Retro console from the attic: What it's worth and what to look out for when selling

In the attic sits a box with an old console, a few cartridges, and a controller. The question is always the same: is it worth money or is it junk? Here are the factors that truly determine the price.

First: the console is rarely the valuable part

A PlayStation 2 was sold over 150 million times, a Wii over 100 million. Consoles from this generation are not a rare commodity — the price is usually in the low double-digit range, and it depends almost entirely on whether everything is included.

The money is usually in the games. A single sought-after cartridge can be worth more than the console it runs on. Therefore, it is worth going through the box individually instead of giving everything away as a bundle.

The five points that make the price

1. Completeness. Power adapter, video cable, controller, original box, styrofoam, manual. A console in a complete original box often fetches double that of a naked console.
2. Function. "Untested" costs money. If you no longer have a television with the appropriate connection, you can at least check whether the device starts up and the fan works.
3. Yellowing. The gray plastic of the SNES, Game Boy, and the first PlayStation yellows under light. For collectors, this is a noticeable markdown.
4. The title itself. There are two zeros' difference between a mass-market title and a collector's item. Role-playing games, late-released titles, and anything printed in small quantities are the outliers on the high side.
5. Region and edition. First editions, special editions, and PAL releases of rare titles are significantly more sought-after than re-releases and budget versions. A "Platinum" or "Essentials" imprint indicates a re-release.

How to find the realistic price

The most reliable way costs nothing: search for the title on eBay and set the filter to sold items. What people actually paid is quite different from what sellers are asking. Be sure to compare like with like — CIB against CIB, PAL against PAL.

When selling yourself, factor in the costs: sales commission, shipping, packaging, and the time spent photographing and describing. With a six-euro game, not much is left over.

Sell individually or all at once?

Individual sales bring more money but cost more time. With a box of thirty titles, that can quickly take several evenings. A trade-in service brings less per item, but the matter is finished in a day and you bear no risk of returns or buyer complaints.

A middle ground often works best: sell the three or four valuable pieces yourself, and hand over the rest as a package.

Before you ship anything

• Do not throw anything away. Manuals, inserts, cardboard inner packaging, registration cards — this is exactly what turns OVP into CIB.
• Do not clean with household remedies. Scouring milk on a cartridge shell and solvents on a sticker do more damage than three decades in an attic.
• Take out batteries. Leaking batteries in controllers and handhelds destroy the contacts. This is the most common avoidable damage of all.

We buy

We buy games, consoles, and collectibles — even entire collections and items with defects, as long as we know where we stand. How it works and what we need is explained on the Purchasing page. A few photos are enough for an initial estimate.