This is the NES most people picture. Nintendo test-launched it in New York in October 1985 and went nationwide in 1986, and it looked nothing like Japan's red and white Famicom. The designers worried about dust getting into a top slot, so the cart goes in the front and disappears, like a tape in a VCR. That slot is also its weak spot. Pressing a cart into place bends the 72 contact pins a little each time, and when the 10NES lockout chip can't read the cart's matching chip, it resets the console about once a second. That's the famous blinking power light. Blowing in carts never fixed it, and the moisture made the contacts corrode faster.
Before you plug it in
Should come with it
Check the listing photos against this list, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing piece should come off the price.
The 72-pin connector is the weak spot. Dirty or worn contacts make games fail to boot, show garbled graphics or reset over and over, which you see as a blinking power light.
New to retro hardware? How to check a used retro console covers testing, yellowed plastic and opened shells, and regions and video out explains what will run on what, and on which TV.
Buying guide
We'd buy the NES-001 titled tested and fully functional with two controllers and Super Mario at $122 delivered, near the $117 median of the $95 to $160 band, since its photo also shows the power supply and A/V cables. There are at least 157 for sale, and consoles sold alone ask $50 to $90 delivered, so pick a kit unless you already have Nintendo's AC adapter, a controller and a cable. The 72-pin connector is the weak spot, so ask for a photo of a game running, since a blinking power light means dirty or worn pins, and ask which connector is in it if the seller says it was replaced. It has A/V jacks, so a TV with a composite input takes it directly, and RF needs Nintendo's RF switch on channel 3 or 4. Skip the listing whose photo shows a carrying case instead of a console, and the restored one shown in what looks like a stock photo.
$50.00delivered
The lowest ask on an NES titled tested, $50 with free shipping, and the photo shows a game running. It comes with the RF switch only, so add Nintendo's AC adapter, a controller and an A/V cable if your TV has composite.
NES Original 80s Nintendo Console w RF Switch TESTED
$122.00est. delivered
Titled tested and fully functional, with two controllers and Super Mario, and the photo shows the power supply and A/V cables too. At $122 delivered it's everything you need to play.
Nintendo NES Gray Console Tested Fully Functional + 2 Controllers, Super Mario
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 15, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 15, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$50.00delivered
$50.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$50.00
Good buy
Titled tested, with the RF switch. Needs an AC adapter and a controller.
Seller: marcias_den
99.9% positive
Used$122.00est. delivered
$110.00 + $12.00 shipping
Buy It Now$110.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Titled tested, 2 controllers and Super Mario. Power and A/V cables in the photo.
Seller: robbi_schie
100% positive
Used$94.98est. delivered
$84.99 + $9.99 shipping
Buy It Now$84.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Titled tested. The controller in the photo is a blue third-party pad. Power and A/V cables shown.
Seller: tandcvirtualyardsales
99.7% positive
Used$77.99delivered
$77.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$77.99
Check the seller
Console only. Another PayMore store uses the same title.
Seller: paymore_university_square
98.6% positive
Used$84.56est. delivered
$75.00 + $9.56 shipping
Buy It Now$75.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Check the seller
Titled tested, but the photo shows a carrying case, not the console. Ask for real photos.
Seller: juliamenk0
98.5% positive
Serviced$173.99est. delivered
$159.00 + $14.99 shipping
Buy It Now$159.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Check the seller
Titled restored, all hookups and 2 controllers. The photo looks like a stock image; ask for real ones.
Seller: barry.good.games
100% positive
Used$328.00est. delivered
$300.00 + $28.00 shipping
Buy It Now$300.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Priced high
Bundle with 2 controllers, games and a boxed Power Pad. About $200 over the band.
Seller: blackmorebricksandmore
100% positive
Used$1,299.99delivered
$1,299.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$1,299.99
Priced high
Titled CIB and mint, about eleven times the median.
Seller: thebetterdealpage
99.9% positive
Prices change daily. The live eBay search shows everything listed now, including anything new since Oct 15, 2026.
See every listing on eBay ↗eBay searchNES
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