Where can I purchase Firered/ Leafgreen?!

[BCVM22]

That's an exceedingly moot point by now, as your chances of finding a factory-sealed copy, the only case in which that would matter, are even lower than finding a legitimate copy at a reasonable price.

[Gothic-Gothorita]

Some game stores may have GBA Games, though I think they're all getting replaced with DS Games now. =/ That said, FR and LG are commonly seen in GBA cases at plazas like Malls and such. Or, you could just order it of off a website like Amazon.

[cantab]

I ordered Emerald and LeafGreen off UK eBay. First Emerald copy was a fake that ate my saves, I sent it back complaining it was faulty. Second Emerald cart and LG are fine.

My rules of thumb: If it's claimed to be new, or if it's in a new-looking box, it's a fake. If the seller is selling lots of copies of the same games they're fakes; this is I think the most important 'tell'. Look at the seller's other listings and look for someone who seems to be having a clearout or selling the odd thing from time to time; a personal seller, not a high-volume counterfeiter. My LG for example was sold along with a GBA - ain't no pirates gonna do that! Scrutinise the cartridge pictures, but be sure they were taken by the seller and not nicked off the internet. For UK buyers check it's a British cart, they have a CE logo on them, because most of the fakes use the US label, but if you're in the US you don't have this benefit.

It still is something of a minefield though.

Another possible source is pawn shops, either in-store or online. I've had a fair few cheap GBA and DS games from my local branch of UK chain Cash Generator.

[stylesbk]

I bought legit copies of LG/FR/E on Amazon but then I got screwed on the copy of saphire I bought. but i've used my Latios from Emerald for wi-fi tournaments but I think it mostly depends on luck when buying a used game onlin since everyone will tell you its the real deal.

[DarthVader]

You'll probably have to use Craigslist or Gumtree then, and hope to get lucky.

There's lots of bootleg Pokemon games on ebay, but there are steps you can take to (mostly) avoid the fake ones.

[yuff]

There are places like thift markets. if you frequent salvation army i've seen copies there, but it is rare (plus they wanted you to buy the gameboy it was in with it). FIND A RETRO GAME STORE!!! is the best advice i can give. We have mind games, game play and game quest in michigan.

[Keera]

I highly recommend getting on in person rather than online for obvious reasons.
Gamestop has stopped taking in GBA games, and there are no more being sold at all in my city (maybe there are a few straggling ones left in yours, but I highly doubt Pokemon games would be left).
Does your town have any other local video game stores? I'd say that's your best bet. Not only do they have a better chance of having one, but they should test it to make sure it works before it gets put up for sale.

If there's not one there, I'd do what other people suggested earlier by checking craigslist and asking on media sites like facebook. Maybe you have friends who have no interest in their games anymore. You could get them for cheap! ^^

If all else fails, try searching online. I'd suggest looking up how to know whether a game is a bootleg or not. If it's a place like ebay, a personal picture of the actual game rather than a stock photo is almost a must. And again like others have said, be sure and read the seller's ratings before you buy it.

Happy searching c:

[Fallen Icarus]

You might want to look at a Gamestop.
They rarely have a LGFR or a game like that.

You could also ask a friend.
I've found that some friends have a old pokemon gba game stashed somewhere in their room.

Oooor... look on Ebay.
It'll be really hard to find a reasonable one though

[SuperDaikenki]

Best place I can tell you to go is Amazon, that's where I got my emerald and firered

[BCVM22]

Best place I can tell you to go is Amazon, that's where I got my emerald and firered

And as the last two pages of the thread tell us, the only facet of Amazon that has the games available at this point is just as liable to have you end up with bad merchandise as is eBay.