Imagine that this might be a question that comes up often in the life of an avid game collector. How do you find games that are no longer available for purchase? There are actually several different ways to go about it, and I will list them below.
Let's get down to business, shall we?
#1: Use Amazon.com's Collectible Games Section
The first option requires you have some sort of online shopping capability already set up, either through Amazon or another one of the multitude of retailers out there. This is probably the most obvious answer for finding your golden oldies, but did you know that Amazon has a section specifically dedicated to collectible gaming products? No need to navigate away from the main page, no need to dig through piles of second-hand junk. Just head on over and browse for games that have been discontinued.
And best of all, these products will always be available! Nobody's going to snatch them away from you the moment they're re-stocked. In this way, it's a bit easier than tracking down old stock in used game retailers. I've seen quite a few sellers on eBay offering the same deal, but then you have to worry about who will buy your item when it comes time to make a sale...
#2: Use different eCommerce websites
This is less specific than Amazon's Collectible Games section, but it can yield much better results in some cases. Sites like Electronics Expo or Tiger Direct are good for this, just be sure to check the entire site because these stores tend to rearrange their inventory quite frequently. Also try your local department store's website (you know, the brick-and-mortar one), but don't forget that they might not have an online shopping feature.
Sometimes online gaming platforms like this slot casino work as well.
#3: Use eBay
I figured I would get this out of the way early on (get it?). Of course you can find discontinued games on eBay! The question is, how? Well it turns out there are several different ways to locate items that aren't available anymore through this website. Here are a few tips:
*You can use Google to search "eBay [game name] discontinued" (eBay Super Mario Brothers discontinued, for example). This will give you a list of recent sales, but be advised that the prices are not always guaranteed. I have personally seen auctions with "NIB" in the title go for less than $10 after shipping, so be careful about who you buy from!
*You can use eBay's advanced search features to narrow your results down even further. Searching "Super Mario Bros 3 Discontinued" will yield different results than just "Super Mario Bros 3." Not all sellers know how to indicate which versions they have available, so this might help.
#4: Use Google Alerts or Moolta
This method is best used as a last resort if you're looking for particular games. Using Google Alerts, you can set up custom searches for discontinued products based on keywords of your choice. This is probably the most thorough way to track down what you're looking for, but it's also the most time-consuming. I would recommend only doing this if you're trying to find a specific game that is no longer in production - otherwise, stick with some of the other methods I described earlier.
Moolta works similarly, but it actually has something called "Wishlists." These are essentially lists of products you want to buy in the future! If there are certain rare items that are on your wishlist, Moolta will email you when these items are available again at an online retailer or garage sale within your area.
#5: Use Google Image Search
This method is not directed at gamers (at least, not exclusively), but it can be useful to anyone who's trying to find something that isn't available anymore. It's simple - just type in "[game name] discontinued" with one of the keywords being the game you're looking for. Google will pull up images from online auctions and discontinued product listings, so you might find exactly what you're looking for! And if you don't, keep scrolling down past the ads until you see some more pictures. This works best on Amazon because most users upload multiple photos for each listing.
Summary
For gamers, the best place to find games that are not available anymore is Amazon because of their Collectible Games section. eBay may be good in some cases but it's not guaranteed. If you're still having trouble finding the game(s) you want there are other websites like Electronics Expo and Tiger Direct which can yield better results. You can use Google Search to look for information about discontinued items by using keywords such as "eBay [game name] discontinued." Another option is Moolta, which allows you to put rare items on a wishlist so that when they become available again at an online retailer or garage sale it will send you an email notification.
