When you don't have another dime to spend

[drewbrim]

Since it's close to Valentines Day, and since this happened to me today. I thought it would be timely to share your most "heartbreaking" stories about finding something you would've done anything to get, but just didn't have the money.

Earlier I saw a Turbo Grafx CD system complete in the box. Not just the CD player but the whole system, styrofoam, and docking bay with the box that is like 3 ft tall. NEC sold these as a package for like a minute before they released the Turbo Duo. Anyway, all that stuff plus 13 games for $100. Not that $100 is a crazy steal or anything, but it's a damn good price. Especially considering the games that were included. Classics like Y's 1,2, and 3, Parasol Stars, and others I can't quite remember due to the beers I've been drinking to dull the pain.

So anyway, someone post something worse to make me feel better.

[Jibbajaba]

This has never happened to me, but it's my worst nightmare. I'm afraid that one day I am gonna see a NeoGeo AES in a thrift store and not have the dough on me. Then when I come back with money, it will be gone.

Sucks what happened to you, but at least it was $100 dollars. What if it had been $20 and you still coundlt have bought it. That would have sucked more.

Chris

[Kilik Kurosawa]

i'm always afraid of this on ebay. thats why i always keep some money in my paypal account. for that one day when i find the cheap BIN now on <insert rare game or system here>

[DigitalSpace]

Nothing that major for me. The closest would be a Sega CDX w/all hookups for $60. I had just bought a Gamecube at the time and didn't have too much spending money left. If I did, I probably would have picked it up. The only other CDX I've seen in the wild was priced at $85. But coming across a Sega CD model 2 at a cheap or at least reasonable price would suffice for me.

[Wavelflack]

Eh, I'm just an idiot from time to time. I get into a "cheapass" spell, and make mistakes.

A recent example:

(short and to the point version)

I went to some garage sales with my wife. We hit one house that had two PS2 games out front. On a whim, I asked the lady if she had any other games.."You know, older ones or something." This usually doesn't work, but this time it did. The lady said "yeah, my boy has some Super Nintendo games. He doesn't want to sell them, but he's going to. Just a minute."
She came back with a shoebox with about 30 SNES games, and another box with the system and some aftermarket controllers. I asked how much, and she said $1 each for the games (!) and $15 for the system and controllers (?). There were only a few sports games in the box. I picked out 5-6 good titles (Mario RPG, Yoshi's Island, Breath of Fire, good stuff like that) and gave her the money.
My wife actually suggested I buy the whole box, and I said "nah." She pointed out that they were only a buck each, and not much sports. I said "No, I got the rare and pricey ones."

We got home, and I realized what an idiotic mistake I had made! I drove back to get the rest, and (of course) they were sold to someone else by then.

It gets worse...

I went back home and saw a message on the machine. It was my younger brother, telling us about an unadvertised (not in the paper) garage sale he found that had games. He got a bunch of Xbox games for $5 each (good titles too), and said there were other left.
So I raced over to that garage sale. I got there, and there was a table with a few Xbox games on it, and some DVDs. I asked if this was all he had, and he said "Just a minute". He then brought out 2 Xbox S controllers (blue), and some other peripherals. They were $5 each as well. I looked at the games again and grabbed Oddworld. I don't know why I did this.
Anyway, the guy's daughter came out a minute later with a Playstation and a box of about 15 games, plus a CD wallet with another 20 games in it. I asked how much, and she said $20. Lots of good games (I think they were the Dad's, because there was a lot of war/mech/strategy stuff).

I passed.
I skipped the mega deal on a PS1 (I don't have one), left two $5 S controllers (real ones) and INSTEAD bought fucking Oddworld. Why did I do that?!?


That was the stupidest day of my collecting life so far.

[Jorpho]

"yeah, my boy has some Super Nintendo games. He doesn't want to sell them, but he's going to. Just a minute."

What a cruel, cruel woman.

[Wavelflack]

He actually followed her out of the house, complaining. He was about 12. I experienced about a femtosecond of guilt.

[gepeto]

one day I was checking ebay a while ago someone had a mint turbo duo in box with 5 games 75.00 i couldn't believe my eyes and clicked refresh and it was sold. to top it off 4 hours later someone had all three panzer dragoons mint and complete for 75.00
i clicked forward back forward back. Item was sold. I was thinking you can't make this _hit up.
Totally depressing
Gepet0,

[nesgamer]

Came across a complete mint in the box NES Toploader. It was $80. I only had about $20. So I left the store and came back when I had more cash and it was gone. It was at a game store in Chattanooga, TN called Game X Change.

[MarioAllStar2600]

Well when I am broke I borrow money. So I have never had this problem. I bought my magical chase when I only had $80 bucks in pocket, took me forever to pay back though. So I never had this problem, and I always keep some cash in my bedroom (my change) untill a very good deal or something I want really badly. So if I know I don't have the cash, and don't feel like owing anyone money I cash in my change. I just spent it on a cool mario toy.

[Nesmaster]

constantly searching ebay for flintstones 2 for like 2 weeks straight, didnt search one day and missed a $7 bin on one.

missed a complete mint bonks adventure for $30 because i didnt have the funds

[slip81]

Passed up a CIB Buster Douglas Boxing for SMS for $9.99, all because I forgot to bid on it. I was mad for the rest of the day.

[LAGO]

Passed up a CIB Buster Douglas Boxing for SMS for $9.99, all because I forgot to bid on it. I was mad for the rest of the day.

man that pisses me off

[drewbrim]

Good stuff, keep em coming. Misery loves company. :
Plus, we always have a thread on here about our great finds. Just figured it was time for one with our great misses.

[soniko_karuto]

oh well, i did something stupid too.

There's this kinda flea market that goes on over here, it's like a flea market, but they take up normal streets, they just put tents, a table, etc you know the drill.

I was strolling over there, i knew i was gonna see something good, so there i go with about 100 bucks. So there was this guy, just a table, a cdx (wich was in mint condition), an extra 6 button controller (official) and a cd binder, so i ask the guy how much, he says 700 pesos, give me 500 so i can leave, i've sold everything i had, this is the last thing, i'll also give you the binder, it has around 30 cd games. So i go into the stupid "it may be stolen, it may be broken, blah blah blah" so i don't buy it. Stupid me, the cd's were also pretty much mint.

Btw, at that time, a dollar was around 7.50 pesos, so it would have been something like 40 bucks. Yep, at least 30 sega cd games for 40 bucks.

[Cmosfm]

Well, just the other day I was out game hunting, FAR out of town...100 miles away from home or so.

Anyways, I'm in a pawn shop and buying a lot of 3.00 SNES games. I have Super Mario All Stars, Secret Of Mana, Kirby's Dream Course & Y's 3 in my stack. Then I pick up Bazooka Blitzkreig, put it in my stack, then decide to place it back in the box cause I just didn't want to spend any more money.

Unfortunately I also left my DP guides at home.

Get home and see that it's an R6, I get very angry.

[maxlords]

You're all crazy people. Learn to cash advance your credit cards. I've NEVER passed up deals that good...so there!

[Slate]

Just a few days ago i missed out on an Atari system (Kind unknown) with FORTY TWO GAMES.. For $20. I heard the guy's Ad on the radio ***He Called in himself*** And when i call, He said he sold it DAYS AGO!!!

Another time i was out goodwilling, I found out i was 2 weeks late for a Sega CD. :/ Well, i could not make it those 2 weeks earlier. I had a cold, Go figure. x_x

I have got really good deals, Though.

[AdamAnt316]

Several years ago, while browsing at a local flea market. I spotted a Vectrex. Granted, it didn't have an overlay, and was playing it's built-in game, but I fell in love. I asked the price, and it was only $10, which I didn't have at the time. I asked my mother if she could loan me the money, but she refused. I went back the next week with sufficient funds, but it had been sold the day after I'd been there last, and I haven't seen another Vectrex in the flesh since. Fortunately, I later picked up a boxed Commodore 64 at the same flea market for $8, which was my first fully-working C-64 ever.
-Adam

[Steven]

Well, just the other day I was out game hunting, FAR out of town...100 miles away from home or so.

Anyways, I'm in a pawn shop and buying a lot of 3.00 SNES games. I have Super Mario All Stars, Secret Of Mana, Kirby's Dream Course & Y's 3 in my stack. Then I pick up Bazooka Blitzkreig, put it in my stack, then decide to place it back in the box cause I just didn't want to spend any more money.

Unfortunately I also left my DP guides at home.

Get home and see that it's an R6, I get very angry.

Have you gone back and gotten that sucker yet? Man I so would have drove back there in an instant! :P

As for greatest misses, nothing comes to mind really... seems like I'm always in a decent cash flow whenever bargains poke up..

EDIT:

OOPS!

I now recall my greatest miss. It was like in October 2003. I had decided that I was going to buy all the big US Saturn RPGs.

I see on eBay a lot of used but complete good condition copies of:

-Shining Wisdom
-Dragon Force
-Shining the Holy Ark
-Shining Force III
-Albert Odyssey
-Magic Knight Rayearth

If you do the math the average to find these six games used and complete good condition would probably set someone back $280-$320.

The BIN was at just $90!!!!!!

But I had not a dollar left. I think I used it up on some "$5 titles" and bought a load of them. OH HOW MAD I WAS.

Surely enough, the auction was BIN'ed within like 2 hours. Oh well. Buyer was freaking lucky... that's like a once in a lifetime deal you find. Something of THAT magnitude, SIX uncommon $30+ games... (some over $50 easily)... all in ONE set.. for less than 100 shipped. AMAZING.

[Muscelli]

true story, my friend (when we were like 11) had stadium events, and he traded it in at funco for 3 dollars.

We never knew it was a rare game.. haha he traded in the box too... but kept the manual for god knows why

[NintendoMan]

i'm always afraid of this on ebay. thats why i always keep some money in my paypal account. for that one day when i find the cheap BIN now on <insert rare game or system here>

I do the same thing, or bust out one of my credit cards, which unfortunately I probably do too much.