Is it just me or have classic games prices skyrocketed?

[Bojay1997]

This is to the guy above me:
Support the genre? Its not a charity, buying used product only lines the pocket of the reseller. No one benefits from you going spend crazy amd buying up multiple copies of retro games.

And this is to no one specific:
And prices are up because gaming is a popular hobby and its no secret. Its not the eveeel hipsters, or the eveeel resellers, or any other convient scapegoat you care to direct your pointy fingers at. Its other collectors just like you, that want the same games you do.

Snes games are popular, so prices are high. But they're not unaffordable. I've said it before, but when a new game is $60 and plummets to half the value within a year, why wouldn't you pay $120 or so for Earthbound when the value is almost guarunteed to maintain?

So many people are eager to plop down $30-$40 on a new 3DS title but sneer at $20 for a popular yet common SNES game. If you actually ply with the toys you purchase the cost of admission isnt that steep. Please, I wish the worst of my financial worries was whether or not I overpaid for an SNES cartridge.

Incidently I still dont own Earthbound or Harvest Moon SNES. But Im not sweating it, either I'll eventually snag a great deal or Ill have the extra funds to treat myself to an "expensive" game. I collect for the long haul, not instant gratification.

Edit: And fuck it. If you honestly just want to play a game emulate the motherfucker. Who seriously gives a shit what anyone else thinks about it? And if for some insecure reason you do care then dont broadcast the fact you play roms.

And another thing. If you dont play roms, but you're seriously upset about the cost of popular retro RPGs then you're seriously missing out on so many amazing fan translated games. AND if you're not missing out because you buy reproduction games over emulation then you're a fucking hypocrite because a. Those games are way more expensive collectively then legit carts and b. that shit totally capitalizes on the hardwork of people that dont see a dime for their efforts.
End rant.

Agreed strongly. Yes, prices have gone up but it's no different than any other collectible hobby that becomes more popular. Should I have complained back when I was collecting comics in the 80s that I couldn't buy 1930s comics for pennies on the dollar? There was a time when SNES and NES games were dirt cheap. That time was the mid to late 90s. Prices go up over time as demand increases and supply becomes more scarce. Frankly, I'm just happy that there are so many ways to enjoy classic games today compared to what there were 10 or 20 years ago when it really was own the original or you can't play the game at all.

[Tanooki]

Umm virtual console/emulation on a console/handheld type stuff in a good many cases will suppress the values of an old game from increasing at all or at a slower pace, and in some cases it slices the value. SMRPG and Chrono Trigger given the subject material, who made them, being lower run late releases, and being SNES should be high but overall they're not -- they've been stuff onto at least virtual console stuff and also re-releases (same with FF2/3 SNES.) Those are some solid suppressed titles. But you also get where these download services slice the value such as FF7 pre to post PSN release CIB lost like 1/2 or more the value and Earthbound went from an easy $200 sell down to around $140 average.

I'm not sure where you're getting your info but those locals are probably trying to drum up sales from panicking fools who buy into their crap at the counter.

[wiggyx]

...Why wouldn't you pay $120 when the value is almost guarunteed to maintain?

Nothing could be further from the truth. The retro game market won't continue on as it is forever. All collectibles go through periods of value boom, and then eventually bust. Even your example has taken a significant downturn in the past 12 months. EB was going for around $200 loose, now not so much. Anyone buying these games as an "investment" may find themselves in for an unpleasant surprise later on.

[Daria]

Earthbound fluctuates, yes, but its stayed one of the pricier SNES titles for over a decade as far as I can tell. We can nit pick exact dollar amounts all day long but I'd wager the game will continue to be one of the more valuable titles as long as people are buying SNES carts.

Edit: I dont advocate playing the video game "stock market". In fact my point was illustrating the opposite. As much as people complain about retro prices they still for the majority purchase new releases. And I pointed out that as far as diminishing returns are concerned I'd be safer buying a copy of Earthbound than two (or even three) current gen titles.

[SparTonberry]

Early 2000s it was at most a $20-30 game. (that's about what I paid to get mine on a typical BIN listing)
Not as much as like FF2 and 3, SMRPG, Lufia II, Chrono Trigger. I think even Bust-A-Move used to be a more valuable game.
Around 2007 is when it became about $60 and quickly rising.

[Daria]

Early 2000s it was at most a $20-30 game. (that's about what I paid to get mine on a typical BIN listing)
Not as much as like FF2 and 3, SMRPG, Lufia II, Chrono Trigger. I think even Bust-A-Move used to be a more valuable game.
Around 2007 is when it became about $60 and quickly rising.

I don't remember FF2 and 3 being all that expensive honestly, but I probably just undervalue the shit I actually own. But I digress, point i, at the time, $30 for an SNES game was pricey. But that's sort of the whole point of this thread, the system is more expensive/valuable overall than it used to be.

[SparTonberry]

I think Chrono Trigger has always been at least about $50 loose.
I remember paying about $45 for FF3 loose at FuncoLand in like '98 and I don't think it's price has significantly changed much since.
(a ton for a kid but one of the few pricier games I can say I felt was worth it)

This was a few months after I got a CIB FF2 from them for about $50. Still have it though it's a bit stained since.
I want to guess that was a pretty good price, then or now.

[Bazoo]

I passed on $40 Chrono Trigger CIB in 2010 and my conscience has never let it go--I forget why I passed, maybe I was unclear that the game came with it, and the box was pretty messed up

I kind of think CT and earthbound will come down again. maybe not the rarest of the rare will be cheap ever again, but those will fluctuate. I also want to discuss how long these games will last exactly but maybe another time.

[Tanooki]

Historically CT out west retail up until greed set in maybe four years ago or so was a forty dollar cart, FF3 was nearly there and FF2 was like around twenty. For perspective those rates were flat back to the late nineties. And back around 2000 I got my first earthbound and it was in stunning CIB state for just twenty bucks, cart alone was like half that. People then knew what it was by you didn't have all the profiteering aholes screwing things up you do now. The spendy few then were usually true low produced stuff or late release and often in tandem they were the fun stuff like dragon warrior four.

[wiggyx]

Historically CT out west retail up until greed set in maybe four years ago or so was a forty dollar cart, FF3 was nearly there and FF2 was like around twenty. For perspective those rates were flat back to the late nineties. And back around 2000 I got my first earthbound and it was in stunning CIB state for just twenty bucks, cart alone was like half that. People then knew what it was by you didn't have all the profiteering aholes screwing things up you do now. The spendy few then were usually true low produced stuff or late release and often in tandem they were the fun stuff like dragon warrior four.

Nobody gave a flying fuck about EB until whatever Smash Bros game had that trophy or whatever that turned everyone on to it. I recall not being able to sell that game for $5 when I was working retail in the 90's. The only SNES stuff that stayed pricey back then were titles like FF2, FF3, CT, any of the MegaMan titles (Except soccer. Soccer was worthless. Absolutely worthless). Even RPGs like Lufia and Breath of Fire didn't have a big following back then and could usually be had for very little scratch.

[Tanooki]

Trust me I know, like I said I got it like brand new in the box (but used) for $20 and the cart alone was maybe half that. The only stuff people then cared about as perspective really is needed is that Square and Enix made good shit, and no one else did, or at least it was believed so by most, so yeah Lufia's, Breath of Fire's, and other decent stuff didn't command shit as a loose game and having the paper didn't add a heap. The same year~ I got Bubble Bobble 2 w/manual in a dust sleeve in the same store for $20. The most I paid was $30 for Dragon Warrior III and it had all the maps/manuals with it. Most stuff at retail were in $5 bins and you could trade two games and get one in return on like 90-95% of the stuff for the NES, GB and SNES. I've been at buying old games since 1995, it's also why I get shitty about people causing these price raising bullshit tactics since about 3 years back now as I've been set in my ways on what I could get out of a $20 bill, which isn't much anymore and it's nothing anyone has decided is cool or hipster fun to have.

[IrishNinja]

Even RPGs like Lufia and Breath of Fire didn't have a big following back then and could usually be had for very little scratch.

as a teen who was waiting for the price of Lufia II at EB to drop from its $70-80 tag - only to have it just go away - this would've killed me to know, heh. i just didn't hold out long enough.

[Gatucaman]

Trust me I know, like I said I got it like brand new in the box (but used) for $20 and the cart alone was maybe half that. The only stuff people then cared about as perspective really is needed is that Square and Enix made good shit, and no one else did, or at least it was believed so by most, so yeah Lufia's, Breath of Fire's, and other decent stuff didn't command shit as a loose game and having the paper didn't add a heap. The same year~ I got Bubble Bobble 2 w/manual in a dust sleeve in the same store for $20. The most I paid was $30 for Dragon Warrior III and it had all the maps/manuals with it. Most stuff at retail were in $5 bins and you could trade two games and get one in return on like 90-95% of the stuff for the NES, GB and SNES. I've been at buying old games since 1995, it's also why I get shitty about people causing these price raising bullshit tactics since about 3 years back now as I've been set in my ways on what I could get out of a $20 bill, which isn't much anymore and it's nothing anyone has decided is cool or hipster fun to have.

Imagine what is for me that i NEVER truly got into buying, not collecting, but buying old games with my own money until late 2007 when most games were still fairly priced here in mexico for not just common games, as a kid and teen, never bothered to actually bought stuff on flea markets during the early 2000s which was like the best time to buy games, oh boy, now i do solely regret that, and i feel sometimes depressed.

specially with the SNES inflation abuse done by the hipsters and the resellers, i bet most of us, the real gamers aren't buying retro games to just "collect", or for "nostalgia", we buy them because most of these old games, were good back then, are are still good today, and forever will be, just like good movies, it's not about relevancy, is about quality and replay value, maybe with some work and dedication i can still be able to complete my, again, not collection, but my library of NES games, and i definitively should go back to focus on Genesis while i can, but for SNES, it' seems to late.

I deeply regret it, and it's a dark time for real gamers who want to support the market legally by buying, not just collecting.

[Tanooki]

Well by 2007 let alone 2010 you still could get a fairly flat price going back a decade from there on what stuff cost so the deals were still solid. The problem kicked in around 2011 with the NES, it suddenly got cool to buy and abuse, not just play and you could see games within a 1-3month period of word getting around or what not just going through the roof. Sure even by 2007 there were a select few true hard to come by games hitting around $100 or a little over like Samson, but a lot of those expensive pains in the ass now (Mighty Final Fight, Zombie Nation, Duck Tales/Rescue Rangers 2, Gargoyle's Quest 2 and more) were just cheap. SNES didn't take off really for another year beyond that and the stuff that had been considered 'up' for years (Square RPGs, and some others) were already like $30-50 yet by the end of 2012 stuff like Wild Guns, Ninja Gaiden Trilogy, EVO, and others went from 40-50~ to over 100 and is spread like fire to more games. N64 as of last year started to get stupid on some games and it's slowly growing out too despite it's relative smaller interest base due to how stomped it was by PS1.

As is in the 90s to now when I get something, I get it primarily to play. I dont' buy it because it's got value under it. I've sadly had to buy stuff for value to flip to get what I want which I hate a lot, but when your hand is forced by greed you either feed into the shitty beast or quit. I don't care much about collecting, I have a collected and am a collector to a point due to what I buy since I keep it, but it's a side effect. I personally find more fun and charm in 8 and in particular 16bit games than much of what pops out now. It's not to say there aren't fine games I can get on my 3DS, PS3 and Wii U as there are, but they're for the most part entirely different styles of fun in their own right.

[Gatucaman]

Well by 2007 let alone 2010 you still could get a fairly flat price going back a decade from there on what stuff cost so the deals were still solid. The problem kicked in around 2011 with the NES, it suddenly got cool to buy and abuse, not just play and you could see games within a 1-3month period of word getting around or what not just going through the roof. Sure even by 2007 there were a select few true hard to come by games hitting around $100 or a little over like Samson, but a lot of those expensive pains in the ass now (Mighty Final Fight, Zombie Nation, Duck Tales/Rescue Rangers 2, Gargoyle's Quest 2 and more) were just cheap. SNES didn't take off really for another year beyond that and the stuff that had been considered 'up' for years (Square RPGs, and some others) were already like $30-50 yet by the end of 2012 stuff like Wild Guns, Ninja Gaiden Trilogy, EVO, and others went from 40-50~ to over 100 and is spread like fire to more games. N64 as of last year started to get stupid on some games and it's slowly growing out too despite it's relative smaller interest base due to how stomped it was by PS1.

As is in the 90s to now when I get something, I get it primarily to play. I dont' buy it because it's got value under it. I've sadly had to buy stuff for value to flip to get what I want which I hate a lot, but when your hand is forced by greed you either feed into the shitty beast or quit. I don't care much about collecting, I have a collected and am a collector to a point due to what I buy since I keep it, but it's a side effect. I personally find more fun and charm in 8 and in particular 16bit games than much of what pops out now. It's not to say there aren't fine games I can get on my 3DS, PS3 and Wii U as there are, but they're for the most part entirely different styles of fun in their own right.

Gargoyle's quest 2 Expensive too, well i saw and its around 60 USD on Ebay BIN, good luck i got my copy of the game used for 6 USD with a lady who has a very dirty place, unfortunately my copy might not last for long since it has those pieces of mud that were attached to the PCB golden plates, and if yo tried to remove it it leaves oxidation........................sigh.

What's worse is that i got a copy of Talespin for cheap (2 1/2 USD) but had the same problem!.

[Tanooki]

Gargoyle's Quest a year or two ago was hard to sell loose for $10-15. It shot up quite a bit given where it was and that's why I listed it.

[Gatucaman]

Gargoyle's Quest a year or two ago was hard to sell loose for $10-15. It shot up quite a bit given where it was and that's why I listed it.

If that wasn't bad enough, rockman X2 and specially rockman X3 aren't cheap anymore, i even saw BIN prices for X3 at 100 BUCKS the most expensive, with the cheapest being 40 USD excluding shipping, and some of the High Price BIN's claim to be from japan, but with all the scummy tactics that have been made "cool" on this damn website, i highly doubt that.

the only choose is to try and win a bid, but the most face palming fact is that most people go all hipster for those and bid High amounts just to keep it safe. WHY? people have no dignity?, specially compared to this

http://www.jauce.com/auction/u62831791

The last resort (and hope) would be those websites that allow you to bet on Yahoo auctions outside of Japan, but the one i visited (Jauce) Kicks you out if you don't have your pay-pal linked to a damn credit card. (sucks because as you can see in the link above, someone bought X2 for like 10 USD shipping excluded (shipping for Mexico would have been 12 USD but for those titles, wouldn't have been bad and they definitively include tracking).

I need those 2 games, they are the biggest goal right now.

[Tanooki]

Uhh what scummy tactics does this site promote? This is more of a gamers site, not a game collectors site where it's about bitching about overall quality and how much every piece of the puzzle (game, manual, box, inserts, posters, maps, little toys) will net you.

I don't remember ever seeing Megaman X3 being $40, not for a LONG time. X2 was around $40 maybe 18-24months ago and even then X3 was closer to $100 than that. MM7 was the last one to shoot up as it had been in the middle of those 2 values and now it's the most expensive which is sad.

I've never heard of jauce.com but seeing a 1000yen for an X2 cart is pretty nice. I miss the pre-greed days of around 3-4years ago and back.

I actually had X2 and X3 maybe a year or so ago. X2 I remember selling cheaper than the going rate, and X3 I basically cashed out with one person at a lower price just so I could swap it for MM7 as I hate to death the MMX games as there horrible design flaws(to me) with all the stupid parts, hearts and the rest as the game gimps you so bad it's not fun plus the stages are too easy while the bosses are not so I dislike the lack of balance.

[GhostDog]

Collecting classic games used to be fun but now everyone out there started researching prices on the internet, especially eBay and now the thrill of the hunt has been long gone and prices have gone up because people, probably new to the hobby, are willing to pay outrageous prices for things that were once dirt cheap everywhere else before eBay became mainstream.

[wayultratech]

Mega Man X2 and X3 seem to be pretty desirable nowadays, i think i copped my Rockman X3 cart while it was still fairly reasonable, about 2 years ago for maybe $40 plus shipping, back when there was a major difference in price between some SNES and SFC releases.

X2 i got the US cart with a somewhat ripped label from an ex-GF as a present. The above comments make me feel grateful for my "deals" and i play them more now because of it. Gotta appreciate the carts ya got!! the X series may be unbalanced, but i really enjoy it despite that hinderance.

[wayultratech]

Also, Ghostdog: definitely true!! maybe we're at a cusp where a whole generation has gotten an itch to play a nostalgic game no matter what price is being asked of them, and thus the going rate of said game increases. i realize this isn't new, but it is a new generation experiencing it.

[Bojay1997]

Collecting classic games used to be fun but now everyone out there started researching prices on the internet, especially eBay and now the thrill of the hunt has been long gone and prices have gone up because people, probably new to the hobby, are willing to pay outrageous prices for things that were once dirt cheap everywhere else before eBay became mainstream.

Your complaint is like 15 years too late. I've been collecting since the 80s and prices started going up on Ebay in the late 90s, just a few years after Ebay started up. People have also used Ebay as a guide to value for at least that long. Game collecting has just become more and more popular over time. Someday maybe it won't be anymore, but just like any popular hobby, prices go up as supply shrinks and demand increases.

[Tanooki]

It'll plateau and fall off some year. When the hipsters and tools who will pay whatever the price to enjoy these games, or games they hear are the hot shit to have being faux/legit rare and/or cool decide it's time to move onto their next device of pleasure the demand will to a notable amount drop as it will fall back to those who had been there before hand and those influenced by parents/relatives who were at it then who got a genuine interest. Every time something gets trendy all the kooks come out of the woodwork, and when something else gets their attention, like some brat not taking their ADD meds they'll be running off in no time for the next shiny object. Comics and sports cards got hit by this bullshit in the 90s, Pogs after that, beanie babies and the rest. Once something cracks where the fly by night fuckers bail, you're left with downward trending prices and legit interest remaining but don't be surprised if the value never falls to the mid 2000s level again.

[WCP]

Haven't SNES prices dropped a bit in the last 8 months or so ? I'm talking about loose carts. At least it seems like they've gone down. I had this nice, near-mint copy of Chrono Trigger, that I was trying to sell forever on Craigslist last year for about $70, and I just could never get any action from it. Finally, I lowered it to $59 and just sold it the other day. Still, I feel like I kinda gave the thing away at $59, because it was pretty freaking mint, but I didn't want to deal with the Ebay drama.

Still, I'm selling a number of various SNES games, and it seems like I have to keep lowering my prices over and over to sell them. Maybe I just started off with totally unrealistic prices.

[greedostick]

Earthbound fell a bit. I sell chrono triggers all the time on eBay loose for $94.95. But I put holders in them. But after fees the take home is only about $80.00. I really don't see prices dropping much for actual rare games. video games are completely different from pogs and baseball cards. Yeah, rare stuff like mickey mantle isn't going to drop, just like games like magical chase and stadium events will never drop much. All the crap will hit rock bottom, and all the good games will retain value. The difference between baseball cards and video games are games are interactive and can be used. That alone is reason enough I think they will always be desirable as long as there is working hardware. I guess what I am saying is that they really are not a fad.

[GhostDog]

Your complaint is like 15 years too late. I've been collecting since the 80s and prices started going up on Ebay in the late 90s, just a few years after Ebay started up. People have also used Ebay as a guide to value for at least that long. Game collecting has just become more and more popular over time. Someday maybe it won't be anymore, but just like any popular hobby, prices go up as supply shrinks and demand increases.

I don't think most people have used eBay as a guide since 1999 but that can also depend on the area and the venues that are selling these games. I don't think the average seller at the flea market or the public even used internet that much let alone check prices on some old video games back in 1999 or mid 2000s. I remember going to the flea market any given Saturday and finding different Nintendo games from different sellers for dirt cheap. I remember getting Contra in 2000 for $4 when the seller refused my bid for $3. I was only a 13 year old kid back in 2000 and I had an itch for classic games and was able to buy them for dirt cheap without any thoughts about how much they were worth or how much I could later sell them for. I just wanted to play these classic NES games and I was able to find them everywhere for cheap. I was even able to buy Castlevania III for NES from the pawn shop across the street from where I used to live for $3 in 2000 and they're the king of looking up prices and getting the most for their products. Then in the mid 2000s there was this chain of record stores in my area where they had NES, Genesis, SNES, PS1, Dreamcast, etc. games that were all priced similarly no matter the worth or quality of the game and I was able to buy all the best ones over the years until they caught on and other people caught on maybe in 2007 and the stock dried up.

[Bojay1997]

I don't think most people have used eBay as a guide since 1999 but that can also depend on the area and the venues that are selling these games. I don't think the average seller at the flea market or the public even used internet that much let alone check prices on some old video games back in 1999 or mid 2000s. I remember going to the flea market any given Saturday and finding different Nintendo games from different sellers for dirt cheap. I remember getting Contra in 2000 for $4 when the seller refused my bid for $3. I was only a 13 year old kid back in 2000 and I had an itch for classic games and was able to buy them for dirt cheap without any thoughts about how much they were worth or how much I could later sell them for. I just wanted to play these classic NES games and I was able to find them everywhere for cheap. I was even able to buy Castlevania III for NES from the pawn shop across the street from where I used to live for $3 in 2000 and they're the king of looking up prices and getting the most for their products. Then in the mid 2000s there was this chain of record stores in my area where they had NES, Genesis, SNES, PS1, Dreamcast, etc. games that were all priced similarly no matter the worth or quality of the game and I was able to buy all the best ones over the years until they caught on and other people caught on maybe in 2007 and the stock dried up.

Disagree. 1999 was really the turning point in my opinion on classic gaming resale on Ebay and its impact on local sellers. It's only gotten worse over time, but there were plenty of people with both home computers and Internet in 1999. In fact, the Internet was in over 40% of US households in 1999 and by 2000/2001, that was well over 50%. That doesn't even include other places people often had access like school and libraries. My point is simply that people complaining about higher prices today when more people are collecting than ever before is just silly. Prices have gone up since the early days of collecting and while there have been peaks and slight declines at times, the trend has generally been upward and with so many new collectors entering the arena in the past decade or so, it's absurd to think prices are going to stay low.

[Tanooki]

Disagree with you, agree with the other guy. I moved out of CA in Dec of 2002 and up to that point the values on the games were flat, not even inflation adjusted value flat, straight up flat. You had a few true post-next gen level games that weren't in the $5 bin that were like $10-50 bucks, but most stuff was just plain stupid cheap. When I first moved to KY in 03 it was the same at 2 styles of retail venues here, one ma n pa spot with some stores and the other being nationwide half price books, and both were dirt cheap, non-ebay hunting handling it like books, dvds and the rest paying pennies to the dollar and selling the stuff for not much of anything, again unless it was something truly rare or low print, but still a loose game was like $10-20 at the worst and boxed you'd get up near or at retail. I'd traveled back to CA a couple of times while in KY and it didn't inch at retail at all, then moved back there for 3 years due to some family issues and at first it was a little up for inflation but all in all most was still cheap and not 'let me check ebay' pricing either. The flea markets I could take a $20 bill to and come out with upwards of 8-10 NES games even when I knew on ebay some of it was $10-30 titles or more. Around mid-2011 is when it moved the needle and people started bringing smart phones or 3D tablets and pulling the ebay bullshit, and I'd just glare at them and walk away as I'd rather have an ebay guarantee of a return if it was broken and it got notably worse slowly by the month. When I moved back to KY almost a year and a half ago I found the local 2 chains of stores still priced stuff pretty well, it was under ebay by a good 25-33% or so, sometimes it was just clearance dumper pricing, but again the worst of it wouldn't top $50. About 6 months or so ago out here the ma n pa got within flat to 10% under ebay which disgusted me, and the half price books started using fucking amazon to OVERPRICE their shit over ebay by a good $5-10+ depending on the title.

That's my experience over a gap of 15~ years between two states living in each on that period about a equal amount of time back and forward. Shit didn't go bad until 2011-12 in CA and 2013 out here in KY when they caught up to the greed game. At this rate it's just straight up Nintendo stuff for 90% of it, the other 10% are legit cash cows for PS1/2, Dreamcast, Sega CD, and what not knowing they'll find a sucker. Outside of that all the stuff is still pretty amazingly low. This trend of rape and pillage on Nintendo cart based systems has me borderline pissed and depressed and for months now it has been making me mull over buying a Sega Genesis again and going that way because none of that stuff is expensive, stupid cheap if it's just a cart and CIB is still sub-retail of its day.

[Gatucaman]

Disagree with you, agree with the other guy. I moved out of CA in Dec of 2002 and up to that point the values on the games were flat, not even inflation adjusted value flat, straight up flat. You had a few true post-next gen level games that weren't in the $5 bin that were like $10-50 bucks, but most stuff was just plain stupid cheap. When I first moved to KY in 03 it was the same at 2 styles of retail venues here, one ma n pa spot with some stores and the other being nationwide half price books, and both were dirt cheap, non-ebay hunting handling it like books, dvds and the rest paying pennies to the dollar and selling the stuff for not much of anything, again unless it was something truly rare or low print, but still a loose game was like $10-20 at the worst and boxed you'd get up near or at retail. I'd traveled back to CA a couple of times while in KY and it didn't inch at retail at all, then moved back there for 3 years due to some family issues and at first it was a little up for inflation but all in all most was still cheap and not 'let me check ebay' pricing either. The flea markets I could take a $20 bill to and come out with upwards of 8-10 NES games even when I knew on ebay some of it was $10-30 titles or more. Around mid-2011 is when it moved the needle and people started bringing smart phones or 3D tablets and pulling the ebay bullshit, and I'd just glare at them and walk away as I'd rather have an ebay guarantee of a return if it was broken and it got notably worse slowly by the month. When I moved back to KY almost a year and a half ago I found the local 2 chains of stores still priced stuff pretty well, it was under ebay by a good 25-33% or so, sometimes it was just clearance dumper pricing, but again the worst of it wouldn't top $50. About 6 months or so ago out here the ma n pa got within flat to 10% under ebay which disgusted me, and the half price books started using fucking amazon to OVERPRICE their shit over ebay by a good $5-10+ depending on the title.

That's my experience over a gap of 15~ years between two states living in each on that period about a equal amount of time back and forward. Shit didn't go bad until 2011-12 in CA and 2013 out here in KY when they caught up to the greed game. At this rate it's just straight up Nintendo stuff for 90% of it, the other 10% are legit cash cows for PS1/2, Dreamcast, Sega CD, and what not knowing they'll find a sucker. Outside of that all the stuff is still pretty amazingly low. This trend of rape and pillage on Nintendo cart based systems has me borderline pissed and depressed and for months now it has been making me mull over buying a Sega Genesis again and going that way because none of that stuff is expensive, stupid cheap if it's just a cart and CIB is still sub-retail of its day.


rape and pillage?, but dude, is supposed to be Supply and Demaaaaand........Sarcasm......................... ..............ok the rape is a little too much.

[greedostick]

Games were super cheap in the late 90's too. I picked up magical chase with manual for $120.00 on eBay in 1999. Dynastic hero for less. The only really expensive turbo games then were Circus Lido and Darius Alpha. Back then Circus Lido was the rarest PC Engine game until rediscovered in bulk. I remember finding Little Sampsons and sealed Keio Flying Squadrons for literally under $5.00. The prices although I'm sure escelated with ebay, were the main doings of amazon.com and their inflated prices on games due to outrageous seller fees. That's why its near impossible to find good deals now, and why you can find the rarest games for nothing. Because they're not listed on amazon. And because non game saavy sellers resort to amazon for pricing. Every game store or flea market vendor I go to refuses to sell at eBay prices because they are more expensive on amazon. When I explain the fees involved on amazon they rarely lower their prices, even though I would pay them more than they would make after amazon fees. Games are not dropping unless hardware is non functional. Which will be way after we are all gone. And by then the way clone systems ate progressing its just a matter of time before we see clone duos, Sega CDs, Saturn's and so forth.

[Gatucaman]

Games were super cheap in the late 90's too. I picked up magical chase with manual for $120.00 on eBay in 1999.

Did you even read what you wrote?

[JSoup]

Did you even read what you wrote?

That game goes for over $350 loose these days, so what he paid was indeed cheap.

[GhostDog]

Disagree. 1999 was really the turning point in my opinion on classic gaming resale on Ebay and its impact on local sellers. It's only gotten worse over time, but there were plenty of people with both home computers and Internet in 1999. In fact, the Internet was in over 40% of US households in 1999 and by 2000/2001, that was well over 50%. That doesn't even include other places people often had access like school and libraries. My point is simply that people complaining about higher prices today when more people are collecting than ever before is just silly. Prices have gone up since the early days of collecting and while there have been peaks and slight declines at times, the trend has generally been upward and with so many new collectors entering the arena in the past decade or so, it's absurd to think prices are going to stay low.

I don't believe those numbers about the internet. First, the internet was horrible back in 1999 and computers were expensive. The places I had access to a computer and internet was school and even then all I went to check for is GameFAQS and never went on eBay to buy online. The internet was a strange concept for many people back then and I like many people just watched television as a source of entertainment because most people don't want to sit around and read on a slow internet connection. At least this was accurate about where I was from in Sacramento, CA. Paying for a computer and paying monthly for the internet back in those days was absurd for many people of humble means. Most people just went for cable and that's why I was lucky in some sense to go place to place and find cheap games for years from swap meets and local record stores. You'd think that at least the record store chain in my area would start scouting eBay for prices for their games, but nope. I think it was until 2009 or so that stock dried up and prices started getting higher but for years I was able to walk in and find a complete Genesis game or even cart only games for dirt cheap. I was blessed in that sense and took it for granted but it looks like not every city was like mine where there were a couple of gold mines like the local music store chain and the swap meet.

[Bojay1997]

I don't believe those numbers about the internet. First, the internet was horrible back in 1999 and computers were expensive. The places I had access to a computer and internet was school and even then all I went to check for is GameFAQS and never went on eBay to buy online. The internet was a strange concept for many people back then and I like many people just watched television as a source of entertainment because most people don't want to sit around and read on a slow internet connection. At least this was accurate about where I was from in Sacramento, CA. Paying for a computer and paying monthly for the internet back in those days was absurd for many people of humble means. Most people just went for cable and that's why I was lucky in some sense to go place to place and find cheap games for years from swap meets and local record stores. You'd think that at least the record store chain in my area would start scouting eBay for prices for their games, but nope. I think it was until 2009 or so that stock dried up and prices started getting higher but for years I was able to walk in and find a complete Genesis game or even cart only games for dirt cheap. I was blessed in that sense and took it for granted but it looks like not every city was like mine where there were a couple of gold mines like the local music store chain and the swap meet.

You can choose to believe what you want, but the numbers are accurate. Are you aware of something called "AOL"? It was $20 a month for unlimited dial-up starting in 1996. I know many people that had it, especially once major manufacturers like Dell and Gateway started putting 56K modems as stock in PCs. I can recall working on local political campaigns in 1996 and I know I built a couple of websites and they got a decent amount of traffic in the suburbs in Southern California, so people were clearly on the Internet back then. I don't know where your area is, but you are obviously in a time warp and in total denial about the history of classic game pricing.

[GhostDog]

You can choose to believe what you want, but the numbers are accurate. Are you aware of something called "AOL"? It was $20 a month for unlimited dial-up starting in 1996. I know many people that had it, especially once major manufacturers like Dell and Gateway started putting 56K modems as stock in PCs. I can recall working on local political campaigns in 1996 and I know I built a couple of websites and they got a decent amount of traffic in the suburbs in Southern California, so people were clearly on the Internet back then. I don't know where your area is, but you are obviously in a time warp and in total denial about the history of classic game pricing.

I was in Sacramento, CA when I started collecting games. I'm not in denial because these were my experiences. Video games were plentiful and dirt cheap and I could find many NES, Genesis, SNES, PS1 and Dreamcast games for dirt cheap since that's what interested me most. I managed to have a decent collection based on the availability and cheap prices for these games. It was maybe in 2004 that I really got hardcore about going to the flea market and a local music chain called Dimple Records that I was able to buy a bunch of different games for dirt cheap. I remember passing on so many goodies there because I figured I already bought enough stuff and I'm sure they will have other stuff next time that I'll be more interested in. Yes, the selection was that good that I completely took it for granted. Believe it or not, not all places were the same and not everyone was going on eBay and looking up prices for their games. Most people and places in my area that I managed to buy a ton of stuff just priced things to get rid of them and not to make a profit by trying to sell their stuff according to eBay pricing. I think many people can vouch with similar experiences.

[spman]

Prices were stable or even stagnant until just a few years ago. I sold a Little Samson in the latter half of 2010 and barely got $100 for it, now it's what, $400? More? The Taito games as a whole have gotten crazy, Jetsons went from $20 to $75 in the span of less than a year.

[Bojay1997]

Prices were stable or even stagnant until just a few years ago. I sold a Little Samson in the latter half of 2010 and barely got $100 for it, now it's what, $400? More? The Taito games as a whole have gotten crazy, Jetsons went from $20 to $75 in the span of less than a year.

Simply not true. Little Samson used to be a $5-$10 game in the 90s. Then it was a $20 game and a $50 game. It started to go up in value long before 2010. How do you think it hit $100 to begin with? Yes, there has been some significant NES and SNES inflation in the past few years, but this narrative you new collectors are trying to spin of endless cheap games that are all of a sudden crazy expensive is just not factual and I'm basing this on 25 years of collecting on every video game platform including the NES.

[JSoup]

It was maybe in 2004 that I really got hardcore about going to the flea market and a local music chain called Dimple Records that I was able to buy a bunch of different games for dirt cheap..

I call relative bullshit on that. Dimple has always been overpriced, that's how they've stayed in business as long as they have. They should have died out when their main source of income, promoting local bands, was shifted to the Sounds of Sac and the local art coalition.

I say relative bullshit as I'm not going to pretend they didn't/don't sell the odd retro game at a fair price, but the deals are few and far between.

[greedostick]

Simply not true. Little Samson used to be a $5-$10 game in the 90s. Then it was a $20 game and a $50 game. It started to go up in value long before 2010. How do you think it hit $100 to begin with? Yes, there has been some significant NES and SNES inflation in the past few years, but this narrative you new collectors are trying to spin of endless cheap games that are all of a sudden crazy expensive is just not factual and I'm basing this on 25 years of collecting on every video game platform including the NES.

I think its pretty safe to say prices have always gradually increased, but skyrocketed sometime after the release of the Wii Virtual console. My reason for believing this is that around 2006-7 my engine blew in my car. I sold a major portion of my collection to fix it. Over $4000.00 in games, from all platforms, Only to check around the time I initially posted this to see them in some instances multiply X20. Some examples... Some sad sad examples of my previous eBay sales and now going rates.

Magical Chase with manual, bought for $120.00, sold for $375.00, last one on eBay sold loose for exactly $2000.00

Dynastic Hero, paid less than $100.00. Sold for $675.00, last real auction, not BIN sold for almost $1500.00

We all know the NES, snes and such games that inflated 10 fold. But its not just Nintendo. Rare megadrive ports have. As has Samurai Showdown 5 Special on mvs and most AES games have doubled as well. Panzer dragoon saga, burning rangers, as well as shining force cd, popful mail, snatcher, keio flying squadron ate also games that have at least doubled.

We could all probably just agree collecting is ridiculous now. And probably is going to suck indefinitely. That's why I now collect 1-2 generations back and focus on one retro console and pick what I collect very carefully.

[GhostDog]

I call relative bullshit on that. Dimple has always been overpriced, that's how they've stayed in business as long as they have. They should have died out when their main source of income, promoting local bands, was shifted to the Sounds of Sac and the local art coalition.

I say relative bullshit as I'm not going to pretend they didn't/don't sell the odd retro game at a fair price, but the deals are few and far between.

I'm not talking about deals on everything else, only retro games and that was years ago, not recently. I was able to buy complete Genesis games there for $2 a piece years ago and they were always that price at every Dimple location. They had a decent selection if you went often enough. Also realize there were five different locations that I visited often in the greater Sacramento area. I remember they even opened one in Elk Grove where they had a decent selection of games and I was able to find some good stuff there too over time. I'm not claiming they always had good stuff but back in 2004 or so until maybe 2007 or 2008, I was able to find some good stuff here and there. This was years ago and in recent years they've had a horrible selection of retro games and mostly sports games since I figure many people have caught on in the area or the workers snap up the good stuff before it hits the shelf. However, I can assure you that this wasn't always the case. I was also able to find good stuff for cheap at Denio's Farmer's Market over the years but that was a while ago. Finding games at cheap prices in the Sacramento area on a regular basis had disappeared because everyone has since caught on or stock had dried up. Either way, I no longer collect and it was just a hobby of mine years ago and I had since sold off most of the stuff and haven't lived in Sacramento since last year.

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

It really depends on the console. The SMS is not too bad, most games will go for less then 20, or less then 10, PS1 and PS2 are great to collect for, as well as the PSP. I've been accumulating tonsa those games lately. U can find complete PS1 games for like 1/4th the price of a Saturn game. And theres a MILLION ps1 games. Which is why my Saturn, sadly, gets little attention, cuz those games are ridiculously priced. The worst for 5th gen, prolly.

Another great system to collect for right now is original Xbox. No one seems to ever care about these, and the most you'll spend on a game is maybe $30, top dollar, for Halo 2 or Conker's. I'm goin for a complete exclusive collection rite now, and it's a lot of fun. Let everyone else go insane with SNES and the Saturn RPG's that are like $300 a pop.

I have no problem with a price like 20 or $30 for a really great game, I love these consoles with expensive games, I just won't pay the prices some games are at on them. And for the most part, retro games are very cheap. I own over 100 NES games tho, and I've managed to get all of them for under 20 each. My most expensive is Mega Man 2. And I have many, many awesome games like Kirby and Metroid and Lifeforce, etc. U just gotta kno wat ur lookin for.

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

My biggest beef is with Saturn prices though. 20-30 is reasonable imo, for a really excellent game. But is there a single RPG on this system for less than $80??? It's ridiculous. Panzer Dragoon Saga sells for over $250 in box, Final Fantasy 7 sells for $35 complete blacklabel. Explain this. I can't find a single decent Saturn game complete in box for less then like $30. There's zero reason. It's ridiculous. Even the SNES isn't as bad as the Saturn.

Gamecube is also getting pricey, but I believe that's cuz it's Nintendo. Simple as that. Mario games all tend to retain their values, same with Zelda's. But even unknown titles on this system are still selling for like $60. Which is a little out of hand.

Like I said tho, 80% of the games on these systems are really very cheap, it's just a handful of games that are ridiculously priced. And every system has those games. Even the Xbox has like 1 game thats worth over 100. But u can still make a solid collection of games for just about any console, and not pay that much per game.

[GhostDog]

I agree that internet prices have been crazy and makes me glad I don't collect retro games anymore. I know this is a gaming collecting community but if I could give some advice to people is that you shouldn't spend all that time and money with games. Buying more and more games won't make you happier and you should really just stick with what you like most and not just buy for the sake of collecting. I remember having so many games but I would only play a handful of them on a regular basis. I mean, I personally enjoy just sitting back and watching Youtube videos of classic games and other people talking about games and looking through my old EGM and Gamepro magazines more than actually sitting down and playing a game in many cases.

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

I agree that internet prices have been crazy and makes me glad I don't collect retro games anymore. I know this is a gaming collecting community but if I could give some advice to people is that you shouldn't spend all that time and money with games. Buying more and more games won't make you happier and you should really just stick with what you like most and not just buy for the sake of collecting. I remember having so many games but I would only play a handful of them on a regular basis. I mean, I personally enjoy just sitting back and watching Youtube videos of classic games and other people talking about games and looking through my old EGM and Gamepro magazines more than actually sitting down and playing a game in many cases.

Yea, I'm totally different. I've always enjoyed collecting, I find it real fun, and I don't just sit on Ebay or Amazon with my debit card out, I go take trips to Goodwills and game shops, it's real fun. And I do play pretty much everything I pick up. I won't necessarily spend tonsa time with every game but I play almost everything I buy. Plus, in some ways it's an investment. I could sell off a lot of my stuff and get decent money back. My colecovision right now is worth more then a brand new PS3. I don't expect collecting games to bring me true happiness, obviously, but it's just fun. I don't take it too seriously, tho.

[SparTonberry]

But is there a single RPG on this system for less than $80???
Probably not then as Saturn sold poorly and RPGs weren't mainstream until FF7, and by they time anyone could release an RPG in great numbers the Saturn in response, the console was pretty much left for dead in America.

[bigbacon]

My biggest beef is with Saturn prices though. 20-30 is reasonable imo, for a really excellent game. But is there a single RPG on this system for less than $80??? It's ridiculous. Panzer Dragoon Saga sells for over $250 in box, Final Fantasy 7 sells for $35 complete blacklabel. Explain this. I can't find a single decent Saturn game complete in box for less then like $30. There's zero reason. It's ridiculous. Even the SNES isn't as bad as the Saturn.

Gamecube is also getting pricey, but I believe that's cuz it's Nintendo. Simple as that. Mario games all tend to retain their values, same with Zelda's. But even unknown titles on this system are still selling for like $60. Which is a little out of hand.

Like I said tho, 80% of the games on these systems are really very cheap, it's just a handful of games that are ridiculously priced. And every system has those games. Even the Xbox has like 1 game thats worth over 100. But u can still make a solid collection of games for just about any console, and not pay that much per game.

least in the USA, I put the Saturn along the likes of the TG16 or Jaguar. They didn't last long, they didnt sell well so there is less of the stuff here so it sells for silly prices.

[Tanooki]

You know I'm glad my list of must haves back into my hands from loss is just one cart, the paper and fluff is optional. The prices suck no doubt, but you know the thing is I find the hunting just fun as you never know what you'll dig up. The problem is even that got fairly ruined for me in the last year or so, but instead of souring to it I changed my feelings and tactics. I still get a bit depressed about it as I'd love to get some small finds with consistency like i used to, then accumulate what I need to finish that last game off but it is what it is. I now go in with lowered to no expectation at all so it doesn't get me down or pissed off about it, and I also have a secondary interest in antiques and in particular antique toys and in this neck of the woods unlike the west coast there's plenty and the prices aren't crap on the stuff. If I can't find a cheap flip game, maybe I'll find a new old toy to enjoy or sell if it's that cheap it's worth it. I've got around a dozen old toy items I'm procrastinating shoving on ebay at the moment, all cheapo stuff that's only up on NintendoAge right now below some games since I have a large established record there.