EBAY prices Down?

[bigfriendly1581]

It seems like prices for old carts are cheaper on EBAY lately.
Does anybody else think so? If so why? Maybe all the geezers at the fleas and thrifts will stop asking 5$ for mario/duck hunt.

[Simply Dave]

I've noticed that prices have come down a little bit. I've always believed that prices go up some in the winter and then go back down some into the spring and summer.

[Kejoriv]

Really? I havent noticed any price drops. And no, the geezers will continue selling Mario/ Duck Hunt for $5 cause they heard that video games are in demand.

[drewbrim]

it's pretty well documented that sales on ebay are at their lowest anywhere from february to may. Some say tax season, others say people paying down their bills from the holidays, and others just refer to the fact that more people are trying to get rid of stuff before the summer than purchase it.

So if your a buyer enjoy it while it lasts. If your a seller and can wait a month or two it would be in your best interest.

[MarioAllStar2600]

I have been noticing somewhat of a dryspell of rare games. Anyone else? Maybe people aren't sellign there games because prices are down. I keep searching atari 2600 only to find a whole bunch of big common lots. :/

[rick weis]

it's pretty well documented that sales on ebay are at their lowest anywhere from february to may. Some say tax season, others say people paying down their bills from the holidays, and others just refer to the fact that more people are trying to get rid of stuff before the summer than purchase it.

So if your a buyer enjoy it while it lasts. If your a seller and can wait a month or two it would be in your best interest.

you mean all of ebay selling as a whole? because for videogames i see prices rise a bit from mid february to mid april, and that's because of tax returns! as a seller, i love tax return time.
but near mid april you have the people that file their tax returns that have to pay the iRS and that lowers prices a bit... that's a good time to be a buyer!

as to not many UR games on ebay prices have been way down for over a year or so, i think that is the reason for that. i have one UR for sell but waiting for prices to climb back up. i might be waiting for a long time.

Rick

[NintendoMan]

I've noticed that prices have come down a little bit. I've always believed that prices go up some in the winter and then go back down some into the spring and summer.

That is exactly it. They are higher in winter and lower in the summer. Espcially on sealed stuff. I know this for a fact, as from me selling on ebay the past four years.

I have recently had a few auctions that should have went for more, but didn't, due to it being close to summer.

[-hellvin-]

I'm gonna have to totally disagree. This is in relation to sega items though. I never search ebay for anything otherwise. I kinda hate ebaying for genesis games because the lots are always full of the same old games I already have. Anything rare/non sonic or sports can sometimes go VERY high too. Saturn stuff seems really high as well, I haven't found anything good in a while.

[Dr. Morbis]

I think the prices for loose carts have gone down a bit. The gulf is widening between the cost for loose vs complete games, and it's only going to become more pronounced in the future.

[yok-dfa]

It also depends on which system you are talking about. I mainly collect for the older 8bit systems like Atari 2600, Videopac / Odyssey II, etc. My experiences are:

Videopac:
Prices have come down big time lately. Ultra-rare games that used to sell for > €300 two-three years ago now sell for a little more then €100. Not occasionally, but consistenly. When i started collectin 4 years ago, Neutron star (Videopac 55, rated ER) was hard to get and sold for around €40. Nowadays it goes for €5 or so... I guess that is because the amount of new collectors for the system is not growing (or at least smaller then the amount of people leaving the hobby) and also that the rise of the internet made it easier to get games from other countries. The market is just much bigger then it used to be. I am pretty sure the prices will only go lower in the future...

Atari 2600:
Same thing as the Videopac. Prices of most games have been going down (except for maybe the ultra rare stuff). A lot of people are leaving the hobby. Younger people have no experiences with Atari 2600, but with systems like the NES, so they start to collect for that.

In short, for the older systems i see the prices going down, and for the later systems the prices might go up in the future, but that is temporarily too. Eventually they will go down too.

[kainemaxwell]

Take advantag eof it while you can!

[Sylentwulf]

Ebay ALWAYS goes down in spring through summer. People tend to actually leave their houses instead of sitting there bored out of their mind staring at ebay

[yok-dfa]

Ebay ALWAYS goes down in spring through summer.

That's what i heard last year, and the year before. Everyone said that prices would go up in autumn, around X-mas, around spring etc. etc, only they didn't. Ofcourse there's always fluctuation in the prices since it's a free market, but compare the prices of games now with the prices of two years ago. Most games simply sell for less now... (not that that is necessary a bad thing )

[I Am Humanoid]

From past experience, I have found that the best time to buy is right after Christmas - right around New Years Eve or New Years Day is best - everybody is practically half dead or broke.

[Daft Punk]

Take advantag eof it while you can!

Thats what Im saying !


Ebay does alot better near the end of the year when it gets too cold to go outside and play you have to find somthing inside to do right! ? Of course most people dont think to read a book or anything like that anymore so they look for somthing to entertain them ie dvd and games .


So now would be the best time of the year to snag some good deals on there , and besides most of the people on ebay that sell the ultra rare games know what they got , and they wont sell them when the market is low if they know they can hold out another 6 months to make more off of them .

I sure know I wont sell anything on ebay if I cant make $ off it or make more on it at a certain time of the year.

[Reverend JagDiesel]

I agree with the "take advantage while you can" folks. 'Cause we all know prices will head north late summer/early fall in anticipation of the holidays.
For those looking for rares, check out www.shopgoodwill.com - their auctions go a little higher than eBay but you can usually find some goodies on there. That and the fact that the money to a good place...

[Steven]

eBay prices constantly fluculate (sp?) but it is also in my theory that spring/summer is low while winter gets hiked. That "holiday season" puts a lot of gamers in the mood to do some gaming. Right now the weather is too nice to always be on eBay. If you sell, wait til October or November. Don't sell in March.

Also, let me say from experience, the single people here are "most lucky" when it comes to buying games. Just a lot more free time. When I was with my GF for 7 months I still bought games but many times missed out on auctions because I took her out.

Being single is not the end of the world.

edit: You also have a heavier wallet! My God, so much extra $$ to spend on games instead of dinner/movies. I'm loving the single life for now. =)

[Iron Draggon]

Well the prices that people are willing to pay for grails & false grails has certainly dropped dramatically, and I really hope they never go up again! I may be able to get a few...