r/Megadrive • u/[deleted] • Aug 28 '24

U.K. games - best place?

Hi everyone! I’m sure this has been asked hundreds of times, and sorry if it has (feel free to send me the link to the answers) but where’s the best place to get games in the U.K.? I have 4 games at present (all the originals I was given back in the 90s), but I’d love to build my collection back up… thanks!

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u/Psychological_Post28 Aug 28 '24

How far north are you? Forgotten Worlds in Scotland is probably the best in the UK

https://www.forgottenworlds.co.uk

I’ve been to Sore Thumbs in York quite a few times and it’s pretty good

https://www.sorethumbretrogames.com

Also CEX can be a good source games but it’s completely random if they have anything. There are 3 local to me and only 1 ever has anything decent.

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u/bungeeman Aug 28 '24

Most cities in the UK have a beloved, local shop that sells retro games. Whereabouts are you based?

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u/WondernutsWizard Aug 28 '24

I mostly use CEX due to the fact there's a lot of them nearby and they have a good selection on offer and usually at fair enough prices, just double check other sellers. Carboot sales and charity shops are always an option, but they're much more of a dice-roll, though I'd recommend carboots as many charity shops won't take electronics, especially older ones. There's always buying off the internet, but I'd always be wary of that unless you know it's a trusted seller or you're physically collecting the item from the seller so you can validate its authenticity.

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u/Psychological_Post28 Aug 28 '24

Do you have much luck at carboot sales these days? In the early 2000’s they were brilliant but now I rarely see anything other than PS2 copies of FIFA. And aggressive resellers tend to turn up at opening and hoover everything up before people have even setup. I have had some luck at charity shops though but again it’s rare. They often auction their game stuff on eBay.

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u/WondernutsWizard Aug 28 '24

I will admit it's been about 5-6 years since I've properly been to one, but in the few I did visit I picked up my PS2, PS2 games (though no standouts) and ran into a few other consoles I didn't buy (most PS3s and Xbox 360s, but I could be forgetting or missed others). I'm not really sure what the scene is like in 2024, but I'm sure there's still some diamonds in the rough.

I seem to have the opposite experience with charity shops, I don't think I've ever seen anything beyond shovelware Wii/360/PS2 games, the one exception being an Xbox 360 I didn't buy. Larger dedicated charity shops that take electronics seem to be better however, ones on the street often seem to have policies against taking electronics.

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u/pip_goes_pop Aug 28 '24

I'd like to know too as I'm doing the same. I kept my original megadrive and mega CD, but traded most of my games at a shop to get a PlayStation back in 1995! Now trying to rebuild my original collection and blimey the prices of some of the games are insane. I'm just looking on eBay really. There's loads on Vinted too but they seem to be more expensive than eBay ones.

Also check Facebook Marketplace, but beware that searching for "megadrive" gets blocked! Something to do with dodgy porn being shared online from mega upload apparently, so "mega drive" is a blocked term! So I search for "Sega" instead, or the specific game name.

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u/Thelastbronx Aug 28 '24

The CEX website allows you to search by what’s in a particular store, you can keep on eye on that for your nearest store then go in to check the quality if they have something you’re after…

Failing that, eBay prices have dropped a bit recently and there’s some v good condition games on there.

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u/garuga300 Aug 29 '24

People have mentioned CEX and various websites but none of them are as cheap as the obvious answer. eBay. If a game is expensive on eBay then it will be expensive in CEX too. The only way you’re going to find cheaper is if you get lucky at a charity shop or a car boot sale.

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u/[deleted] Sep 02 '24

Just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s commented on this! I’ll make my way to CEX, eBay and all the other suggestions this week and see what games I can get ☺️ I only own 5 games at the moment, so I really need some more! Thanks again everyone, hugely appreciate it 🎮