Hi guys, Im new here and have just started collecting my old consoles and games again I was just wondering if there are any markets/swaps that I would be lucky enough to find any gaming gear floating around in London or greater London? The likes of CEX don't sell any retro gaming anymore, are there any other shops in and around or is everything bought online now? Any help much appreciated! Thanks.
I wish i could help you. Retro gaming in Latvia doesn't exist. The first licensed console we could get in Latvia was the PS1 in the late 90's. Anyway, I wish you good luck
From what I know there's one place in Croydon that a member here suggested to me, otherwise I think the city's offering is quite disappointing. I looked for ages just to find a Gamecube controller...
Ah thats a shame! Thanks though, Ill have a google for the Croydon shop and see if anything pops up. Have you ever had any luck at Markets or Carboot sales?
I stayed in London for 3 months and the only store that I found was Retro Game Base on Streatham, South London but I didn't went there. Sadly, the best place for you to get some retro games it will be on ebay, I think.
As Galdius mentions above, it seems like the only retro place in London is Retro Game Base - http://www.retrogamebase.co.uk/ Shame as you'd think there'd be more.
Thanks for all your suggestions! Luckily Streatham is just round the corner from me so I will have a look in the new years. As you said, you thought there would be more
As much as retro game base would like you to believe that they are the only retro shop in london, there is a shop called xelectrical in hammersmith, they mostly do musical stuff but there is a modest selection of retro stuff out the back and as someone mentioned earlier there is Playnation games in croydon (formerly M&M games) Frankly I am not a fan of retro game base, if you're not a millionaire you won't walk out with much stuff and I always find the atmosphere in the shop to be a bit hostile. They have a very interesting selection but all of their prices are usually about 10% higher than an ebay buy it now. Playnation in Croydon have recently moved into a massive shop (compared to their old one anyway), their selection is really good and tends to be reasonably priced, run by a couple of lunatics and definitely worth a visit. frankly, head and shoulders above ripoff game base. https://www.facebook.com/playnationgames?fref=ts
Thanks for the heads up, just checked their online prices and they do seem a little high. I will have a look in there though just out of curiosity as its very close. I will defiantly check out Playnation as you suggested Many thanks for the info!
Thanks for the info! I had a look at their online prices and they do seem a little high. I will pop in and have a look out of curiosity though as it's so close. I will defiantly check out playnation when I can Thanks again for the info!
Still haven't been there. Looks a bit naff really. Used to be a store called Game Focus too but that closed last year. Had imports and the like. Was moderately expensive but that's to be expected when running a business.
Norwich is quite the trip from London Besides, when I went to Swallow Games (admittedly in 2004) it was a bit crap. There are a few half decent independent game stores not too far from London city centre, but not really much in terms of retro unfortunately. I used to work in Game Focus and it was not viable to keep it open - money has to be made either by charging a premium on items or low-balling trade-ins, but retro gamers as generally more savvy and will know they can make their money go further either by buying/selling online.
Retro gaming in Central London basically died when CeX closed the basement. That said, it had been pretty shoddy for a long while - it was better when that store WAS CeX Retro. The company are a complete joke now. If they have anything retro at all, it'll be behind the counter or in the glass cases. There are a few indie stores around, but you'll need to travel to go to the decent ones. There are a few in Kent. Don't forget, though, that retro shops charge collectors' prices... and then some. Some shopkeepers are decent, but a lot will charge at least eBay prices, if not more. Just about all shops will keep an eye on eBay trends on rarer items. So you are probably better off online. That said, Retro Game Base seem to have some decent prices on their website. Not everything, certainly... but they have some cheap cart only games. To be fair, a lot of the retro online stores have closed now, too. eBay became popular and people just sell themselves now, I guess. Even boot fairs are somewhat hit and miss nowadays. You do find items, but not that often... and usually it's at a price once again. Sometimes you'll find things in the classifieds of local papers, the Freeads or online listings sites like Gumtree and Facebook. You'll usually find that either people want a lot for items, or a load of dealers are ready to pounce on the bargains. And there's charity shops - usually nothing older than the odd PlayStation or old PC game, but you can get lucky. If you really want to find some retro shops for a bit of a nostalgic browse, you'll find them - but the prices will be quite steep. And they won't be in Central London.
Thanks for the comprehensive reply Retro, that pretty much sums up what I had feared. Ebay it is then!
I live in Norwich and go to sallowgames regularly. They are not as good as they once were but are still decent )and the only retro shop around here I know of) they have been a god send in the past for bits.
I seem to remember there being a place that had mashup of pc and gaming stuff and some retro (although I really wasn't looking out for it at the time) around Bedford Street, although it's quite possibly no longer there. It's amazing how little I remember of Norwich despite having lived there for 6 months.
