The Earthbound Inflation Thread

[FxMercenary]

Earthbound Earthbound up it goes, where it stops, nobody knows!

Its time to monitor the price of Silver, Gold, Oil and Earthbound.

Im picking 2 candidates off of ebay to monitor in the epic thread, a complete copy, and a loose copy, so here goes!!!!

CIB Great shape!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Super-Nintendo-SNES-Earthbound-CIB-/260775865024?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3cb773eac0
SOLD! $730.00

Loose, but Minty fresh!
http://cgi.ebay.com/EarthBound-SNES-Super-Nintendo-RPG-/160578231009?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item2563355ae1

SOLD! $113.27

Let the races begin! :popcorn:


Edit: For entertainment purposes, I have decided to throw in a complete in box chrono trigger auction! We all love chrono trigger, and its honestly a more popular and famous RPG
http://cgi.ebay.com/Chrono-Trigger-SNES-COMPLETE-CLEAN-video-game-maps-/280665401076?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item4158f626f4

SOLD! $122.50

[wingzrow]

God damn it, I want this game complete so bad but 500+$? I have a feeling this is going to be one of those games I'm going to regret not buying.

[InsaneDavid]

God damn it, I want this game complete so bad but 500+$? I have a feeling this is going to be one of those games I'm going to regret not buying.

Or one I'm going to regret selling so many loose copies for $30 - $60 over the years. Even then I was selling under the average here. I think my last complete copy I sold for $200 a few years back to a DP member.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

But that's just for the English version. Check the going rates for Mother 2! It's much much more reasonable. Maybe you guys should learn to read Japanese and enjoy the best of oldschool RPGs on the cheap ;)

[kupomogli]

:popcorn:

[Baloo]

$500? That's freaking preposterous. The game is difficult to find complete, but half a grand is a bit excessive. And over $100 for a loose cart? Come on, this game isn't THAT hard to find.

I wonder if Nintendo not planning to re-release it on VC or anything else is part of this price inflation?

[Eleuthria]

Sold a loose copy for $140 about 6 weeks ago, in relatively good condition. Sold another one in less than desirable condition (part of the board at the contacts was chipped) for $125 2 weeks ago. I was the cheapest Buy It Now Price both times for a loose copy.

[Blitzwing256]

glad I bought my copy for retail 59.99, only ever played through it once (never will again) been sitting collecting dust on my shelf for over 10+ years now ;-), might well be the most overrated game ever.

[Einzelherz]

Am I having Deja Vu or did we already have this thread this week?

[maxlords]

This is a logical extension....a way to keep constantly feeding the tensions of people that are bothered by this :D

I for one love it!

That being said...still sad I sold my complete one for $200...but it happens.

[portnoyd]

might well be the most overrated game ever.

This.

Demand is a scary beast, even if it's irrational demand.

[Bratwurst]

In ten years you will have to take out a mortgage on your house to buy a copy of Earthbound. The game will own YOU.

[Rickstilwell1]

I think I am going to boycott Earthbound. In Japan the game is the 2nd part of a 3 part series (so far). In the USA, it is a standalone game so it has no prequel or sequel here to make it all that more interesting. If you want it to be part of a trilogy the most accurate way to collect the series is then to go with the Japanese copies. I say the heck with the game, it's Dragon Ball GT Final Bout all over again. Remember when that game was like $100 for a USA copy? Now you can find it for like $4.

I'm just going to emulate Earthbound for free and leave the game for complete system set collectors because it's a standalone game unless you emulate translated roms anyway.

[super nes]

Time to make a profit selling my copy CHA-CHING!

[Goodwill Hunter]

Can't forget the full shelf of new Earthbounds being blown out by Best Buy when I bought mine for $10.00. Hindsight's 20/20, but I sure wish I would have bought more than one.

[calistarwind]

Can't forget the full shelf of new Earthbounds being blown out by Best Buy when I bought mine for $10.00. Hindsight's 20/20, but I sure wish I would have bought more than one.

I bought mine at the same time but grabbed the last copy they had. Now if only I would have had the hindsight to grab Panzer Dragoon Saga when it was available to me when I worked at EB.

[Steven]

Bought a complete copy last year (less than a year ago) for approx. $177 or so. Crazy how fast it's jumped. Thankful I got it last year and not still looking... whew... dodged a bullet there...

[Dr. Dib]

I say the heck with the game, it's Dragon Ball GT Final Bout all over again. Remember when that game was like $100 for a USA copy? Now you can find it for like $4.

Dragon Ball GT Final Bout is a little different. It's decline in price had to do with it eventually being rereleased years later to quell demand. Its because of this that the game is not really worth anything anymore.

The same thing can be said of any rare game that had a rerelease before. Chrono Trigger and Castlevania Symphony of the Night have both had their price value go down.

Earthbound is a special case of having high demand since its main character has been in all the Super Smash Bros. game despite being a pretty big unknown. I believe the last reason assumed for why the game hasn't been rerelesed in America is due to possible copyright issues with the allusions in the game and not having the clearance to change it.

[Leo_A]

I believe the last reason assumed for why the game hasn't been rerelesed in America is due to possible copyright issues with the allusions in the game and not having the clearance to change it.

They don't need anyone's permission to change anything in the game.

[fahlim003]

The same thing can be said of any rare game that had a rerelease before. Chrono Trigger and Castlevania Symphony of the Night have both had their price value go down.
I would argue that Chrono Trigger has not declined in price, rather held rather steady and only slowly increased to the extent it's not worth going up in arms about. I think it being re-released twice over now has simply made demand not spike. The prices loose Super carts goes for is about ~60% more expensive over a 6 year period - again it's up but not as drastically to cause a ruckus. The fact in many ways the Super version is still preferred lends itself to still being in demand.

[soloman]

Valkyrie Profile didn't see a drop either after the PSP version was released. If anything the more you talk about EarthBound the more the price increases because the demand skyrockets.

I sold a loose copy last week for $120 buy it now. It sold in 8 hours. A lot more people will buy it now if available so they don't have to wait the 3-5 days to out-proxy someone.

[DuckTalesNES]

I bought a loose copy from DP member "HappehLemons" 18 months ago for $60. That seemed really fair to me at the time. I can't believe a loose copy is going for twice that now.

[Mayhem]

Chrono Trigger looks like it might be coming to the Wii VC so that could stem its price.

[kupomogli]

Chrono Trigger looks like it might be coming to the Wii VC so that could stem its price.

and PSN. Hopefully without the load times for those that are interested.

You know. If Nintendo really wanted to make money off this they would manufacture new copies of Earthbound. No one has to know they're reprints when it comes directly from the source. Just make sure everything is identical. They'd make a ton selling them as like new condition under an Ebay account.

[Oldskool]

The game sucks. I don't know why it's even so popular and why it costs so much. I'd much rather play Chrono Trigger anyday.

[SpaceHarrier]

My only experience with Earthbound is a scratch-n-sniff-sticker in a game magazine I bought as a teen. It smelled like garbage, stale potpourri and pepperonis. It made me not want the game -- and I threw the magazine away. Amazing to see it soar ever upward in price. So now, as a collector, when you win this on ebay, do you celebrate? Or sulk?

[Oldskool]

Even as a collector I wouldn't want this game. Only reason why I'd ever get this game is to make money on it. Especially if it keeps getting inflated like it has.

[jonebone]

Why is this thread exclusively about Earthbound? Some of the other RPGs like Chrono Trigger and Ogre Battle have also trickled up in price either loose or as a CIB. Ogre Battle is a bit rarer than EB / CT, but I've seen it sell complete at damn near EVO prices, and EVO is much rarer.

The only thing that has gone down has been the sealed copies of CT. Those used to be $2k ungraded and raw, and now a VGA85 has problems selling at $1300-$1500, probably would auction closer to $1200. People are realizing that there's a bunch of guys sitting on multiple copies of that one sealed, and it's definitely not as rare as initially thought.

[exit]

Another Earthbound Inflation Thread

Fix'd

[Icarus Moonsight]

Can I deposit copies of Earthbound into an IRA?

Earthbound, it's a geeks store of value.

[pseudonym]

Forget Gold and Silver, Earthbound is where it's at.

[Dr. Dib]

They don't need anyone's permission to change anything in the game.

Guess I should've explained more. The supposed reasoning behind it is that Nintendo of America does not have Nintendo of Japan's permissions to change anything in the game

[fahlim003]

and PSN. Hopefully without the load times for those that are interested.
Interesting, PSN and VC. Although this hasn't happened yet so it's best to see what develops. Sorry to go OT but even though there are no cinematics and additional features like what is found on PS1 and DS, SNES is still the best version out there and that has meant it will and likely remain steady for a while to come.

[old_skoolin_jim]

Sold a loose copy for $140 about 6 weeks ago, in relatively good condition. Sold another one in less than desirable condition (part of the board at the contacts was chipped) for $125 2 weeks ago. I was the cheapest Buy It Now Price both times for a loose copy.

Seriously? I paid $5 for my loose copy at a flea market in western MA 3 years ago. I played through it again last summer (still an amazing game)... perhaps I should hop on the "eBay EB" train? I've got a baby on the way so it's highly doubtful I'd have spare time to give it another run-through...

[old_skoolin_jim]

My only experience with Earthbound is a scratch-n-sniff-sticker in a game magazine I bought as a teen. It smelled like garbage, stale potpourri and pepperonis. It made me not want the game -- and I threw the magazine away. Amazing to see it soar ever upward in price. So now, as a collector, when you win this on ebay, do you celebrate? Or sulk?

If memory serves me right, this ad goes for crazy money, too, as it only ran once (mine was in an old GamePro). I remember saving the ad because I thought it was cool, but I don't know if I still have it lurking anywhere or if it (very likely) got tossed anytime in the last 16 years.

[fahlim003]

Seriously? I paid $5 for my loose copy at a flea market in western MA 3 years ago. I played through it again last summer (still an amazing game)... perhaps I should hop on the "eBay EB" train? I've got a baby on the way so it's highly doubtful I'd have spare time to give it another run-through...
Or you could pass the buck and sell it privately for a fair and reasonable amount (wink wink). No matter, nobody would blame you for selling at market value when it's ape crazy at present - almost everyone else would do the same.

[Gameguy]

If memory serves me right, this ad goes for crazy money, too, as it only ran once (mine was in an old GamePro). I remember saving the ad because I thought it was cool, but I don't know if I still have it lurking anywhere or if it (very likely) got tossed anytime in the last 16 years.
Seriously? I passed on an Earthbound promo that sounds similar to that in an old gaming magazine I saw in a thrift store. I thought only the stuff that came with the game went for crazy money, not some ad/promo thing in a magazine. :(

Also still kicking myself for passing on a loose copy for $7.99 around 10 years ago, I didn't have a SNES at the time and never heard of it before. :frustrated:

[tom]

One of the worst RGPs ever too, but as someone here mentioned already, the worst games demand the highest $s, Air Raid and Stadium Events can confirm.

[Vlcice]

... SNES is still the best version out there and that has meant it will and likely remain steady for a while to come.

Makes me wonder actually, has anyone hacked the SNES script into the DS version? I'm kind of attached to Woolsey's script at this point, and I'd love to play the DS version using it.

[SparTonberry]

EB is one of my favorite games, but I am willing to see someone not liking EB, but I have a hard time seeing how anyone can say EB is among "the worst" games ever. Worse than the average LJN or THQ excrement?
Worse than Action 52? Caltron 6-in-1?

Might as well pick on another (so I hear) $100+ game: Family School (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPrnMqKqIRU). Boring, and I seriously doubt it would be any more fun if I could read the questions.
Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta: Hot Scramble: Final Version for Famicom. People detest the side-scrolling segment so much they'd rather pay the cost of 500 normal copies, for a version without it?
Well, at least it's a bigger difference than A TITLE VARIANT.

[portnoyd]

Worst, no. Overrated, absolutely.

[Vlcice]

It's kind of a relief to find out other people think that way. ;) I've seen such praise for the game everywhere I kind of thought I was the only person that didn't like it. (Wasn't horrible, the gameplay just didn't do it for me.)

[dra600n]

It's kind of a relief to find out other people think that way. ;) I've seen such praise for the game everywhere I kind of thought I was the only person that didn't like it. (Wasn't horrible, the gameplay just didn't do it for me.)

I think the problem is, is that so many people praised this game for all it's epic glory, that when those of us who haven't played finally got around to playing it, it wasn't what we were expecting. I also find this game mediocre and can't compare to the Secret of Mana, Breath of Fire, or Final Fantasy.

[crackdealer clawx]

I'm glad I got my copy for $30... I personally think it's a damn fine game but don't really care enough to argue with peoples over it.

Still ain't worth $449 bucks. I don't think any video game is worth that much.

[Kyle15]

It's kind of a relief to find out other people think that way. ;) I've seen such praise for the game everywhere I kind of thought I was the only person that didn't like it. (Wasn't horrible, the gameplay just didn't do it for me.)

That's how I feel about Final Fantasy VII. Strangely enough, I love Earthbound.
Its one of those games I heard was good and decided to try it myself. Only after finishing it did I discover people giving it insane praise.

[Zing]

Why is this thread exclusively about Earthbound? Some of the other RPGs like Chrono Trigger and Ogre Battle have also trickled up in price either loose or as a CIB.

Earthbound CIB has pretty much doubled in price over the past year.

For what it's worth, I have several hundred sitting in Paypal account waiting for a private Earthbound CIB seller. Any takers?

[jonebone]

Earthbound CIB has pretty much doubled in price over the past year.

For what it's worth, I have several hundred sitting in Paypal account waiting for a private Earthbound CIB seller. Any takers?

I got Ogre Battle at $70 for open auction last year, and have seen it break $215 at least twice. That's tripling.

And $300 to $450 isn't quite doubling, that's the same percentage hike from $80 to $120, which is approximately what Chrono Trigger has done.

[megasdkirby]

What would be wickedly awesome? If a huge amount of copies were to be found, dropping the price of the game HARD.

[goatdan]

I don't think I've jumped into an "OMG Earthbound prices!" thread yet, so here's a few cents for everyone...

First of all, even if this was released for the Virtual Console, it wouldn't mean that would necessarily keep the price at bay. I remember three or four years ago, someone at the Midwest Gaming Classic walking up to us and asking me (seriously too) if we would continue the show after all the vendors went out of business because of the Virtual Console and how you could get every game people had for way less money. I laughed and replied that we'd have to see what happened, but I was sure that it wouldn't completely make selling old games impossible. The guy laughed at me and said that I just thought that because I was a delusional vendor.

Four years later, I can't say that much has changed either from getting vendors to the MGC or the price for selling stuff. Yeah, once in a while the price of a game drops, but not too often. The collectible games are the games that fall into one of two categories, either:

1) It's the game that everyone had or rented and loved, and it keeps inflating in value slowly because people who own a SNES could give two craps about Madden 93, but they remmeber how fun Super Mario World was, so practically every SNES-owner who is out there with a console wants to have and keep a copy of Super Mario World.
2) It's a game that everyone talks about, and it keeps inflating because people want to check it out and show to friends. Earthbound definitely fits into this category.

Earthbound prices also benefit from the fact that Nintendo uses Ness in Smash Bros, keeping him top-of-mind, while also refusing to release anything. And, whether you like Earthbound or think it is the worst RPG ever (a claim I find hard for anyone to really make), it has a legend surrounding it that is undeniable.

It is my favorite RPG. I bought a copy about 15 years ago now for $6.99 at a rental shop, with crappy label and crappy box, but I wouldn't trade my copy for a perfect copy of the game. In fact, about 10 years ago a local store used to get them relatively often, and I picked up multiple copies of the game for $7.99 mint and full, and sold them on the GOAT Store for around $60. I can't say I really regret not holding onto them for 10 years, as you never know what the market will do, but I wish I could still find them for $7.99!

Earthbound is relatively unique in the terms of how it plays out as an RPG, and that does make it special for some people, like myself. I have never made it through a Final Fantasy (I've tried multiple times on 1 and 7 and get bored on them), I've made it through one Dragon Warrior, but Earthbound even back in the day had that 'it' factor that got me to finish it -- AS A RENTAL -- by staying up until all hours of the night playing it. I can't say I'd pay $500 for it, but I don't think that a VC release will do anything but continue to drive prices up.

[mobiusclimber]

I've actually seen quite a few game prices drop due to VC releases (amongst other things). Mostly it's been common games, tho still... Suikoden 2 used to sell for $200, not it's going for $100 (or less sometimes). Valkyrie Profile used to sell for $100, now goes for $50~60. Final Fantasy VII used to go for $80~100, now it sells for $40 if that. Castlevania SOTN, Final Fantasy Tactics, Star Ocean 2nd Story... this isn't even talking about really common stuff like the Donkey Kong Country trilogy or really pretty much ANY common game you can think of that people would want.

Part of it is the VC, part of it is the economy and part of it is that game collecting was starting to turn into the next card collecting (or comic collecting) for awhile. People would pay high prices to relive their childhoods and justify it by saying they could always resell for more than what they paid since prices were only going to keep going up.

I've been hearing it's cyclical and that N64 is the next system to jump in price, but beyond a couple of games, I haven't seen it. In fact, a few of the consistent high sellers have dropped in price (Ogre Battle 64, Harvest Moon 64) with really only Conker's going up. I can count on maybe both hands the number of games that have had price spikes or held onto their high prices, while I wouldn't even be able to list all of the ones that have had their prices fall.

As for Earthbound, if it came out on the VC then HELL YES the price for a cart only copy would plummet. I remember when the price was fairly low for one, and I'd imagine it would go back to being that price again. The CIB price likely wouldn't take a hit, or much of one anyway, since it's what you might call a "deluxe package." So if you have a cart only copy sitting around and you're thinking of selling it, do it now while the price is still high. I highly doubt Nintendo will keep Earthbound off the VC forever. It's just not as high a priority for them at the moment since it would require a few changes to be made and that costs money (and time, and time is money). Eventually, tho, they'll run out of games (that don't require changes) to release on the VC and get around to rolling out Earthbound (since they know they'll be able to charge a premium AND the demand is there for it).

[Gameguy]

Final Fantasy VII used to go for $80~100, now it sells for $40 if that.
More like $20, there's literally several copies listed on my local craigslist/Kijiji for $20-$30 for several days/weeks and they're still available. There's currently a couple of copies each with a system and a couple other games for $20-$25 and still nobody bought them after several days. These types of ads would have lasted maybe a day at the most back before the drop in value.

I actually got lucky and sold off my copies right before the prices dropped, a nice first for me as it's usually the other way around. :)

[nesgamer]

If you know how to read in Japanese, here you go. Hell a lot cheaper.

http://cgi.ebay.com/SNES-SFC-MOTHER-2-NINTENDO-EARTHBOUND-3-JAPAN-/250807134070?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a65452776

[Malon_Forever]

Panzer Dragoon Saga is more unreasonable.

[Tupin]

I really should play my copy of MOTHER 2, I tried it for a while but the amount of Japanese required is really high. Is there a translation guide?

[Baloo]

Panzer Dragoon Saga is more unreasonable.

I disagree. You can snag a complete copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga for about $200, and it's MUCH rarer and arguably much better as well. :| That's a $250 price difference. And yet it's more unreasonable?

I think not.

[Beefy Hits]

Traded $50 worth of games for this with a friend.

I agree that it's way overrated. I didn't even finish the game.

[jonebone]

Meh, it's only overrated because of all of the hype and price tag surrounding it. I had never played it until February 2009, and when I beat it, I definitely thought it was just a mediocre RPG too.

However, I'm sure if I played it as a kid, it would have had a greater impact and been much more appealing. The main character is a kid with his dog, you eat pizza, you save by calling mom, etc. Definitely an RPG that makes you feel "part of the game".... but no so much when you're an adult male picking it up for the first time.

And the final boss battle was probably the most disappointing moment in the game. Easy would be an understatement, it might as well just be a cut scene.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Yeah, I couldn't get into Lord of the Rings either, because I'm not a Halfling, Elf, Dwarf, Wizard or Ranger... :roll:

E.T. sucks too if you are not an alien.

[Kyle15]

You know what I learned from this? Publicly stating your opinion on Earthbound's quality doesn't get fans foaming at the mouth like rabid felines.

[Icarus Moonsight]

So, I take it that you actually did try your hand at herding cats? LOL

[Guru of Time and Space]

The thing about Earthbound is... it's definitely not for squares. It's got a very unique vibe, and if that's freaking you guys out, smoke a joint or something.

-GoTaS

[Kyle15]

So, I take it that you actually did try your hand at herding cats? LOL

Only once during low tide. That's a story I'd rather not tell....

[goatdan]

I've actually seen quite a few game prices drop due to VC releases (amongst other things). Mostly it's been common games, tho still... Suikoden 2 used to sell for $200, not it's going for $100 (or less sometimes). Valkyrie Profile used to sell for $100, now goes for $50~60. Final Fantasy VII used to go for $80~100, now it sells for $40 if that. Castlevania SOTN, Final Fantasy Tactics, Star Ocean 2nd Story... this isn't even talking about really common stuff like the Donkey Kong Country trilogy or really pretty much ANY common game you can think of that people would want.

Actually, I apologize, you're right -- I was referring (although I didn't type this) specifically to cartridge era titles. Using Donkey Kong Country as an example, I've sold it for the exact same price for the last 8 years on the GOAT Store, and whenever we get it we can never keep them in stock. In fact, both after the VC release as well as the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns, we had a surge in people asking about the titles in cartridge form.

For whatever reason, discs with the exception of titles that had some sort of special packaging, seem to drop a lot after a VC release, but I have never seen that same phenomena with cartridge titles, at least not on anything the GOAT Store stocks. Well, there might be one other reason for that, more on that in a bit...


Part of it is the VC, part of it is the economy and part of it is that game collecting was starting to turn into the next card collecting (or comic collecting) for awhile. People would pay high prices to relive their childhoods and justify it by saying they could always resell for more than what they paid since prices were only going to keep going up.

I've been hearing it's cyclical and that N64 is the next system to jump in price, but beyond a couple of games, I haven't seen it. In fact, a few of the consistent high sellers have dropped in price (Ogre Battle 64, Harvest Moon 64) with really only Conker's going up. I can count on maybe both hands the number of games that have had price spikes or held onto their high prices, while I wouldn't even be able to list all of the ones that have had their prices fall.

From my experiences, consoles follow a very specific trend where when they are discontinued, there is an instant drop in price as locations clearance off titles, you can find them in clearance bins and so on. People dump them at Goodwill because you can't get new games for them any more, and so on. This is almost always the low point of the console's value.

Approximately a year after the console is officially announced as discontinued, the market starts to stabilize as the games become harder and harder to find, and used places (especially GameStop) start dumping their copies too.

After that point in time, the games will have a period of generally two to four years while the market matures. During that time, the common but really popular non-sports titles tend to raise in value slowly before settling at a certain point, and a few games become known as being diamonds in the rough or 'must buys', and those titles start commanding an extreme price. Once this has occurred, the market remains pretty solid.

The things that play into that formula is if the console that is next in line is backwards compatible or not. If it is, the marketplace gets really screwy as we saw with the PS1 already, as people dump their system and a bump of their games, but they keep their favorites. This makes it appear as if those games are very rare, and they inflate in value like crazy. But, the people who keep those games generally are the people who aren't collectors, which means that now, when they move on to non-backwards compatible PS3s, they are dumping those games and flooding the market with them. I think that it's essentially delaying where the market should have ended up to begin with. In those cases, the VC releases are exacerbating the problem, as it reminds people who aren't collecting that they can dump those games now that the new one is out.

It's my theory at least. I have collected both the Dreamcast and Jaguar when they were in that 'death honeymoon' if you will, and assembled complete or nearly complete collections for pennies on the dollar. Both of those have raised in value significantly since then. The PS1 though never quite got that period, and it's still a wacky system to try to predict. It's actually specifically why we don't carry the PS1, PS2, any Game Boy or GameCube games -- Backwards compatibility makes the used market all screwy and nearly impossible to predict. It's way less risky to buy and sell SNES era titles than it is to do the same with PS1 titles that might suddenly get dumped on the market like we've seen.


As for Earthbound, if it came out on the VC then HELL YES the price for a cart only copy would plummet. I remember when the price was fairly low for one, and I'd imagine it would go back to being that price again. The CIB price likely wouldn't take a hit, or much of one anyway, since it's what you might call a "deluxe package." So if you have a cart only copy sitting around and you're thinking of selling it, do it now while the price is still high. I highly doubt Nintendo will keep Earthbound off the VC forever. It's just not as high a priority for them at the moment since it would require a few changes to be made and that costs money (and time, and time is money). Eventually, tho, they'll run out of games (that don't require changes) to release on the VC and get around to rolling out Earthbound (since they know they'll be able to charge a premium AND the demand is there for it).

I really don't think the original would drop in price much. Maybe a little, but the Chrono Trigger release on PS1, and DS, and Virtual Console, and whatever else they are redoing it for in the future hasn't really brought down the price of the original. And I think that Earthbound compares very much with CT as the genre, system and everything match...

[FxMercenary]

BUMP, the Complete copy is now at $630.00

[Ryaan1234]

BUMP, the Complete copy is now at $630.00
That now makes a complete copy of Earthbound worth more than a copy of Alice: An Interactive Museum. LOL

[understatement]

thought these

[pseudonym]

Shit, I remember when you could find a complete copy of this game for $200.

[Cornelius]

Shit, I remember when you could find a complete copy of this game for $200.

Wow, you must be an Elephant!

[pseudonym]

Wow, you must be an Elephant!

I know! It was just two years ago!

[Zing]

Final Fantasy VII was an odd one. It was going consistently for $20, then the movie came out. The price went way up and stayed there for whatever reason. It looks like complete, auction style copies are going for just under $30 now.

I had no idea Valkyrie Profile had lost half its value. I just bought it a little over a year ago for $80.

I sold my copy of the PC game Alice for $60 shortly after the movie came out. I wonder what its worth now? Before the movie, it was a $5 game if you were lucky.

[mobiusclimber]

Actually, I apologize, you're right -- I was referring (although I didn't type this) specifically to cartridge era titles. Using Donkey Kong Country as an example, I've sold it for the exact same price for the last 8 years on the GOAT Store, and whenever we get it we can never keep them in stock. In fact, both after the VC release as well as the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns, we had a surge in people asking about the titles in cartridge form.

[cut to stuff about Earthbound]

I really don't think the original would drop in price much. Maybe a little, but the Chrono Trigger release on PS1, and DS, and Virtual Console, and whatever else they are redoing it for in the future hasn't really brought down the price of the original. And I think that Earthbound compares very much with CT as the genre, system and everything match...

When I referred to the DKC series, I actually meant 2 and 3, which for awhile I could sell for $20 and as high as $30 for DKC3. Now I get $10 for the first one and, if I'm lucky, $15 apiece for 2 and 3. So yeah the price on the first one hasn't changed, but 2 and 3 I can't get as much for anymore. And I've seen this with a lot of the classic series that people really want. Castlevania, Contra, etc etc. They just don't sell for as much as they did a few years.

In regards to CT, I think its price is staying where it's at b/c it's not super expensive. Earthbound used to be the same or $10 less than CT, and they are both about the same as far as rarity goes. The only thing that pushed the price up on EB was a combination of Ness appearing in Smash Bros and the dawning realization that a VC port wasn't forthcoming. CTs price didn't drop because it was never inflated to begin with. RPGs with followings tend to hold their value pretty well. I've actually noticed some games have had their prices drop after a VC release only to go back to what it was before since its price was pretty much where it should be at in regards to rarity and desirability. I watched it happen with Secret of Mana, for instance. Some games haven't bounced back fully, like Super Mario RPG, and some have been released too many times to ever recover (like Final Fantasy "II" and "III").

I'm not arguing that video game collecting or even reselling is going to be or has been devastated by digital re-releases. But I do think the casual "collector," the kind of person with more money than patience, is mostly being satisfied by those re-releases and so some of the inflation in prices has disappeared. And I think quite a bit of the price of Earthbound is made up by those casual collectors who have to have the game whether its worth that $100 bid they just made or not.

[wingzrow]

That now makes a complete copy of Earthbound worth more than a copy of Alice: An Interactive Museum. LOL

Ouch, did we really have to go there?

[goatdan]

Wow, worthwhile conversation from an Earthbound thread, kudos ;)


When I referred to the DKC series, I actually meant 2 and 3, which for awhile I could sell for $20 and as high as $30 for DKC3. Now I get $10 for the first one and, if I'm lucky, $15 apiece for 2 and 3. So yeah the price on the first one hasn't changed, but 2 and 3 I can't get as much for anymore. And I've seen this with a lot of the classic series that people really want. Castlevania, Contra, etc etc. They just don't sell for as much as they did a few years.

Then maybe I was underpriced to begin with, but the GOAT Store has pretty much always had good labeled of these games for the following prices:

DKC - $14.99
DKC2 - $15.99
DKC3 - $19.99

I actually purposely bought a ton of these all recently because we sold out of the stock we had shortly after the release of DKCR, but DKC3 in particular (which, as an aside, I love the DKC series and 3 is by *far* the worst in my opinion) whenever we put it up for $19.99 or whatever sells within a couple days.

And, I'd also say that since the VC releases of these games, the price for the boxed versions has definitely inflated. Those I haven't had in a while, but I know I would revise up if I got them. And I think that is part of it, when you turn collectors onto something like that, they don't just want the cartridge, they want the whole package nice and mint to display. And that is the biggest thing that drives up the price of those types of packages...


In regards to CT, I think its price is staying where it's at b/c it's not super expensive. Earthbound used to be the same or $10 less than CT, and they are both about the same as far as rarity goes. The only thing that pushed the price up on EB was a combination of Ness appearing in Smash Bros and the dawning realization that a VC port wasn't forthcoming. CTs price didn't drop because it was never inflated to begin with. RPGs with followings tend to hold their value pretty well. I've actually noticed some games have had their prices drop after a VC release only to go back to what it was before since its price was pretty much where it should be at in regards to rarity and desirability. I watched it happen with Secret of Mana, for instance. Some games haven't bounced back fully, like Super Mario RPG, and some have been released too many times to ever recover (like Final Fantasy "II" and "III").

Well, but CTs price just by virtue of the fact that it is now SO readily available for other consoles should have affected it somewhat if it was to be effected.

I mean, the other thing that we've got at work here and should be at least thought about in this conversation is piracy. Now, I don't agree with piracy at all, but a lot of companies thought that it would be the downfall of their games. Why buy a real physical copy of CT (or Earthbound, or whatever) if you can play it on your PC, your iPhone, your PDA if you still have one, your PSP, etc. Well, piracy has affected the used game market almost nil, so if that was truly what was going on, we should have seen sinking prices for all this stuff.

To be completely upfront, I bought a PSP for Mother, Earthbound and Mother 3. Now, I own the Mother 3 Game Boy Micro package as well as literally every other Mother / Earthbound release ever (including the soundtracks and stuff), but I wanted to play them in an easier format. Having purchased a PSP literally just for this purpose in no way made me want to sell the games, in fact it got me to track down a copy of Mother 1 & 2 GBA too. Often, availability leads to further interest in the originals.

So anyway, yeah you do see *some* fluctuation with digital releases, but it is usually pretty minor, and depending on the title it can actually lead to an increase in price, like I noted on the boxed copies of games.


I'm not arguing that video game collecting or even reselling is going to be or has been devastated by digital re-releases. But I do think the casual "collector," the kind of person with more money than patience, is mostly being satisfied by those re-releases and so some of the inflation in prices has disappeared. And I think quite a bit of the price of Earthbound is made up by those casual collectors who have to have the game whether its worth that $100 bid they just made or not.

Well, here's the thing that I wonder about Earthbound. Panzer Dragoon Saga is a great example of this -- there are collectors who own the game and keep it, but the majority of people that seem to buy it seem to want it so they can play it and resell it. In fact, the last time that I had it in stock, I had people ask me if they could "rent" it from us for like $20 and return it. I think that the reason you're seeing so many Earthbounds on eBay and so on is that people are buying it not to keep it but to play it and then resell it. That is pretty common with casual "collectors" it seems.

Ultimately, no matter what, people have a limit as to what they are willing to pay for a game. For me, although I own a few games that are worth hundreds, I've never paid that much for a game. No matter what game, no matter how much I enjoy it, if I'm paying pinball machine prices for a cartridge or disc, I'm buying another pinball machine instead (if I can afford it at that time). Others will look at that and say they are paying the rent, or buying a new console, or going on a vacation or whatever. Some will find that $600+ copy of Earthbound worth it.

Finally, I think that Earthbound in some ways will remain a status symbol for collectors now. Not just is it a game that people have talked and talked and talked about, but it has a GIANT box that it came in. If you are putting together a SNES collection of RPGs and a buddy is coming over, they are going to see the Final Fantasy series, Sword of Mana, Chrono Trigger and so on, but what will stand out is the GIANT boxed copy of Earthbound that you have. It's different, it's a conversation starter, and for that alone it will be more of a status symbol for people. Since RPG collectors often very much so drive the market for collectible games, I fully believe that it will remain the SNES grail game because of that. It might be WAY more common than, say, Fun 'N Games, but unlike Fun 'N Games, this is a game people would actually play.

Cool conversation, good counterpoints by the way -- one can never tell exactly what is going to happen, I just have my hunches on this game :)

[HappehLemons]

I bought a loose copy from DP member "HappehLemons" 18 months ago for $60. That seemed really fair to me at the time. I can't believe a loose copy is going for twice that now.

Haha, I remember that. I knew it was really low but I simply wasn't playing it and wanted to give it to someone who possibly would at a decent price. I later got a boxed copy for some reason... I still have no idea why I own this game. Still never played it.

At least the price is DOUBLED since i got it. Really thinking of selling it at this point but I feel like I'll regret that.

[DuckTalesNES]

I still have it and its my pile of "to play" games :-)