Does condition matter for complete in-box items to collectors?

[thrashncrash | 99]

As the title states, does the condition really matter to collectors on complete in-box items? I went to my local video game store to trade in an N.E.S. Advantage controller complete in-box. I was immediately told by the manager that they wouldn't be able to take the controller in.

Their reasoning was they had to refund someone for half their money because of condition issues. I'm assuming they sold it on eBay instead in store. But they called the owner, and the owner said no. All because the paper tab was torn off on the bottom of the box. See pictures.

Here is another question on the condition. When the box does have a price sticker, like the Walmart price sticker. Do collectors leave the sticker on or remove it?

 

Edited July 25 by thrashncrash
added context

[a3quit4s | 4,311]

I don’t mind uglies personally, they allow me to not pay the upcharge of “mint in box” or “collector grade” which have become very expensive catch phrases. I’m still a collector and have a ton of CIB accessories and consoles. If I was a store owner I’d still take it in and just give you less than a mint comparative sale. It seems like the owner did not to a good job explaining to the buyer the condition of the packaging which is odd because it seems like a store local to you on which someone would be able to hold in their hand what they are buying. 
 

Either way condition means something to some of us and others not so much. I draw the line at smells like cigarettes/has mold or water damage honestly. 

Edited July 25 by a3quit4s

[Tanooki | 5,085]

They're both right and wrong, but on a business side (aka liability and unknowns) it 100% does matter.

In the grand scheme for a lot of people it just doesn't matter if it's nice enough to present well.  They'll be ok with what you have up there, it's in the rear and on a shelf you won't see it.

 

But the liability and unknowns are the primadonnas, nitpickers, and investor collector types.  They don't care so much about just having it, they want to have it like it's still on the shelf at Toys R Us circa 1990.  If it doesn't look like it came of the pallet they'll refuse it outright or act like some entitled trolls demanding 1/4, 1/3, minimum 1/2 off because of some wittle bittle tiny tab in the back there on that NES Advantage box and act like it ruins the entire thing.

I mean, it ruins it looking factory fresh, but that's where it stops, it doesn't ruin it being presentable, complete, and otherwise display worthy.  It's not like they have some zero-G platform that'll rotate it around like one of those magnetic globes that'll trigger them everytime the dark side of the box pops up its ugly head.

 

What they should have done, the shop that is, is let people know all sales outside of being BROKEN are FINAL, that you look at it, agree to it, and that's the price, end of story.  They didn't do that, didn't have a policy in place or some standard, and some buyer took advantage of them hard and they lost.

[thrashncrash | 99]

I think the store sold it on eBay instead of selling it in-store. I was expecting it was not in mint condition, and the offer on the trade-in would reflect it. I don't collect much CIB stuff since I don't have the space for it. When I do get CIB I don't care too much for the condition of it.

You are right that there are people who want mint condition items. I agree there should have been policies in place to prevent that from happening. The store should have done a better job detailing everything that might be wrong with it.

[RH | 5,194]

Condition matters for me for games.  For old gaming items in big boxes, I'm not as picky.  That NES Advantage would be a good example of something I'd be up for owning.  And yes, that Wal-Mart sticker would be gone if it were mine.

I do care, however, about the condition of the item.  The box can be in generally good (but not necessarily mint or excellent) shape, but the item on the inside needs to look near-new.

[Code Monkey | 2,122]

I've never seen a tab on the bottom of those boxes.

[AirVillain | 532]

That's a weird situation, that owner sounds like a dick. Sorry you went through that.

If the box is in rough shape (missing hangtab, and with sticker) then the value could be a lot less/virtually nothing.

Some people like the stickers, but overall they "bring the price down".

But your box is still cool and if it has the item in it, so it's been legitimately protecting the item. So that helps your controller in this case in the very least.

Can't imagine why the store owner was such a dick @thrashncrash, that's really strange.

They should have at least offered you whatever value they wanted for the controller itself. If they have a store and people are buying in person, then there's no arguing the condition of the box as you see it WHEN you buy it. That's what we do, we buy old shit. Haha... "Condition issues" are all we deal with, haha. See below...

Personally, I'd keep the boxed controller/sell it directly on Facebook Marketplace.

My feelings on CIB's:

I picked up an absolutely ROASTED Ice Hockey CIB just for the fun of it.

Sometimes I'll buy a beat-up copy of a CIB just to get a better price as well.

Done that with TMNT Tournament fights (has giant rental sticker/advisory on front ) and Battletoads...

 

18 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

I've never seen a tab on the bottom of those boxes.

This is an ultra rare "top on bottom" variant.

Haha, but seriously though.... The bottom looks like it could be a top? I've never looked too closely at these boxes so I have no idea what they're supposed to look like.

Seems obviously so you can stack them laying on their back and have it look like the front of the box. But alas... I'm not familiar with these boxes. Maybe they had a few different styles?

Definitely going to keep my eye out for one now out of pure curiosity.

Edited July 26 by AirVillain

[The Count | 593]

To answer your second question, OP, I leave stickers on if they are of the vintage variety. I would remove any Gamestop sticker, for example, but not Funcoland, K-Mart, Sears, Kay-Bee Toys, etc.

[Gloves | 12,231]

I collect CIB almost exclusively (I have a handful of sealed games, and some cart only that were gifts). I care about condition, but I'm an informed buyer - if there's damage shown on an item I'm capable of deciding whether it's acceptable or not; if I saw that tab missing I'd not buy it. If I bought the item on ebay and if it was over $100, if the damage wasn't shown on the listing, I'd return it. If it WAS shown on the listing I'd likely just decide not to buy it. 

Honestly I doubt the store owner did their due diligence with the photos posted to ebay. Store owners slap shit on ebay with a single photo then move onto the next. A smart store owner doesn't make policies based on a single return, the owner here sounds like an ass, IMO. SOMEONE will buy that lacking the tab and be happy with it, just ensure it's marked down from FMV appropriately (compared to those which still have it). 

But yeah. I buy games CIB, I buy them to use/play them, and I do care about condition. Some consoles like NES and N64 specifically I didn't care so much when I bought most of those games and they tend to look ugly next to, say, my SNES games. I wish the me of 7 or so years ago was more condition conscious, but 7 years ago me also wasn't swimming in cash so whatcha gonna do. 

[Hammerfestus | 4,097]

I CIB and condition matters to me.  That being said, not all damage is created equal.  The box is also what I’m least damage tolerant to.   For me the cardinal sins of box damage are torn off flaps and “soft edges”. By that I mean how boxes get when the edges are no longer crisp and take on a soft bulged quality. The whole structure of the box becomes compromised and I’m out except at the very steepest discounts.  That tab you’re missing is definitely a nuisance and would cause me to always be looking for an upgrade.  However, other than the tab the box looks in solid condition from pics.  Definitely not something that they should just turn away out of hand.  

When collecting CIB I kind of have an idea in my head for the condition a box must be in to be worth paying the $$ over a loose copy.  It also shifts for me based on how “filler” the title is.  Picked up a boxed copy of Dash Galaxy the other day.  Box is more beat than I usually like and the edges are nearing my softness tolerance limit but dude it was $13 for some bullshit game.   

 

Oh and stickers?  Vintage stickers usually stay (figuring I can take them off later if I really feel the need to) and newer stuff gets removed (theoretically — I’ll take care of that later too lol ). 

[thrashncrash | 99]

The tab was already torn off on the box when I got it. To some collectors, the condition does matter to them. Just like the others have said before. For me complete in-box stuff I don't tend to collect for. I prefer loose carts and consoles since I don't have to worry about storing items.

The whole thing threw me off when they said that. I will just keep it and find a video game convention or another video game store. Someone will buy it at some point. Thanks for the kindly advice.

Edited July 27 by thrashncrash
Grammar

[fcgamer | 4,965]

Don't really care at all about condition, as long as it looks to be in a reasonable condition. The NES Advantage shown here is the classic example. The box looks to be structurally sound, and the damage is quite small, also on the back, so it wouldn't be seen when on display somewhere.

In general, I think people collecting common items are going to be less tolerant for damage, and are going to want mint. Those who collect true rares don't have the luxury of being choosy over such things, and as such, we then get immune to minor blemishes on more common items too, as long as the overall presentation is nice.