Highest price EVER FOREVER for a videogame was paid today

[kattkatt]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3089373002&category=62053&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWA%3AIT&rd=1

Only $10000.

/C

[§ Gideon §]

I think there was a topic about this a while ago. Someone debated that $10,000 wouldn't be the highest price ever.

I'm glad I didn't win that auction!

[§ Gideon §]

The last one sold a few years back for $11,000US
Pssh. Duh. You're topic's a lie.

[Captain Wrong]

If the last one sold for $11,000 US how is this one the highest at "only" $10,000 US? Or is $10,000 just what eBay thinks this sold for and there was actually an under the table bid for more?

Just curious.

[kattkatt]

Pssh. Duh. You're topic's a lie.

Oh, I'm sorry didn't know. Well, second then :-)

/C

[Ascending Wordsmith]

For that much money, the buyer should ask for overnight express shipping.

....

Hell, for that much money the seller should ship it overnight express for free!

@_@

[Cmosfm]

Yeah, there was already a topic and discussion on this...

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32040

I still can't believe someone paid this much for it! O_O

[Oobgarm]

Who the hell is this guy (http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=jamesz28)? I posted about this fellow in the YMEI forum some time ago. He bids on a shit-ton of items, and pays for them all. We're talking some high-ticket items. Recently, he's been buying up a lot of DC stuff, but I've seen a lot of $500+ auctions won by this guy. Immediate Paypal payment of $10k, plus all of the other auctions?

WHO IS THIS GUY????

Anyone?

[kattkatt]

James Seeno from the US. My best customer....

/C

[WiseSalesman]

For that much money, the buyer should ask for overnight express shipping.

....

Hell, for that much money the seller should ship it overnight express for free!

@_@

For a $10,000 investment, I hope to hell he's going and picking it up personally.

[portnoyd]

The dude has been around the block and back. As long as I've been collecting, he's been on eBay. He's outbid me on some of the first things I bid on, on eBay. Watch out for the bankroll....

dave

[Shady Smurf]

Actually, this went for 11k awhile back

[D-Lite]

Well, it actually sold for $12,500

http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=87140&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

[MarioAllStar2600]

Who the hell is this guy (http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=jamesz28)? I posted about this fellow in the YMEI forum some time ago. He bids on a shit-ton of items, and pays for them all. We're talking some high-ticket items. Recently, he's been buying up a lot of DC stuff, but I've seen a lot of $500+ auctions won by this guy. Immediate Paypal payment of $10k, plus all of the other auctions?

WHO IS THIS GUY????

Anyone?

My hero *lets out sigh*

That is alot for one game, imagine having that much money to blow at one time. On a video game!!!!!!!!

[crashdummycow01]

man i wish i had alot of money so i could be a rich nerd like him and blow $10,000 on a game... i'm guessing this guy isnt in school anymore.. but i'm guessing he got his ass kicked alot in school... i can imagine it now...

hey guys... i just bought this cool video game for $10,000 on ebay..
*insert asskicking here*
wait i didnt finish..
*ass kicking stops*
its for the neo geo..
other kids: what the fuck is a neo geo *ass kicking starts again*

[rbudrick]

This guy would be a good interview, I'm sure...

If nothing else, his room of doom must really be something...

-Rob

[norkusa]

This confirms to me that Neo Geo collectors are the most hardcore lot of collectors out there. I used to think it was the PC Engine/TG-16 guys but after seeing this, the Neo Geo beats them by a mile IMO.

[Ed Oscuro]

Hardcore? How about idiotic? Euro Kizuna carts are the closest thing to a Van Gogh in the video game collecting world, make no mistake of that.

I'm absolutely positive that lots of games will be pulling in $10K years from now, but part of that will be as a result of inflation. Even without inflation, some games will eventually (eventually) be pulling that much (in today's prices, that is) just for the fact that all the collectors hold onto theirs and thus the number being sold back and forth will be a well known quantity. Games get opened, and some go bad after time (disks, EEPROMs and even discs can go bad quite easily). Just like the coin collecting world.

Coin collectors are smart(er) with their purchases, though, than the folks bidding individual Van Gogh paintings into dozens of $M. At least, they're less crazy about having "IT" than the Japanese businessmen who misused company funds or the Neo Geo fanatics. I see the price of the Kizuna carts staying stable unless one of the owners goes bankrupt and has to sell one off...but I don't see the price increasing anytime soon.

On the other hand, there's a good chance that the "high prices" of today will be spitting in the bucket compared to tomorrow's prices, when more folks like me and the sub-twenty folks get into classic gaming, view games as art, like to diversify their holdings or whatever. In fact I can guarantee that video game collecting will eventually mature like every other hobby and you'll get the folks who would be making 200K+ today spending good money on a few purchases every year. The video game collecting community will be able to maneuver around this sheer buying power for only so long.

My advice to the folks who have a lot of games now would have to be to consider both Christian Scott's and Club Ninja's approaches: Should money be spent and treasures kept, or should you keep your focus very narrow? Do you feel (as I do) that neither approach is irreconcilable with the other?

At the end of the day my answer to all of this will still be that one must remember many truly awesome things may be had and purchased off of a $6 wage (assuming you have your necessities taken care of beforehand) and you should -- if you ask me, must -- budget as if you have only $100 to spend each week. The European Kizuna Encounter cartridges are only this well known because they represent one extreme end of the collecting spectrum; they are not the ultimate goal of game collecting. I can think of many things that I would rather have instead of a Kizuna cartridge, and not for one moment will I be swayed by the myths and hysteria the braggarts in the Neo Geo collecting community have perpetuated.

What it boils down to is this: They're compensating, and we're all laughing. They can spend the money that will make my game collection worth more, and that can only make me happy.

[esquire]

I would have the game framed, like a priceless objet d'art or a platinum record.

[SoulBlazer]

WOW, $12,500 for a NEO-GEO game? O_O

That is just NUTS!

I wonder what the most expensive NON NEO-GEO game has gone for. Does anyone know? Would it be one of the gold NWC carts? Let's leave PC games out of this for the time being.

[D-Lite]

WOW, $12,500 for a NEO-GEO game? O_O

That is just NUTS!

I wonder what the most expensive NON NEO-GEO game has gone for. Does anyone know? Would it be one of the gold NWC carts? Let's leave PC games out of this for the time being.

You're surprised it's an NG game?

Many reasons that's not a surprise:
1. NG games start out much more expensive ($200-400 each new)
2. Smaller print run of all NG games
3. NG collectors are super obsessive

[Aswald]

Even if this was an April Fool's joke, and it was "only" $2000.00, that's still an insane amount of money.

Is the game any good, at least?

[SoulBlazer]

No, I'm NOT surprised that's a Neo-Geo game.

I'm just saying that's nuts to pay for any game REGARDLESS of what it is and what it's for. O_O

Christ, I went to college for two full YEARS for less money then that!

That's why I was asking what the highest NON Neo-Geo game has gone for.

[GaijinPunch]

man i wish i had alot of money so i could be a rich nerd like him and blow $10,000 on a game...

As opposed to being a poor nerd like the rest of us?

[badinsults]

Spending that much on a game... is stupid. I could likely get an entire collection of thousands of games for that much.

[Cmosfm]

It would be damn ironic if next week a shit load of them were found in a storage and the guy started selling them off on eBay at 100.00 a pop.

LOL

[SegaAges]

I am unsure whether that person made a good investment. Collecting is fun. I am a collector. It even gives you a sense of satisfaction when you complete something you are collecting (like for me, I have all the clayfighter games spanning all the systems it came out for, minus jap and pal carts).

Now NG collectors seem to spend a very high nickel for games. Is this guy going to even play this 10k game? If it were me, I would not for 1 minute do anything with it besides keep it well protected.

There is one problem with this scenario, video games are made and produced to be played. I own around 410 games (minus bootlegs), and have played every single game (I even own around 300-400 bootlegs and have even played those as well). What is the point of having a game you can't play. Think about it, what if he decides to play it, and accidently scratches the label a little when pulling the cart out (which could easily happen). Now he has crap. He has something that he paid 10k for that is not even worth that.

Me myself, I try to stay away from expensive games though I do have a few (none are even worth $100, I am talking Virtual Boy and maybe a random cart here or there). Why would somebody, even a collector, try to stay away from expensive games you may ask? For 10k, I could get pretty much the entire collection for a system (maybe minus a few, depending on how good of a shopper I am). I am talking about every single game for a system. I saw everything NTSC for Virtual Boy in mint condition go for 1200 off eBay. Granted, it is only 16 games, but even still. You can get Dreamcast games now for 1-5 if you know where to look. This is just an example: let's say that the cheapest you can get Dreamcast games for is 10 (which is about the same going price for complete N64 games as well as many other systems for complete games). Now the Dreamcast has about 300 games (give or take a few), which means (300x10)+1000=4000. You could have pretty much every single Dreamcast game and still have at least 6000 to still spend on games. I added another 1000 just for some games that may be more expensive, and I graciously added that much, even though it would be less. This is every single NTSC game. Now do the same for N64. I will do the same math as above (still adding in the extra 1000 for harder to find games), and you still have 2000 extra cash. This is only 2 systems, only 2, but this guy paid that much for 1 game. I did this whole part here just so people could see actually how much 10k really is. Many of you seem to think that 10k isn't much, but look at what I have above. Granted, having a complete collection of some systems may be way, way more than even 10k (like ps1 up until now, or nes, but I picked 2 that I have been looking into that I know just a little bit about).

Before you go and say that 10k isn't much, I think some of you NG collectors need to think of all the other things you could get for that money. I only spend 30-50 a month on games, but manage to still have a very fun time collecting. You don't need to spend upwards of over 200 per game for 1 system just to have fun collecting. Trust me. Go buy a 7k car, and spend 3k on games, and you will notice you have alot more fun.

Why did I say a car? Everybody knows that when you get a new car, you want to drive it around, hence, driving up your social life. Honestly, what would you rather do, sit around in your "room of doom" all by your lonesome trying to crack down on a high score, or invite some friends over for some 4-player Power Stone 2 battles or something (Power Stone 2 is a super awesome 4-player fighting game for Dreamcast for those that don't know).

I would say that 80-85% of my collection I bought retail, so I got no bargains, but this small bit of advise I am giving to some of you collectors, was actually given to me. I bought a '91 Eddie Bauer Edition Ford Explorer with Leather. I know it's not a Lexus or anything, but it makes you feel good to be able to show off things you buy with your money. Everybody knows that, even game collectors. I love to have people look at all my games, but when you do nothing but make money for the sole purpose of buying games, then it is safe to say you have no social life.

Please, do not get me wrong, I am not going down on anybody in here what-so-ever, please by all means, collect away. I do not want to sound like some schmuck saying don't collect, do something better, hell no I am not saying that at all. I collect every single chance I get. There is nothing wrong with collecting. All I am saying is watch what you do when you collect. I actually know another person in Omaha that has a smaller collection compared to mine, and he is the nicest person I have ever met. Collectors are awesome people to know and to have for connections if you are ever having trouble finding something. All I am doing is spreading some advise that I was given.

I see people spending 10k for games and it makes me sad. It makes me sad because I know for a fact that it would be very hard for a married man to spend that much on a game, do you honestly think his wife would let him? I know many married people, and actually the person I was talking about that is a collector is married. Being a collector is something you can hand down to your kids, hoping that they only up the collection 10 fold. Some of you have said that NG collectors are fanatics, and I think they have money they are spending that they should hold onto. I have already proven why it is good to hold onto your money, AND, I have also proven that if you are a straight up collector (which I take it 99% of everyone in this forum is), how you can spend your money more wisely on other games rather than just 1 10k game.

Collecting is fun, and awesome, but some people really need to just sit down and think before up and dropping 10k for 1 single game.

[kevincure]

Hey, I think it's pretty rad myself. This game really is the Holy Grail of vg collecting - right up there with Air Raid, Gold NWC and prototype systems. 12,500 is quite a bit - by my calculations, complete collections of PSX, DC and N64 *combined* would cost about the same - but if the guy has the money, why not? Congrats to him.

[swlovinist]

I think that many of us would fulfill our wildest dreams if we had money to burn........definately this guy has a ton, or he wouldnt be buying games like this. If money wasnt a question, wouldnt you buy up oober rares????? I am like many on this site that have a limited budget on gaming. If I had alot of money, then I would probably be doing what he does!

[kevincure]

SegaAges...I think the kind of guy that has 12k in immediately disposable cash will have women all over him! Actually, though, videogames are a cheap hobby even at the high end. Look at what people spend on art or classic cars. I collect old maps and atlases in addition to games; for a globe pre-1900, in any decent condition, you need to start at a thousand and it goes up from there. A good condition, large-size, rare 17th century world map can go for well about for the 12k that Kizuma Encounter went for. Also, many of us are not rich or are students, but twelve thousand isn't a huge amount when you're pulling in six figures a year.

[Ze_ro]

That is alot for one game, imagine having that much money to blow at one time. On a video game!!!!!!!!

Not to mention a game that is rather mediocre at best.

Actually, I'm rather glad that most of the super-rare, super-expensive games aren't usually very good. It saves me lots of money in the long run.

--Zero

[esquire]

I am not sure if anyone has brought this up, but how the hell do you insure a thing like that? For $10,000 or $12,500 or whater he paid, he sure as hell better insure that thing. That is if he can. Imagine his house catching on fire or being broken into and robbed. I am not even sure he could get it insured. How do you appraise it? There isn't really a market for it like say collectible baseball cards, coins or stamps. So how do they verify its value? I am sure he didn't get a receipt. Even if he did, what insurance company is going to insure it for actual cost value of the item?

[Daria]

He's probably the same freak that used to come into the gamestop where I worked and buy new XboX systems for all his friends... and stare my breasts. *shudders*

Seriously though that's a lot of money. I hope it was worth it to him.

I think the only game I'd pay insane amounts of money for is Dragon Hopper. Something about a virtual boy rpg/zelda clone appeals to me. But then it would become like the gem of my collection... and I'd still play it. Hell if you're going to own a game that virtually no one else in the world owns... you might as well try it out.
________
Chayenne99 (http://www.girlcamfriend.com/cam/Chayenne99/)

[charitycasegreg]

The seller states hed sell it for 11,250. The guy paid 12,500. I wonder if that means he paid 1,250 on shipping? Maybe he is flying to the persons house in australia to get the game.

[Oobgarm]

Please, do not get me wrong, I am not going down on anybody in here what-so-ever, please by all means, collect away.

Whew! Thank goodness for that! :P ^^;

I dunno, 10k seems like a lot to drop on a game, but if the guy's got the cash to burn, I'd say go for it. It's not bothering me in any way, as I do not have any intention on getting that game myself.

[anagrama]

I dunno, 10k seems like a lot to drop on a game, but if the guy's got the cash to burn, I'd say go for it. It's not bothering me in any way, as I do not have any intention on getting that game myself.

Exactly. It's hardly like he's going to be living on rice and water for a year to pay for it. Whoever the buyer is, it's pretty safe to say he can afford it. Let's say he earns 100 times as much as I do (which is far from inconceivable). In that case, it's the same (relatively speaking) as me spending $125 on a game. And he now has the most valuable videogame in the entire world.
Anyone moaning "That's crazy, how can he spend that much a a lump of plastic & silicon?" should calm their jealousy and shut up. Sure, a Mickey Mantle rookie card is "just a piece of cardboard". An original Shakespeare draft is "just a piece of paper" etc.

Let's face it, anyone collecting videogames is buying unnecessary luxury items just for the sake of having them. This is just on a different scale that few (if any) of us could match. All credit to him.

[§ Gideon §]

Spending that much on a game... is stupid.
No offense, but this is only true through the eyes of a poor man. I think "inconsiderate" is a better word, as there are more deserving causes than the meaningless pursuit of video games. But, then again, aren't we all?

[charitycasegreg]

i eamailed him.

Me: "I saw the 10,000 dollar game you bought. And some other high
priced items you buy. How do you afford all these games? I wish I had that kinda money so I could pick me up the nwc gold cartridge for nes!"

My responce "You just reminded me of another item I need. I need each of the 2 differant 1990 NWC carts also. Spending this much money on games sucks. I am not rich. I have to work at a job I hate and then work as many hours as possible, then I save most of it since I have no life, so I have a lot I can spend on games. Sometimes I wonder if it is worth it. The good thing, is they will only increase in value. If I get old and retire, and don't want my collection, I can retire on selling my games. So I still have all the money, it is just in game form. Most of these items will just go up in value. The hard thing is collecting for all systems. There seems to be unlimited items when you try to collect everything."

He says games will only go up in value. Yes, a lot will. But many wont. I bet within 10 years, most nes games wont be worth as much, besides the rare ones that is. That game he spent 10000 will probably be worth more.

[§ Gideon §]

Is that e-mail for real? How sad...

[Predatorxs]

@_@

For that much money, forget free over night shippingm, i want the guy to catch a flight with the game and hand deliver it to my door!! with a bottle of christal!!.. 2 hookers!... and have it all shown live around the world. and what happens with me and the hookers will be on the extra features of the worldwide release of the DVD... :-P

( The game would have it's own seat as well ;) )

Ok back on topic!!! whats with this game, the price etc etc etc, i demand answers and info (Please :embarrassed:)

[Parodius]

According to Shawn McCleskey who runs www.neo-geo.com:

As quoted from Edge Specials #10 Retro:

"There are only two copies in confirmed existence"

Apparently he offered a $200 reward for anyone that could prove that they own a PAL copy of Kizuna Encounter. Only one person has claimed it(at that time at least).

[drwily008]

I think it is a crazy price. There are games I would rather have...however I would buy something like that if I were in the position to do so. That's all there is to it...it might not be that game but, I would for something I truly wanted. Hell I paid $300 cash + $1100 worth of my collection for my Final Fantasy Orb and look at it all the time...(its just a round piece of crystal)...I dont even know how rare one of these is, but I HAD to have it.

[D-Lite]

The seller states hed sell it for 11,250. The guy paid 12,500. I wonder if that means he paid 1,250 on shipping? Maybe he is flying to the persons house in australia to get the game.

If you read the auction, you'd see that he would sell it for $11,250. He had two people offering at that amount and one of the 2 outbid the other (privately) at $12,500.

Also, if you check the AES price guide over at Neo-Geo.com, you'll note, that prior to this sale there were 3 confirmed copies in existence. One is Shawn's, one is FTL's (the other price guide maintainer, had it for year's), and the other is the one that bought one a couple years ago for $11k. This newest sale has been confirmed by both Shawn and FTL to be a true 4th copy of the game. Rumor is there are 2 other "confirmed" copies of it.

[anagrama]

Ok back on topic!!! whats with this game, the price etc etc etc, i demand answers and info (Please :embarrassed:)

It's valuable simply because so few exist. This new one was only the 4th (or 5th? The ng.com thread calls it that) 100% confirmed copy in existence, with another couple of possible sightings. The reasons for this scarcity have been extensively (and vigourously :) ) debated over at NeoGeo.com, but at the end of the day, no-one knows for sure (not even SNK, it would seem). The few that are known were found in Germany, Austria and Australia.
Couple this extreme rarity with the general Neo-collecting madness, and -ta-da! - $12000 worth of cart.

[AB Positive]

let it be said that if anyone gets this at a flea or a yard sale, that would warrant a 'find of the year' thread.


-AG

[charitycasegreg]

let it be said that if anyone gets this at a flea or a yard sale, that would warrant a 'find of the year' thread.


-AG

More like the video game find of the decade. Depending on how much it cost.

[anagrama]

let it be said that if anyone gets this at a flea or a yard sale, that would warrant a 'find of the year' thread.


-AG

More like the video game find of the decade. Depending on how much it cost.

He he, I can picture it now:

"Hmm, €20 you say? I'll give you €10 for it." "Nah?" *starts walking away*

LOL

[Ed Oscuro]

My [his] responce ... The good thing, is they will only increase in value. If I get old and retire, and don't want my collection, I can retire on selling my games. So I still have all the money, it is just in game form. Most of these items will just go up in value. The hard thing is collecting for all systems. There seems to be unlimited items when you try to collect everything."
I hope for his sake that the game goes up in value, but once again I think he's fighting economics.

$12,000+ is not a price arrived via any sort of sane process. It was simply a buying frenzy. It is possible that this game will be found in large quantities a while from now. It is possible that these games will change hands many times. People realize these games are a risky investment and so I believe prices will stay stable - but not necessarily return a profit. If the value was actually correct these games would likely go up in value over time and that pattern would hold consistently.

This one went for $10,000, but the previous one went for more. That is your first sign that the price does not have a realistic base. In a couple years will $12,000 be worth what it is now? Nope...you're playing a losing game with inflation. If you buy a game for $10 and sell it for $10 within six months, you've actually lost money.

It's sad that this email indicates the buyer has picked this game up in large part because he expects it to pay off well. Perhaps it will do better in the long run than gold, silver or some mutual funds, but the wait will be VERY long indeed for the reasons I've mentioned. It's very possible that within a decade or two the price will have been totally offset by inflation.

I'm sure that the money leaking out of peoples' pockets whenever they buy one of these cartridges will eventually find its way back into the economy where it rightfully should be, but I do have reservations about anybody spending over 1/10th of their yearly income (that assumes they make $100K a year, which very few people do!) and I doubt such financial decisions leading to them being very prosperous in the future if they do not grasp the basic realities of the market.

Some would laugh and say that it's great somebody else is making money for me by introducing hysteria into collecting (as I said earlier), but I do not want that to lead for a crash in market values even if it lets me pick up games on the cheap. I believe that it is necessary for us all to work together and help each other stay on a sound basis, just as it is true in the world economy. One man's loss may eventually become a source of woe for the winner as well when money goes towards foolish things that do not create manufacturing revenue, support investment, or bring real happiness.

[Predatorxs]

Thanks for the info i kinda got the gist of this games!! price tag through out the thread..

But now, on to the game it's self, is it any good, is there a mame or Neorage rom??

But any info about the actual game would be interesting! ;)

Ahhhhhh video games who'd collect them!! (Doooooooooh!!)

[D-Lite]

This one went for $10,000, but the previous one went for more. That is your first sign that the price does not have a realistic base.

I'll say it again, the game sold for $12,500. Also note that the condition of this was not as good as the last that sold for $11k. So, in fact the price is going up, considering the time period (beats inflation over the year+ since the last sale) and the condition. If a lot get discovered (not likely), then of course the price will dive, but don't count on it. Considering 2 of the 4 confirmed copies belong to people that will likely never sell it (Shawn, NG.com "owner", and FTL, keeper of the AES price guide), the price is bound to stay high since the confirmed copies will most likely not change hands often if at all. Consider also that even after the last cart sold at $11,000, there wasn't a single copy for sale until this one, more than a year later. That flies in the face of all the people thinking that the high price tag will bring out all the copies, with people looking to cash in. That is also a good indicator of the true rarity of this game.

[Nick Goracke]

I'll say it again, the game sold for $12,500.

I can't believe this game sold for $10,000!

A lot of people seem pretty down on this, but I like seeing these kinds of auctions. The more dedication to this hobby we all enjoy, the better. Be it collecting, hardcore gameplay feets, or simply meaningful discussions on games... it's all positive.

[charitycasegreg]

[quote=D-Lite]
I'll say it again, the game sold for $12,500.

I can't believe this game sold for $10,000!

quote]

Are you just saying that to irritate him? O_O

[mycarsucks]

aaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Charlie]

Crap, I only meant to bid $100.00

J/K.

... about it all for the feeble minded. It wasn't I.

[Ed Oscuro]

This one went for $10,000, but the previous one went for more. That is your first sign that the price does not have a realistic base.

I'll say it again, the game sold for $12,500. Also note that the condition of this was not as good as the last that sold for $11k. So, in fact the price is going up, considering the time period (beats inflation over the year+ since the last sale) and the condition.
Thanks for the correction! I'll keep that straight from now on. Now, in return:

Correction: The price has gone up and it will go up no more. This one sold for more just because somebody made a bad decision.


the price is bound to stay high since the confirmed copies will most likely not change hands often if at all.
It will stay high but not increase because demand is nonexistent at that price outside of a very small group of potential buyers. Such a group is not likely to drive up the price significantly over time, especially if they aren't selling (as you say).

[Nick Goracke]

Correction: The price has gone up and it will go up no more. This one sold for more just because somebody made a bad decision.

It will stay high but not increase because demand is nonexistent at that price outside of a very small group of potential buyers. Such a group is not likely to drive up the price significantly over time, especially if they aren't selling (as you say).

Somebody made a made decision -> Not based on anything in reality. Just your values (maybe more sane ;) ) vs. the buyer's.

Demand only exists within a group of hardcore collectors -> True for any high-dollar "collectable"

The group of collectors is not selling -> Less surface, people who want it have less chances to buy, people are willing to pay more to secure their copy.

[D-Lite]

The collectors' market is a funny thing. The only time prices on the high end drop is when supply surpasses demand. And this supply ain't gonna get much bigger.

Another great example, one where people TRIED to drive the price down, is Pocket Reversi (complete UK release) for the NGPC. People insisted that 1000's of this game exist and that the $300 tag would tumble once the first few sold since lots of people would try to cash in. Well, I'm still waiting to see that day, over a year after the big sales started. Turns out supply IS small and that if you truly want the complete UK collection you'll be shelling out the coin.

One comment about Kizuna AES. The rarity is now legendary. People will continue to pay the big money to be a part of the legend. The names of the owners are all known and to be a part of that tale is worth a premium to some people, no doubt. You can't underestimate the 15 minutes of fame.

[RetroYoungen]

Gee, I got into this hobby because it's relatively cheap. I don't even understand why some people will pay over $200 for sunglasses, let alone THOUSANDS on a single game. Maybe that's just my poor-guy mentality, which probably explains it.

If it's worth that much to him, that's his decision to make. Me, no way. But hey, I'm still saving up so that I can buy my first NeoGeo AES or CD system, so who am I to talk?