Flea markets are back! A sign of warmer weather and earlier sunrises, as well as a host of public holidays, these popular events continue to welcome strollers and curious onlookers, as well as collectors of old video games eager to score a bargain. For the occasion, we offer you a little guide to the mistakes you should definitely avoid if you intend to go bargain hunting...
Appearing long before the arrival of the internet, eBay and other Leboncoin, flea markets are still as popular as ever with collectors who love bargains, and especially with fans of video games and especially “retrogaming”. And for good reason: it is still and always in good old garage sales that we have the best chance of finding the rare pearl at an unbeatable price, this mainly thanks to less visibility compared to online stores. However, don't think that flea markets are the El Dorado of retro game collectors: for many years, good deals have become very rare, and worse still, scams have multiplied. But is it really still worth getting up at the crack of dawn and traveling miles when you could rest and hunt for good deals on your tablet or smartphone? Yes, but you have to be vigilant! Here are ten pitfalls to avoid for smart bargain hunting.
Getting up at dawn
While it's undeniable that a good half of the stallholders at flea markets got up (very) early to display their wares for bargain hunters to see, you don't necessarily have to do the same. Yes, it's true, by being among the first, you have a better chance of spotting games that might interest you before other visitors. However, it's also around 6 or 7 a.m. that you'll face the toughest competition... Whether they're hardcore collectors or more or less legally registered resellers, there are plenty of early risers.
Despite the increasing scarcity of bargains, whether we're talking about consoles or games, their condition, or especially the asking price, many people still believe in Sunday morning "good deals" and, above all, many people pick up everything they find, as long as it's part of their business. Unless your intention is to participate in this little game that very few win, it's probably not necessary to sacrifice one of your two weekly lie-ins given the extremely low success rate.
Believing that at noon, it's over
So, if it's not necessary to get up very early, perhaps it's more profitable to do the opposite? Well... almost! This may not be obvious to you, but many exhibitors don't necessarily want to set up their stand at sunrise. A large number of them arrive on site between 8 and 10 a.m., and this type of seller profile has a significant advantage: they will almost always be spared by those who are accustomed to being called "sweepers" who ransack stands whose contents interest them as soon as hostilities begin. Better still: a late-rising exhibitor often doesn't care about business and wants to get rid of them, regardless of the price, and doesn't always research the value of what they are offering on their stand. This is sometimes where you find the most sought-after games, and experience proves it.
Thinking that people are well-behaved...
You've spotted a nice cartridge that interests you, and you think other potential buyers will wait their turn? Unfortunately, too often, it's the law of the jungle that prevails at flea markets. By this, understand that the first to get their hands on an item has every chance of leaving with it, provided, of course, they pay the seller's asking price. Most of the time, the seller only wants one thing: to get rid of the consoles and games that are uselessly cluttering up their home, and not to waste their time. The rule of first come, first served often prevails, so if you're not 100% sure you'll buy the game or console you've been eyeing, at least pretend to examine it from every angle, as if you wanted to make sure you're happy with the condition! This will prevent it from being snatched from under your nose.
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On another note, make sure you have one or more bags available to carry your potential purchases. Not only will you be more comfortable searching the various stands hands-free, but this will also prevent you from exposing your best finds to the view of resellers; because yes, as incredible as it may seem, some are ready to do anything to recover what they might have missed, and make you offers outside of the stands designated for this purpose! Too few rules and laws truly govern the proper functioning of flea markets, and some do not hesitate to take advantage of this "lawless zone" aspect, completely disregarding any form of courtesy and respect for others.
... and believe that the sellers are all honest
We can reassure you right away: the majority of exhibitors present at flea markets are honest people, whose objective is twofold: to get rid of objects that have become useless or cumbersome, and to make a little extra money at the end of the month. A huge number of them will be delighted to see you relieve them of these old things that they have no use for, and no matter how much they go for. However, and unfortunately this will never change, human beings are sometimes corrupted by the lure of gain, and are unfortunately easily influenced by generous offers.
Therefore, we strongly advise you not to ask an exhibitor to "set aside" an item for you that you would hesitate to take, or for which you do not have the requested amount at the time you spotted it (to avoid this, we invite you to follow the following recommendation). Unfortunately, a buyer may be tempted to outbid if they see an item that the seller indicates is set aside if it has not already been paid for, and the exhibitor accepts the higher offer since no form of contract has been signed. As we mentioned above, sometimes the law of the strongest applies.
Coming with too little money, and especially too few coins
This may seem obvious, but almost all transactions at a flea market are in cash. While some professional sellers sometimes bring a bank card reader, assume that your card will have no other use on site than for cash withdrawals... if the town hosting the flea market has an ATM! It's better to plan a relatively large withdrawal in advance, if your budget allows it, of course.
And since we're talking about cash... don't think that going to a flea market with several €10, €20, and €50 bills will make things easier, especially at the start of the day. Many exhibitors don't have a lot of small change to give you, and they'll be much happier if you give them some to pay for a €20 purchase than by handing them a blue bill fresh from the ATM. Sometimes, a flea market transaction can simply fall through due to a lack of adequate cash on both sides of the stand, and you have to admit, that would be a real shame. To do this, if you plan to visit garage sales, don't hesitate to take advantage of your possible purchases this week to exchange your bills for coins at the merchants.
Don't take your portable console
Are you looking for retro games playable on portable consoles, from the first Game Boy to the 3DS, including the Game Gear, the PSP or even, let's be crazy, the PSVita? If you still have one of these machines, stock up on batteries and take it in your bag. This will be very practical if you ever come across games at a reasonable price that you like: you will then have the opportunity to check how they work on the spot! From experience, an exhibitor appreciates seeing that they are dealing with an organized buyer who has the opportunity to test a game directly at their stand. This inspires trust on both sides, and if the person selling old games doesn't want you to try them, there's definitely something fishy going on...
Ignore the "odds" of what you're looking for
If you're going to a garage sale with the intention of finding a good deal, and you know roughly what games and consoles you'd like to find, it's important to know roughly what a good price is to avoid paying too much and regretting your purchase later. To do this, there are two solutions, which can complement each other very well. First, organize yourself in advance, by drawing up a list of items you're looking for, associated with prices found on different online sales platforms, in order to determine what you would be willing to spend to acquire them. But also (and above all), take the time to check the prices in question online when you are faced with a potentially interesting item, but whose value you don't really have an idea. Admit that it would be a shame not to take a somewhat obscure PlayStation 2 game, like Rule of Rose or Sengoku Anthology, that an exhibitor would offer for €20 but that you decide not to take because still, "a PS2 game for €20 at a flea market is too expensive"! It's not that simple: counterfeiting is a scourge that affects all industries, and video games are no exception. Among the most affected manufacturers, Nintendo is at the top of the list, with Game Boy (mainly the “Advance” version) and DS game cartridges being very regularly counterfeited. Appearing en masse during the second half of the 2000s, these fakes flooded the second-hand market, as well as flea market stalls.
While many exhibitors are completely unaware that they have fake cartridges, some know it very well and will not hesitate to say that their games are guaranteed to be vintage, counting on the naivety (or ignorance) of their buyers to get rid of them. Fortunately, the often crude printing quality of these reproductions, whether on the box cover or the cartridge label, gives them away fairly quickly. Better still: fake DS cartridges cannot be read on a Nintendo DSi / DSi XL or on any console in the 3DS range. This makes them easy to spot if you have something to test them on site. Finally, note that these counterfeits are quite different from the much better quality reproductions manufactured in recent years, sold mainly online and, unfortunately, in some specialist stores that at least have the decency to mention it.
Neglecting small, isolated flea markets
Are you planning to spend a good part of your Sunday at flea markets – and yes, with an “S” because you don’t plan on visiting just one? First of all, you’re right: if you have a car and can travel from one town to another to visit several flea markets on the same day, it would be a shame to miss out. However, don’t focus only on those with the largest number of exhibitors, often highly rated by specialist garage sale sites, nor on the most accessible ones. Many small, sometimes terribly isolated, garage sales can hide real treasures. Above all, this type of event is often relatively uncrowded, increasing your chances of being one of the few people interested in rare gems that dealers, who generally don't have time to waste with the most confidential flea markets, might miss. In any case, on paper...
Only come to find a good deal
Finally, it may seem silly, but the experience of a garage sale is not only based on the objects you buy there, and which will bring you satisfaction if the amount spent is small. A flea market is also (or even above all?) a Sunday stroll, most of the time refreshing, and whose sole purpose is not to unearth treasures. And then, who knows, maybe you'll come across objects, "vintage" or not, that you didn't necessarily have in your sights but that you'll be happy to find and bring home, whether to fill a collection or simply because they'll be very useful!
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