I’m curious if anyone here who worked at Funcoland or GameStop in the late 90s to early 2000s knows the fate of their retro game inventory. I recently saw a bunch of people lining up at GameStop for a new console release, and it got me thinking about how they’re surviving in this digital sales age. Back in the day, it seemed like every unwanted game ended up at GameStop without them ever saying no to buybacks—just a question of how little they’d give for it. So, where do all those games go? Did they sell them in bulk overseas? I like to picture a massive warehouse full of crates of retro games, but I doubt that’s the case. I heard last year they might start selling some retro stuff again, but I haven’t seen it locally. It seems like going retro is their best bet to stay afloat unless they change direction entirely and stop filling their shelves with Funko Pops.
4 Answers
Honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if they just threw a lot of that inventory away. GameStop has a reputation for dumping unsold stuff.
I used to love going to GameStop and EB Games before they merged with Funcoland. Back then, you could find retro games for $5 each, which was a steal! But after the merger, everything got individually priced, and the bargains vanished.
I missed out on the EB days, but I remember Funcoland had consoles hooked up to test games! Those were the days… when I sold my previous console for store credit, I ended up with zero of the games I loved. Come on, GameStop, bring them back!
GameStop is definitely leaning into the retro stuff lately, plus they’re pushing figurines and merchandise. They even got a deal with PSA for grading, which is bringing in some cash for them. Just depends on the store, I guess!
They need to pick up the pace! I went to mine six months ago, and they only had last-gen games and a bunch of figurines. I was looking for the retro games, but they had nothing! The employee asked if I needed help, and I had to say no, it was kind of a bummer.
Most of their old stock probably ended up in the dumpster alongside all the other unsold stuff. They’re notorious for just tossing it out.
Yeah, that’s been my thought. I remember them practically giving away NES cartridges for $0.25 each, which means it probably cost them more to store them than to just toss them.