Holy crap - SoulSilver with the Pokewalker is $200?!? I bought this off someone a few years ago CIB (even with the battery tab for the Pokewalker) for like $35...
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Is retro game prices really as insane as eBay is making it look?
- Thread starter Mr Jones
- Start date
Holy crap - SoulSilver with the Pokewalker is $200?!? I bought this off someone a few years ago CIB (even with the battery tab for the Pokewalker) for like $35...
Retro prices are always volatile and generally expensive, and a few ebay scalpers on can easily influence the price by jacking up the price especially if they're rare.
This website is generally a good tool and resource to use when looking for retro games.
Price Chart
This website is generally a good tool and resource to use when looking for retro games.
Price Chart
Pretty much every collectable market has exploded due to the pandemic. Folks were talking their disposable income that they could not spend on vacations, and tossed it towards trading cards and so on. I have a friend that deals in sports collectables, and he has never seen the market like this. His store had its best year every even though he was closed a couple months due to the lockdown in the spring.
Repros are terrible for the market and I would advise against buying them in any situation. If you're considering that, just get an Everdrive or a Mister. Some sellers of repros may be up front about it, but the majority don't and they flood the market with bad products to dupe unaware customers. I trust Everdrive products to work well, but I wouldn't at all trust a random repro to not cause any harm to my console. The only time I think repros might make sense is for fan translations. I bought a repro of Final Fantasy II for the novelty of it.
Sorry I should have qualified for reproductions that are obviously stated and visually identifiable as such. and again, grey-ass market.
I made a spreadsheet a couple years back of games I'd like to get with market prices at the time, nearly every notable game has doubled if not tripled in price, shit's ridiculous.
I had one of those when I went to PRGE 2019, and got everything I wanted mostly within the current cost (some a little less). I've actually... been avoided updating it, but mostly just due to not even bothering to buy retro stuff during this year because of the price increases (I've been focusing instead, on getting Pokemon boxsets new at MSRP... >_>)
Things for a lot of systems started going down after the big jump in 2020 but they seem to be jumping again.
If we get another $1400 stimulus I'd imagine retro prices will have another big jump.
Basically I've stopped buying/collecting except for things I really really really want. I think after the pandemic ends you will see a lot of stuff drop in prices once people can spend money on normal things we used to do like vacations, dates, sporting events, ect.
If we get another $1400 stimulus I'd imagine retro prices will have another big jump.
Basically I've stopped buying/collecting except for things I really really really want. I think after the pandemic ends you will see a lot of stuff drop in prices once people can spend money on normal things we used to do like vacations, dates, sporting events, ect.
It's not all bad news. You just have to shop. A week ago I found these...
...in a retro game shop. I paid $115 for both. Both are very nice quality with the SFII being about as good as those cardboard red box games can be in 2021.
The games that are the rarest but also super fun to play are always going to command high prices. I remember when Centy was new. I sold it at EB! I should have bought it then, but didn't. At this point it's just too much.
...in a retro game shop. I paid $115 for both. Both are very nice quality with the SFII being about as good as those cardboard red box games can be in 2021.
The games that are the rarest but also super fun to play are always going to command high prices. I remember when Centy was new. I sold it at EB! I should have bought it then, but didn't. At this point it's just too much.
I'm counting on it too, but at the same time I sure want to get out and travel somewhere as well. Eh, hunting/shopping/travelling sometimes all go together, anyways. I just don't see these ballooned prices lasting too much longer after things normalize again.
Dude... PriceCharting has been mentioned multiple times. Read the thread.
http://www.gamevaluenow.com is a great collection tracker and a nice alternative to PriceCharting also.
You do not recall correctly. Centy was a $200+ game loose before the pandemic, and had been in the $100+ range for awhile before that. The last time loose was sub $100 was probably 2012/13 ish.
I wanted to get Black 2 or White 2 since I never played them but those really skyrocketed too. I gave up for the time being.
Yes, retro game prices have got increasingly stupid in the last few years as you've now got investors muscling in to the market to try and turn a profit which is pricing normal customers out entirely. Hence why bootleg carts from China have gone from barely being a thing to generally the only affordable option, and why most people are just buying flashcarts.
In particular the American market is the worst hit, even run of the mill games have seen massive price spikes. A year ago I wanted to import a Genesis copy of Scooby Doo Mystery but didn't because no decent copies came up that the seller would ship to the UK, there were no bootlegs at all as it was still a relatively cheap game. Now the game is most than double price it originally was and the market is flooded with bootlegs. The PAL market has also got quite costly, however prices rise at a slower pace and over a longer period of time.
The Japanese market is a bit more hit and miss, most well known rare and expensive games haven't really gone up much, however a lot of stuff occupying the mid-range has doubled, and a few titles that used to be on the low end of expensive are now basically unobtainable. For example with the Mega Drive you've got Snow Bros, one of the rarest JP releases, which is about the same price as it was 10 years ago. Twinkle Tale always was one of the most expensive and has doubled, Trouble Shooter has basically jumped 5x, Sailor Moon went from being pretty cheap to triple digits.
In particular the American market is the worst hit, even run of the mill games have seen massive price spikes. A year ago I wanted to import a Genesis copy of Scooby Doo Mystery but didn't because no decent copies came up that the seller would ship to the UK, there were no bootlegs at all as it was still a relatively cheap game. Now the game is most than double price it originally was and the market is flooded with bootlegs. The PAL market has also got quite costly, however prices rise at a slower pace and over a longer period of time.
The Japanese market is a bit more hit and miss, most well known rare and expensive games haven't really gone up much, however a lot of stuff occupying the mid-range has doubled, and a few titles that used to be on the low end of expensive are now basically unobtainable. For example with the Mega Drive you've got Snow Bros, one of the rarest JP releases, which is about the same price as it was 10 years ago. Twinkle Tale always was one of the most expensive and has doubled, Trouble Shooter has basically jumped 5x, Sailor Moon went from being pretty cheap to triple digits.
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I disagree. I've been at this since these pricey games were new. They just keep going up. There's nothing that indicates they will ever go back down. The games are only getting more scarce and consolidated into the hands of collectors (like me) who aren't going to sell at much less than going rates.
Videogames, like comics, cards, etc. are collectible. It's something everyone should accept. Just because it's a digital medium doesn't mean it's not collectible.
This is why I'm happy that we're at a point where it's realistic for somebody purchasing games to do completely digitally. I'm all for preservation of physical copies of these older titles, but damn, trying to play the games listed in the OP should be as simple as opening up a store page and adding to cart.
Still waiting for the day where OEM's start reproducing CD's, consoles and cartridges. I know it's going to happen in my lifetime.
One day I'll be able to walk to a game store and pick up a a brand new copy of Super Metroid for $100. Limited Run Games and others show that there is a market for them, or am imagining things?
One day I'll be able to walk to a game store and pick up a a brand new copy of Super Metroid for $100. Limited Run Games and others show that there is a market for them, or am imagining things?
For sure, it's a lot easier to give them a pass when they're being up front with it. Repros might be a good solution for some, but I still think if you're just interested in getting a game to play it and can't afford a legit copy, you may as well go with an Everdrive instead. He makes good products and they seem to function just as well as legit carts, whereas some repros can cause damage to a cartridge slot due to cheap manufacturing.
There's a market for some old games to be reproduced. The R-Type III/R-Type cart that was released in the last couple years has caught my eye more than once at a retro store. I think it's probably too costly for most games of those eras though. Usually the license holder isn't interested either. They'd rather put out something like the Panzer Dragoon Remake instead of just re-releasing the original.
Depends. There have definitely been some increases since I started hunting older stuff in 2008, but this past year had some exponential increases, and those are what I don't think will end up lasting. I can't imagine going to any sort of retro con in the next year or so, and still see everything at 2020 prices. I just don't think much product would move.
I was still able to get a lot of good deals on Genesis games back around 2015 but even then Centy and MUSHA were expensive as fuck. And SNES games were already way more expensive. I just grabbed a few games that had sentimental value to me and called it a day.
Nice thing about Genesis collecting is that complete in box is much easier to come by because of the cool Genesis cases.
Also when I was collecting, yard sales were the way to go...flea markets if you could haggle. But flea market people like to base prices off crazy inflated ebay shit. Post-covid yeah I dunno.
Nice thing about Genesis collecting is that complete in box is much easier to come by because of the cool Genesis cases.
Also when I was collecting, yard sales were the way to go...flea markets if you could haggle. But flea market people like to base prices off crazy inflated ebay shit. Post-covid yeah I dunno.
feel like some folks like having a cartridge even if it isn t the original is all
Nintendo publishes them, but TPCI are the ones that have a say for things like reprints when it comes to the actual games?
There is some precedence. Look at PS1 games. A lot of them dropped after they were added to the PS3 PSN store.
Suikoden- Added (to the PS3 store in North America) late 2008
Suikoden Prices Playstation | Compare Loose, CIB & New Prices
www.pricecharting.com
Final Fantasy VII- Added April 2009
Final Fantasy VII Prices Playstation | Compare Loose, CIB & New Prices
www.pricecharting.com
Parasite Eve 2- Added Aug 2011
Parasite Eve 2 Prices Playstation | Compare Loose, CIB & New Prices
www.pricecharting.com
Xenogears- Added Feb 2011
Xenogears Prices Playstation | Compare Loose, CIB & New Prices
www.pricecharting.com
Now I admit that this is just for one system. but it does show that making the game more available has led to retro prices coming down for some games.
Definitely! A big part of retro collecting is just to have an item up on a shelf, so there's nothing wrong with that. For most consoles before the year 2000 or so it's a better experience to use FPGA or ODEs rather than actual carts or discs anyway.
Even before the pandemic, games were already far beyond what I'd consider reasonable.
Now? It's absolutely absurd.
There's no way I'd encourage anyone to start collecting games now - it's too far gone. Some Japanese import versions are still , but even those are increasing.
And to everyone who somehow snagged a good deal at their local game store, congrats - because every shop I've been to in the past 3 years sells at eBay or higher prices.
One incredibly lucky find doesn't mean the current game prices are not that bad - they are.
Most good games are now too expensive.
Now? It's absolutely absurd.
There's no way I'd encourage anyone to start collecting games now - it's too far gone. Some Japanese import versions are still , but even those are increasing.
And to everyone who somehow snagged a good deal at their local game store, congrats - because every shop I've been to in the past 3 years sells at eBay or higher prices.
One incredibly lucky find doesn't mean the current game prices are not that bad - they are.
Most good games are now too expensive.
Just did some searches of completed auctions and Crusader of Centy with just the game cart looks like it usually sells for around $300-$450. Which is still a ton of money, but drastically less than a CiB version.
Had the game back in the day and it was fun, but not as good as LttP IMO. Not worth the money that's being thrown around these days unless you're rich to the point of money no longer having meaning.
Had the game back in the day and it was fun, but not as good as LttP IMO. Not worth the money that's being thrown around these days unless you're rich to the point of money no longer having meaning.
" Save $3 On Shipping When You Buy 2 Or More Items "
Man, do you have 60 000$ lying around, not sure I can afford that extra 3$ on shipping if I don't buy two or more items.
Yup, I was going to say this. I was watching it for a while and gave up prepandemic as it kept climbing.
I can confirm, prices are ridiculous. I sold off almost my whole "vintage" collection and was able to pay off a few of our credit card debts and pay off the rest of our Honda. Also, had enough to purchase my PS5 and put a little away for a new house.
Yeah the ps1 Final fantasy games in particular dropped massively. Makes me wonder if current price are a high and I should sell some or if they'll continue to rise.
Something like Persona 4 Golden being on Steam has actually led to/coincided with the PS2 and vita versions rising in price. Others like classic Nintendo games seem largely unaffected by other versions.
Of course some games won't ever be available legitimately again so can only see those rising.
These are super inflated prices similar to how boomers inflated prices for things they cared about. Muscle cars were to be had for a few thousands bucks even in the mid 90's, and these days even the low end classic Mustangs (dime a dozen) cost 10,000 +. Similarly, the tech oriented prices are possibly driven upwards by the tech nerd crowd that work at Google, FB, MS, Amazon etc and can afford whatever they want. Unsustainable IMO.
I'm far from expert so don't hinge any decisions on my two cents, but PS1 games have steadily risen (like other games) so waiting might not be the worst thing in the world.
While most noteably PS1 games were available on the PS3 store (still are), almost none of them were ported to the PS4 and I doubt they will be a priority for PS5. So unless Square and other publishers decides to throw a legacy collection on a PS5 disc, I doubt prices will come down any time soon.
Could've sworn I was looking at pickup it up sometime in 2019 and I remember seeing copies between $1-200, but yeah I could be mistaken. In either case that is still an insane bump.
You should check out some of the real auction houses. Not eBay, but like Christie's, Sotheby's and such. That's where the real high dollar stuff goes, and you see CIB and graded stuff go for 5 and6 figures all the time.
OP
OP
Eh....
Not entirely true. Games do this cycle where the previous two generations get really cheap for a bit. THEN they shoot up. I really want to call it the FuncoLand (Now GameStop) Effect, where the company only carries the recent 3 generations of games. So anything that they don't sell will be harder to find, thus more expensive. For instance: Playstation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 games are REALLY cheap to buy, bar several that had limited runs. But you're going to be able to buy a large bulk of those libraries for really decent prices. Playstation 2 and Xbox 1 games are starting to go up in value. Playstation 1 games that aren't greatest hits games are getting pricey. Saturn games? Yikes.
Imports? I sold off my entire US set, fam. EVERY RPG. All the action classics. Powerslave. Quake. Burning Rangers. Bomberman. All gone. (Honestly don't miss 'em tho)
Back when we had videogame gatherings, that was how I was able to get many of my Neo collection. I was never a heavy hitter tho; I've seen folks write checks for Metal Slug, Neo Turf Masters, and Ultimate 11. Big checks.
Gotta come to MN, bro. You can buy a decent house a skip away from the Mall of America (not that anyone goes there nowadays).
This is what 1500 a month will get ya...
You're going after rare great games that had low print runs to begin with. So you pony up the money if you want grail items.
All gen 6 stuff is starting to go up. A lot of the rarer or more uncommon games have doubled in price over the last year and a half.
All gen 6 stuff is starting to go up. A lot of the rarer or more uncommon games have doubled in price over the last year and a half.
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