The Stupidity of Earthbound

[MyTurnToPlay]

I can't seem to purchase a single copy of Earthbound for the SNES on ebay without blowing about $120. Why!?! Because all these fanboy lemmings have jacked up the price because some other idiot told them the game is rare and valuable...when we all know the game is neither valuable or better than Chrono Trigger which sells below $30.

Meanwhile, a copy of Little Samson which is legitimately rare also costs about $120 loose....and this game almost never comes up on ebay. Meanwhile there's over 30 copies of Earthbound on ebay right now but somehow it commands the same price? That's retarded.

So what's the lesson in all this? The lesson is: When you have zombie gamer morons who'll believe any made up story, you're gonna get stupid results like the ones we're seeing. Please oh please can you people stop overpaying for a games that's not worth more than $40! That way those of us who are not gullible pricks might actually have a chance of playing this game on a SNES.

thank you.

[SpaceFlea]

And about a year or so ago, complete copies were selling for about $150-$200 max (as they had been for a few years). But now they don't sell less than $350, and get upwards of $540 (the max I saw a few weeks ago). They are typically toward the higher end of the spectrum - making that $350 spot seem like an outlier that I should have jumped.

[Ryaan1234]

I can't seem to purchase a single copy of Earthbound for the SNES without blowing about $120. Why!?! Because all these fanboy lemmings have jacked up the price because some other idiot told them the game is rare and valuable...when we all know the game is neither valuable or better than Chrono Trigger which sells below $30.

Nobody said the game was rare and/or valuable. Earthbound is a really in-demand title, and a great game to boot. Also, unlike Chrono Trigger, Earthbound can only be found in the original SNES cartridge (or ROM >_>) form. Chrono Trigger can be found on PS1, DS, and the virtual console.

That "degree" of scarcity combined with the resurgence of popularity in the U.S with the series (thanks to Super Smash Bros. I would guess) makes this game expensive. It has nothing to do with "lemming" or "idiot" fanboys as you said. It's a great game, people want it, and it's popularity makes it expensive.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Texas crew reporting, apparently. LOL

Yeah, but Chrono Trigger demand and retention has gone down since the DS version was an improved version and portable. I like Earthbound's quirk and silly factor, but I think the mystique of it selling poorly at retail and only becoming very popular after it left retail has more to do with the unusual high demand and it's price. It's not stupid really. I would think that loose cart copies would tank in value pretty hard (harder than Chrono Trigger - for example) if Nintendo made a current port, with improvements or not. The CIB would probably hold against that fairly well though. Pure collect-ability has it well insulated and it's a nice display piece to boot with that huge box.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Ignore the buyitnows. Look for auction listings. They'll still go up of course, but you should be able to win a loose EarthBound through an auction for $70-90. They almost always end less than what sellers list buytinow prices for the impatient people.

I won a copy of EarthBound for $74 only a few months ago.

[heybtbm]

When you have zombie gamer morons who'll believe any made up story, you're gonna get stupid results like the ones we're seeing. Please oh please can you people stop overpaying for a games that's not worth more than $40! That way those of us who are not gullible pricks might actually have a chance of playing this game on a SNES.

Earthbound = serious business.

I found a beautifully mint and complete copy from my local used game store in 2005. Paid $24.99 + tax. Never played it, never intend to, couldn't care less actually. You say it's going for $400+ on ebay? Jesus. Maybe it's time to sell.

[Enigmus]

Personally, I've played the game via Snes9x and found its' overbloated "greatness" nowhere near $150, let alone $400, when put up against Chrono Trigger. It's just my opinion though.

[Arcade Antics]

I can't seem to purchase a single copy of Earthbound for the SNES on ebay without blowing about $120. Why!?! Because all these fanboy lemmings have jacked up the price because some other idiot told them the game is rare and valuable...when we all know the game is neither valuable or better than Chrono Trigger which sells below $30.

Meanwhile, a copy of Little Samson which is legitimately rare also costs about $120 loose....and this game almost never comes up on ebay. Meanwhile there's over 30 copies of Earthbound on ebay right now but somehow it commands the same price? That's retarded.

So what's the lesson in all this? The lesson is: When you have zombie gamer morons who'll believe any made up story, you're gonna get stupid results like the ones we're seeing. Please oh please can you people stop overpaying for a games that's not worth more than $40! That way those of us who are not gullible pricks might actually have a chance of playing this game on a SNES.

thank you.
Serenity now.

[Kellhus]

I think Earthbound is really overrated. It just goes for that much because of it's reputation. Definitely not worth even close to that price, and that's coming from someone that's willing to fork over a lot of money for original copies (I won a complete copy of Radiant Silvergun about a year ago via auction for about $110 shipped, worth every penny.)

[HappehLemons]

lol, the last CIB Earthbound that only had the game game, box and manual and cardboard insert, but no other original documentation that wasnt even MINT, (the box had tears on it) sold for $412 + shipping. I loled. I got a mint copy that I'm thinking about throwing up on ebay.

[mobiusclimber]

Neither Earthbound NOR Chrono Trigger are all that great. I'll take FF3, Secret of Mana, Breath of Fire 2 or (on the import side of things) DQ 5 & 6 over either one. Earthbound is too goofy and CT tries too hard to be "original" and just mucks everything up in the process (a short RPG with a bunch of endgame sidequests to pad it out; a "no random battles" system that has unavoidable battles every few paces and they're always the SAME battles in the SAME spots, etc etc). Overrated and overpriced, imo.

[Tupin]

I really like EarthBound. However, it's one of those games a lot of buyers want, but don't want to pay a lot for. It's good, but I'm not paying $200 for a SNES game. If I wait long enough, I'll find it in my price range, but probably not online.

There's no reason it should be rare, they made tons of them. They were selling them at Best Buy in 1997/1998 for cheap and couldn't get rid of them, from what I've heard.

EarthBound fans are sort of like Sonic fans in some ways. Ever heard of the PK Siege organized by starmen.net a few years back?

[MyTurnToPlay]

I won a copy of EarthBound for $74 only a few months ago.

Was it a former rental copy filled with markings, dog crap stains, stickers, label tears and smoke damage?!?! Because those are the only ones I can find under $100, which is ridiculous!!

I've been trying to win a decent copy going on two months, but I can't compete with all these idiots out there who bid crazy nonsense amounts for a widely available game.

And yes, Earthbound is overrated. The game is all hype.. ooohh...an rpg about a kid with some stupid references/jokes tossed in and now suddenly this game is the sh*t? sigh...all the retards out there who are making the price explode frustrate me.

[Arcade Antics]

Was it a former rental copy filled with markings, dog crap stains, stickers, label tears and smoke damage?!?! Because those are the only ones I can find under $100, which is ridiculous!!

I've been trying to win a decent copy going on two months, but I can't compete with all these idiots out there who bid crazy nonsense amounts for a widely available game.

And yes, Earthbound is overrated. The game is all hype.. ooohh...an rpg about a kid with some stupid references/jokes tossed in and now suddenly this game is the sh*t? sigh...all the retards out there who are making the price explode frustrate me.
Color me confused. If the game is all overrated hype, why are you trying so hard to buy it and getting so worked up about it?

[Nate Nanjo]

Isn't Earthbound the only popular SNES game left that is not on another console?

Example you have Secret of Mana, Harvest Moon, and Breath of Fire 2 on the Virtual Console. Other titles as well.

Chrono Trigger found its way to the PS1 and DS and Virtual console soon.

Mega Man X games are on the X collection.

[ubersaurus]

Earthbound and Chrono Trigger are both awesome. Two of my favorite RPGs of that era or any other, really. Earthbound was just funny; it may not have looked pretty or had that unique a battle system or anything, but it was a contemporary setting when those were not getting made, it had some really surreal dialogue, and some awesome music. Cool story, too.

Obviously someone must agree with that assessment, if the demand for the game has pushed the price up that high.

[maxlords]

I don't get the demand for it myself...but it's a love it or hate it game. I had a complete one I paid around $20 for...sold it a couple years ago for $200. Do I wish I'd waited? Yes. That being said...I got fair market value at the time and who the hell could predict it jumping that high? It'd been pretty static for quite some time...I'm not sure why it's getting so pricey all of the sudden. It IS a neat looking box and a nice package complete...but definitely not in the $400-500 range if you're gonna play it....

[Graham Mitchell]

I've found that pretty much all cib snes games are going for insane amounts on ebay. Thats why I've gp32 a collection of loose carts.

It's important to keep in mind that ebay prices don't reflect actual value. Neither do the prices on the amazon marketplace, for that matter. It does, however reflect what people ate willing to pay. If you don't like what youre seeing on ebay try another auction site. Ebay isnt the only game in town.

For some reason, though, snes collectors are really aggressive, and it is true that common games can go for ludicrous prices at times. Ive had a much easier time collecting for tg-16/pc-engine.

For some reason snes

[cheaterdragon1]

For some reason snes

For some reason SNES what?


Yeah I've always wanted to pick up a copy of Earthbound, but I don't want to pay out my ass. I'm still looking for a good yard sale, or a clueless store.

[old man]

Wow, maybe I need to sell my copy of little samson and make some bank.

[Graham Mitchell]

For some reason SNES what?




Sorry, my cell phone is doing very strange things. Damn swype!

[Jorpho]

So what's the lesson in all this? The lesson is: When you have zombie gamer morons who'll believe any made up story, you're gonna get stupid results like the ones we're seeing. Please oh please can you people stop overpaying for a games that's not worth more than $40! That way those of us who are not gullible pricks might actually have a chance of playing this game on a SNES.

what is this I don't even

If the game is only worth $40, then no one will be able to sell it for $120.

If people are willing to pay $120 for it, it is worth $120.

And if you just want to play the darn thing, just get over it and emulate it already. It really doesn't do anything with the SNES hardware that makes an actually SNES essential to the experience. :p

[MyTurnToPlay]

what is this I don't even

If the game is only worth $40, then no one will be able to sell it for $120.

If people are willing to pay $120 for it, it is worth $120.

And if you just want to play the darn thing, just get over it and emulate it already. It really doesn't do anything with the SNES hardware that makes an actually SNES essential to the experience. :p

There's a sucker born every minute....and apparently...there's too many of them....because they're jacking up the price on Earthbound. Is it worth $120? No. Am I going to pay that outrageous price because other numbnuts have inflated the price? Again, hell no. I'm just going to continue waiting....again and again...until I get a decent copy that doesn't have marker sticker crap all over it....and at a decent price.

And no I will not play this game on an emulator. I want to play it the same way I've played every other damn SNES game I own, which is on the actual system.

[Cornelius Spunkwater]

There's a sucker born every minute....and apparently...there's too many of them....because they're jacking up the price on Earthbound. Is it worth $120? No. Am I going to pay that outrageous price because other numbnuts have inflated the price? Again, hell no. I'm just going to continue waiting....again and again...until I get a decent copy that doesn't have marker sticker crap all over it....and at a decent price.

And no I will not play this game on an emulator. I want to play it the same way I've played every other damn SNES game I own, which is on the actual system.

Good man. I admire a person who sticks to his/her guns.

[Arcade Antics]

There's a sucker born every minute....and apparently...there's too many of them....because they're jacking up the price on Earthbound. Is it worth $120? No. Am I going to pay that outrageous price because other numbnuts have inflated the price? Again, hell no. I'm just going to continue waiting....again and again...until I get a decent copy that doesn't have marker sticker crap all over it....and at a decent price.

And no I will not play this game on an emulator. I want to play it the same way I've played every other damn SNES game I own, which is on the actual system.
Yeah! Hell damn fart!

[Gooch3008]

Earthbound = serious business.

I found a beautifully mint and complete copy from my local used game store in 2005. Paid $24.99 + tax. Never played it, never intend to, couldn't care less actually. You say it's going for $400+ on ebay? Jesus. Maybe it's time to sell.
If you bought an opened game with no intention of ever playing it......I just ......I don't even know what to say.

[Kyle15]

Is it worth $120? No..

Well, the market currently says yes. What do we do now?

[Arcade Antics]

Is it worth $120? No..Well, the market currently says yes. What do we do now?

Lynch Adam Smith? 'Invisible hand' my ass, right MyTurn?

[pseudonym]

It's not worth $120 to you. Those people who spend $100+ on this game are fools apparently. Really though, a game is only worth what people are willing to pay for it.

[HappehLemons]

There's a sucker born every minute....and apparently...there's too many of them....because they're jacking up the price on Earthbound. Is it worth $120? No. Am I going to pay that outrageous price because other numbnuts have inflated the price? Again, hell no. I'm just going to continue waiting....again and again...until I get a decent copy that doesn't have marker sticker crap all over it....and at a decent price.

And no I will not play this game on an emulator. I want to play it the same way I've played every other damn SNES game I own, which is on the actual system.


A game is worth whatever the masses of people pay for it. EB selling for $120 avg? It's worth $120.

Try telling that to anyone who's selling the game. I can see it going well. "You know, Earthbound sells for about $120 EASY but it's not worth that at all!! I'll pay you $40."

The price of earthbound has only gone up in the past years and with it's release on VC pretty much a pipe dream by now I don't see it ever going for under $100.

[Kyle15]

Lynch Adam Smith? 'Invisible hand' my ass, right MyTurn?

I say we stock-up on some socio-economic ribbons. They are the pure, existential representation of currency-conversion during hypothetical inflation. In other words, we find some hobos and barter with science! Sound good? :D

[Arcade Antics]

I say we stock-up on some socio-economic ribbons. They are the pure, existential representation of currency-conversion during hypothetical inflation. In other words, we find some hobos and barter with science! Sound good? :D
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/Piggy111/Animated/Applause.gif?t=1295242451

[MyTurnToPlay]

The market is f-ed up. Come on fellas, didn't we all learn something from the recent stock market debacle???. Or are you guys also part of the lemming Earthbound crowd? The game is not worth more than $40 PERIOD. I don't care what anyone says. Some of you need to wake up and realize this. Ugh, these Earthbound fanboys are a joke.

Look at this piece of crap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300550261071&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

It's a pile of garbage but it's selling for $50 currently. Does that make any sense??? No, it doesn't...not to any sane gamer. Only retards would pay that amount.

I just gotta catch these idiots on an off day or something so I can finally play this game without feeling like I just got ripped off by an Iraqi selling me sand.

[Kyle15]

The game is not worth more than $40 PERIOD.

One question: why?

[Arcade Antics]

The market is f-ed up. Come on fellas, didn't we all learn something from the recent stock market debacle???. Or are you guys also part of the lemming Earthbound crowd? The game is not worth more than $40 PERIOD. I don't care what anyone says. Some of you need to wake up and realize this. Ugh, these Earthbound fanboys are a joke.

Look at this piece of crap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300550261071&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

It's a pile of garbage but it's selling for $50 currently. Does that make any sense??? No, it doesn't...not to any sane gamer. Only retards would pay that amount.

I just gotta catch these idiots on an off day or something so I can finally play this game without feeling like I just got ripped off by an Iraqi selling me sand.
Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[RP2A03]

Economics 101: Something is worth whatever someone is willing to pay and a seller who wishes to maximize his profits will sell at the highest price the current market will bear. Stupid or not, if Earthbound sells for $120 then it is worth $120. You can either pony up the dough or do without it. Or better yet, instead of getting all worked up over something so trivial, you could patiently wait for a cheap copy to buy and then sell for a massive profit.

[SpaceFlea]

Well, there is such a thing as price fixing. And if enough people post at rediculous prices for long enough, potential buyers will start asuming it's worth that much and jump all over it afriad that it will just keep increasing. If it's timed appropriately with a surge in the games popularity, then you could get such an unjustified swell in the games price. The game should not be that much, but enough people are speculating that it will keep climbing in price and thus there is currently no forseeable return to normalcy. If the idiots will stop purchasing the game for a respectable amount of time to sour the market the game will eventually fall back to earth, but with the ever increasing legion of so-called collectors entering the fray it's impossible to tell whether or not sanity will return.

[Aussie2B]

This scenario just proves my theory that Smash Bros. ruins everything. If Ness wasn't in Smash Bros., I guarantee the price would be much lower. I agree that the majority of the crazy Smash Bros. fanboys are lemming children that only care about a franchise just because its characters appear in Smash Bros. In some ways, I suppose it's beneficial because who knows if we would've ever gotten Fire Emblem in the US or a new Kid Icarus. However, it's also frustrating how it artificially inflates the prices of older games when mindless droves suddenly take interest. Similar phenomenons have happened like with Final Fantasy VII when Advent Children came out or Silent Hill when its movie came out.

But I have to agree with the others that it's worth whatever it's currently going for, and you just can't argue with that. If I had a copy of Earthbound to sell and it was regularly going for $100+, damn right I would try to get that much out of it, no matter how much other people may whine that it's too expensive. It's all determined by the bidders in the end, and if you ride it out, maybe it will go down somewhat in time. I sure hope so because I'd like a copy myself. I'm kicking myself for not spending the 20 or 25 bucks that GameStop was charging for a loose cart around 8,9 years ago. I thought that was too expensive, so I opted for a couple cheaper SNES RPG/adventure games instead, Arcana and Illusion of Gaia I think. :/ Good games themselves, but man, I'd rather have Earthbound right about now.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Kyle, you go bro! LOL

Until I see someone kidnapping family members, holding guns to heads or threatening physical injury and pain to 'sell' Earthbound, it's safe to say artificial price escalation is out of the question. If you think it's too expensive, everyone that already owns one or buys one at the 'too high' price disagrees and backs it up with cash or holding. They win.

Want to get real? Price it in silver instead of USD.
1996 (Earthbound's first full calendar year at retail) 1oz of silver was ~$5. So the cost of Earthbound was basically 10ozs of silver - Possibly more since I think it was more than $50 retail (where I lived, all RPGs seemed to come out at $100 back then, but that didn't happen everywhere). 10ozs of silver now is $466.80... Hmm, interesting. It's tracking nearly right on. Priced in silver, Earthbound can be said to be holding it's retail value and not really increasing that much.

In terms of price, 'normal' is bias. There is no normal. Trade is a complex dynamic system. Too complex to establish price norms that will be an effectual standard for an amount of time to make the work in determining the normal to actually pay off. As soon as you figure out what happened, more is already happening. That's why we have price. It's the barometer of trade. Price is the normal (as normal as it gets), it changes with the individual actions of traders regardless if the reasons why are identified and known or not. So, a concept like a "normal price" is double talk. It can be said to mean, the enforceable price. What should be said is "My offered price". But, what they don't want to hear is, "Sorry, no sale."

Exercises: Normal Price
What do you think is the normal price of these objects?
Tiger bone?
Rhodium pellets?
A bit of copper?
A bad haircut?
A stunning Tricorne Hat with a single long Peacock feather?
Earthbound?

Now, how did you determine normal?

[kupomogli]

Neither Earthbound NOR Chrono Trigger are all that great. I'll take FF3, Secret of Mana, Breath of Fire 2 or (on the import side of things) DQ 5 & 6 over either one. Earthbound is too goofy and CT tries too hard to be "original" and just mucks everything up in the process (a short RPG with a bunch of endgame sidequests to pad it out; a "no random battles" system that has unavoidable battles every few paces and they're always the SAME battles in the SAME spots, etc etc). Overrated and overpriced, imo.

I completely agree, yet everyone always makes mention of the "non random battles" that Chrono Trigger has. They don't bother to pay attention to the 60-70% unavoidable battles that you get by touching a ladder you're required to go to, or go in a different room, etc. Chrono Trigger isn't as great as everyone makes it out to be, but it is a good game that's worth owning.

And Earthbound. The only difference between Earthbound and a Dragon Warrior game is the graphics. The exact same game with different scenery. Is it good? Yes. Is it $300(complete) good? Hell no. I do want it and would pay less than $150 for it in good and complete condition, but it's no where near worth that amount when based on rarity, how good it is, etc. I was trying to get a copy when they were running at $250 complete and I missed one that you could bid on that sold at $118. I was going to snipe it at the end, forgot about it and when I remembered it I was about 10 minutes too late.

Also, like the original poster stated, the game really isn't rare. While right now it's exactly one page at default, last year I've seen it at six pages, loose, complete, booklet only, some Super Famicom versions, so you could probably say it was four pages after all is said and done(estimation.) That's still 100 copies of the game listed at the same time. Rare? No.

[theclaw]

Copies printed is half the story. There needs to be enough people who both know a game exists and would want to purchase it. Hard to find games NO ONE has heard of are worth jack. Say, the US versions of Impossible Mission Wii or Sonic Adventure DX PC.

[Edmond Dantes]

I used to have CIBs of Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana and a cart+box copy of Earthbound.

I sold the whole lot. Got $450 for it, but in retrospect it wasn't worth it because in later years I wound up just trying to get the games back, and when I did I had to settle for cart-only copies.

Earthbound is the only one I don't have. And admittedly price is part of the problem. For a CIB copy I'd gladly pay $500 if I had the money, or for just the cart and player's guide maybe $70-$100, but for the cart alone? Hell no.

I'm trying to save up $500 for CIB Earthbound now, but it looks like that's gonna take awhile... anyone with a CIB they're looking to get rid of willing to hold it for me for about six months?

Admittedly, last time I played Earthbound I wasn't too impressed with it, but RPGs are kind of on-again off-again for me, and I found in the time since that selling them is NOT the answer.

As for Chrono Trigger... yes, the fact that you can see battles is a huge part of the appeal. Sure, you're forced to enter more than half of them anyway, but the thing is at least you're somewhat aware they're coming, unlike most RPGs where you're just trying to make a dash for a treasure chest and may run into a different encounter each step, in Chrono Trigger you can clear out a room then explore at your leisure, which I think psychologically goes a long way towards making it less irksome.

[Famidrive-16]

Isn't Earthbound the only popular SNES game left that is not on another console?


If we can include import titles Earthbound got a GBA port in Japan in the Mother 1 + 2 anthology.

[Jorpho]

I'm just going to continue waiting....again and again...until I get a decent copy that doesn't have marker sticker crap all over it....and at a decent price.Why the heck should sticker crap have any kind of impact on the game experience?


And no I will not play this game on an emulator. I want to play it the same way I've played every other damn SNES game I own, which is on the actual system....Ah, because in playing every other SNES game you own, you've always basked in the glory of your SNES bearing a cartridge with no sticker residue on it, or something?

[Enigmus]

I don't know about you people, but I'm surprised that Garry Shandling hasn't posted in this thread yet.

[Gapporin]

I found my copy at a local mom and pop store.

It was cart only, but I paid two Washingtons for it.

One of the biggest deals I've ever come across.

Just goes to show that you never know what you can find.

I have no idea why I'm writing this way.

--A Boy

[heybtbm]

If you bought an opened game with no intention of ever playing it......I just ......I don't even know what to say.

Let my new $500 do the talking for you.

[Gooch3008]

Its been almost 7 years...... you are part of the problem! More than one person could have gotten alot of enjoyment out of that game in that amount of time.

[zetastrike]

I've always thought that if I ever had a time machine, I'd go back to the 90s and buy new copies of Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, FFIII, Secret of Mana, and all the other stupid SNES RPGs, then return to the present with all the games still mint and sell them all on ebay in one lot for around $5,000. There would be one nintendo fanboy out there who would buy it. Probably more than one.

[Mayhem]

Yeah, the rise in price on Earthbound is one that's had me a little confused. Still, I got my CIB copy for $75 many years back so I'm happy heh...

[Animaniac]

Chrono Trigger under $30? They seem to be going for $50 lately on Ebay.

As for Earthbound, got my cart for about $10-$15 around 1999. :)

[Einzelherz]

Let me see if I can sum this up

OP: I want to play Earthbound on my SNES but won't pay the going price.
Half of responses: We're sorry?
Other half: He's right! It's only worth $5!

Sound about right?

FWIW I want to play it on my SNES too but don't want to pay the going price. You know what my solution is? Don't play it.

[vintagegamecrazy]

EB is only worth that much because of Ebay insanity and just pure stupidity. Try selling that cart to someone outside of Ebay. You won't get that much on any message boards, let alone in person. Ebay is not an accurate gauge of price at all. Ebay has brainwashed everyone into thinking that the only place you can get these items is from us and you have to pay this price and it's not true.

Earthbound is one of the current video game collecting cash cows that everyone is milking for everything it's worth. It's the same with Suikoden II, Terranigma, EVO: The Search For Eden and a few others. In years past it was FF VII, Silent Hill, Bounty Bob Strikes back, Chase The Chuck Wagon, Crazy Climber, Tengen Tetris, and even Ogre Battle and Chrono Trigger. Every one of those games has been knocked off of their high horse and are at much more respectable prices.

Are some of those mentioned games rare? Yes. Some were even fairly valuable from the get go but the real market value has finally shown its head on those and I guarantee that Earthbound and to a lesser extent games like Suikoden II will come down in price once people realize that they are wasting money on something that's common as dirt even if it takes a few more years.

[Tupin]

I also figure I should mention that I paid $5 for my copy of MOTHER 2 on the Super Famicom, and that seems to be the going price. Japanese gamers must be laughing that we're paying this much.

[Gavica]

download the rom and stop your whinning?

[rkotm]

Ive got a full in the box copy yet opened for ya but im not selling cause you may want to set your own price in your fantasy entitlement land. get over it. Earthbound is the greatest game ever made and youre lucky for finding it for 140$. Yeah yeah nerdrage yada..but still.

[DuckTalesNES]

Well, there is such a thing as price fixing. And if enough people post at rediculous prices for long enough, potential buyers will start asuming it's worth that much and jump all over it afriad that it will just keep increasing. If it's timed appropriately with a surge in the games popularity, then you could get such an unjustified swell in the games price. The game should not be that much, but enough people are speculating that it will keep climbing in price and thus there is currently no forseeable return to normalcy. If the idiots will stop purchasing the game for a respectable amount of time to sour the market the game will eventually fall back to earth, but with the ever increasing legion of so-called collectors entering the fray it's impossible to tell whether or not sanity will return.

An ebay auction is not price fixing, however I do believe there is a fair amount of speculation going on. If people are just buying up copies of Earthbound expecting that they can sell them for more later, perhaps we have an Eartbound "bubble".

[skaar]

This thread is worthwhile.

Like this post I just made.

[Nesmaster]

I bought mine for $29 from Walmart in 1999 or 2000 brand new... still have the box and guide too. :)

[kupomogli]

An ebay auction is not price fixing, however I do believe there is a fair amount of speculation going on. If people are just buying up copies of Earthbound expecting that they can sell them for more later, perhaps we have an Eartbound "bubble".

You are aware that people can have a friend bump up the price if it's something they don't want to sell the game for. Sure they might lose a dollar or two to Ebay, but then they can relist it and get a higher price. It's not honest, but I'm sure there are people who do it. That could be the reason the listings have reached as high as they are now.

There's no fact to it, but I'd assume this happens with something that is of a potentially high cost that happens to not get many bids.

[DuckTalesNES]

Yes, I am aware. Its still not price fixing. eBay isn't perfect, but there is still a good amount of bidding for items. No one is going to constantly have their friends upbid items over and over again that they never able to sell anything. The fees add up.

The economics of this is simple. The demand is really high, and the price reflects that.

[j_factor]

I've always thought that if I ever had a time machine, I'd go back to the 90s and buy new copies of Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, FFIII, Secret of Mana, and all the other stupid SNES RPGs, then return to the present with all the games still mint and sell them all on ebay in one lot for around $5,000. There would be one nintendo fanboy out there who would buy it. Probably more than one.

If I had a time machine, buying SNES games would be pretty damn low on my list of priorities.

[fahlim003]

If I had a time machine, buying SNES games would be pretty damn low on my list of priorities.
Amen brother. Where's a box of 1952 Topps when you need one or buying some 1911 stock of IBM or Yahoo IPO when you can have EarthBound. Yeee-hurrr.

[MyTurnToPlay]

Maybe I didn't make myself clear at the beginning. But I'm not looking for any pity or sympathy, especially not from the lemming Earthbound fanboys, some of whom seem to be present on this site. I was simply stating facts.

FACT1: Earthbound is overpriced and I'm not paying more than $40 for it.
FACT2: The idiot retardo fanboys have jacked up the price because they've believed all the hype surrounding a game that's slightly above average at best.
FACT3: Because of FACT2, the ebay auctions for it are a joke.
FACT4: Thus, refer back to FACT1.

And don't give me all this market economics nonsense blah blah blah....That was the same kind of attitude that got us into trouble with Wall Street. Morons investing in garbage while the fat cats laughed their butts off to the bank. If you guys want to continue being gullible chumps, then go ahead, but I sure as hell am not paying a lot for a nonrare, nonvaluable mediocre game.

thank you.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Maybe I didn't make myself clear at the beginning. But I'm not looking for any pity or sympathy, especially not from the lemming Earthbound fanboys, some of whom seem to be present on this site. I was simply stating facts.

FACT1: Earthbound is overpriced and I'm not paying more than $40 for it.
FACT2: The idiot retardo fanboys have jacked up the price because they've believed all the hype surrounding a game that's slightly above average at best.
FACT3: Because of FACT2, the ebay auctions for it are a joke.
FACT4: Thus, refer back to FACT1.

And don't give me all this market economics nonsense blah blah blah....That was the same kind of attitude that got us into trouble with Wall Street. Morons investing in garbage while the fat cats laughed their butts off to the bank. If you guys want to continue being gullible chumps, then go ahead, but I sure as hell am not paying a lot for a nonrare, nonvaluable mediocre game.

thank you.

Fact1: Earthbound is more valuable to others than myself. Shouldn't have posted the thread either...
Fact2: The idiot retardo OP can't tell when someone is trying to help him.
Fact3: Because of Fact2, thread is a waste of time.
Fact4: Goto Fact1 Else End if you have the shotgun equipped.

[SpaceFlea]

The economics of this is simple. The demand is really high, and the price reflects that.

You probably think gas is getting so high because of nothing more than demand too, and you'd be severely incorrect. There is far more to economics than simple supply and demand.

[maxlords]

I've always thought that if I ever had a time machine, I'd go back to the 90s and buy new copies of Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, FFIII, Secret of Mana, and all the other stupid SNES RPGs, then return to the present with all the games still mint and sell them all on ebay in one lot for around $5,000. There would be one nintendo fanboy out there who would buy it. Probably more than one.

Yes...because THAT is the best use of a time machine for money-making.... *sigh*

Glad others noticed that too...

[Arcade Antics]

Maybe I didn't make myself clear at the beginning. But I'm not looking for any pity or sympathy, especially not from the lemming Earthbound fanboys, some of whom seem to be present on this site. I was simply stating facts.

FACT1: Earthbound is overpriced and I'm not paying more than $40 for it.
FACT2: The idiot retardo fanboys have jacked up the price because they've believed all the hype surrounding a game that's slightly above average at best.
FACT3: Because of FACT2, the ebay auctions for it are a joke.
FACT4: Thus, refer back to FACT1.

And don't give me all this market economics nonsense blah blah blah....That was the same kind of attitude that got us into trouble with Wall Street. Morons investing in garbage while the fat cats laughed their butts off to the bank. If you guys want to continue being gullible chumps, then go ahead, but I sure as hell am not paying a lot for a nonrare, nonvaluable mediocre game.

thank you.
http://www.arcade-museum.com/images/118/118124210636.png

[Gavica]

Maybe I didn't make myself clear at the beginning. But I'm not looking for any pity or sympathy, especially not from the lemming Earthbound fanboys, some of whom seem to be present on this site. I was simply stating facts.

FACT1: Earthbound is overpriced and I'm not paying more than $40 for it.
FACT2: The idiot retardo fanboys have jacked up the price because they've believed all the hype surrounding a game that's slightly above average at best.
FACT3: Because of FACT2, the ebay auctions for it are a joke.
FACT4: Thus, refer back to FACT1.

And don't give me all this market economics nonsense blah blah blah....That was the same kind of attitude that got us into trouble with Wall Street. Morons investing in garbage while the fat cats laughed their butts off to the bank. If you guys want to continue being gullible chumps, then go ahead, but I sure as hell am not paying a lot for a nonrare, nonvaluable mediocre game.

thank you.


http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/5177/1471766-super_cool_story_bro_super.png

[MyTurnToPlay]

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/5177/1471766-super_cool_story_bro_super.png

LOL. The best response to my rant. I'm still frustrated by all the Earthbound ebay retards, but that pic is awesome. Nicely done sir.

[cheaterdragon1]

If you want this game specifically for playing then you could just drop $100 on it, Play it, enjoy it, whatever. Then sell it again. You'll have no problem trying to get your money back.

[DuckTalesNES]

You probably think gas is getting so high because of nothing more than demand too, and you'd be severely incorrect. There is far more to economics than simple supply and demand.

Where did I say anything about gas prices? Gas supply is controlled by a cartel, which is nothing like the supply of Earthbound auctions. Of course there is far more to economics than supply and demand, but you'd be amazed at how much can be described by "simple" supply and demand. The price for Earthbound can be completely described by it.

[kupomogli]

If I had a time machine....

http://images.wikia.com/bttf/images/1/13/Almanacfront.jpg

[Eleuthria]

Sorry the price is out of control, but if I can (and I have) sell it for $125-140 for just the plain cartridge, I will! I've been able to sell 4 copies (none of them in what I'd call Very Good or Near Mint) for prices of $125, $125, $135, and $140 in the past 2 months.

[Icarus Moonsight]

...Of course there is far more to economics than supply and demand, but you'd be amazed at how much can be described by "simple" supply and demand. The price for Earthbound can be completely described by it.

More or less. It's simple because Earthbound is not deemed blackmarket contraband and also it's sale is not forcefully regulated. With things like that, it's buyers that determine prices. Collusion is out on it's face.

MyTurn obviously wants a copy of Earthbound, he just values what he can get with that expense in other things more. Either way, his desires are served more than they are frustrated.