CIB -- thoughts?

[Smacktard]

How do you guys feel about collecting CIB?

My philosophy on CIB has been that I try to own the CIB if the box is in plastic. I feel like cardboard boxes are too frail and don't take much damage before they start to look like crap. And for the cardboard titles, the price can sometimes triple, quadruple, or more when the cardboard box is included.

However, my feelings started to shift a bit when I saw the following collection:

The way those GB titles are displayed is just so damn sexy. It's starting to make me rethink my position.

What's really annoying is Genesis games. Most games come in a plastic box, but some, like Crusader of Centy, come in a cardboard box. All 32x games are also cardboard boxes.

I bought custom-made plastic boxes for my Virtual Boy collection since those all came with manuals but no boxes. Maybe I'll do the same for GB games and such. Maybe not. I haven't made up my mind yet.

 

[Crystal]

MiniBoxGaming. Solves it all, lol.

I gave up on CIB for cardboard boxes, they're just too expensive now, so I'm good with custom packaging.

 

[Smacktard]

MiniBoxGaming. Solves it all, lol.

I gave up on CIB for cardboard boxes, they're just too expensive now, so I'm good with custom packaging.

I'm going to one-up you and suggest https://www.customgamecases.com/.

Roughly the same price, but with a much more durable plastic. 32x titles are unfortunately missing, though.

 

[Crystal]

I'm going to one-up you and suggest https://www.customgamecases.com/.

Roughly the same price, but with a much more durable plastic. 32x titles are unfortunately missing, though.

Oh absolutely, love their offerings, too! I like MiniBox because it looks identical to the real box, but I do like Custom Game Cases, as well, they're fantastic!

 

[MC74]

The only thing I can say on the matter is if only I had the space to accommodate the storage.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

CIB is a pain in the ass if you're looking to go original, especially for systems with cardboard boxes, NA Saturn games (as well as Sega CD and first year PS1 games), and games that are already stupid expensive with just the game.

The manual hunt seems to be easier as you can just find them floating around on ebay no problem. I got Super Mario World and Super Mario All Stars for under 10 bucks each, and Turtles in Time ran me 30. I bought plastic boxes for the games from the Custom Game Boxes site and now I have those 3 games as "complete" even though they technically aren't from a serious collector standpoint.

A problem I've run into with custom boxes are for CD based games where you already have the manual and/or the games use multiple discs. The Parasite Eve 2 box worked just fine for what I needed, it only had two discs and I lost the manual ages ago (same place all my Dreamcast manuals went... fucking gremlins). But Shenmue... it is NOT working out for me. I somehow HAVE the manual and all of the discs but no officia jewel case for it. The thing I got from Retro Game Cases was... not what I expected to get. I basically have no room for the manual, and putting all 4 discs in that thing is not smart. I would have been better off buying the thing CIB from Ebay and trading that I have in.

I wish there was a way to take NA Saturn games and the interest and the manual into a DVD style box. I think all of my boxes are broke in some manner and while repros exist, I kinda just want them to be in DVD cases instead, but they're designed like large CD cases where tbe manual is the front cover art.

I'd love to be able to set up a display like that at some point, but unless I mount shelves directly to the walls in my basement, it's an impossibility, fucking floor is slightly slanted near the walls. As it stands, I've just got all of my movies and sixth gen and newer games (except for Dreamcast, Switch and Wii U) just hanging out on the floor begging for a flood to occur. Only my most prized and/or expensive games are in a dresser upstairs or in console specific containers.

 

[Smacktard]

As it stands, I've just got all of my movies and sixth gen and newer games (except for Dreamcast, Switch and Wii U) just hanging out on the floor begging for a flood to occur.

Dude at least put them in plastic tubs

NA Saturn games

A problem I've heard about NA Saturn games is that they often stack discs, which is The Number One thing you're supposed to NOT do if you want to preserve them. Haven't heard of a sexy solution yet, but I'm sure there's something out there.

The manual hunt seems to be easier as you can just find them floating around on ebay no problem. I got Super Mario World and Super Mario All Stars for under 10 bucks each, and Turtles in Time ran me 30

Damn, that's pretty good. I'm going to look through my games next time I'm home and try to determine which ones I need a manual for. I received a few "CIB" from eBay that were very not "C" over the years.

CIB is a pain in the ass if you're looking to go original, especially for systems with cardboard boxes, NA Saturn games (as well as Sega CD and first year PS1 games)

Idk why but in less averse to buying Sega CD, PS1 and NA Saturn games since they come in plastic cases. The cases might not be the best quality, but there's something about it that makes it feel "worth" it as opposed to cardboard.

 

[Smacktard]

I bought plastic boxes for the games from the Custom Game Boxes site and now I have those 3 games as "complete" even though they technically aren't from a serious collector standpoint.

I think this might be what I end up doing. I just can't justify the price difference. I've been looking through it more, and games are anywhere from 2x to 10x more expensive with the complete cardboard case. I just can't do that when I'm planning on starting a NES/SNES/GB collection at some point.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

Dude at least put them in plastic tubs

I have just waaaaay too many games and even more movies. I probably could just start putting all of them in plastic tubs like I have some of my systems, but that is going to be a lot of plastic tubs, which means a lot of money spent at the Container Store.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

GB collection at some point.

GBs are easy. You have two solid options. Get a custom game case or get a little plastic container for them.

Amazon.com

I just put GB, GBA, DS games in them if I don't have custom cases for them.

 

[Smacktard]

GBs are easy. You have two solid options. Get a custom game case or get a little plastic container for them.

Amazon.com

I just put GB, GBA, DS games in them if I don't have custom cases for them.

Ohhh I might get a set of those to tide me over until I can do a big order of custom cases. That will be quite a while from now.

 

[Smacktard]

I was seriously considering collecting CIB for NES, Gameboy, SNES, and N64... I thought I could manage it if I went slow, abided by "all killer, no filler", and gradually bought over the years.

But then I saw the price of just Super Mario World. $20 loose, $1000 CIB. 50x the price. For one of the best-selling games of all time.

+15% tax/import fees.

For a cardboard box that is disintegrating in slow-motion.

Nah.

Hell nah.

As beautiful as OP pic is, I just don't think it's realistic. You never find old boxed games in the wild, and many of the ones listed on eBay are in awful shape. Hagane is going for 3.5k. Final Fight Guy for around the same. Kid Dracula for the Gameboy, pictured front in center in OP pic is 2.5k. Earthbound is around 1.5k.

That's about $15k after taxes for 5 games.

The same price for all of these loose is like $1k.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

But then I saw the price of just Super Mario World. $20 loose, $1000 CIB. 50x the price. For one of the best-selling games of all time.

If you want a "CIB" for display purposes without spending all the money, get a loose copy of the game, a copy of the manual, and a repro case from Custom Game Cases.

You can also get plastic or acrylic case protectors for games that still have original boxes and you want to keep them from completely falling apart.

People tended to hang onto the manuals more than the boxes because they included useful information, so manuals are much easier to track down. Especially for fighting games (because movelista used to be included) and games like Super Mario World which was super popular.

Edit: Or you become a collector/reseller who is actively trying to find games on the cheap in order to resell them somewhere else at a higher price.

 

[Smacktard]

If you want a "CIB" for display purposes without spending all the money, get a loose copy of the game, a copy of the manual, and a repro case from Custom Game Cases.

You can also get plastic or acrylic case protectors for games that still have original boxes and you want to keep them from completely falling apart.

People tended to hang onto the manuals more than the boxes because they included useful information, so manuals are much easier to track down. Especially for fighting games (because movelista used to be included) and games like Super Mario World which was super popular.

Edit: Or you become a collector/reseller who is actively trying to find games on the cheap in order to resell them somewhere else at a higher price.

Oh dang, good call, I had no idea the manual for SMW was so cheap compared to the box.

I'd like to have authentic everything if possible (and in good condition), but my thoughts are: if I'm getting a repro box, why not just get a repro manual as well?

 

[Fool's Requiem]

I mean... if you have the printer and paper for it. Knock yourself out.

 

[Smacktard]

I mean... if you have the printer and paper for it. Knock yourself out.

I meant buying repro manuals