Okay so lemme tell ya how I snagged an affordable Gameboy last week without losing my mind. Started with my old clunky laptop fired up at like 1AM, punching “cheap Gameboy” into every search bar I knew. Prices were nuts – saw some idiots asking $200 for a beat-up grey brick! Scrolled until my eyes burned flipping between like fifty tabs.
First Reality Check
Realized quick I needed solid filters:
- No “collector’s edition” BS – scratches don’t bother me
- Gotta actually work – seen too many “untested” scams
- Under $60 max – my beer money limit, ya know?
Started narrowing by condition tags filtered to “fair” and “used.”
The Hunting Grounds
Checked big resale spots first – most were garbage. Then dove into local pickup groups. Messaged eight sellers:
- Four ghosted me instantly
- Two wanted trades for PS5 games (bruh)
- One dude tried selling a Gameboy COLOR for $85 – walked away fast
Finally found this college kid clearing out his garage. Said it was his uncle’s old unit – dust bunnies included. Photos showed legit horizontal lines on screen but hey, Pokémon Blue still boots up! Haggled from $45 to $30 cash by joking about Tetris addiction tax.
Hands-On Test Drive
Met at some sketchy parking lot. Popped in my test cartridge (always carry one!) while he watched. Buttons felt stiff so I pretended to walk – kid panicked and dropped another $5 off. Got this yellowed Pocket model with battery cover missing for $25 total. Ordered replacement cover later for like four bucks.
Moral? Patience + local pickups beat online madness. And always – ALWAYS – test before cash changes hands. Saved enough for three new cartridges too. Mission damn accomplished.