Friday, February 3, 2012

Collector Rage: Missing Out on a Bargain

Captain Kirk's rage at being outsmarted by Khan on the Genesis planet in Star Trek II is I think the image that best captures the mood one has when beaten to a bargain by somebody else.

This happened to me the other day at Omocha Souko. It was the most frustrating shopping experience I have ever had. By way of background, I usually stop by that place 2-3 times a week on my way home. I visit that frequently because they get Famicom and other retro game stuff in there quite often. When they do they sometimes put it in their junk bins or at the very least put a cheap price on it. The good stuff of course doesn't last, so if you want to get the cream of the crop you have to visit regularly like I do.

I walked into the store that day and started my usual stroll towards the back of the store where they keep their Famicom section. On my way I noticed a man on his way to the cashier with a basket full to the brim with stuff. As we passed each other I glanced at what he had and my eyes almost popped out of my head. The basket was full of Famicom games - really good ones. He had CIB copies of games like City Connection, Pac Man, Spartan X, Goonies and a whole lot of other ones I couldn't see underneath. These games are relatively easy to find loose but can be quite expensive to find CIB like that and all were ones that I wanted.

I knew immediately that this meant they had just gotten a bunch of Famicom games in that they had dumped out for sale because they didn't have those games the last time I visited. I ran to the back of the store to the Famicom section and I found:

Nothing!

That guy had just beaten me to it. He must have cleared out every single new Famicom game they had just gotten in. I didn't see the price on them, but given that he had grabbed them all immediately after they had been put out, they must have been cheap.

It was the most agonizing moment in my retro game collecting life. If only I had gotten there 10 minutes earlier! Did I really need to spend that time reading the article about Demi Moore's 9-11 call that morning? No! Why, man? Why? Oh the agony!

The funny thing is that if I had arrived after that guy had left, I wouldn't have felt disappointed at all. I would have gone in, seen they had nothing new, and walked right out and been on my way, none the wiser. But knowing what I had missed out on? Argh!

Fami-Khannnnnn!!!!!!

7 comments:

  1. Oh, man, that's brutal. Doubly so because you saw what he bought and knew he was getting a number of games you wanted. Sorry about that, Sean. I like your perspective at the end, though. And who knows? Maybe next time you go in there, you'll be the one nabbing a bunch of great games for a song :)

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  2. Says the guy who got a CIB copy of Gimmick for five bucks... :p
    Seriously, though, I feel your pain. It's absolutely devastating to lose out on a great deal. Can't say I've ever been to a Japanese game store (but I will one day! Just wait and see!), but if missing out on some good games there is anything like getting sniped at the last minute on a eBay auction, I feel your pain.

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  3. Bryan - thanks, yes it is brutal! Knowledge is torture sometime.

    Skyrunner - LOL, yes that is a good point, usually I am the one scooping other people like with my Gimmick score! I know about Ebay too, I`ve been sniped at the last second a couple of times and it is so annoying!!

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  4. Demi Moore- f##king everyone's shit up.

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  5. I haven't experienced this in real life but I have often when shopping on feeBay, notably some sweet Japanese Saturn games. Grrrr!

    Oh, and are you that rare sci-fi fan who likes both Star Wars AND Star Trek? I am but there's not many! :P

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  6. LOL, yeah I`ve had it happen to me on Ebay too. That is even worse actually. You think you have won an auction and are just watching those red numbers slowly count down to seal the deal:

    5....4....3....2....

    $40.50 Sorry you did not win this auction.

    `WTF???? ARGH!`

    And yes, I also feel comfortable in liking both Star Wars and Star Trek. I liked them both as a kid too actually. I`ve never understood why most people only like one but not the other.

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