Hi all, I'm from the UK and in the lucky position to be going to NYC later this month and also to Japan in late October (hopefully travelling all over, haven't planned where just yet!) I've always wanted to own a Genesis or Japanese Megadrive Model 1 and i'll likely pick up various other things whilst i'm out there (perhaps a SNES edition 3DS XL in Japan...) My question is - are retro in particular prices higher in US or Japan? With NYC, the only store i know of is Video Games New York which is extremely expensive so i'd be looking at Ebay i suppose and seeing if any of the sellers would meet up or let me collect. I understand there's quite large retro game stores in Japan, would they be in city centres or would i need to drive to them? Thanks! Paul
honestly, its hit or miss, retro fever is at an all time high, so retailers gouge here and in japan. the deals are def on auction sites or yard sales (similar to boot sales in the UK) unless you have a LOT of time, scope out the deals you want before you get to NY and have them delivered where you are staying. i've been getting deals on YAJ and Ebay that i can't get in a brick and mortar store.
NYC is not the Retrogaming heaven you'd think it is. The West Coast of the US on the other hand, there's Seattle and LA which are chock full of retro game shops
If you're in the US for any significant amount of time, your best bet is Craigslist. Most regular old US stuff can be found there easily, and local pickup is the assumption. Things you can expect to find easily on CL: NES, Snes, N64, Wii/U, Game boy, Genesis, Dreamcast, Xbox (all), PlayStation (all), Atari 2600.
I feel the need to expand after rereading the OP. If buying on eBay you're paying eBay prices. I'd just buy from home and pay for extra shipping. In the US, you have to drive. Big country and everything is spread out. Just Google video game stores and you'll find a ton of local (non GameStop) stores. Theres at least 15 in my city, but you have to drive all over town. Stores, like people, vary. Some have insane prices some don't. Best bet is find someone hyper local to where you'll be and have them tell you where to go. Ie: Theres about 15 independent stores in my city, but for a foreign traveller here for a short time, I'd recommend just a few. Buy smart. You have two trips with different prospects. Buy what you can't get easily (or at least something very comparable) at home. In the US I'd go after Atari stuff. In Japan, I'd go for PC Engine, Japanese computers. In UK I'd be after 8/16 bit micros. However, I wouldn't blame you for going a bit nuts with more common U.S. stuff. 60hz is probably sounds nice to you. I'd buy U.S. consoles and ship them home rather than Japanese where possible. Shipping cost is likely much cheaper. Buy Japan exclusive things in Japan.
Book stores, indie record stores, and places like Goodwill can lead to some nice gem finds as well. If they take used CDs/DVDs.. they probably have games. If you're lucky, you'll find something that isn't Madden.
