Today, we’re going to discuss a subset of one of my favorite resale categories: vintage video games, specifically Super Nintendo (SNES). There are a lot of commonalities in the reselling of old video games, but I will discuss each system or generation of games (e.g. NES, Sega Genesis, Playstation, Xbox, etc.) in separate posts as each market has its own idiosyncrasies and notable items.

NOTE: Generally, if you find anything in box, be it console, game, or accessory, this boosts the value of the item significantly and usually means that you should buy it!!!!

 The System: The actual system itself is not worth as much as you’d think it would be. AVOID BUYING JUST AN OLD CONSOLE ALONE UNLESS YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE THE A/V CONNECTIONS FOR IT. The eBay market is saturated with SNES consoles and a lot of them go unsold or sell on the cheap. Generally, you should only pick up a console if it’s part of a package you can get with games and accessories, or you get a good deal (<$5). The average sale price of a console with a limited bundle is around $30-$40, and just alone is $15-30.

Games: Generally, SNES titles sell for $6-$15 on eBay, with classic titles occupying the high end (e.g. Mario games). There are a handful of even rarer titles that fetch a lot more, but by virtue of their being rare you’re not likely to find them. When you see SNES games, and can get them for $2 each or less, buy them. Any more than that and you’re not getting big enough profits in my opinion, but that’s ultimately up to you.

Look out for accessories: On the other hand, accessories hold their value very well and are usually much rarer. You should certainly buy original SNES controllers, as you can get at least $5 for each and can bundle them together (I recently sold 4 SNES original controllers for $25). More rare are special SNES controllers of many varieties, like arcade-style joypad’s or the SNES’s version of the NES original Zapper, the Super Scope – essentially a bazooka with a sight for aiming.

What to avoid: As far as I know, the only SNES (and generally video game) stuff you should avoid is sports titles. They don’t carry the same timelessness of other titles, so their resale value on eBay is quite low. That said, if you’re buying a big lot of SNES stuff it’s not like you’re going to leave the games behind, but if you encounter someone with stiff pricing (e.g. “$2 per game”), make sure not to pick up Frank Thomas’s Big Hurt Baseball or whatever. Also, look out for present-day SNES knockoffs. There are a lot of cheap replica controllers that were cranked out for eBay sale that are 100% garbage. The best way to identify a cheap Chinese knockoff controller is by the plastic – original SNES controller plastic is smooth, while knockoff plastic is rougher and very rigid-feeling. I doubt this will be that common at garage sales, but just be on the lookout. (Here’s a video review of an exemplary Chinese knockoff).