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Atari 7800's - Not Worth Much Anymore?


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Anyone have a comment or opinion of why Atari 7800 systems have dropped in value so much on ebay? For those that have been around a while, have you noticed a major drop in price over the years? I have an Atari 7800 system that works great including two 7800 controllers, the original power cord, a "direct connect" plug-in with cord for coax cable, 11 7800 title games and 33 2600 games but I don't even know if it's worth posting on ebay. Just looking for suggestions and/or opinions of what to do. I don't play it anymore so I got it out today and plugged it in, tested each of the games and then went to ebay to get an idea of how to post it and what price to expect. I was very disappointed. I may take it to Bookmans which is a trade store out here in Phoenix, AZ. I don't know exactly what they will give but I don't think it would be much less than the ebay prices for similar items that have sold recently. I have included a picture of what I have. Thanks for any thoughts and/or advice!

 

Jeremy (SpendTooMuchOnAtari) :)

 

 

 

 

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Prices in general have been dropping on eBay lately. I've been picking up some excellent deals on Atari 2600 games, and I've seen plenty of others going for far lower than what they used to command.

 

I've been told eBay tends to be softer during the summer months. That could explain any short-term trends you're seeing.

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I never really thought about the summer months being slow, thanks guys! Maybe I should wait to Christmas time, it could sit in my closet for a few more months. I would post it here in the Marketplace but I don't know how much more people would be willing to pay than ebay. It's a nice set-up but for someone who already has a lot of common games in their collection, it's probably not worth it. I don't really need the cash right now, I'm really just trying to clean out some closets. Christmas may be a good time to unload it because the price may be higher and everyone can use some extra money then. :)

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I've certainly noticed it, and I'm not so sure it's just because of the summer months. The going rates seem super low to me. The summer months may have a little to do with it, but I just auctioned off a bunch of video game stuff and I think I got pretty good prices for most of it. The only thing that didn't meet or exceed my expectations was the Colecovision/Adam system with composite AV & 15 games. It only went for $30. I'm certainly holding onto my 7800s for the time being.

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Odds are your setup would be fetching a lower amount do to the fact that all 7800 games in general are easy to get and all the 2600 carts you have are easy to get and a 7800 console is not worth anymore than about $25 IMO. That whole lot I would not pay more than $50 bucks for if I was intrested in it.

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I never really thought about the summer months being slow, thanks guys! Maybe I should wait to Christmas time, it could sit in my closet for a few more months. I would post it here in the Marketplace but I don't know how much more people would be willing to pay than ebay. It's a nice set-up but for someone who already has a lot of common games in their collection, it's probably not worth it. I don't really need the cash right now, I'm really just trying to clean out some closets. Christmas may be a good time to unload it because the price may be higher and everyone can use some extra money then. :)

Same here.I got to free up some space.Looking to buy a car in about a month and need a little cash.

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Post the 7800 system around Thanksgiving time.

Also, include a few screenshots of some of the popular games in the lot.

 

NOTHING boosts prices like:

1) Holiday time buying frenzy

2) Pictures of a complete and CLEAN system

3) Crisp screenshots of popular games

 

Summer is the WORST time to sell, even I got a few bargains recently that i'm too embarassed to mention, and I rarely buy on e-bay anymore.

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Yeah, I have some video game items I need to unload (Have 7 feet of my garage wall being taken up by them), but I am going to wait until fall where I know people are more in tune with shopping. Summertime, especially around the 4th is a terrible time to sell. I usually buy lots of video game goodies at this time of year, because the prices are so low. As far as your 7800 goes, do like some of the previous responses above, and wait until about 1-2 months before Christmas, take some nice shots of your CLEAN system and games, and you should be able to fetch a higher price ;)

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Atari... there was a bit of a frenzy in the opening years of E-bay getting stuff. Now I think for the most part while there is still a lot out there the market has leveled out. However, I do see that there will be a time in a few years when this surplus of Atari parts are used to keep the growing fanbase in operation. And I have noticed that it is a little harder now to find some Atari items than 5 years ago. So give it time, the prices should come back up again.

 

And one thing that people are playing with in selling is making systems that have unique features. Clean systems if possible, upgraded, and with game systems, a option where it has multiple games selectable within it? There are two things that people seem to look for in retro systems:

 

1) Vintage and clean

2) Upgraded to bragable levels. :)

 

or...

 

3) parts.

 

So look at what you have and figure out what you have. Waiting till around Christmas is a excellent idea. And tax return time. ;)

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It runs hot and cold, but is usually slower through the summer months. I had a 7800 system with fewer games go for over $70 little over a month ago. Before that, I had one go for $20.

 

Best times to list are Christmas and Father's day. Winter in general is good because people are indoors and bored :P

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I'd say that's wrth about $50. I woulda said $40, but Yars' is the R5 red label version.

 

How tight are the pro lines? If they feel loose, you might shim up the action a little bit inside and advertise them as rebuilt or in excellent condition.

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I decided to take the system and games to Bookmans here in Phoenix and got a trade value of $75. Not too bad. I just really wanted to be rid of it now, my closets are a mess with ebay crap.

 

 

Wow, you did quite well on that deal, congrats :)

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