the wazoo to get your menial profit margin on this way-too-old-to-make-a-buck plan.

Indeed, though I REALLY don't like Nintendo...

Jorfriend, don't forget to check out the district in Osaka as well, Den Den Town, I think its called? I'll be hitting up those spots when I come next year too :).


Just leave me enough Sega Titles! ;)

I guess i am surprised there is a market for japanese games in english speaking country? Simple racing or fighting games I can get, but anythin with a story why play it unless you can read or understand Japanese?

I tried playin Kingdoj Hearts with a friend in Japanese.....not as much fun when you cant folllow the story?

Good luck with your plans though...tried a similar thing with Hot Toys and the price was basically the same except for the exchange rate which is ofset by the price of toting them along.

Thanks for the replys guys. There must be a way to make money on this. I see so many people doing it and prices wouldnt get this high if there was no money in it.

are there any we sites like craglist in japan that are popular?

If you are looking for bargain priced PC games you might want to try visiting one of the local flea markets in Tokyo such as Oi Racetrack which I believe is held every weekend (at least it was last November when I visited). This flea market has many private sellers on weekends selling unwanted household goods. I never looked for games however, so do not know if you will find any at the flea market. It all depends on who decides to sell there. Also keep in mind that any games you buy at a flea market are as is with no returns, so buyer beware. You also must figure out a way to communicate with the sellers since most do not know much English. I usually had no problem asking "How much?" If you have any trouble, try using a piece of paper to have them write the amount of yen they want.

thank you finally a helpful response.

You are very welcome. I had a lot of fun shopping for bargains at the flea markets in Tokyo, too bad they are only on weekends as I could have gone every day! As I mentioned I did not look for PC games so do not know if you will find anything. There are bargains at the markets so you might find other categories of things that you could score a deal on. Warning, as in America, you will find lots of competition at the markets for anything people can make a buck on. I tried to get to the markets early, like 7 am to try to get the bargains before the Japanese resellers.
You mentioned Craigslist, Craigslist allows you to access the Tokyo Craigslist system by changing the location on their site. Maybe you could even use it to hook up with some like minded souls when you arrive in Japan. Have fun and have a spare bag to bring your goodies home in!

"thank you finally a helpful response". That's a big eff you to people who responded. There's nicer ways to say things, e.g. "Thanks, that's exactly what I was after".

All the bargains are to be found in the suburbs away from the cities. Akiba & den den town are just tourist traps now - you can find deals but will not be far off what you can get from ebay / YA.

You need to hit up the recycle stores like hard off.

thanks pas can you recommend any second hand stores that are popular in japan?