4 Guidelines for Making Money With a Board Game Collection

With a roll of the dice, your fate is sealed. You either land on Boardwalk or pay a luxury tax. Making money by curating a collection of popular board games to sell to motivated buyers, however, has little to do with luck. Finding games in good condition that collectors desire can be lucrative. With the following tips, you can capitalize on collectible items and turn fun into profit.

Buy at Bargain Prices

It’s only logical that, in order to make money, you have to sell the games for more than you pay for them. You can start a collection that may someday be worth a fortune by purchasing popular games when they go on sale. Pay particular attention to children’s games. Even old games from as far back as the 1940s sometimes sell for $10 or less. While you won’t be able to get a great price for them now, in the future, they may someday be worth much more than what you pay for them today.

Find Classic or Special Editions

The first edition of a game is going to be special for a collector. With a little research, you can discover when a certain game was first released. Then, search through garage sales or secondhand stores for board games that are dated near the first release date. It is also a good idea to look for collectible games with popular characters from TV, radio, movies or comics on them. Not only do these editions spark nostalgia, they also are likely to be worth more money, as it is probable that the manufacturer produced fewer of them than the basic editions.

Clean Out the Closet

As difficult as this could be to imagine, you may have a treasure chest sitting in a storage area in your house. Games you played as a child or even those you played with your children when they were younger may bring in a lot of cash. Why leave them in the hallway closet gathering dust when you can clear out the space and make a little money at the same time?

Get a High Rating

There are several factors that affect a popular board game’s price rating:

• Age
• Rarity
• Demand
• Condition

You could have a first edition of game that is highly sought after, but if its box is torn up or pieces are missing, it’s going to be worth a lot less than it would be if it were intact. The corners of the box need to be perfect to get a mint rating. To be valuable, it must have all its pieces, including original instructions. If you are going to make buying and selling games a habit, it is a good idea to conduct thorough research on all the parts the games should contain.

You may not think that the board games you have tucked away in your family room are useful beyond a spirited game night, but some of them may be collectible editions that sell for quite a bit of money. If you own popular games that are in great condition, you may have your own profitable corner of the market.