2nd hand GBA games...where've they gone?

[Golgo]

Wanting to pick up some old GBA games (specifically Warioland 4 and first WarioWare title - my copy has bust from over-loving - and one or two other neglected curios) and I can't find any in the shops.

Seems the main/our beloved retail outlets have cleared 'em all out, and I'm not keen to go the Ebay route as I've been stung with GBA knockoffs from that source before.

Maybe there's a warehouse somewhere piled high with the UK GBA cartridge surplus.

Any ideas, brethren?!

[toythatkills]

They're usually pretty easy to spot on eBay. No box? Fake. No manual? Fake. Flat packed? Usually fake.

I'd go with eBay, just ask the seller before purchasing if the game is genuine, if it's not, report him/claim a refund from Paypal. If you wait a while you'll be able to leave negative feedback without the risk of getting any back, I don't know when that system comes in though

[Golgo]

Ta for advice TTK - hopefully it'll stop me getting reamed next time...

[MattyD]

eBay is absolutely riddled with pirates, I'd say stick to trading forums like here and RLLMUK.

As to what happened to all the stock, they probably shifted most of it through price cuts and deals. I haven't seen *new* GBA games in my local Game Station for a long time and Game down the road only seems to stock perennial sellers like Pokemon games.

[bowser123]

It's a blatant advert (sorry!), but have you clicked my NTSC-uk sales thread? Many, many GBA games in there, 99.9% boxed and complete, all real.

Lots in there and the prices aren't set in stone. Only issue I have is the postage costs- it's ?1.38 sent in a box because it's bumped from large letter to packet rate at the Royal Mail. That said I'm perfectly happy to flat pack if you so desire which brings the cost down, and because they're relatively light a few games can be put in a box for the same price.

A fair few people have bought bundles from me, I'm sure they'd confirm postage paid was what was on the postage stamp and that the games got there in good nick.


Other than that, Play and Amazon are seemingly more approachable with complaints than eBay, though you still have the issue of stuff getting squashed in transit and the hassle of sorting fakes.

[Mayhem]

Most US stores have cleared out their GBA stock too so it's pretty much a case of dwindling space requirements (plus the fact most of what they do have is loose).

[Golgo]

It's a blatant advert (sorry!), but have you clicked my NTSC-uk sales thread? Many, many GBA games in there, 99.9% boxed and complete, all real.

Lots in there and the prices aren't set in stone. Only issue I have is the postage costs- it's ?1.38 sent in a box because it's bumped from large letter to packet rate at the Royal Mail. That said I'm perfectly happy to flat pack if you so desire which brings the cost down, and because they're relatively light a few games can be put in a box for the same price.

A fair few people have bought bundles from me, I'm sure they'd confirm postage paid was what was on the postage stamp and that the games got there in good nick.


Other than that, Play and Amazon are seemingly more approachable with complaints than eBay, though you still have the issue of stuff getting squashed in transit and the hassle of sorting fakes.

Ta, I'm off to browse your wares...

[MikeRox]

Good luck with Warioware (especially in decent nick) it was a pain in the arse to find when it first came out :/

Wario 4 shouldn't be too much trouble though. Generally shops on have GBA stuff cart only now, because they always displayed the cardboard boxes, and all the kids would rummage through at weekends and half terms crushing, bending and tearing the boxes until eventually nothing was left, even of the games returned in good nick.

[SuperDanX]

Playasia have japanese warioware and warioland 4 for under ?5, brand new.

[SuperDanX]

Scrap that^ they did last week, not now soz.

[MattyD]

I think Video Game Centre had a new JPN Warioware in there last time I went now I think about it, but expect to pay somewhat over the odds if you buy it.

Twisted will be somewhat harder to find and I don't think the European version ever did come out.

[number9dream]

Gamestation sometimes still get some decent GBA stuff in, I picked up a copy of Metroid Zero Mission for a tenner not so long ago (with box and manual in great condition too which is often a rarity in the 2nd hand GBA market).

[moonwhistle]

They're usually pretty easy to spot on eBay. No box? Fake. No manual? Fake. Flat packed? Usually fake.

I don't believe that is an accurate way to spot fakes at all. It's often eaiser to spot fakes in auction photos by box art or manuals that are obviously fake or by sellers using stupid stock photos. Or any sellers shipping from Hong Kong or China, they're all pirates.

A cart only auction or game without manual in no way implies a fake.

[Dogg Thang]

And yet the chances of any GBA game being a fake are pretty high so without a box or manual to look for inaccuracies, it's not worth taking the chance.

[JazzFunk]

In Leeds, there're two GAMEs and they seem to be selling their meagre stocks of preowned GBA games at prices between £7.99 - £14.99 (I'm sure 'The 'Urbz' was going for something silly in the smaller branch???) HMV seem to have a fair few Ultimate Spidermans (Ultimate Spidermen?) going for £5 at prez, and a few other nondescript GBA carts with crushed boxes, but that's about it. There's definitely a GBA game drought, and my conspiracy antenna is vibrating...