Retro game prices out of control?

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Christopher
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PostRetro game prices out of control?
by Christopher » Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:31 am

Over the last few years retro game prices have really gotten out of hand, a recent example has to be this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Primal-Rage-Sega-Mega-Drive-32X-Sealed-/161429342892?ssPageName=ADME:SS:SS:GB:1120 utterly terrible game yet commands a huge price.

A year ago the terrible Game Gear game Power Drive went for over a grand http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350820868610?clk_rvr_id=700395258674

I've even been to car boot sales recently where someone was selling a boxed NES for £80, saying to me "well it's retro and rare".

A couple more examples:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PS1-PSX-Super-Pang-Collection-PAL-BRAND-NEW-FACTORY-SEALED-/261596652089?pt=UK_PC_Video_Games_Video_Games_JS&hash=item3ce8602239
&
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brand-New-Factory-Sealed-Super-Mario-All-Stars-SNES-PAL-Super-Nintendo-allstars-/191326646506?pt=UK_PC_Video_Games_Video_Games_JS&hash=item2c8bf4f0ea

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TheTurnipKing
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by TheTurnipKing » Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:42 am

There's been a very deliberate drive to spike the prices of retro-gaming items.

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Jazzem
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Jazzem » Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:46 am

It's sadly why I've slowed down collecting considerably, it's gotten too much...I'm happy for the moment just to get my fix off emulators or Virtual Console.

Shame, I remember the excitement of frequenting Gamestation back in 2002 to pick up Mega Drive and SNES games!

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Alpha eX
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Alpha eX » Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:46 am

There's a huge difference between being put on eBay at high prices to actually selling at those prices. I doubt anyone will pay that.

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Christopher
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Christopher » Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:49 am

[iup=3571085]Alpha eX[/iup] wrote:There's a huge difference between being put on eBay at high prices to actually selling at those prices. I doubt anyone will pay that.


Collector's are pushing the prices up as they are willing to pay those prices, it's crazy really.

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plasticcoated
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by plasticcoated » Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:54 am

Things are only worth what people are willing to pay.

:msgreen:
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TheTurnipKing
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by TheTurnipKing » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:09 am

I'm not even sure it's collectors so much as scalpers.

Dangeous market to play that game in though, since the value of any release is going to drop dramatically with virtual console reissues.

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Trelliz
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Trelliz » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:09 am

This is why i'm glad things like emulation and digital distribution exist - more people can actually play the game and avoiding such artificially hiked prices.

jawa2 wrote:Tl;dr Trelliz isn't a miserable git; he's right.
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Christopher
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Christopher » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:10 am

[iup=3571123]TheTurnipKing[/iup] wrote:I'm not even sure it's collectors so much as scalpers.

Dangeous market to play that game in though, since the value of any release is going to drop dramatically with virtual console reissues.


Mega Man X2 is on VC and the cart alone goes for over £100. Castlevania Symphony of the Night used to be around £50 to pick up until it was released on PSN, now it regularly sells for double that.

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TheTurnipKing
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by TheTurnipKing » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:11 am

[iup=3571124]Trelliz[/iup] wrote:This is why i'm glad things like emulation and digital distribution exist - more people can actually play the game and avoiding such artificially hiked prices.

Of course, the collorary to that is that emulation becomes equated with fraud by people trying to scalp their old games.

It'll surprise me greatly if we don't see another emulation is piracy push soon.

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Wedgie
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Wedgie » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:20 am

Imagine buying that gooseberry fool for £2,300.

Opening it up. Money already gone out of the window.

Put it in the 32X.

It... doesn't... work.

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Shadow
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Shadow » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:27 am

I have a sealed copy of Mario All Stars, bought it from Gamestation a couple of years back for £20. 8-)

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Pedz
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Pedz » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:32 am

suzzopher wrote:
[iup=3571123]TheTurnipKing[/iup] wrote:I'm not even sure it's collectors so much as scalpers.

Dangeous market to play that game in though, since the value of any release is going to drop dramatically with virtual console reissues.


Mega Man X2 is on VC and the cart alone goes for over £100. Castlevania Symphony of the Night used to be around £50 to pick up until it was released on PSN, now it regularly sells for double that.


Wait, why are they selling for more? You'd think they'd be cheaper.

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Christopher
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Christopher » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:34 am

[iup=3571145]Pedz[/iup] wrote:
suzzopher wrote:
[iup=3571123]TheTurnipKing[/iup] wrote:I'm not even sure it's collectors so much as scalpers.

Dangeous market to play that game in though, since the value of any release is going to drop dramatically with virtual console reissues.


Mega Man X2 is on VC and the cart alone goes for over £100. Castlevania Symphony of the Night used to be around £50 to pick up until it was released on PSN, now it regularly sells for double that.


Wait, why are they selling for more?


You tell me Peter, you tell me.

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Rog
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Rog » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:37 am

I'm all against piracy of games but if it isn't easily available at a decent price then emulate it. Mario All Stars is older than most of the people here so it should be available for them to play to see the history.

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Trelliz
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Trelliz » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:37 am

[iup=3571145]Pedz[/iup] wrote:
suzzopher wrote:
[iup=3571123]TheTurnipKing[/iup] wrote:I'm not even sure it's collectors so much as scalpers.

Dangeous market to play that game in though, since the value of any release is going to drop dramatically with virtual console reissues.


Mega Man X2 is on VC and the cart alone goes for over £100. Castlevania Symphony of the Night used to be around £50 to pick up until it was released on PSN, now it regularly sells for double that.


Wait, why are they selling for more? You'd think they'd be cheaper.


I think there is an important difference between how much it's selling for and how much people are trying to sell it for. I guess part of it is some sort of retro hipster premium - "you could download it, or have the original genuine game, which will make you the envy of your friends and get you laid" etc, that sort of smacks of desperation to sell something that is actually irrelevant given the ubiquity of digitial distribution options.

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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Herdanos » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:37 am

If ridiculous pricing is a virus, then retro video games are the optimum environment for that virus to thrive.

No other form of consumable entertainment re-formats itself with the same regularity as gaming.

Plus the old boxes used to be cardboard, meaning their survival chances were far lower (thus increasing the rarity of those that did manage to last unscathed).

Moral of the story: never throw away your boxes :(

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Dig Dug
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Dig Dug » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:49 am

I've been moaning about this for a long time but I've just accepted it in the end. Some people do take the piss with these prices and it has been the biggest obstacle in me buying back my favourite games from my old collecting days. The worst part is though is as the buy it now prices become higher and more dumb the auctions will keep going up because £60 for Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance in auction still seems like a steal compared to the £110 buy it now people are charging.

It's quite telling that I thought £35 for a roughed up, boxed conkers bad fur day was a tad too high back in 2007, in the year 2014 that boxed copy would sell for £100+ easy.

You have to play it pretty damn smart with your game collecting now days, seeing cheap prices on japanese games is almost enough to tempt me to try and learn the language, I'd save a strawberry floating fortune.

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dmin
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by dmin » Mon Sep 22, 2014 12:41 pm

I was looking at snes games the last week or two, its unreal the prices some of them are going for. I watched Castlevania IV, Super Metroid, Secret of Mana, Zelda A Link to the Past all sell for around 100 quid each. Nearly tempted me in selling mine.

Can understand it in the case of the rarer games and for something that might not have been released on VC but Zelda, really? Surely its not that rare plus its been released on feckin everything!

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Dig Dug
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PostRe: Retro game prices out of control?
by Dig Dug » Mon Sep 22, 2014 12:47 pm

A lot of these games are not rare and never were rare but people are buying into the delusion that games become rare with age.


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