Best way to pack n64 games?

[thegreatescape]

I decided that seeing as how i cant stand it, and it seems to be going for a lot on ebay lately i'd put my complete Conkers Bad Fur day up for auction...
I thought $49 was a reasonable price. A little less than the recently finished auctions but i assumed no one else would want to pay a heap anymore. Turns out i was wrong- someone used BIN 2 hours after i listed

Anyway- how the heck to I ship an n64 game? Its boxed and all- pretty much new (bought it from target last month for $3) and Im pretty sure the buyer bought it because of this, so i dont want the box to be all wasted when they get it.

Do i fold it out/flatten it ? Its still got that white cart holder thing though, so ive got no idea what to do(ive only ever bought games with actual cases off ebay) .

Best of all- Im gonna buy an atari 2600 with the money

[charitycasegreg]

50 bucks for that game?!? You can get it sealed on ebay for like 12 bucks. Thats crazy!!!

[Lemmy Kilmister]

50 bucks for that game?!? You can get it sealed on ebay for like 12 bucks. Thats crazy!!!

Yeah, i got it for 4 bucks new just last year. Though if you can sell it at 50 why not?

[Jasoco]

$4 is nice. I paid $4.90 at TRU for a still sealed copy. Wow.. $50? Lucky SOB.

[VGfan]

Since he is in australia, he is probably talking about the PAL version (which is more expensive.)

But to answer the question, you should just ship it in a box.

[Aussie2B]

Yeah, the US version is dirt cheap even for still sealed copies.

As for shipping it, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I've received and shipped boxed N64 games just wrapped in some bubble wrap and inside a bubble wrap envelope, and they were just fine. Use a box if you're worried, and wrap the game thoroughly in bubble wrap (filling any excess space in the box with more bubble wrap or packing peanuts).

[charitycasegreg]

ok its pal version, now I can understand if its rare I guess. But I thought it was a US version. I played that game once, is it fun? I guess since its one of the most worthless n64 games I should get it.... all I need is a n64.

[geelw]

Yeah, the US version is dirt cheap even for still sealed copies.

As for shipping it, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I've received and shipped boxed N64 games just wrapped in some bubble wrap and inside a bubble wrap envelope, and they were just fine. Use a box if you're worried, and wrap the game thoroughly in bubble wrap (filling any excess space in the box with more bubble wrap or packing peanuts).

yikes- i don't know what magic elves work at your post office, but boxed n64 games should ONLY be shipped in a box with as much cushioning as possible. every single 64 game i've had shipped to me by sellers who use bubble envelopes has arrived with some form of damage, and i'm not talking about picky collector "oooh, the corner of the top left flap got a nick in it, can i send it back?" we're talking "who the hell SAT on my game, dammit" or "hell, was donkey kong driving the truck with his eyes gouged out?" damage

... postal rule #54: if it's not in a box, it'll get crushed somehow

[Ed Oscuro]

we're talking "who the hell SAT on my game, dammit" or "hell, was donkey kong driving the truck with his eyes gouged out?" damage :eek 2:

... postal rule #54: if it's not in a box, it'll get crushed somehow LOL

Second that...my freakin' Tactics Ogre SFC box got crushed somewhat and with my MSX2 (FS-A1, not the nice one I purchased a few months ago) keyboard dug up from the power adapter; I'm lucky more didn't happen because of the stupid son of an electron gun that packaged all that stuff badly.

I'd go with very rigid boxes for N64 games, and all the space must be filled to avoid sliding or scuff marks.

If you don't insist on this, you're asking for trouble. If somebody ignores your request, inform them politely that you won't do business with them anymore until they learn to package things correctly.

[Aussie2B]

Hehe, it's not that amazing. I've gotten boxed games shipped from Japan in plain paper envelopes with just a tiny amount of bubble wrap around the games, and they still arrived fine. That does worry me, though. o_O

I think you mostly just have to consider the distance the package is going and the type of the box. A box is a lot less likely to get squashed if it's filled up with stuff. The paper/plastic trays in SNES/SFC/N64/etc. games help with that; however, with the later N64 games (with the little cardboard game holder built into the box), it's not so safe...

[kevincure]

And not just the PAL version, but 49 dollars Australian, which is quite a bit less than 49 US.

As for shipping, in the US we have these boxes that are free if you ship using a service called Priority Mail from the national post service. It's' just the right size for a 64 game and some bubble wrap. Definitely don't send boxed games in anything but a box...they'll be destroyed!

[Ed Oscuro]

I think you mostly just have to consider the distance the package is going and the type of the box. A box is a lot less likely to get squashed if it's filled up with stuff.

A cardboard box is never truly filled, though, and they have absolutely no corner load rating, and in any case you have the ability for significant wear between box and paper. I suppose some cheap cartridge or PSX game is one thing, but when I pay over $20 for a boxed game I like it to arrive in the condition I paid for. Almost all the individual games I've bought recently are over $50 each. I'm happy in that I've gotten a bunch of games from folks like Maxlords and Game Choice Club who use actual boxes of the correct size to send stuff in, because it means I'm likely to get something that actually looks presentable.

I don't feel I have any business paying money to let other people damage 10-plus year old games on my money...and it's not really that hard for folks to go find a little box of some sort, if they're a trustworthy seller that is. I've been lucky in that most of the items I've bought have been in groups and from sellers who actually sell things with frequency. Sticking with folks the community is familiar with and who have experience means a lot less trouble is likely to brew.

In any case, if an item gets scuffed up, it's not on the seller's dime, right? Yeah.

[thegreatescape]

Thanks for the advice all. The seller emailed me and it turns out they're a collector and begged me to BOX (caps and all) it and not post-pak, so ill use a cdrw drive box- the game fits nicely in the styrofoam holders which makes it easy (cdrw drive is only slightly bigger than an n64 box). Barring any donkey kong drivers it will hopefully survive

Its probably not the same over there, but here any N64 game with a nintendo icon type character seems to hold its value (a little too) well. Non-mario games are $10-20 AU at EB, but any mario game is $40-50+

Doesnt bother me though because im not much of a mario fan, and even less of a 3D platformer fan

And not just the PAL version, but 49 dollars Australian, which is quite a bit less than 49 US.

$49 AU is like $52 canadian, and thats right next to america.. :P
At the current exchange rate though, $49 AU is like $35 US, which is like 700 pieces of string in cuba...

[Aussie2B]

Geez, was it really necessary to make me out to be some sort of dirtbag seller, Ed?

Incidentally, I've only shipped out boxed games in padded envelopes once or twice before (I don't sell things much, only duplicates), and the games sold were under 10 bucks. My buyers were completely satisfied with the transactions. I'm not a poor packager. :/ I'm VERY liberal with bubble wrap, I only use padded envelopes not the thin paper ones, and I do use boxes on items that need them (and sometimes ones that don't). In contrast to that, take the guy who shipped my Sin & Punishment. That game cost me about 40 bucks (not including shipping), and the guy shipped it from Japan in NOTHING but a thin paper envelope. I think the envelope was even torn when it arrived. I was pissed about the shipping, but it still arrived PERFECT, so I didn't complain. Similarly, Yamatoku ships things from Japan like that (except he uses a tiny bit of bubble wrap) unless you buy so many items that he must use a box (and then he doesn't put much packing materials for padding in the box). Many people here buy from him, and I haven't seen a single person complain about his shipping methods. Why is that fine for Yamatoku, a big store no less, but an infrequent seller like myself gets picked on?

Now that I know some people can be insanely paranoid and anal, perhaps I will pack all my future boxed games in boxes. I don't want some buyer flipping out on me for sending his cheap game in an envelope even though it arrived in perfect condition. :/ "OMG! THERE'S A PIECE OF DUST ON MY GAME! U R BAD SELLER!"