Thrift Stores Are a Goldmine for Geeky Buys, Here's What I Look For
howtogeek.comThrift stores aren’t just for faded t-shirts and used bakeware, they can be a treasure trove for media and electronics too. Here are just some of the things you should keep an eye out for on your next thrifting adventure.
Video Games
Not every thrift store has a video game section, but most thrift stores have a few video games stashed somewhere. These are often mixed up with the DVDs and Blu-rays, so a keen eye may be required to spot them.
There are endless copies of Kinect Adventure and FIFA 14 out there, but occasionally you’ll spot some good stuff too. I have picked up copies of Dragon’s Dogma, Darksiders II and Unreal Tournament III (hey, it was cheap) for the Xbox 360 in great condition over the years.
Many such stores also have a locked cabinet, usually at the front of the shop, where they store more desirable objects. These can include cartridges for older systems like the SNES and N64, or old “big box” PC games which are highly collectible.
Just make sure you’re not taken for a ride on the price. We recommend having a quick search on eBay to see what prices such items have sold for in the past. This is especially true when the cartridges may not work at all.
Game Consoles and Accessories
I bought a Wii from a charity shop for AUD$20 about five years ago. It was in a plastic bag with some Wii Remotes, a Wii Motion Plus adapter, and all of the cables and light bars I needed to get it working. Even though Nintendo shifted a lot of Wii consoles, I’ve still never seen a cheaper console.
Occasionally you’ll find controllers and accessories too, though you should be a little more cautious here. Stick drift is a real phenomenon and with no method of testing a controller in the store, you should only pay what you’re comfortable losing. This is especially true with less reliable hardware, like the N64 controller and its notorious analog stick.
Sometimes you’ll see memory cards and other accessories too. I bought a used Dreamcast VMU once that still
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