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Subject: How to minimise shelf wear? 
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Hi folks,
New to board gaming so all of our games still look pristine. However I bought a used game recently and a lot of the colour had rubbed off the face and one side of the box. The previous owner said it was just wear from storing it on the shelf.
I’m wondering what you all do to avoid or minimise this sort of damage? I’d like to keep my games looking shiny and new for as long as possible!
Thanks
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Um, I don't.
For me, the box is just there to protect the game while it's being stored.
A well-worn box, and a well-worn game for that matter, I think look cool. It shows the game has been played and enjoyed a lot.
Sorry I can't be helpful to ya'.
~V
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You could use shelf paper.
OR On the bottom of each of my shelves I have cut out and laid this out
https://www.amazon.com/Anti-Slip-Mat-under-grip-Skid/dp/B00K...
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- The only way to guarantee no harm comes to your games is to never play them.
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- I keep my games in the closet, away from UV light. My book spines, OTOH, are a mess.
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- EDIT: replying to No One and Scott: You know, it’s funny you should say that because I’m generally on board with the wabi-sabi aesthetic in pretty much everything else I own, but for some reason I am just not OK with my board game boxes getting tatty. I know it seems crazy and I still don’t understand what makes them different in my mind from everything else. It’s an odd thing that I have been pondering since I bought this used game.
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- Last edited Sun Feb 10, 2019 5:30 am (Total Number of Edits: 1)
- Posted Sun Feb 10, 2019 5:28 am
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Put all the components in other boxes and leave your empty pristine game boxes on your shelf for show. Wrap the shelf with plastic to keep out the dust, like your furniture. Just kidding
But seriously, a played game is a worn game. Some boxes are much more prone to wear, whereas glossy stiff boxes like my GMT games look like new forever. Limiting the number of games you stack together and carefully removing them from the top down rather than sliding them out probably helps. And also not toting them around to friends’ houses, cons, etc.
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Drift Marlo wrote:The only way to guarantee no harm comes to your games is to never play them."The only winning move is not to play."
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Levrette wrote:EDIT: replying to No One and Scott: You know, it’s funny you should say that because I’m generally on board with the wabi-sabi aesthetic in pretty much everything else I own, but for some reason I am just not OK with my board game boxes getting tatty. I know it seems crazy and I still don’t understand what makes them different in my mind from everything else. It’s an odd thing that I have been pondering since I bought this used game.Fair 'nuff. The suggestions so far of shelf paper and closed cabinets seem the best to me. Maybe take that one step further and instead of paper, use cloth? I've not really heard of ink rubbing off into cloth after a long period of time of touching it. I could be wrong, though.
~V
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I store most of my games in clear or semi-opaque plastic bags, most with a thickness like a ziploc (or slightly thicker) bag with the spine facing outwards. Think comic book plastic bags, but for games.
The plastic minimizes box wear when transporting games, protects against rain/water damage and general wear just from pulling games from a shelf.
Since I often trade and sell games on the bgg marketplace, minimizing box wear matters to me.
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- Last edited Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:12 am (Total Number of Edits: 1)
- Posted Sun Feb 10, 2019 5:48 am
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I think that simply sitting on a shelf clearly does not do much damage to a box. The issue is scraping (e.g. if you slide a box out from under a heavy pile of other games, so there's pressure on it as it scrapes its way along the shelf surface). So simply be careful about that. E.g. if a game is at the bottom of a stack, lift the stack up a bit so there's no pressure on the game you're sliding out.
I also suspect that a lot of "shelf wear" is not really "shelf wear" at all, but transport wear (carrying a game in a box/bag/sack/etc to game meetings, and e.g. loose games sliding around en route, scraping & banging against each other or other stuff in the container, or sliding around loose in a car, etc).
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- Last edited Sun Feb 10, 2019 1:28 pm (Total Number of Edits: 1)
- Posted Sun Feb 10, 2019 1:28 pm
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- A well worn box is not only doing it's job of protecting the contents inside it, it's also a sign of how loved that particular game is. Imagine how many times it had to be slid out of it's shelf space, or transported from game night to game night, or opened up and played. The worn box is a sign of dignity and endurance, much like the wrinkles all over my face! We would all like to keep our expensive games pristine and fresh looking but in the end they are just a bunch of parts and pieces we use as an excuse to have a good time alongside other people and if some cardboard gets a little worn out from it so be it.
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- Joe SalamoneUnited States
Billerica
Massachusetts
Aggravating people worldwide since 1964
- I've had games on shelves for 10 years and 99% of them look pristine. I think the "wear" has more to do with how careful you are sliding them off and on the shelves. I never try to slide games out from the middle or bottom of a stack. I lift the games off the top and then lift the game I want to play. Frictionless box movement!
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monstrooper wrote:I store most of my games in clear, semi-opaque plastic bags, most with a thickness like a ziploc bag with the spine facing outwards. Think comic book plastic bags, but for games.Yep. Sleeve'em.
The plastic minimizes box wear when transporting games, protects against rain/water damage and general wear just from pulling games from a shelf.
Since I often trade and sell games on the bgg marketplace, minimizing box wear matters to me.
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Do your game boxes really wear from just taking them off the shelf and putting them back?
I mean, if you carry them around a lot, sure, but just on the shelf?
(I do carry my games around, so with those boxes that have wear, I think that's where that comes from. I have started to wrap them in towels and things for travel, which reduces box damage to basically nothing.)
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When I look for games on BGG marketplace, I look for the most worn out boxes for sale, as long as the components are complete. Lower prices are nice of course, but I also like the idea of buying well-loved games from hobbyists that care more about playing and passing games along than reselling and making a profit.
I’m sure I’m a minority opinion, which is good - it means those well-loved copies stay in the marketplace waiting for me to come by. But I think the majority preference for pristine copies may mean sellers of worn copies are less likely to post them, which is unfortunate.
It’s interesting how the OP said he doesn’t care about wear on other things he owns but is particular about his games. I have noticed that too among many other hobbyists I know - it’s a strange phenomenon. I try not to judge them, unlike the unavoidable knee-jerk reaction I have when I walk into someone’s home where all the furniture is covered in plastic.
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Hey,
I wouldn't use cloth to set your board games on. Although its an extremely small amount, cloth traps the moister in the air, as well as paper. Which will give your boxes an aged look over time.
As previously mentioned, sealing your games in plastic bags is the best route. Also, keep them away from windows as much as possible. The UV rays are your enemy!!!
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- You need to store each of your games in a hermetically sealed plastic bag. Of course, you need to do this in a clean room so no contaminates get in your game boxes when you open them.
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- Eric EngelmannUnited States
Rockville
Maryland
Congress of Gamers conventions
Eric's actual photo!
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monstrooper wrote:I store most of my games in clear, semi-opaque plastic bags, most with a thickness like a ziploc bag with the spine facing outwards. Think comic book plastic bags, but for games.Do you have a link to the bags you like? I did some research on options to protect valuable game boxes while still viewing them. I didn't find an economical product.
The plastic minimizes box wear when transporting games, protects against rain/water damage and general wear just from pulling games from a shelf.
Since I often trade and sell games on the bgg marketplace, minimizing box wear matters to me.
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Perrin2017 wrote:You need to store each of your games in a hermetically sealed plastic bag. Of course, you need to do this in a clean room so no contaminates get in your game boxes when you open them.Made me laugh,
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Eric Engelmann wrote:Awhile ago, I picked up a bunch (over 50) of medium sized, fairly durable, semi-opaque plastic bags used by a Canada Post postal outlet for free that are just the right size for most GMT/AH boxed games and smaller boxed eurogames like the Rio Grande/Alea bookshelf games (e.g. the Rio Grande edition of Puerto Rico).monstrooper wrote:I store most of my games in clear, semi-opaque plastic bags, most with a thickness like a ziploc bag with the spine facing outwards. Think comic book plastic bags, but for games.Do you have a link to the bags you like? I did some research on options to protect valuable game boxes while still viewing them. I didn't find an economical product.
The plastic minimizes box wear when transporting games, protects against rain/water damage and general wear just from pulling games from a shelf.
Since I often trade and sell games on the bgg marketplace, minimizing box wear matters to me.
For larger sized games, I recycle opaque and clear plastic bags from stores like IKEA and where ever, so I don't have a link. I'd try a local dollar store or hardware store for suitably sized bags.
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Ryan Keane wrote:She, not he
It’s interesting how the OP said he doesn’t care about wear on other things he owns but is particular about his games. I have noticed that too among many other hobbyists I know - it’s a strange phenomenon. I try not to judge them, unlike the unavoidable knee-jerk reaction I have when I walk into someone’s home where all the furniture is covered in plastic.
For me I think it is a combination of two different things - firstly, I rarely buy new things. My house is old, with exposed beams and wiring etc, and it’s furnished with Edwardian and colonial (that’s late 1800s - I’m in Australia) antiques - and not the perfectly restored stuff either! In all aspects of purchasing, I like finding unusual things on the second hand market. So when I do buy shiny new things, I expect them to arrive shiny (I’m looking at you, Amazon, sending me dinged-up games!) and I like them to stay shiny.
Secondly, I’m not a collector by any means, I’m sort of a minimalist I guess, so my little collection is already a huge extravagance for me, both in terms of money (see: time) and space. Speaking of which, I’m very much of the “do it once, do it right” mentality too, so I have spent a lot of time finding games that I think we will like, and money to buy them, and I guess I want that investment to last a long time.
I’m not going to go so far as to sleeve everything and store games in plastic bags, but I was not keen on the idea that they would get really worn out just sitting on the shelf! I was more looking for ways to stack or store them that would mitigate that. But since it seems it’s mainly rough handling and taking them places in your backpack that causes the issues, so I’m not too worried anymore.
Thanks for all your feedback everyone!
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- Last edited Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:36 am (Total Number of Edits: 1)
- Posted Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:31 am
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- Don't stack too many games on each other. I usually only stack 3 high.
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- Comboteur "Crazed 'Beastface' Survivor" Fou(Razoupaf)France
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Keep the shrink on, just remove the bottom side of it. If you need to use duct tape to have it stay on.
You'll also create less plastic waste that way.
And avoid purchasing on amazon, purchase from specialized stores to protect the hobby and have it last longer otherwise it will be swallowed by the monster and all your games will be amazon products and there will be no alternative.
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- Last edited Mon Feb 11, 2019 7:58 am (Total Number of Edits: 1)
- Posted Mon Feb 11, 2019 7:57 am
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Razoupaf wrote:I live in Australia, so the only way I can buy some games (Glüx, for instance) is from Amazon US.
And avoid purchasing on amazon, purchase from specialized stores to protect the hobby and have it last longer otherwise it will be swallowed by the monster and all your games will be amazon products and there will be no alternative.
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