He had already walked away from the Commodore 64. Five minutes after leaving the estate sale, the reseller turned around and drove back. “Actually, guys, I just turned around and I’m going back. I do want that Commodore 64.”

The reseller behind Not Another Retro Channel had heard about a “pretty unique estate sellout” packed with Star Wars collectibles, a ton of VHS tapes and video games. He ended up making three trips.

It turned out to be one of the wildest sales he has ever walked through, and the final bundle price surprised even him.

Only Six Cars Were Waiting At The Door

He feared a crazy line. Instead he found only about six cars when he pulled up, and he got in around third. With five minutes before opening, nobody was out of their cars.

The seller turned out to be a collector he already knew. The reseller had bought from him before, including all of his Disney TVs. He says he once spent about $1,800 on a single deal for the TVs, and another time a VHS buyout that ran a little over $2,000.

The collector let him in early. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, to you,’ because I know what you do.”

Every Game System Ever Made, Each One Tested

The homeowner explained that a room in the house had started out as a video game room. There were CRT TVs and what sounded like one of every video game system ever made, all set up and played.

“He only set up stuff that actually worked. And the stuff that didn’t work, he just pitched it.” The seller even had extra controllers and cords in a bin so buyers could hook things up.

The tables held Atari, Dreamcast, Sega Saturn and a Virtual Boy priced at $350. There were Star Wars standees, Mario hats, Bill and Ted cereal and more VHS than he could count.

The First Haul Cost About 90 Bucks

The first trip alone produced a pile of goodies for a total he puts at “like 90 bucks.” He calls the owner’s pricing a gift.

A complete Atari with 12 games came to $40. He also took a complete Spider-Man box and a copy of Mac and Me, a movie he picks up any time he finds it at a reasonable price. He added Revenge of the Nerds, sealed Real Ghostbusters baggies, a Devilfish figure, a couple of Army Ants with intact backs, and an Imperial Dragon.

The Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure cereal cost $20. He had been patient, since he usually sees it at $40 and says he is “good at 20.”

A bag of buttons cost about five bucks. Other finds included a Corporal Kurt Snare figure, a villain from The A-Team, and a complete Thundercats figure.

Why He Drove Back For The Staroids

The real reason for the second trip was a set of Staroids figures from the late 1970s. They were $60 each, which he calls a great price, and they were complete.

He also wanted a Ghostbusters standee because it would “look too sick displayed.” Walking the house again, he found a Star Wars teaser trailer film from Return of the Jedi that had been shipped to a theater, a rare tag, and a collector who had helped fund a book on Star Wars collecting.

The owner told him he used to have a rocket-firing Boba Fett. The reseller calls it “wild.”

He admits the camera could not capture it all. “There’s so much to look at. I was pretty overwhelmed.” Plenty of what he bought never made it into the footage, and he says he felt a little silly leaving at all.

The Commodore 64 Bundle For $500

Then came the big decision. His friends nudged him: “If you don’t do it in a week, you’re going to be like, ‘I should have done it.’”

He pulled the trigger. The Commodore 64 came complete in its box with a 1702 monitor, the disc drive, a dot matrix printer in its box, Commodore books and a stack of games and software. “That whole bundle, I got it all for 500.”

He had not expected the monitor to come with it. “That was a bonus.” The owner told him it was the one from his childhood and that it worked the last time he fired it up.

Does It Work? The Moment Of Truth

Back home, he plugged in the disc drive, which was a good sign, then the computer and keyboard. He worried about a bad power brick, but it powered on.

He did not have the cable to connect the 64 to the monitor, so he tested the monitor with his Super Nintendo and a Turtles in Time cartridge. It worked. “Let’s freaking go. Love it. It looks great.”

He still needs a cable that costs about $20, and he plans to order it that day. He calls the haul a win and says he may go back on Saturday, just to see what is left.

Lessons For Estate Sale Shoppers

• Build relationships. The owner let him in early because he had spent thousands before.
• Go back. The best deals can wait while you think.
• Ask whether things work. Sellers who tested everything save you headaches.
• Bundle purchases and negotiate a package price.
• Check cables, power bricks and cords before you plan a resale.

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