Author Topic: Game prices ranting thread 2019  (Read 1992 times)

Warmsignal

Game prices ranting thread 2019
« on: October 16, 2019, 07:54:35 pm »
I realize that complaining about the prices of games at this point is beating a dead horse. I'm sure we can all agree that prices have gotten out of hand long ago, but what astonishes me is that in 2019 they still continue to climb. I remember complaining when it seemed like every other game had reached a baseline price of $5. That was a long time ago.... then I remembering complaining that the base price had become more like $10. I thought that was absurd. I've kind of been out of the loop for a while on a lot of this stuff, and holy crap. $20 is the new low end price on most games? ****ing $20?! Of course the premium, more popular titles are more like $40.

Who is paying $20 per game these days? Are they insane? Of course I'm referring strictly to "retro" platforms, and primarily any given title that is not licensed shovel-ware and decent in game play. $20 seems to be the new go-to baseline price, at least online. That blows my mind. Prices are starting to rival that of recent and current releases. I've heard some around here suggest that prices were reaching a plateau, but I don't see it. If it is true, then it's an extremely recent change because 2019 prices make 2016 prices look cheap by comparison. I did a little bit of digging around and found a number of random titles with significant price spikes in this year alone.

Take for example, Top Gear Hyper-Bike. Probably the least known and least quality Top Gear game on the N64. It was always one of those bargain bin games with a price tag of next to nothing. Then over the summer of 2019, it's suddenly perceived to be a $25 game. This is by no means a unique case. Just an example of how prices are still arbitrarily inflating.

I'm lucky in the fact that my local retro store has a massive selection of stuff, and they haven't re-priced since 2015-2016 for the most part. It really gives you an idea of much things have changed since then. After having a heated debate over the quality of GBA on the forums last week which I still maintain is not a high quality platform, I decided to take a look at their GBA selection and wow. Compared to eBay, their GBA games are dirt cheap. I picked up $40 worth today and saved about $80 versus buying those on eBay. At present day prices I would not consider buying anything GBA, but for 2015/2016 prices I'll bite.

There has often been threads discussing how much is the most you would be willing to pay for a rare or expensive game, but the better question is what's the most you'd pay for a common game? For me, it's no where near $20, or even $15. I'm still expecting a price tag of $10 or less for most of the common or less popular titles. Seems that ship has sailed. The phrase rich man's hobby has been thrown around for years, but it's never been more true. For those just getting into the hobby now, it's probably better to just settle for just a select few games per system. I can't imagine that'd be much fun. I'd recommend an everdrive, virtual console or a modded console at this point. Prices are beyond absurd nowadays. Building a large game collection is out of the question unless you have tons of disposable income.

Feel free to rant or rave, or completely disagree and explain to me how these super high quality retro games are totally worth $20-40 a pop. How are you guys dealing with the terrible pricing in 2019, or are you mostly finished and no longer actively collecting? Of course, I should be finished by now myself, but I keep getting drawn back in and having my mind blown by the continued difficulty and absurdity of it all.

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2019, 11:15:55 pm »
At this point it really depends on the console and where you're looking for games. I buy most of my retro games off ebay now since nearly all the game stores, thrift stores, and other physical stores that carry retro games have all become significantly overpriced compared to ebay. I understand they need to increase their prices to keep the lights on, but at the same time, and as much as it pains me to say, they are operating on an outdated, antiquated business model of physical retail. I miss the days of physical retail being prominent and successful just as much as anyone else, but these companies seem to think that customer loyalty will keep people coming to their stores and over paying for their games. I know this exists to an extent, as well as people who don't know any better buying their overpriced games, but they are all operating on borrowed time currently. But anyhow they pretend that people can't easily go online and buy a game for $30 that they have priced at $45.


That addresses the where to buy, but now I want to talk about the current price trends among different retro consoles. I've noticed that the consoles that have long been the most popular to collect for have either plateaued in average price or even declined overall. Looking at the overall price trends of consoles like the NES, SNES, Dreamcast, Saturn, and several other consoles prove this. Looking deeper into what's causing these numbers, I've noticed that many of your more common, yet desirable titles have come down considerably in price since they peaked around 2016, while your rare games have either leveled off in price or continued to rise. Since those rare games make up the minority of titles of any given console they remain outliers while mostly everything else is dragging those average prices down or creating the plateau.


However certain consoles have been on the rise pricewise like the Genesis and its add ons, as well as the N64. I attribute these specific rises to two things. With the Genesis I think a lot of it is former NES and SNES hardcores not being content with getting most of the games they wanted for those two systems and needing to have more from the 16-bit era of games, so they've migrated to the Genesis to continue to get that fix. As for the N64 I think that age group that grew up with it whom were 5 to 13 when the N64 was released are now at that magical age where careers are happening, kids and other major financial obligations are not a factor yet, and disposable income is abundant. Also, nostalgia of their childhoods is strong and they are looking to recapture one last bit of it before they take the plunge into typical, boring adulthood. The same thing happened with the aforementioned 16-bit and 8-bit consoles several years earlier when people of that same age group, but during those generations of gaming, got the nostalgia itch and began causing demand and prices for NES, SNES, and Genesis games to skyrocket.


I still stand by what I've said for years now and think that this will all crash someday, not necessarily all at once, but gradually over time. People who are now kids or teens who never grew up with the NES or Saturn aren't going to give a shit about them once they reach their mid to late 20s; 99.9% of them have never owned or played these consoles, much less know what they even are (especially Sega consoles). Some of them might create a collecting boom for consoles like the 360 or PS4 someday, but I kind  of doubt that given how radically different the zeitgeist of purchasing and playing video games is compared to how it was 20 or 30 years ago. I think all of this will culminate in all retro games declining more and more in price as time goes on. The only ones that won't go down are your ultra rare games like Stadium Events or NWC since these games are so insanely rare there will always be way more people wanting them than copies available. However, I can honestly see games like Little Samson, Panzer Dragoon Saga, or Sculptor's Cut dropping 30-75% in price from their highs in 10-years from now. At that point some of the oldest people who grew up with the NES will be in their 50s, and will be more concerned with their kid's college tuition, retirement, and paying medical bills than with buying a copy of Hagane.


So in short, be patient. I think that for those of us who stick with the hobby long enough we will be rewarded someday and the stupid high prices we've been dealing with for the better part of this decade will be a distant memory. The last bastion of high prices might happen once Gen 6 collecting fully takes off, but in 10-years even that will be cheaper to collect for than it currently is. I guess only time will tell, but at least to me my prediction seems to make complete sense.
« Last Edit: October 16, 2019, 11:21:35 pm by bikingjahuty »

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2019, 12:06:49 am »
I hate how the primary modern gaming industry is headed, so I protest. which is why I say thank God for consoles with games built inside of them

I believe that the average price for the used most expensive console video games should be around $30 or less in my opinion.
 
Like I stated many times over and over, or at least thought I did, is this,


(My opinion)
We who sell things should not sell anything for more money than what the original buyer paid new. I am aware that even retro video games cost someone $60 to $80 USD or more a while back but, because we did not make them we should not be taking in profit for another pieces of work

It's ok to get some profit when selling them used but not $100's USD or more. That is just not fair in my opinion to the ones who made the game,
« Last Edit: October 17, 2019, 12:08:21 am by oldgamerz »
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sworddude

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2019, 05:12:51 am »
The only things that I've seen drop in price are nes and snes the popular games such as secret of mana the mario's especially super mario kart and zelda the mario bros games but not by a ton at least in europe. lose carts in general for these system overall a bit. cib sadly not really or increased.

if where talking about shovelware non playable titles for the more common retro systems yes they decreased in price but less people collecting that anyways there is no reason to go for those unless your a full set collector it plays like trash and it doesn't look good on the shelf there are almost no advantages of owning it.  more uncommon systems such as sega cd jaguar sega saturn shovel ware titles sell and have not gotten cheaper as the exception in europe.

retro consoles have all increased in price except for snes especially gba it's ridiculous. those kyogre and groudon gba sp consoles wich where only 30 - 50 lose a few years ago easily are going for 100+ you kidding me? very few on the market and the boxed stuff is nowhere to be found for that subset heck even normal gba sp consoles and gameboy classics have increased in price by a sizable chunk.

if your ignoring mario zelda games majority of the good stuff increased as far as europe goes. prices that where reasonable say gba castlevania's have doubled in prices over the years to b well over a 100$ as cib. even lose carts fetch a nice penny in europe. also I've seen tons of 30$ games increasing to 60$ or higher. games wich i have seen plenty of times even 1 - 2 year ago for the cheaper prices or bargains.

Most uncommon or rare good games have either increased or stayed in price. I'm not saying that the demand for these things has increased but rather that the new supply that comes into the market is getting less and less by the day.

However, I can honestly see games like Little Samson, Panzer Dragoon Saga, or Sculptor's Cut dropping 30-75% in price from their highs in 10-years from now. At that point some of the oldest people who grew up with the NES will be in their 50s, and will be more concerned with their kid's college tuition, retirement, and paying medical bills than with buying a copy of Hagane.



30% maybe but 75%, I can't imagine a collector who bought  the USA version of hagane for 1000+ $ to sell it for only 300$. they'd probably keep it than. the guy either has to die or has to have financial difficulties. deals exist for a reason but for it be the main stream price in the future it's going to be tough unless people who paid little for the game are willing to sell or new shipping boxes of the game are found. if it happens we probably not going to care about retro games anymore majority of us would be very old by than. 10 years seems pretty optimistic

i'm mostly done with collecting i have everything that i really wanted but i will admit if a collector has financial difficulties or just wants to get rid of retrogaming for good to forget about it you can get very cheap prices but those are more the exception than the rule and they apply for everything in life.


« Last Edit: October 17, 2019, 08:45:29 am by sworddude »
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kashell

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2019, 11:39:48 am »
Feel free to rant or rave, or completely disagree and explain to me how these super high quality retro games are totally worth $20-40 a pop. How are you guys dealing with the terrible pricing in 2019, or are you mostly finished and no longer actively collecting? Of course, I should be finished by now myself, but I keep getting drawn back in and having my mind blown by the continued difficulty and absurdity of it all.

I think that it's important to keep in mind that one person's 20 dollars will be different from the next. Person A will be thrilled to find something (not just a video game) for 20 bucks. Person B will be in your camp and find it overpriced. For gaming, my guess is that it depends on what they're looking to to do with the game. Do they want to play it? Do they want to just add it to the shelf? A bit of both? It's hard to say, but if it's something they really want then $20 would be a steal to that person.

My collecting habits have lessened because I have a crap ton I want to play, a crap ton I want to replay, and very little interest in anything new. I've said this in another topic, but I'll say it again: The next game on my radar that's set to release is the Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection. That's not out until January. With older stuff if there's a game that I really want, chances are I'll just buy it. Sure, I'll still want to find the best deal. That's just good business sense, haha. But, I just have to be in the mood to play it and have to understand that used games aren't going to be the same as used music, books, etc.

Warmsignal

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2019, 01:20:11 pm »
The only things that I've seen drop in price are nes and snes the popular games such as secret of mana the mario's especially super mario kart and zelda the mario bros games but not by a ton at least in europe. lose carts in general for these system overall a bit. cib sadly not really or increased.

if where talking about shovelware non playable titles for the more common retro systems yes they decreased in price but less people collecting that anyways there is no reason to go for those unless your a full set collector it plays like trash and it doesn't look good on the shelf there are almost no advantages of owning it.  more uncommon systems such as sega cd jaguar sega saturn shovel ware titles sell and have not gotten cheaper as the exception in europe.

I think that bikingjahuty is mostly correct as far as North America. If VGPC is to be trusted a source for info, NES, SNES, and PS1 have in fact reached a plateau after years of increases. However, N64, GameCube, Game Boy, GBA, Master System, Genesis, and Dreamcast have all seen significant increase in average price. I believe, as biking said, the majority of US collectors probably focused heavily on NES and SNES collecting for many years. Now that many of them have reached a plateau in their personal collections, they're looking to alternative platforms to continue collecting heavily.

I'd say this is probably the biggest factor in the increase, even over the theory of younger collectors getting into the hobby who focus their efforts on later consoles. It just seems fitting that those same NES/SNES fans would migrate to a platform like Genesis, or GameCube for that matter. In NA, the price of GC has skyrocketed while PS2 and original Xbox have seen tiny average increases. If it were due to younger collectors, those consoles would see significant increases as well and not just GameCube. PS1 would continue to increase, rather than just N64.

So in essence, this is the collecting migration effect. Ironic, because I'm somewhat guilty myself. I always focused my efforts across almost every mainstream platform but there were a few I did ignore quite a bit. In some cases it's too little too late for the cheap prices that were in abundance from years before, but not across the board. Only certain platforms. Others remain relatively cheap like PS2, Xbox, and Wii. Saturn has actually seen a decrease in averages. However, if you're like me and only just now diving into certain ignored platforms, that can be the source of frustration and feeling like the price creep is a perpetual issue. GBA is undergoing the sharpest increase yet and I don't expect it to cool off any time soon. DS is also feeling some of that volatility, and I expect average prices are about to skyrocket hence I have been scrambling to procure a lot of missing titles.

I feel that DS is surely the next big shift, as it was a criminally ignored platform back in it's day. Criticized for being under-powered and gimmicky - it will be all the rage soon among the demographic of collectors who initially ignored it.

Quote
if your ignoring mario zelda games majority of the good stuff increased as far as europe goes. prices that where reasonable say gba castlevania's have doubled in prices over the years to b well over a 100$ as cib. even lose carts fetch a nice penny in europe. also I've seen tons of 30$ games increasing to 60$ or higher. games wich i have seen plenty of times even 1 - 2 year ago for the cheaper prices or bargains.

I think the GBA Castlevania games here are $50 and $80 respectively. However, the DS ones have also increased tenfold in the past few years. I think Ecclesia goes for about $80-90. Castlevania is becoming somewhat like the Mega Man series in that all of it's titles are regarded as being worth a lot, despite being fairly abundant in quantity.


I think that it's important to keep in mind that one person's 20 dollars will be different from the next. Person A will be thrilled to find something (not just a video game) for 20 bucks. Person B will be in your camp and find it overpriced. For gaming, my guess is that it depends on what they're looking to to do with the game. Do they want to play it? Do they want to just add it to the shelf? A bit of both? It's hard to say, but if it's something they really want then $20 would be a steal to that person.

Very true. If I weren't a maniac, then $20 would be a reasonable price if I were picking up a game every now and then. But I'm a maniac, and I've always thought that I have pick everything that appeals to me all at once, or in rapid succession. I need to get it now, so I that I always have it later before I have to pay even more for it. So I'm used the the routine of picking up games quite frequently. At that rate for me $20 just isn't sustainable, it breaks the bank. Like spending $40 on five games that I wanted? That's okay. Spending $120 at once on those same ones? Nah, I can't justify that.

It's my own fault for wanting to approach this in the same manner that I did in 2009. $20 does go a long way if you're not a maniac like me.

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2019, 01:28:11 pm »

Who is paying $20 per game these days? Are they insane?

Most people here wipe their booty hole with 20 bucks.

NickAwesome

PRO Supporter

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2019, 01:42:19 pm »
The Portland Expo is this weekend and I'm excited to see what will be there, and more importantly what the prices will be like.  There are always the vendors that never actually want to sell their overpriced "rares" but for the ones that actually are in business, the pricing there usually is a reflection of the current health and demand of the retro market.  NES/SNES and PS1 to some extent are definitely in the decline/plateauing, but GEN, N64, Gamecube, Dreamcast, Saturn, DS, GBA and a few others I expect will be in high demand this weekend.  Not sure how many 3DO and Jaguar collectors we have here, but those systems libraries have been shooting up too.  It is just near impossible to find quality boxed 3DO and Jaguar games for a decent price right now.  I usually resort to buying from local collectors off Facebook.

And I pay based on what the current market says, and always in bundles or lots wherever possible.  If I get a double, flip it and make some money back.  I'm not a vendor, but I've already set up $500+ worth of trades and sales just from selling cheap doubles from my hunts.  If a game I want goes for $45 and is selling for $20, your damn right I'm paying $20 a game.  It's all relative.  Collecting is hard to do if you don't have money, but it's not impossible.  You just have to be more strategic these days. 

Warmsignal

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2019, 02:05:53 pm »

Who is paying $20 per game these days? Are they insane?

Most people here wipe their booty hole with 20 bucks.

I don't think that's true. A lot of collectors here still seem to be able to deal hunt with varying success. Others mostly pick up modern releases, or classic games at a more gradual pace. I don't really see much evidence of expensive games being raked in by the truckloads, minus of course the most prolific game collector of our time - theflea. Most game collectors aren't particularly wealthy, but we do budget a certain amount of our income towards the hobby. I'm currently spending about $100 - $150 per week on it (rough estimate), but that money is going a long way and I'm usually getting the best possible deal and getting quite a number of games to show for it. Even at that rate, I'm feeling the hurt financially. I don't like spending so much, but there isn't much else in the way of frivolous spending that I do.

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #9 on: October 17, 2019, 02:38:39 pm »
The only stuff I really see on the cheap is from the previous gen. Right now peeps are still blowing out their PS3 and 360 games to get a PS4, Switch or Xbox One. The same will happen when the next systems come out.
It’s been awhile, but I remember when the used game stores in my area would post on a dry erase board which games they aren’t currently accepting. Super Mario World, Super Metroid and A Link to the Past were always on it. Fast forward to PS1... FFVII, MK3, Crash Bandacoot.
Kinda the reason I like the Best Buy, Target and Walmart bargain section. New games for $10 or less at times? Yes please. RIP Toys R Us, KB, Comp USA, Circuit City, Good Guys etc.

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #10 on: October 17, 2019, 04:16:25 pm »

Who is paying $20 per game these days? Are they insane?

Most people here wipe their booty hole with 20 bucks.

I don't think that's true. A lot of collectors here still seem to be able to deal hunt with varying success. Others mostly pick up modern releases, or classic games at a more gradual pace. I don't really see much evidence of expensive games being raked in by the truckloads, minus of course the most prolific game collector of our time - theflea. Most game collectors aren't particularly wealthy, but we do budget a certain amount of our income towards the hobby. I'm currently spending about $100 - $150 per week on it (rough estimate), but that money is going a long way and I'm usually getting the best possible deal and getting quite a number of games to show for it. Even at that rate, I'm feeling the hurt financially. I don't like spending so much, but there isn't much else in the way of frivolous spending that I do.

From what I heard Australia is the one of the hardest/worst places to collect video games due to their local pricing and I'm guessing import costs?

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Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #11 on: October 17, 2019, 05:39:54 pm »
The store I frequent has raised the price about 5 to 10 dollars on games I used to get for 5 bucks. Seems the days of finding a 5 dollar nes game or 10 dollar snes game is over. Hell most gamecube and n64 commons are close to 20 or more! And genesis games have gone way up in my area to. Used to be I could find genesis games cib for 5 or 10 not anymore. Atleast my game store and I have a arangment the more I buy the bigger my discount. It's usually 70 to 80 off every 200 I Spend wich is awesome. Thay also let me have a Line of credit interest free I usually pay every 4 or 5 months. Thay don't even keep track of what I owe, I do I've built up a trusting relationship with them that I would never take advantage of. So I recommend finding a good store run buy good people this has helped me be able to keep my cost down and thier profits up everybodys happy. And hopefully this advice helps anyone reading this.

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #12 on: October 17, 2019, 07:15:49 pm »
The only things that I've seen drop in price are nes and snes the popular games such as secret of mana the mario's especially super mario kart and zelda the mario bros games but not by a ton at least in europe. lose carts in general for these system overall a bit. cib sadly not really or increased.

if where talking about shovelware non playable titles for the more common retro systems yes they decreased in price but less people collecting that anyways there is no reason to go for those unless your a full set collector it plays like trash and it doesn't look good on the shelf there are almost no advantages of owning it.  more uncommon systems such as sega cd jaguar sega saturn shovel ware titles sell and have not gotten cheaper as the exception in europe.

retro consoles have all increased in price except for snes especially gba it's ridiculous. those kyogre and groudon gba sp consoles wich where only 30 - 50 lose a few years ago easily are going for 100+ you kidding me? very few on the market and the boxed stuff is nowhere to be found for that subset heck even normal gba sp consoles and gameboy classics have increased in price by a sizable chunk.

if your ignoring mario zelda games majority of the good stuff increased as far as europe goes. prices that where reasonable say gba castlevania's have doubled in prices over the years to b well over a 100$ as cib. even lose carts fetch a nice penny in europe. also I've seen tons of 30$ games increasing to 60$ or higher. games wich i have seen plenty of times even 1 - 2 year ago for the cheaper prices or bargains.

Most uncommon or rare good games have either increased or stayed in price. I'm not saying that the demand for these things has increased but rather that the new supply that comes into the market is getting less and less by the day.

However, I can honestly see games like Little Samson, Panzer Dragoon Saga, or Sculptor's Cut dropping 30-75% in price from their highs in 10-years from now. At that point some of the oldest people who grew up with the NES will be in their 50s, and will be more concerned with their kid's college tuition, retirement, and paying medical bills than with buying a copy of Hagane.



30% maybe but 75%, I can't imagine a collector who bought  the USA version of hagane for 1000+ $ to sell it for only 300$. they'd probably keep it than. the guy either has to die or has to have financial difficulties. deals exist for a reason but for it be the main stream price in the future it's going to be tough unless people who paid little for the game are willing to sell or new shipping boxes of the game are found. if it happens we probably not going to care about retro games anymore majority of us would be very old by than. 10 years seems pretty optimistic

i'm mostly done with collecting i have everything that i really wanted but i will admit if a collector has financial difficulties or just wants to get rid of retrogaming for good to forget about it you can get very cheap prices but those are more the exception than the rule and they apply for everything in life.


People sell their games all the time regardless of what they paid for them, I've seen it over and over again since I got into collecting. I know a lot of people that dumped massive collections that were mostly acquired on ebay at used game stores for 50% under what they paid. On top of that people will always need money they don't have for something, this is especially true if they are in a rush. While there's the obvious time constraint like having an emergency come up, people get in a position where they really want to buy a house or car, or have a baby on the way. I doubt many people who bought Hagane for $1000 are going to say no to $300 10-years after they bought it originally. $300 is still $300 and that's a lot of money to pay for anything you might need or have coming up.

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #13 on: October 18, 2019, 05:25:23 am »
I thought you were talking about new games at first, I was confused because I think they've been 60 USD since I was a little kid.  Which is crazy because of inflation,  the value of the dollar going down and all the intangibles.  I find it admirable gaming companies have not jumped to 80 or tried doing anything like that.   I'm surprised.  :D


As for retro games.  It got out of hand lately.  Especially with gamecube and SNES.   Like...  heinously overpriced.  I don't know how much effect the Switch has played in it.   Because the Switch has the virtual console games and then they releases the SNES classic.  Idk if it made people want physical versions too?   


The most i'd pay for a common game is clearly 40 bucks because i've paid that for best selling gamecube titles before lol.   Like Luigi's mansion.   Smash Melee.   It's really shocking how high they've gone lol. 


if you mean more like  NES games like Top Gun or something.  I stick with 5 if I really want it.   I think a good 5 piece is universally fair for most random popular yet common NES and SNES games. :)



sworddude

Re: Game prices ranting thread 2019
« Reply #14 on: October 18, 2019, 06:26:02 am »
The only things that I've seen drop in price are nes and snes the popular games such as secret of mana the mario's especially super mario kart and zelda the mario bros games but not by a ton at least in europe. lose carts in general for these system overall a bit. cib sadly not really or increased.

if where talking about shovelware non playable titles for the more common retro systems yes they decreased in price but less people collecting that anyways there is no reason to go for those unless your a full set collector it plays like trash and it doesn't look good on the shelf there are almost no advantages of owning it.  more uncommon systems such as sega cd jaguar sega saturn shovel ware titles sell and have not gotten cheaper as the exception in europe.

retro consoles have all increased in price except for snes especially gba it's ridiculous. those kyogre and groudon gba sp consoles wich where only 30 - 50 lose a few years ago easily are going for 100+ you kidding me? very few on the market and the boxed stuff is nowhere to be found for that subset heck even normal gba sp consoles and gameboy classics have increased in price by a sizable chunk.

if your ignoring mario zelda games majority of the good stuff increased as far as europe goes. prices that where reasonable say gba castlevania's have doubled in prices over the years to b well over a 100$ as cib. even lose carts fetch a nice penny in europe. also I've seen tons of 30$ games increasing to 60$ or higher. games wich i have seen plenty of times even 1 - 2 year ago for the cheaper prices or bargains.

Most uncommon or rare good games have either increased or stayed in price. I'm not saying that the demand for these things has increased but rather that the new supply that comes into the market is getting less and less by the day.

However, I can honestly see games like Little Samson, Panzer Dragoon Saga, or Sculptor's Cut dropping 30-75% in price from their highs in 10-years from now. At that point some of the oldest people who grew up with the NES will be in their 50s, and will be more concerned with their kid's college tuition, retirement, and paying medical bills than with buying a copy of Hagane.



30% maybe but 75%, I can't imagine a collector who bought  the USA version of hagane for 1000+ $ to sell it for only 300$. they'd probably keep it than. the guy either has to die or has to have financial difficulties. deals exist for a reason but for it be the main stream price in the future it's going to be tough unless people who paid little for the game are willing to sell or new shipping boxes of the game are found. if it happens we probably not going to care about retro games anymore majority of us would be very old by than. 10 years seems pretty optimistic

i'm mostly done with collecting i have everything that i really wanted but i will admit if a collector has financial difficulties or just wants to get rid of retrogaming for good to forget about it you can get very cheap prices but those are more the exception than the rule and they apply for everything in life.


People sell their games all the time regardless of what they paid for them, I've seen it over and over again since I got into collecting. I know a lot of people that dumped massive collections that were mostly acquired on ebay at used game stores for 50% under what they paid. On top of that people will always need money they don't have for something, this is especially true if they are in a rush. While there's the obvious time constraint like having an emergency come up, people get in a position where they really want to buy a house or car, or have a baby on the way. I doubt many people who bought Hagane for $1000 are going to say no to $300 10-years after they bought it originally. $300 is still $300 and that's a lot of money to pay for anything you might need or have coming up.

such things happen i agree i made allot of crazy deals that way, non emergency stuff happens renovations, wanting to travel and especially the baby room is a common one. however the baby room is usually not for money but rather to make more  room (keep wife happy) since they don't have space to store the collection anymore.

However those sales do not affect the prices. usually bought up by dealers or some lose private sales to collectors such people prefer quick $ and that everything is bought. just because a panzer dragoon saga sells for 100$ there doesnt mean it will be the main stream price most people will never know about such sales aside from the few people who where there atm. those are more the exception than the rule.

it's most likely the main meat and potatoes for most dealers stores in the past to be honest. far fewer of such deals nowadays maybe they'll pop up again in more quantities way later on but i've seen way more of such deals in the past than nowadays in 2019. such deals seem to be really rare in 2019 and when you got such deal your scoring pretty big. Looking at the stock of many retro game stores atm I'm convinced that way fewer of such deals happened. one of the reasons why many retro stores closed down or only do it on the side since the supply is getting less and less.


I think the GBA Castlevania games here are $50 and $80 respectively. However, the DS ones have also increased tenfold in the past few years. I think Ecclesia goes for about $80-90. Castlevania is becoming somewhat like the Mega Man series in that all of it's titles are regarded as being worth a lot, despite being fairly abundant in quantity.

At present day prices I would not consider buying anything GBA, but for 2015/2016 prices I'll bite.


i agree with you the castlevania games are rather common megaman quantities in the USA. in europe they didnt sell to hot even the more common nes and snes versions. the gba versions are even less common than those. megaman 2 was rather common in europe but the castlevania games not that much wich as a result make way higher prices. the gba games are a tad more expensive especially cib as a result except for Castlevania: Circle of the Moon wich gameplay wise is considered allot worse than the other 2.

Order of eclessia I feel like that game never got a chance to get cheap in europe. it was released in 2008 and even in my early collecting days it was around 45$ as the normal price cib. it's risen to 80 100$ for an english boxed copy and a bit less for other languages and even back in the day you could get over 100$ for a factory sealed copy. It never got below the original price as a used game unless your finding it in a deal compared to the other ds releases wich where below 20$ as their low points.

as far as gba prices go. I've got to say if your willing to spend 2015 2016 prices. gba was not cheap back than it's already pretty pricy at those years. even as far back as 2010 the popular games such as fire emblem where around 50$ overpriced stores even in those early days pushed it at 60 - 70 cib and metroid fusion in europe aswell. ironicly metroid fusion finally recovered it's original value in 2019 of 40 - 50$ compared to 2010 since years back  a guy found 500 factory sealed copies of metroid fusion and sold them for 25$ a pop if that didnt happen it would probably be 90 100$ just like metroid zero mission or maybe even more since it had more value than zero mission at the time at least in europe that is. gba deals even cib where however very abundant in them early days so it was kinda suprising that there where so many buyers for the higher prices.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2019, 07:38:58 am by sworddude »
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