take a moment and think about what that means, we're talking about a lot of shopping, spending, shipping and searching. if you're into it JUST for the game play i strongly suggest you go the emulation route but if you're still with me on gathering up the games themselves lets go over some basics.

1. know what you're looking for
you should consider buying a copy of digital press, its indispensable for the serious collector. how many games for the colecovision? the guide knows. whats this copy of q*berts cubes worth? the guide knows. how many dragon warrior games were made? you know the guide knows. handy boxes allow you to check off the games as you find them, allowing you to beam with pride and measure the distance to completion.

2. think tradebait
perhaps you've decided to limit yourself to just collecting for the atari 2600, fine but does that mean you should pass over all other games, no way. develop an understanding of whats rare or even just uncommon for every system and make a point to buy it when you see it cheap. make a for trade post on the newsgroup, atari age or digital press and watch the offers come rolling in. you may be an atari only collector but there are plenty omni-game collectors out there who will trade you atari carts for your rare nintendo game, now you're playing with power! trades will be your best source for filling hard to reach holes in your collection, and besides you're helping a fellow collector out at the same time. lastly if you cant trade you can always ebay it.

3. thrifting, it aint what it used to be brother!
dont be too jealous of all the thrift brags you hear about, its like finding a four leaf clover, these days you really gotta pay your dues or be damn lucky. goodwill has gone corporate all the way, they even have their own ebay now so dont expect much help from these guys. seek out the church run, charity, goofy, dusty strip mall thrifts these places still offer you a fighting chance. dont be shy, go right up and ask them for the games, mostly you'll hear "from time to time we get them" but you just might get pointed to a box of carts. locally speaking the best finds tend to come from SAVE S. remember if you find a complete NES at a thrift thats $36 credit at funcoland.

4. Ebay, friend or foe?
all things considered i wish ebay never happened but lets face it, its here to stay and major factor in every collectors quest. buyer beware is the rule of the road here, despite what the site tells you when you're screwed you're on your own. i use ebay primarily to build up my handheld collection and for that its been very good. i dont recommend going after carts on ebay because you're likely to see the total cost double when the seller tacks on shipping, to me no one cart is worth more than $10. wanna get the best price? wait till several of your desired items are up for auction at once, then go for the ugly duckling. wanna find the best goods? see whose buying all the rare items and then search them by bidder, let them do the work for you.

5.Flea Markets, where its at!
i'm a big fan of flea markets, most of my collection came from flea markets. i'm always excited by the random nature of fleas, you never know what you'll find. flea markets are one of the few places left in the world where you can actually haggle a price down. avoid the redneck mall style fleas and seek out the junk ones, how do you find the fleas that produce the goods? ask the flea market vendors themselves, they often know about little out of the way places (where the old games are waiting). as with thrift stores dont just look, ask them for the games. oh and that guy who told you he'll bring a box of games next week...forget about it.

6.The Online thing, oh you already figured that part out...
the more collectors you're in touch with the better, and you'll get some sense of how large this retrogaming scene really is. newsgroups and message boards are excellent places to get in touch with people and learn more about your hobby. dont be a lurker, it'll affect your credibility when its time to trade, if you're a known member you'll have an established name that people will feel more comfortable dealing with. make a post asking if anyone else collects in your area, its best to know and befriend your competition, why do you think we created this group?

7. Being there, when the deal goes down
get yourself to our trademeets...duh!