SNES Chrono Trigger, Sealed

[digitalpress]

Here we go again, this time it's my turn to test the market!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350031240608&ih=022&category=62053&ssPageName=STORE:PROMOBOX:NEWLIST#LIST

[Vroomfunkel]

LOL at the $9.99 offer (and the 150 'dollers' ...)

I think that you should accept the latter offer on the basis of an exchange rate of $10 to the 'doller' ROFL

[TonyTheTiger]

This game in this kind of condition is EXTREMELY RARE

ROFL
Despite the truth to that, that's totally the "Ebay game."

ROFL ROFL
The two people trying to test to see if you're a sap.

[gepeto]

I was looking at your other games for sell and I saw the chipshot golf for intellivision. I don't think I ever heard of that one. That one seems at least to me to be indeed rare.

[PrototypeFC3S]

I wouldnt be suprised if it went past $15XX. It being sealed is a thing of beauty.

[TonyTheTiger]

One of two things could happen. The publicity of the last sealed CT could mean that people now accept $1200 as the average worth or people consider that an anomaly and would never think of going that high. The latter isn't unheard of on Ebay. Every now and then you see a used Panzer Dragoon Saga go for $250-$300. Sometimes a seller gets lucky and puts something up at just the right time when a number of people are looking for just that thing.

A sealed CT, though, is probably a different story as nobody in his right mind would bid on it with the intention of cracking open the plastic.

[The 1 2 P]

Here we go again, this time it's my turn to test the market!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350031240608&ih=022&category=62053&ssPageName=STORE:PROMOBOX:NEWLIST#LIST

I can't believe some chic tried to get you to sell her this game for $9.99. Whatever version of crack they smoke/drink/sniff where she's from must be some really potent stuff:drinking:

Anyway, good luck with your auction Joe. And who knows, you may beat the last high price of $1,200. Oh, I just remembered, it's not about the money;)

[gepeto]

On that chrono trigger one I would almost change the disclaimer to do to the rarity and the unability to reseal the game. This is an as is auction.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

I can't believe some chic tried to get you to sell her this game for $9.99. Whatever version of crack they smoke/drink/sniff where she's from must be some really potent stuff:drinking:

I know, right? In all probability it was a DP'er playing a joke or an African money scam.

[Press_Start]

Feel sorry for the guy who sold this gold brick to Joe instead on Ebay.

Hopefully, he won't come storming in :rockets: and start accusing Joe for cheating. *_*

[digitalpress]

Feel sorry for the guy who sold this gold brick to Joe instead on Ebay.

Hopefully, he won't come storming in :rockets: and start accusing Joe for cheating. *_*

Well that would be weird since I specifically asked the guy to name his price since (at that time) I wasn't sure what the value of the item was. He got the exact dollar value he asked for.

Call me a "cheat" if you will, but I do have to pay for the lights and heat, etc. and I always do my best to please sellers, especially when they bring in quality items.

[RyanMurf]

900 dollars with 7 days left this should be interesting.

[tmlfan]

Feel sorry for the guy who sold this gold brick to Joe instead on Ebay.

Hopefully, he won't come storming in :rockets: and start accusing Joe for cheating. *_*

shouldnt feel sorry for someone who has the same options as everyone else to sell thier stuff. Today everyone has access to the internet, take a day and do your research.

Everyone should cut out the middle man and then we can kill off any stores like the one DP operates.

[Press_Start]

Question is did he know he had the option? I know family who have the internet and haven't heard of Ebay. Let alone know that there's a market for classic games.

There are people that still think video games are kid's toys and don't value them as much as we do.

[tmlfan]

Question is did he know he had the option? I know family who have the internet and haven't heard of Ebay. Let alone know that there's a market for classic games.

There are people that still think video games are kid's toys and don't value them as much as we do.

ya ya and people have sold million dollar paintings for a couple dollars at a yard sale.

like I said, anyone should know they have options. If you haven't heard of ebay I dont know what to say. But they knew enough to take the game to a retro game store instead of sell it on a yardsale or throw it out so they are aware it held some value.

anyways, dont want to get off topic. Good luck with the sale!

[TonyTheTiger]

900 dollars with 7 days left this should be interesting.

Yeah but there's usually a plateau with these things. You'll see it shoot up quickly but the higher it goes the fewer people you have bidding so it'll slow down. 1 day or 100 days, whoever put their proxy bid at $1200 or more is gonna win regardless if it goes up or not.

[Press_Start]

Like I said, I feel sorry for the guy. If more people weren't lazily hesitant in taking that extra step, they would have been better off in the long time.

Back on topic:

$935?!! Wow! With a week ago, this could possibly break the $1200 price left by the last one. Wishing you the best on this Joe! :D

[digitalpress]

Question is did he know he had the option? I know family who have the internet and haven't heard of Ebay. Let alone know that there's a market for classic games.

There are people that still think video games are kid's toys and don't value them as much as we do.

This was a young adult who specifically cited eBay during our transaction. Why he didn't want to use eBay I'm not sure. Maybe he didn't have time, maybe he needed the money. Maybe he DIDN'T need the money. Regardless, I played fair by him.

Side note: I'm disappointed that there were no silly questions from eBay'ers on the auction when I got up to check this morning. I found those most entertaining.

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

This was a young adult who specifically cited eBay during our transaction. Why he didn't want to use eBay I'm not sure. Maybe he didn't have time, maybe he needed the money. Maybe he DIDN'T need the money. Regardless, I played fair by him.

Maybe he figured that the price he quoted you provided him enough of a profit over whatever he had paid, and would rather have a quick sale then drag it out to milk every last dime out of it. (I have been known to do this).

JY

[RyanMurf]

Has officially hit the big 1,000!!! I can definitely see this game hitting at least 1,500-2,000

[Dark_Sol]

i've posted this to sealed game heaven. So ... :)

[The 1 2 P]

Has officially hit the big 1,000!!! I can definitely see this game hitting at least 1,500-2,000

I agree. This game is going to break an all-time high sell thru record. And then you will see more factory sealed copies listed on ebay than there were in stores when this game came out. How is that possible? Shady people will try to take advantage of collectors with second rate re-seals:devilish:. Just wait.

[TonyTheTiger]

I'm wondering how second rate they'll actually be. I don't know how factories actually seal up boxes but I think it's at least a little naive to think that someone careful enough can't replicate it flawlessly. It's shrinkwrapping...not brain surgery. And since people buying shrinkwrapped games wouldn't open them...I can only imagine that somewhere out there at least one collector has a shrinkwrapped Tengen Tetris box with a Mario/Duck Hunt cartridge inside. Obviously it sucks and it's a scary thought but unless there's some kind of "magic" associated with factory sealing, I can't imagine it's impossible to replicate.

[Fuyukaze]

All this talk of did he pay fair or didnt, I have to say it's realy crazy. Just when did it become to job of the buyer to tell the seller that they could fetch a higher buying price from another source? True, if he'd offered him a few bucks, told him it wasnt worth anything, and treated him like he was doing em a service for buying his junk, that'd be one thing. But at no point is it the buyers responsibility to provide any kind of accurate buying price on other venues to someone selling their stuff. That's the seller's job.

[Cornelius]

All this talk of did he pay fair or didnt, I have to say it's realy crazy. Just when did it become to job of the buyer to tell the seller that they could fetch a higher buying price from another source? True, if he'd offered him a few bucks, told him it wasnt worth anything, and treated him like he was doing em a service for buying his junk, that'd be one thing. But at no point is it the buyers responsibility to provide any kind of accurate buying price on other venues to someone selling their stuff. That's the seller's job.

Well said! This is a topic that comes up in ethics discussions on occasion. The one exception seems to be when dealing with children. It isn't considered an even playing field, and we generally afford children extra protections.

Clearly this has no bearing on this particular sale based on what Joe has said, but in general I think it is an interesting question for a game store. What age to cut off at for one? I mean, most of the kids that trade stuff in are likely more informed than their parents when it comes to video games. Likely the matter takes care of itself, since if the kids are there w/out parents they can pretty much be considered able to fend for themselves, and if the parents are there, then that's gotta be tacit approval.

I'd also add that I don't believe the person that made the original comment about 'cheated' meant it in any malicious way towards Joe, but rather as a possible reaction of a hypothetical idiot that regretted his decision to sell.

[sirhansirhan]

While I don't disagree with what the two posters above me say per se, I think that most of the "How much did you pay the trader?" questions in this thread are rooted in having no idea what one might offer for an item like that. You don't want to let it go, and so you don't want to go too low, but going too high might clue them in on how much it is really worth. The seller naming their price is about as fair as I can imagine, but I can't help but wonder what that price was...

[gepeto]

All this talk of did he pay fair or didnt, I have to say it's realy crazy. Just when did it become to job of the buyer to tell the seller that they could fetch a higher buying price from another source? True, if he'd offered him a few bucks, told him it wasnt worth anything, and treated him like he was doing em a service for buying his junk, that'd be one thing. But at no point is it the buyers responsibility to provide any kind of accurate buying price on other venues to someone selling their stuff. That's the seller's job.

I am sure if anyone here walk past a flea market and seen someone selling panzer dragoon saga for 10 bucks I doubt anyone would tell the seller it true worth maybe after they buy it and it is in the car. ha ha ha

[Fuyukaze]

I am sure if anyone here walk past a flea market and seen someone selling panzer dragoon saga for 10 bucks I doubt anyone would tell the seller it true worth maybe after they buy it and it is in the car. ha ha ha


True enough, it always goes both ways. That's why if you want to get the most of it you should look hard. Also, people have been known to return and brag about that cheap purchase they made being flipped on ebay for mega money. For some god awfull reason they fail to realize that rubbing it in the sellers face is a very bad idea as it tends to make the seller either overly greedy and think everything fetchs the same price as valkrie profile even if it's a madden game.

[zektor]

He scored it and deserves to get whatever he gets for it. That said, good luck on that sale man! Hope it skyrockets!

[Buyatari]

Joe pays way more than any other store. I took in a sealed NES Popeye for 10 cents well I might have bumped it to a couple bucks. I don't remember exactly but it was a tiny fraction of what Joe would have paid.


Feel sorry for the guy who sold this gold brick to Joe instead on Ebay.

Hopefully, he won't come storming in :rockets: and start accusing Joe for cheating. *_*

[rarebucky]

All I can say is it's a good thing Joe put this on ebay before I saw it in the store. Otherwise, this would not be on ebay right now :)

[gepeto]

All I can say is it's a good thing Joe put this on ebay before I saw it in the store. Otherwise, this would not be on ebay right now :)


I was looking at some of his past auctions a complete foxhunt psx. I haven't seen one of them in awhile. I gotta start checking in on his ebay auctions.

[The 1 2 P]

I'm wondering how second rate they'll actually be. I don't know how factories actually seal up boxes but I think it's at least a little naive to think that someone careful enough can't replicate it flawlessly. It's shrinkwrapping...not brain surgery. And since people buying shrinkwrapped games wouldn't open them...I can only imagine that somewhere out there at least one collector has a shrinkwrapped Tengen Tetris box with a Mario/Duck Hunt cartridge inside. Obviously it sucks and it's a scary thought but unless there's some kind of "magic" associated with factory sealing, I can't imagine it's impossible to replicate.

The key ingredient in the SNES factory sealed games is the coverted horizontal seam across the back of the game. Actually, NES and N64 factory sealed games have this mark as well. Granted, not every single factory sealed Nintendo game has the horizontal seem, but if you come across games with it, it's pretty much a sure bet that it's an authentic factory sealed game.

As for your Tetris and Mario/Duck Hunt analogy, wouldn't it be funny if somebody actually opened their factory sealed copy of Chrono Trigger and found Madden 94 in it? Or worse yet, the Atari E.T game. It may sound cruel but I think that would be hilarious.

[psychic1]

The key ingredient in the SNES factory sealed games is the coverted horizontal seam across the back of the game. Actually, NES and N64 factory sealed games have this mark as well. Granted, not every single factory sealed Nintendo game has the horizontal seem, but if you come across games with it, it's pretty much a sure bet that it's an authentic factory sealed game.

As for your Tetris and Mario/Duck Hunt analogy, wouldn't it be funny if somebody actually opened their factory sealed copy of Chrono Trigger and found Madden 94 in it? Or worse yet, the Atari E.T game. It may sound cruel but I thunk that would be hilarious.

The horizontal seam is all but meaningless. Its easily replicated and all games weren't sealed that way.
There are a lot of signs I look for to authenticate the legitimacy of sealed Nintendo games and this Chrono Trigger fails a number of them. There are no air holes punctured on the front, the stress marks on the edges are not prominent enough, there is damage to the box under the shrink wrap but the plastic itself is unaffected and most of the box corners should have punctured through the plastic due to stress and age as well as a couple more signs that I'll keep to myself.

By my estimation, this is a fake and a fairly obvious one to the trained eye.

[PingvinBlueJeans]

The horizontal seam is all but meaningless. Its easily replicated...
Yeah? Show me.


there is damage to the box under the shrink wrap but the plastic itself is unaffected and most of the box corners should have punctured through the plastic due to stress and age as well as a couple more signs that I'll keep to myself.
Huh?


By my estimation, this is a fake and a fairly obvious one to the trained eye.
So let me guess...you're bidding on the item?

[Vroomfunkel]

You're entitled to your opinion, but if you're suggesting that Joe has an 'untrained eye' then I think the onus is on you to give some reason why we should believe you to be a greater authority on this than him.

In any case, the photos are all there, the auction was started very low - anyone prepared to splash that kind of money on it knows what they're getting into, so caveat emptor.

[TonyTheTiger]

This isn't a question of the "untrained eye." I'm questioning the assumption that it's impossible to replicate a genuine factory seal. People have managed to reverse engineer just about any piece of software, crack every aspect of copy protection, and all in a reasonably short period of time. What I'm saying is that for all the "tests" of legitimacy, if someone cares enough and is patient enough, he or she will very well be able to concoct a shrinkwrap that passes every one of them. I can't imagine that it's flat out impossible.

[MachineGex]

Well that would be weird since I specifically asked the guy to name his price since (at that time) I wasn't sure what the value of the item was. He got the exact dollar value he asked for.

Call me a "cheat" if you will, but I do have to pay for the lights and heat, etc. and I always do my best to please sellers, especially when they bring in quality items.

A cheat would only be if you talked him down from $75 to $50. If you gave him asking price, nothing wrong with that. It makes up for all the crap you take in and make only $1-2.

[PingvinBlueJeans]

I can't imagine that it's flat out impossible.

No, nothing is impossible...but it's incredibly hard to do. If it was easy, you'd see fakes popping up pretty often. The most obvious sign of a reseal (besides improper or lacking seals/seams) is creasing to the box where the flap opens. I don't see any evidence of that in the photo (so far as I can see). The box has the proper seams and has a plastic hang-tab intact. It also has minor scuffing to the shrinkwrap on the back of the box due to age...this presumably has been faked as well?


This isn't a question of the "untrained eye."
Yes, it absolutely is. It's easy to fool a newbie like yourself...not so easy to fool an expert. I've had legit factory sealed games for nearly every system pass through my hands over the years. I'm sure Joe has seen even more than I have, so I find it hard to believe that he would list a sealed game on eBay and risk the buyer doing a chargeback on him if there were any questions with regard to the game's legitimacy. I haven't seen this game in person, so I can't make any concrete judgements, but I see nothing that marks it as an "obvious fake" (as was mentioned above by another poster).

[InsaneDavid]

There are a lot of signs I look for to authenticate the legitimacy of sealed Nintendo games and this Chrono Trigger fails a number of them...

Here we go again...

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Here we go again...

Sometimes those 7-day vacations aren't long enough. It's barely enough time for a troll to get a decent tan.

[sirhansirhan]

Psychic1 is the expert on everything. Here's proof. (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=111928&page=2)

Relatedly, I once had quite a large collection of sealed SNES games specifically--maybe not as big as some members here, but it was 100+ titles. Given that experience, I am happy to say that this Chrono Trigger is a legitimate factory seal.

That said, I'd trust Joe's opinion on the matter over mine. Good thing we agree.

[PingvinBlueJeans]

Psychic1 is the expert on everything. Here's proof. (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=111928&page=2)
Yeah, I thought he sounded familiar. Whatever...his comments are wholly without merit.

[rik1138]

The horizontal seam is all but meaningless. Its easily replicated...
Yeah? Show me.

Actually, the horizontal seam is easy to do... It's just a different way of wrapping the box with the plastic than most people use when hand-shrink wrapping something. Fortunately, it's something most people don't think of when trying to make a fake though.

But, that has nothing to do with this auction as I would trust Joe's opinion on something like this over anyone else's. I'm certain it's legit...

If that game had been sitting around anywhere for years opened, there'd be some little evidence of wear on the black edges of the box... I see nothing, just scuffing on the shrink wrap itself.

Rik

[TonyTheTiger]

No, nothing is impossible...but it's incredibly hard to do. If it was easy, you'd see fakes popping up pretty often. The most obvious sign of a reseal (besides improper or lacking seals/seams) is creasing to the box where the flap opens. I don't see any evidence of that in the photo (so far as I can see). The box has the proper seams and has a plastic hang-tab intact. It also has minor scuffing to the shrinkwrap on the back of the box due to age...this presumably has been faked as well?

I'm not saying this particular game is a reseal. Not at all. I'm just bringing up that anything can be faked with precision. Does that affect the game's value? Evidently not. If a few fakes do sneak by, they're so rare that it doesn't have any effect whatsoever. All it means is a deadeye shrinkwrap replicator is getting rich and a few unsuspecting collectors have Super Mario/Duck Hunt in their sealed Stadium Events box. But we know what we see, right? So long as there's a 99.9% certainty that what's in that box is a fresh Stadium Events then that's what's in there. Unless X-ray goggles are invented, the value (both monetary and personal) isn't going to fluctuate because John "I can shrinkwrap perfectly" Doe is making a killing on Ebay.



Yes, it absolutely is. It's easy to fool a newbie like yourself...not so easy to fool an expert. I've had legit factory sealed games for nearly every system pass through my hands over the years. I'm sure Joe has seen even more than I have, so I find it hard to believe that he would list a sealed game on eBay and risk the buyer doing a chargeback on him if there were any questions with regard to the game's legitimacy. I haven't seen this game in person, so I can't make any concrete judgements, but I see nothing that marks it as an "obvious fake" (as was mentioned above by another poster).

I don't think you understand what I'm saying. I never once said that this is a fake or even close to it. I'm talking about the concept that a fake could potentially exist and be flawless. I'm talking not "close" or "sort of." I'm talking "exact," "perfect," "they have their own machine" kind of stuff. That WILL fool both trained and untrained eyes because...well...it's the same.

Here's how I see it. If I were both a greedy SOB and simultaneously had the ability to do a perfect shrinkwrap of something, I'd start by testing the waters. Seal some common things like a Madden 97 and shop it around. Show it off to all the experts and see what they say. If a few of them don't bring up any questions about the legitimacy of the seal then I'd probably start moving forward with an Ebay scam. Get a bunch of different usernames from different computers. Buy up a few used copies of costly games. Make sure the boxes and cases are in impeccable shape so they won't give anything away after the resealing. Step 1: Re-seal. Step 2: Re-sell. Step 3: Profit!

The guy doing this would have to watch himself and not do it too too often since eventually people will catch on. "You mean to tell me there have been 100 sealed Radiant Silverguns sold within the last two months? Something's fishy." But it can be done and for all we know, it already has. But the thing is, in the end it doesn't really matter. If it does happen it's such a rare practice that there's no way to really stop it...or even a reason to worry about it. But pride can get people into trouble. And being 100% certain a perfect reseal can't be done might not reflect the reality of the situation. Like I said, it's shrinkwrapping, not brain surgery. I've seen a man shoot milk out of his eye socket. Out of all 6 billiion people on Earth there's at least one shrinkwrapping prodigy.

[Buyatari]

Thats just it. The #1 way to tell a reseal is to look at the box not the plastic. When the flap is opened you crack the paint. Go look at your SNES game boxes and you will see a white line that sticks out like a sore thumb when the game box has been opened.


Actually, the horizontal seam is easy to do... It's just a different way of wrapping the box with the plastic than most people use when hand-shrink wrapping something. Fortunately, it's something most people don't think of when trying to make a fake though.

But, that has nothing to do with this auction as I would trust Joe's opinion on something like this over anyone else's. I'm certain it's legit...

If that game had been sitting around anywhere for years opened, there'd be some little evidence of wear on the black edges of the box... I see nothing, just scuffing on the shrink wrap itself.

Rik

[Nitrosport]

That's an awsome item you've got there. Good luck with the sale. :)

[PingvinBlueJeans]

Here's how I see it...
All of these things you're describing have been done before. I've been fairly active in this hobby for about ten years now. I've seen dozens of resealing scams and these suckers eventually get caught every time. It's harder than ever to get away with it nowadays, because collectors today are a lot more aware of the issue than they were ten years ago when eBay was in its infancy and it was easy to pass off reseals as legit to unsuspecting buyers. And when these clowns do get caught, it destroys their reputation forever. If someone were so ingenious that they could replicate such things perfectly, don't you think said person would probably have other (better) ways of using their talents?


Make sure the boxes and cases are in impeccable shape so they won't give anything away after the resealing.
As Buyatari alluded to, that's even more difficult than faking the seams. This situation you envision where a supervillian with super-sealing powers comes along and fools everyone (including the experts) is certainly not impossible, but it's about as likely as a giant asteroid hitting the Earth and killing us all. As such, it's hardly something worth worrying about.

[TonyTheTiger]

All of these things you're describing have been done before. I've been fairly active in this hobby for about ten years now. I've seen dozens of resealing scams and these suckers eventually get caught every time. It's harder than ever to get away with it nowadays, because collectors today are a lot more aware of the issue than they were ten years ago when eBay was in its infancy and it was easy to pass off reseals as legit to unsuspecting buyers. And when these clowns do get caught, it destroys their reputation forever.

I'm not saying that this is something to worry about. If it does happen it's so absurdly rare that you can be pretty certain if it looks like an original it probably is. I'm just saying that the factories had to seal up the games somehow and someone could conceivably replicate that. I never said it was easy or even likely. Just possible.


If someone were so ingenious that they could replicate such things perfectly, don't you think said person would probably have other (better) ways of using their talents?

Maybe, but maybe not. I think the one assumption we all make is that people are rational actors. When the world has proven time and time again it's not always the case.


As Buyatari alluded to, that's even more difficult than faking the seams. This situation you envision where a supervillian with super-sealing powers comes along and fools everyone (including the experts) is certainly not impossible, but it's about as likely as a giant asteroid hitting the Earth and killing us all. As such, it's hardly something worth worrying about.

Obviously it would be an out of the ordinary situation. And passing off a cardboard box in a seal would be much harder than faking a resealed plastic jewel case I'd assume. The likelihood is still low, certainly. But if someone were capable...he'd be hard to out provided he has all his ducks in a row. Even if it's never actually happened as of yet.

Believe me, I'm not trying to paint a picture where I'm telling people to be afraid of some metaphysical re-sealing boogie man out to rob people blind. You have nothing but a bunch of re-sealed copies of Rise of the Robots and Enter the Matrix!!!!!! BOO!!!!!!!!

[The 1 2 P]

Wow, all this controversy over a little factory seal comment? Well, like many of the above posts said: I'd trust Joe's instinct over just about anyone else. He is a bonified video game professional/connesior. But I did learn something new because I didn't know it was possible to make a legit looking factory seal with a correctly-placed horizontal seam. Of course, I'd love to see one of these fakes just to judge for myself.

[TonyTheTiger]

That would actually be helpful if someone would post pics of different kinds of re-seals and then point out the tell tale signs when compared to the real deal. Would make a good sticky thread.

[The 1 2 P]

That would actually be helpful if someone would post pics of different kinds of re-seals and then point out the tell tale signs when compared to the real deal. Would make a good sticky thread.

Agreed.

[PingvinBlueJeans]

Wow, all this controversy over a little factory seal comment?
No controversy, just a friendly discussion. ;)


That would actually be helpful if someone would post pics of different kinds of re-seals and then point out the tell tale signs when compared to the real deal. Would make a good sticky thread.

Problem is, it would also show fakers the errors of their way and help them become better at their craft. Resealing hasn't really been a major issue in recent years, so it's easier to just judge sealed pieces on a case-by-case basis and ask for a second opinion if necessary.

[raregamergirl]

Well, it actually is fairly common for a game to be resealed in a fairly expert method. While I have never and would never reseal a game, I have purchased more than a couple reseals myself. I have seen some really fantastic reseals that most people would not even know were reseals.

BUT I highly doubt this is a reseal. If it was a reseal, there would be either

A) cracks on the flaps of the box

OR

B) the cracks would be painted, sharpied or even inked in. Yes, this happens more than you would think. Sometimes, the box is black so finding ink stains can be difficult. If you know what to look for, it isn't difficult at all to spot. If you do not know what to look for, though, a reseal could pass easily as legit.

This is an instance where it looks legit to me. It isn't a 10 on the condition scale, but it is a legit factory sealed Chrono Trigger.

Good luck with the auction Joe. I originally offered $1000 when he first mentioned having it and I thought that was a fair offer. Judging by what it is already up to, I am guessing I was wrong. Will be interesting to see where this one ends at :)

[TonyTheTiger]

Good point, Pingvin.

Here's a question though: What qualifies as a re-seal?

This is more of a philosophical question than a practical one as it probably won't have much effect in the real world but let me give three examples:

1) Copies are produced and stored in a warehouse. Someway, somehow, the shrinkwrap on the box is damaged. The box is sent back to the factory to be re-sealed. Is that a re-seal?

2) A game is being shipped to the store. It's accidentally thrashed around and while the shrinkwrap is intact, the box itself is mangled. Could that pass as an original factory seal even though it's blatantly f-ed up?

3) A game is sent to the factory to be sealed. The factory seals it but the company is unhappy with the sealing process. The company independently has the games unwrapped and re-shrunk at another location. Re-seal? Likewise, would someone be able to claim a higher value of a copy if they can argue "This was the FIRST sealing! Never sent to another factory!" Or is it totally moot?

[The 1 2 P]

The momentum on this item seems to have stopped but I'm sure it will pick up within the last hour of the auction.

[jajaja]

Only 1 day left of the auction :)



All this talk of did he pay fair or didnt, I have to say it's realy crazy. Just when did it become to job of the buyer to tell the seller that they could fetch a higher buying price from another source? True, if he'd offered him a few bucks, told him it wasnt worth anything, and treated him like he was doing em a service for buying his junk, that'd be one thing. But at no point is it the buyers responsibility to provide any kind of accurate buying price on other venues to someone selling their stuff. That's the seller's job.

I agree 100%, i couldnt said it better myself. Its not the buyer's responsibility to educate the seller on what the things are worth or were he/she can get more money for it. As you say, if the buyer lies and say that the item is not worth anything etc. then its something completely different, but when the buyer just ask how much the seller wants for it and the seller says an amount, then its 100% upto to the seller. Also, when the seller says an amount i'm sure he/she is happy with that amount, so both the buyer and seller will end up being happy about the trade :)

[Press_Start]

$810? Wasn't this over a grand last time?

When did Ebay allow bidders to retracts bid?

[jonjandran]

All of the bid's that were removed were the 0 feedbackers.

Probably removed so it didn't look like shill bidding. :cheers:

[The 1 2 P]

All of the bid's that were removed were the 0 feedbackers.

Probably removed so it didn't look like shill bidding. :cheers:

They weren't zero feedback bidders, they were low feedback bidders(less than 10 feedback, although one has 85) and their explanation was that they put in the wrong amount.

[jonjandran]

They weren't zero feedback bidders, they were low feedback bidders(less than 10 feedback, although one has 85) and their explanation was that they put in the wrong amount.

There were several 0 feedback bids (at least 10) that have been removed also.

They may have been retracted when the other guy retracted his and that made the 0 feedbacker become the high bidder and he didn't want that.

Who knows ?

[The 1 2 P]

There were several 0 feedback bids (at least 10) that have been removed also.

They may have been retracted when the other guy retracted his and that made the 0 feedbacker become the high bidder and he didn't want that.

Who knows ?

I was just going by the bid retraction list at the bottom of the bid list. As for who knows exactly what happened: Joe does of course. But still, it's weird that so many people retracted their bids at the same time. Not only that, but I'd say this is the most affordable I've seen this game in awhile.

[digitalpress]

What an exciting auction! Who has ever seen an auction high bid go DOWN 300 dollars in a day!

Don't sweat it, I'm not. Even if it ends at $200, I'm fine with it. It really isn't about the money. When I really care I post all over the internet - this auction has only been promoted HERE (at least by me).

The three retractions today are the most interesting development. My initial thought was that maybe there is some collusion, where one guy said to the other "I'm going to go for the open Chrono Trigger instead", but that wouldn't explain the other two. Or maybe these big spenders are playing each other, backing down just to see what each other had bid previously. Two of the three have a short history yet this isn't their first time with bid retractions. Or maybe a combination of these things.

In any event, I've really enjoyed watching this unfold. I hope this last day proves as entertaining - and I will try to contact some of these bidders after the auction to find out just what WAS going on. Could make for a great little story.

[The 1 2 P]

In any event, I've really enjoyed watching this unfold. I hope this last day proves as entertaining - and I will try to contact some of these bidders after the auction to find out just what WAS going on. Could make for a great little story.

Yes, we all want to know whats up with that triple bid retraction move. I guess just keep us posted.

[tornadostormxl]

how much did you say you gave to the guy again?

[The 1 2 P]

how much did you say you gave to the guy again?

He didn't. He just said he gave him his asking price. So whatever the seller told Joe he wanted for this game--thats exactly what he got.

[Vroomfunkel]

I'll hazard a guess at what is actually going on here - people are using secondary accounts to test out where other bidders' max bids are before they decide if they're going to go for it.

Could be wrong, of course... I would still expect it to hit $1k+ by the end. We'll see .. :popcorn:

[rik1138]

When did Ebay allow bidders to retracts bid?

eBay has always allowed sellers to retract bids... Although if you do it a lot, they will eventually suspend your account.

[gepeto]

There seems to be some gamesmanship going on here. At first I thought the retractions was a test to see where the high bid was. Then I thought they did it to throw people off figureing it 1000,00 out of my price range. Then I thought maybe it is to throw the scent something is wrong here.

Maybe it was the fact that another boxed one was presented for auction and after days of thinking they figure unsealed isn't so bad. It will be interesting to see where it all ends. I predict the two retractions will be bidding heavy on the unsealed one at snipe time..

[The 1 2 P]

Yeah, another dude(the fourth to do so) retracted his bid as well. I thought it was funny last night when the bid got down to $429. But when it's all said and done--it will definitely hit atleast $1,000. However, now I'm starting to doubt it will beat the previous record of $1,200 plus.

[The 1 2 P]

Not a bad finish but alittle shy of the record. But you still made a decent profit so it's all good. Congrats.

[jajaja]

It ended at $1184. Congrats on the sale! :)

[digitalpress]

I think I called that one - I'd bet anything that those last 3 "newcomers" may have placed scout/shill bids beforehand just to see where the high water mark was. Once 1100 seemed to top things off, everything unraveled until the snipe period. Very interesting auction history indeed and I do plan on contacting the top 3 or 4 just to see if I can glean anything for a juicy but anonymous story.