GameStop Opens ‘Retro Classics’ Section of Online Store

Power to the collectors — GameStop has opened its online "retro classics" store, featuring all kinds of vintage hits and consoles of yesteryear.

We all know how bad trade-in values can be, getting you a small percentage of what you originally paid for your games just to be sold to the masses for a much higher price. To my surprise, GameStop's online retro store selection is pretty vast, and its prices appear to be fairly reasonable compared to most others selling vintage games. In terms of retro consoles themselves, there are only three platforms currently available: the Sega Genesis, the original PlayStation console and its PS Slim counterpart (all refurbished). The Genesis sells for $34.99 and both PlayStation consoles are $39.99, which are just about right in terms of how much people are selling them for online.

As a retro collector, I've encountered a variety of vintage titles sellers ranging from independently-owned game stores, garage sales, thrift shops, Craigslist, eBay and more. More than a decade ago, I bought a copy of The Legend of Zelda for NES (the gold version) for $50 from an indie store because I didn't know any better and I was a die hard fan of the franchise. Recently, I bought another golden Zelda cartridge at a yard sale for $3 (you can't really pass that up, even if its internal battery is dead) and sold that one to the same store for $50. They raised the price on it because they knew fans and collectors wanted it. Since then, I've seen its prices range online between $20-$75. It's like that for many fan favorite titles. GameStop has the gold cartridge Zelda for $24.99, which seems pretty darn reasonable to me. Must-have SNES classics like Super Mario RPG and Super Metroid are for sale at $49.99 apiece.

I have to admit that I'm fairly surprised at these rates.