Goodwill is on some bullshit!

Got a copy of Breath of Fire III for PSP from a local red cross charity shop today. Only videogame they had. It was just sitting on some old CDs. So occasionally you can get lucky.

 

Everything goes up, that's life. When I was at school, a packet of Polo mints in the vending machine was 12p and a can of Coke was 25p. Nowadays, a packet of Polo mints is 60p and a can of Coke is 65p.

You have to look at it from several points of view, really. Firstly, they're running a business. From what I gather, they do actually employ people - that's different from over here, where they employ a manager who runs a team of volunteers. Yes, it's a non-profit organization, but they still have overheads. Secondly, they're a charity - wouldn't you rather know that the money you paid for something went to a good cause? And wouldn't you rather they got a decent amount than peanuts? Thirdly, you have the item there in your hand. You can inspect it before you buy. Is the disc scratched? How are the instructions? Is the cart dirty? How's the box? You can't do that on eBay. You can also take it back easily if it is faulty. And lastly, put yourselves in their shoes.....

Let's say you did a boot fair. Now, back in the day, a boot fair (where you drive your car onto a field, pay for a pitch and set up a table selling your crap.... or a garage sale if you prefer) would often have items for a bargain, sure. However, there's nothing to say people HAVE to sell you their stuff cheap because they're desperate to get rid of it. If you did a boot fair and you had a game that was worth $50 on eBay, what would you put it out for? Maybe $40? Now, if I came along and said I'd give you $10 for that game, what would you say? Of course, you'd say no, it's worth $50. What if I then started ranting about how this is a boot fair, items are supposed to be cheap? You know as well as I do, I don't have a leg to stand on.

Yes, if they're selling for vastly inflated prices, it's silly. Perhaps politely explain to them you're not looking to buy the game, it's very common, you have several copies but it usually sells for $1 so they might have a hard time shifting it at their price. Don't forget, though - it's unlikely to be $1 total... what $1 shipped to your door? Sounds unlikely. So let's call it $3 or $4. That's a reasonable price for something like a common NES game in a shop. If they're really selling common games for $12, just explain they're worth more like $3 or $4 - nicely. And if they're selling $65 games for $35, so what?

Do you also moan at people collecting for charity with tins in the street? They're all just trying to make as much money as they can for their charities. Let's face it, if they weren't there selling second hand items or waving a tin in your face, would you really go out of your way to find them and donate money? I very much doubt it.

Look at it as doing your bit - feel proud that you are helping people less fortunate than yourself. Your attitude should be - I buy games from charity shops because my money goes to a good cause, not I buy games from charity shops because they're cheap and I won't pay the going rate.

 

The goodwill closest to my house got a new manager. Since then she puts nearly all gaming stuff on the online auction site. The last good thing I got was vagrant story for the ps1 at 5$. The other thrifts I go to are still okay, but in the winter there isn't much, especially at the salvation army.
The best one is a place called ImUnique. They have an extremely regular stream of donations since they have 15 or so stores. Every day the stock is different. But they got a new manager and he has been pricing games higher than before. But i still get some gems there.

@Retro: I get your point completely. But I don't think any one is complaining about the prices themselves persay. More so that thrift stores were once a great place to find sweet deals on games. And now that source is going away. It's great that charities can get more money. It's just that now there aren't any places to get nice deals from for most people. I'm lucky to live in an area with plenty of thrift shops and flea markets, so it's not much of an issue for me. But for others it was just the only way to get good games at affordable prices.

 

It's a shame that there aren't the deals out there ANYWHERE any more, but you really can't single out charity shops / thrift stores. Like everyone else, they want to make money, which is why they sell at a reasonable price. Unlike most other people, they're putting the money to a good cause.

If you really want an item to play, to go in a collection or as an investment, you'll pay whatever for it. Look at those of us who will bid as much as they can on a rare dev kit or similar item. Yet you always get people complaining that such places are "not as cheap as they used to be". Sure, it's great to find a bargain. Have you never felt guilty for walking away from a charity shop with say a $1 purchase that you know you could resell for $20, though?

I would agree with you if the topic title was "you can't get the bargains you used to these days", but it's "Goodwill is on some bullshit!" How is that NOT complaining about the prices themselves? The OP does nothing but complain about the prices.

So has your spelling!

This. ma777 seems to me to be saying they shouldn't be charging the prices of a shop because the items are donated. That's completely ignoring they are a NOT FOR PROFIT organization, the money goes to a good cause - unlike the pocket of the video game shop owner.

And there's the truth. ma777 is a cheapskate and would rather resell the items himself for a profit than see the money go to charity.

 

Nothing wrong with being a cheapskate lol, I know you weren't using the word cheapskate like that retro but I had to put it out there, I am the cheapest mofo around, I perpetually buy clothes (especially shirts etc) from clearance sections of shops like sports direct, I haggle on anything I can [not possible, I ASSUME in chain stores like Asda, GAME etc], especially if im buying more than 1 item, I even message the sellers [the bigger ones than sell professionally] on eBay if I buy multiple items for discounts or even discounts off my next purchase.

I don't like the fact bargains are less bargainy or harder to come by these days, but I understand why

What i especially like is clothes from charity shops, everything is well and truly shrunken, but they only sell the stuff that hasn't gone all bitty, so you KNOW an item is going to fit for the long haul

 

I'm sure we're all cheapskates at some point! Well, frugal. You just have to choose when is appropriate to be cheap.

Why wouldn't you haggle in GAME? I got a free DVD remote and promo faceplate from them when I bought my Xbox 360 with a few games and an extra controller, because I asked what they could do! I think I played them off against the local games shop - the one I used to work for! In fact, you might have seen me say that they moved to a bigger shop not so long ago. That shop used to be a hi-fi shop. Did you ever watch that programme with Dom the bald guy telling people they need to haggle? He took a couple into THAT HI-FI SHOP and got them to haggle on a flat-screen TV! To be fair, it's nicer to see people haggle in the larger stores, who can afford it, than the local hi-fi shop, which is now out of business! I did it with my friend, too - asked Richer Sounds to say they had a TV in stock even though they didn't, cuz their price was better than Currys' price. Went there, told them Richer Sounds did it £30 cheaper AND theirs came with 3D glasses. The guy's manager was busy, so he took it into his own hands to authorize it, discounted us, put in the 3D glasses and his system then flagged up that it should come with a second free pair that were worth around £150 at the time!!!

Anyway, yeah. You choose when to be a cheapskate and when not to be.

Large stores often have commissions and such - they can afford to do you a deal, especially on a bulk purchase.

Who needs their clothes to be the latest fashion? Buy from TK Maxx, Sports Direct, charity shops. If it looks good, surely it is good? On the opposite end of the spectrum, Primark are cheap because their clothes fall apart! That's being a cheapskate.

You can get away with a McDonald's meal for a few quid, but you know it's not going to taste very nice. If you go to a proper restaurant, you know you'll pay a lot, but get quality. And support a good business.

There is one thing we're losing nowadays, and it's a shame, to be honest. And it's the Internet's fault. Goodwill. Nobody has loyalty to their local shop any more. A decent indie games store is always going to have the most knowledgeable staff. GAME will have snotty-nose kids who might, if you're lucky, be interested enough to have knowledge of some of the latest titles. A local indie will have actually read the press releases. They'll probably have been in the industry a long time, or their staff will be passionate about gaming. Indies don't hire kids who just want to dos around on the Xbox One and get paid for it. They WANT that knowledge. And yet, it would appear many customers couldn't give a shit about that. Or, worse still, they'll come and ask their opinion and then go and buy off the Internet for £2 less.

There are some industries where shopping is a very personal experience, and it's a shame we are losing that personal touch. Take musical instruments. You have to touch it, feel how it interacts with you, see if the weight is right for you, see what the tone is like. It's an experience you can't get online. Sadly, my local music shop shut after nearly 30 years last year for that exact reason, and they were some amazing musicians with great knowledge. Two of them tour with a major Eighties act, even. I knew all the staff as I went in there since I was a kid - I was their very last customer and that was a sad day indeed.

 

Yes, my spelling is bad. I don't care. I'm sick of typing papers all day and could care-a-less if my internet spelling on a forum is correct. Wanna correct me for comma splices and run-on sentences too? First of all, don't take this as an attack I just don't care. The general idea of a thrift store in the US is that, "Yea Man, You can find some awesome stuff on the cheap there. You just have to sort through all the junk and go a bunch of times." If I'm going to a vintage video game store, i expect to be able to find what I want and pay a lot for it. At a thrift shop, they are clueless as to what they have and the buyers are clueless as well. If they end up selling all there games at 5 bucks a pop, it evens out. A bunch of little kids get their parents to buy them games at $5 that you can't even sell on ebay for $1. Then people like me come in and find something that's worth $100 for $5. It all evens out because the rare-items are few and far between. So what if I'm a cheap-skate. I didn't save all the money I have by paying full-price for stuff and believing the Best-Buy is the place for great deals! Of course I rather the money go to charity than an ebay seller. But, who's to say that money is going to charity. These Not-For-Profit businesses are pricing like they are a retail shop. With no knowledge, structure, or dependability. I have my list of stuff I want to acquire and if I know i can make money on something I won't pass it up. Call me a ignorant or whatever you want but I RARELY have sympathy for people without money. If people are responsible, save their money, live within or below their means, and had better money management skills, we wouldn't need such a huge charity. In some cases people do need help and I'm completely fine with that. But, the majority of the time these people who need "charity" are all the dumb***** that everyone in high school without a doubt knew would be failures at life. They are drug addicts, have multiple kids, or have been to jail. My country is 17 trillion dollars in debt. I'm screwed. Every single citizen in America is nearly $55,000 in debt from birth. What happens when we have to pay up? I have deviated way too far from the point. Good-Will was one of the last places to find killer deals and it's gone.

 

@retro " the money goes to a good cause - unlike the pocket of the video game shop owner." - seriously what the fuck are you talking about!? How is the pocket of a video game shop owner a bad thing? Keeping money in the hands of a person that has a passion and understanding of the market. There are NO major companies anymore that deal with anything under xbox, ps2, and GC. Wouldn't every single one of us love to run a vintage video game shop? It would be awesome to run a company that you love while still making money. If Assembler sold off all his rare games and development equipment at market price and made money that would be a bad thing?

 

I don't mind paying what the going rate is at a thrift store if there is someway to test the item or it's been tested before I buy it, or it's listed as-is around what it goes for.
It's mostly just interesting to me to see what the people pricing things think certain items are worth.
At my goodwill 360 & PS3 stuff is usually over "market value".
Any old Nintendo item tested or not is usually around "market value".
But anything Sega or somewhere between SNES to current is pretty cheap.
Case in point I went in to Value Village two days in a row recently and the first day they had a CIB DMG Gameboy for $60 and the next day a DSi XL with Scribblenauts for $20.
Just gotta look harder and more often to find those sweet deals

 

I always check Goodwill and Salvo for deals whenever I can. Sometimes you'll find a gem, other times squat. It all depends on who's running the place and how much knowledge they have about what's worth what. Also probably depends on where the location is and what the market is like there. Sometimes people think games are Audio Discs. That's where I found a few solid PS1 games at my local Salvo.

 

My city have some thrift stores, but there's not much of gaming.
The most interesting that i found by there was a pirated SNES and PS2 controller.
I've got by there too a very good VCR from Samsung with a VHS-C converter...

 

This is not a surprise. They literally wanted $200 for a complete in box PS1 Slim, and it wasn't even new. Sometimes I think Goodwill hires idiots. They probably thought it was a PS4 or something.

 

Yesterday my GF got Legend of Kartia from a op shop for $4, that place generally puts about $4-5 on their games.

Most places around me do that sorta thing, the lowest being around $2. Although it all depends on management as this one time at a Lions Club store they had a Game Gear for $65 (also an OG Xbox for $45 with no box..in 2012) and it had 1 pirate cart and a copy of tennis, I asked if they'd do $50 since I wasn't sure if it'd work. The old woman didn't want to haggle, or allow me to test it at all so I left. They have since closed down and it isn't surprising given their look of a hoarders living room and $10 PS2 Network Discs.

 

I'm really not going further into this conversation if you're just going to swear at me and lack the intelligence to understand a simple sentence.

I never said that a video game shop owner getting money is a bad thing. I said that a charity is a good cause, a video games shop is a private individual selling items for profit. Not a bad thing, but not a good cause that helps others in need. How is THAT hard to comprehend? And, come to the point, why would you prefer to pay that person market price than a charity? A charity is helping the needy, they're not SUPPOSED to be video game experts. They look up a price, see it's valuable and sell it accordingly. So what? Video game store owners set the price as high as they can for profit - sure they're going to be nice to you and try to help you... they want your money to line their wallets! As for the charities marking items up quite high, it's their choice. If you don't pay it, either someone else will... or it'll just sit there. Their funeral if that happens. Personally, I object MORE to the game stores who I know damn well paid peanuts for an item but mark it up to get rich than charity shops selling something at market value. If I don't want to pay market value, I won't buy from either... but I won't bitch about it. Yes, charity shops here are starting to put their prices up, especially on things like books and DVDs... so I just don't bother buying anything unless it's really special. Simple. Of course, it's nice to get a bargain from time-to-time, and these places still do throw them up sometimes. Their auction site still seems to have some reasonable buys:

http://www.shopgoodwill.com/listings/listbycat.asp?catid=7

You just paint yourself as a bad person not wanting to give money to charity. You've openly said you couldn't care less about those in need and stereotyped those who need these services. That's as bad as racism. You also think that just because they're a charity, they don't deserve to sell items for near market value. Grow up and stop being so damn selfish. And yes, your country is in debt, so is every country. You personally will never have to pay it back, you're born with NO debt and really shouldn't be in debt until you go to university. Some unfortunate people still find themselves homeless before then, though. From then, it's downhill with finding a job, affording housing, raising a family etc.

I would suggest you read up on what Goodwill do. They help all people looking for jobs. Yes, that includes ex cons. It also includes disabled people. I know full well what it's like being disabled, jobless and having no support. So your attitude doesn't sit well with me. Everyone should be able to work if they want to, some just need extra help getting there.