Retro Games rising in price. How much is too much?

[storino03]

Lunacy on Sega Saturn (Atlus title, adventure/FMV game). I paid $20-30 complete 1-1.5 years ago and now? It's $80+ on Ebay. It's so strange how this happens to random, obscure games. While others like

Panzer Dragoon Saga (paid $230 CIB and now into the $350-400 range),
Magic Knight Rayearth (paid under $30 CIB and now $200+) ,
Albert Odyssey (paid around $40 CIB and now ~$120)

...continue to climb! Even bad games become cult hits just because they.......are bad, and that justifies the price.

How much are you guys willing to spend on retro games, at present (and future) inflated prices? Is Ebay/Amazon to blame or is it that new/old gamers ARE willing to spend the money even if the prices are high and contributing to this trend?

It's like I have to update my notes on current game values (I keep a log) to see the trends in pricing every 1 year.


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Some interesting articles and a lot of people hoping that the bubble will burst with prices falling. Somehow I doubt that, especially for collectors of the physical breed.

1
Buying Back your Childhood: The Rising Cost of Retro Games
http://www.gizorama.com/2014/feature...of-retro-games

The long and short of it is this: demand for video games is going up, and as a result so are prices, especially now with the internet allowing us to more accurately chart and catalog a game’s rarity and average going rate. Sounds easy enough, but where is this demand coming from? The most likely culprit is that most dreaded and universal of human emotions: nostalgia, combined with a healthy dash of convenience.

Old games are simply getting more expensive due to popularity. --Source: 1

2
Retro Video Game Collecting an industry built on nostalgia but plagued by high prices?
http://business.financialpost.com/fp..._lsa=4832-b217

[JWiley_12]

It really depends on the game/situation.

E.g. if I need a single game to complete a set, I might pay more than I otherwise would, just to get it over with.

[Gypsy]

Yeah it's nuts right now. Just when you think something can't go up anymore it does.

[storino03]

Prices wouldn't go up if people aren't buying them (at those prices). Certainly a strange market.

[zborgerd]

I just spent $29 on a cart only game for Genesis (Castlevania Bloodlines), which I really never do. But only picked it up because I could offfset the shipping with a other Half.com games that were priced well from this seller. that really put it closer to $20 if I factor the other game's typical market value. All things considered, it is far less than the $40+ that others are asking. I am at a point where I am questioning buying Genesis games CiB if it means $50 or more. But I can always trade up when a good deal arrives and sell a loose game for the same price.

It's getting out of control but at the same time, the game was $50 new in 1994. By today's inflation standards, that would put it near $80 new. It's neither rare nor uncommon, but demand and the retro collecting / reseller trend has raised the price. I don't really feel too bad about paying slightly higher prices for some used retro games because many off them are still good and better than a lot of what's getting released today.

Only other game for Genesis that I picked up loose was PS IV, because I got it in a bulk buy with 10 games (others complete) for a *really* good price. I am probably going to make a few exceptions for a few games that only came in cardboard boxes. Some of those are getting expensive CiB right now.

[JJJJJS82]

I'm lucky in that I got most of what I wanted years ago before prices spiked. Right now it's an awful time to get into retro collecting because of the insane prices. It's also way harder to find stuff in thrift stores, and garage sales.

Most I've ever spent on a console game is $100 for Real Bout Fatal Fury on AES. More than $100 for a game isn't really worth it to me. If it's something like Don Quixote for the laseractive I'll make an exception but for games that had tens of thousands (or more!) copies printed that's my limit. I can't see myself getting more than 100 worth of enjoyment out of a game and I never sell games out of my collection so the monetary worth doesn't factor in.

[xelement5x]

In other news, water is wet.

I have my own beliefs that the new influx of collectors in the last 5 years or so has just exacerbated prices along with a couple other factors. Not much one can do except either sit out the market, save up to buy, or focus on trading instead.

But it boggles my mind that you can in almost any case buy a moderately valuable game, sit on it at 6 months, then sell it for a profit. There is clearly a bubble of some sort happening, but how it deflates will be interesting to see.

If it's something like Don Quixote for the laseractive I'll make an exception but for games that had tens of thousands (or more!) copies printed that's my limit. I can't see myself getting more than 100 worth of enjoyment out of a game and I never sell games out of my collection so the monetary worth doesn't factor in.

Props to you for a little LaserActive love, not a lot of us out here

[Gypsy]

In other news, water is wet.

I have my own beliefs that the new influx of collectors in the last 5 years or so has just exacerbated prices along with a couple other factors. 1Not much one can do except either sit out the market, save up to buy, or focus on trading instead.

2But it boggles my mind that you can in almost any case buy a moderately valuable game, sit on it at 6 months, then sell it for a profit. There is clearly a bubble of some sort happening, but how it deflates will be interesting to see.

Influx of collectors + shill listings/seller league of evil!!!!!11one

1. Or put in the work to get deals but I will admit that's more than some people are willing to do. I mean I woke up before 6am on Saturday, some people don't want to do that. Then there is building relationships with people in your area. Fellow collectors, people that for whatever reason sell a lot of video game stuff for cheap (as long as I'm not getting stolen vibes). For instance when I was more actively trawling CL I was in contact with a couple people that I bought stuff from pretty regularly. It got to the point where they knew I was reliable and had the money to buy so they would contact me first about stuff instead of making a listing. I'd do my best to try and buy everything within reason to keep the wheels greased there. Seemed to dry up for both, maybe the figured out Ebay idk. Also, it depends on how much competition for it is in your area. I pretty much know all the guys I am dealing with via networking on facebook and I've been collecting for a long time. I've known a couple of the current store owners since before they opened a store, which is also nice for me.

2. Yeah exactly. One has to wonder where it ends. I remember not grabbing some Mario Strikers copies for $7 each awhile back thinking that's what it's worth and I always see them. I see a posting on a facebook group which prompts me to check and apparently that sells for $25 routinely on Ebay now? Oh well, at least I'll keep that in mind for future sightings. And of course it's worse with more valuable games, I mentioned how I hated paying what I did for SFCD and Popful Mail but at various points in the last year they have been worth double what I paid. That's nuts.

@Klown: I'd say this thread is more of an active discussion about it than a mopey bitch fest of wah I can't get games for 50 cents a piece with minimal effort that much anymore. I think we've both seen enough of those threads to know. And I'd agree people paying that much for what amounts to an unofficial game is pretty silly. I don't even have interest in them tbqh. Even at the price they were being sold for initially.

[JWiley_12]

2. Yeah exactly. One has to wonder where it ends. I remember not grabbing some Mario Strikers copies for $7 each awhile back thinking that's what it's worth and I always see them. I see a posting on a facebook group which prompts me to check and apparently that sells for $25 routinely on Ebay now? Oh well, at least I'll keep that in mind for future sightings. And of course it's worse with more valuable games, I mentioned how I hated paying what I did for SFCD and Popful Mail but at various points in the last year they have been worth double what I paid. That's nuts.

I don't see it ending any time soon. Antiques don't get any cheaper either, and at this point many retro games and systems are 25+ yo. I know, they're consumer electronics, but still some of that stuff is pretty timeless imo.

[banditwolf]

As much as I want some older games I don't pick them up unless I see them in person and typically 'cheap'. Years back when I used to ebay I figured I'd end up getting screwed so I never went after games. (this was in days of yore when sellers could give buyers 'bad' ratings for no reason.
I still can't see many I'd be willing to pay even $80 for used. For now I'll wait and hope prices drop or I luck into a find like Gypsy got.