When in the F*** Did this happen?

[SMiTH]

What in the hell is going on with retro gaming prices lately?
I have collected, purged, bought, and traded video game stuff for almost 14 years now.
I have seen games that sold for at most 10 dollars in 2012 go for 50+ dollars in 2015.
I have seen games that were going for 50 dollars in 2012 go for 120+ dollars in 2015.
And Im not even mentioning the price for Little Samson and other rare games.
I am seeing game shops sell stuff for higher than ebay.
I am seeing thrift stores, flea market dealers, and people at garage sales selling their gaming stuff for crazy amounts of money.
Just yesterday I saw...no bullshit...this is what was written on the sticker of the game...ready for it...


RARE OOP NINTENDO MARIO/DUCK HUNT 20.00!

I almost fucking lost it when i saw the sticker.
Lately I have been ranting about this issue with everyone I meet that collects games.
I have had conversations with youtubers, game shop owners, collectors, etc.
It has hit a point where it is getting insane collecting for retro game consoles.
If it keeps going this route I will sell it all again and then just emulate it all.
Fuck it.
It is not even fun to collect anymore.
It is getting crazy and without tons of money it is almost impossible to build a decent gaming collection nowadays.

If you are just starting collecting. I would wait until prices crash and go down to a more reasonable level.
Always check swap meets, thrift stores, garage sales, etc. because you can still find good deals even with the current market. Occasionaly you find reasonable prices. It is all part of game hunting.

Never pay retail!
Learn to fix video game systems and controllers, adapters, cables, etc. Buy broken stuff and fix it. Keep what you want then trade and sell the rest.
Buy a jfj easy pro and buy damaged game disks and fix them etc.
Any other way you will go broke buying retro gaming stuff for your collection.

[mazonemayu]

it's because retro gaming is now something that hipsters do...

[craziestrufis]

What in the hell is going on with retro gaming prices lately?
I have collected, purged, bought, and traded video game stuff for almost 14 years now.
I have seen games that sold for at most 10 dollars in 2012 go for 50+ dollars in 2015.
I have seen games that were going for 50 dollars in 2012 go for 120+ dollars in 2015.
And Im not even mentioning the price for Little Samson and other rare games.
I am seeing game shops sell stuff for higher than ebay.
I am seeing thrift stores, flea market dealers, and people at garage sales selling their gaming stuff for crazy amounts of money.
Just yesterday I saw...no bullshit...this is what was written on the sticker of the game...ready for it...


RARE OOP NINTENDO MARIO/DUCK HUNT 20.00!

I almost fucking lost it when i saw the sticker.
Lately I have been ranting about this issue with everyone I meet that collects games.
I have had conversations with youtubers, game shop owners, collectors, etc.
It has hit a point where it is getting insane collecting for retro game consoles.
If it keeps going this route I will sell it all again and then just emulate it all.
Fuck it.
It is not even fun to collect anymore.
It is getting crazy and without tons of money it is almost impossible to build a decent gaming collection nowadays.

If you are just starting collecting. I would wait until prices crash and go down to a more reasonable level.
Always check swap meets, thrift stores, garage sales, etc. because you can still find good deals even with the current market. Occasionaly you find reasonable prices. It is all part of game hunting.

Never pay retail!
Learn to fix video game systems and controllers, adapters, cables, etc. Buy broken stuff and fix it. Keep what you want then trade and sell the rest.
Buy a jfj easy pro and buy damaged game disks and fix them etc.
Any other way you will go broke buying retro gaming stuff for your collection.

this how i make a living and be leave me the old stuff is NOT going to go down in price i have bin doing this for 6 years btw i sell mario and duck hunt for 5.00

[krssn]

That's exactly why I will probably never have those last five games to complete my PAL Mega CD collection. It would cost me over €1000 just for those five games alone. Frustrating as fuck...

[mazonemayu]

it's only money, its not like you can take it to your grave or anything

[GameOverYeah]

it's because retro gaming is now something that hipsters do...

I thought it was because of the rising popularity of retro gaming webseries?

I doubt most of the collectors of retro games are hipsters.

[lastcallgames]

It's all about which systems are booming and which are busting. I think the NES will start creeping down soon, whereas we're already seeing Xbox and PS2 games ticking upwards.

This is probably the best time for PS2 and Xbox for the forseeable future, and stuff like the Genesis and PS1 are still affordable. Most DC games aren't expensive (but some are difficult to find), and in 2-3 years PS3, 360 and Wii games will plummet as big places like Gamestop try and shed all their stock (I wouldn't be surprised if sometime this summer or fall GS has a big buy 2 get 2 sale on PS3 and 360 games, with the Wii coming faster).

[mazonemayu]

it's because retro gaming is now something that hipsters do...

I thought it was because of the rising popularity of retro gaming webseries?

I doubt most of the collectors of retro games are hipsters.

that's not what I mean, WE are collectors; hipsters are the guys that buy the stuff to show off to their friends (which is basically what being a hipster is all about). since retro gaming is hip nowadays, therefor logic dictates that hipsters also buy "our" stuff > thus the price goes up

[hudsthinking1999]

I feel your pain. Guess how much I had to pay for my Dreamcast? Come on, guess.







100 dollars.


$75 for the console with a controller (I managed to knock the price down from $80), $15 more for the blue VMU, and I got a $10 game with it. Also, would you believe that I saw Pen Pen TriIcelon for $20? Really, guys? Come on. (Okay, it was sealed, so I can see why they made the price a little high.)

I would appreciate the free game he threw in if it was decent. Okay, that was my own fault because my stupid little mind thought Spirit of Speed was cooler than that casino game. *sigh*

And talk about Rarity (sorry, had to throw in an MLP reference). Dreamcast games are so scarce around me that I've only seen a couple. I did see SA1: Limited Edition, though. And it was ridiculously expensive. I wanted it so bad until I realized it was just the Japanese version limited to a few levels with a few bug fixes.

And the Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi that I got had to be ordered online. *sigh*

[lastcallgames]

!My heart!

I will say, nowadays the only games you'll consistently find in the wild for the DC are THPS (sometimes 2), NFL 2k and 2k1, NBA 2k and 2k1, and maybe Crazy Taxi?