Fantasy Boardgames (or anything with dragons!)

This colorful plastic platforms will jump out at you when you see them

Its just another lousy plastic dragon without this card

I learned awhile ago that almost anything with dragons or large-breasted women in armor on the box sells quite well, with the exception of actual dungeons & dragons games.  This is the second Heroscape set that I've sold, I paid $5 for the first one, and $5 for this one.  The first netted about $40, this lot sold for $33, but I also sold a single dragon out of this lot for $10.  This game has extra figures that are sold separately, they can fetch $20 or more for the right figure.  If you see the figures separately, remember that for this game, every figure has its own information card that goes with it.  Without the card, forget it and move on.

Whenever you come across this stuff, you should start to have some alarm bells going off.  It is highly unlikely that this is the only game this kid owned.  At this point I am asking if there are any more games like this for sale.  How about legos?  Other board games?  Video Games?  Chances are the kid had all three of these hot selling items

Other fantasy games to look out for are:

Heroquest:

Buy these for a dollar or two without regard for condition.  Mint unopened value is about $100, but even if you are missing a few pieces it will still fetch $30.  If you are paying more than a couple bucks, be sure all the pieces are there and the box is in good condition.  There are a couple manuals and decks of cards.  If you open it up and stuff is clearly missing, haggle for a better price.

 Crossbows and Catapults

My brother and I had this set as kids and we loved it.  The cool thing about it was the stuff that you could shoot at each other.  They went everywhere and go lost real easily.  For that reason, a nice complete set will sell for $70 and up.  If it is only a few pieces and it is missing the box, don't even bother, it's not worth the time.  There were several different kits and add-ons that came with this set, the bigger the set, the more money.  Don't expect to get $70 for the tiny add on, unless it is really rare!

 Battle Masters

Same as above with this one, it is all about condition.  Mint, unopened will sell for $80 or more, if it has all the pieces and has the box, instructions, and giant plastic mat, you can expect about $30.  The price killer on this one is the size of the box.  This thing costs like $15 to ship!  If you live in a big city, definitely go for craigslist on this one.

 Dark Tower

This is the Mac-Daddy of garage sale fantasy game scores!  If you even see the empty box, grab it.  There are plenty of web pages dedicated to this game if you want more information.  The important thing to remember is that a mint copy of this game will sell for $300-$400.  The price goes down with condition, but even a broken tower will sell for $50.  I had a copy of this game as a kid, and I have only seen one other copy in the wild.  I bought it for $4 and I didn't dare haggle over the price!  This is also a big box, and there is a cardboard insert that keeps the top of the box elevated to accommodate the tower.  If they are asking a lot for it, check the condition.  There are a lot of cardboard pieces, plastic pieces, and a good sized full color manual that goes with this game. 

I know there are a ton more fantasy games out there, and we haven't even begun to talk about cards.  Keep your eyes open and don't be afraid to gamble a couple of bucks on any cool looking board game.  Many of the games you find will be worth $10, which makes them impossible to sell on ebay due to shipping fees.  Just save them up and sell them for $5 each at your own garage sale or on craigslist.  The few winners will more than make up for the break-even deals you find.

Have you had any luck selling unique board games?  Tell us about it!