Will the spike in game prices really ever cool off?

So I keep reading on a few forums that some games are going up in value drastically and will peak out then drop back down to normal. I know over time most of our collections will gain value but there are always those rare or sough after games that pull a premium. My question is can anyone give me an example of a game that spiked up in value for a while then came back down to a normal price? For as long as I have been collecting (3 years now) I haven't seen any noticeable drops in prices, just a constant or slight increase in value.

I only ask because I am considering buying a few games that seem high right now and just keep going up. A couple 32x titles and one Genesis title in mind here.

Pitfall 32x
World Series Baseball 32x
MUSHA

Thanks for the replies guys!

Patrick

I think it's possible that with many original Genesis owners hitting their mid thirties that the demand is just higher right now. It's possible that they, like me, will buy the games and keep them so the prices will always go up. It is also possible that, like the Atari 2600 and NES market, the games will generally end up being a buck each with rare exceptions. I always assumed the later with my Sega collections, but it'd be fun if I ended up being wrong.

Kind of like trying to speculate the stock markets. I cannot predict, but bought Moonwalker around Christmas for both Master System and Genesis, and am glad I bought in at that time (only wish I had bought in 5 years earlier). Prices continue to go up and up. It seems that there are too many speculators and collectors driving things up. Makes things bad for people who just want to play the games.

So there actually are Atari and NES games that have dropped back down? I don't follow the Atari at all and don't watch the NES very closely.

^
I collect for most all systems and 2600, 5200, and NES prices have been nothing but upward bound based on ebay auctions and online game stores. Sad, but true.

I was speaking mainly of the average NES game, not the highly desired ones. Those always go for too much money. ;)

So glad I started collecting ten years ago.... I managed to get everything I wanted except a few expensive games last year or hell maybe 2010.

You'll see the demand increase and decrease over time. Final Fantasy VII has come back down to earth, with prices now in the $30 range.

Hoshigami (Playstation) used to be pretty expensive, but it's now down to $20.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hoshigami-Ru...item3a734c0e98

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Originally Posted by gamevet

Final Fantasy VII has come back down to earth, with prices now in the $30 range.

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Best thing for collectors is to hit the thrifts hard and often. I picked up FFVII at GW CIB for $2 a couple weeks ago. Collecting through ebay alone will make you financially broke quickly.

I know a game that has decreased in value. Somebody created a thread about complete Jaguar XJ220's being hard to find a year or two ago. I can remember a complete Jaguar XJ220 then ended up selling for around $100. I just sold mine for $15. That's just an unpopular Sega CD game though, I haven't seen it happen with any major game.

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Originally Posted by tz101

Best thing for collectors is to hit the thrifts hard and often. I picked up FFVII at GW CIB for $2 a couple weeks ago. Collecting through ebay alone will make you financially broke quickly.

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I've bought maybe 2 items from ebay and neither was a videogame.

I've bought an item or 2 from Amazon, but most of what I have was found while traveling on the road, or around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I picked up Alundra ($20) from a member at Retrogaming Roundtable, just a couple of weeks ago.

It really is speculation but if I were to be a betting man, I would say that the good to great games, and the rare to super rare games will continue to go up in price.

Commons and shit games will go up in general as the system gains steam, but over time will drop back down to the $1 or less value like Atari games are now. Many NES games are already loosing value as SNES and N64 pick up steam.

Oh and from current trends it looks like Earthbound will actually be worth it's weight in gold eventually. :p


Edit: Oh and the immediate demand is a fickle thing, I just saw a nice complete copy of Pitfall 32X go for $100 compared to the $280 a similar one went for a couple months ago

I've only been focusing for N64 and Neo Geo for the past little while (yeah, weird combination). I decided to consolidate my collecting down to just a couple systems. I want to get my N64 collection "finished" before the market really picks up.

As far as semi-non-gaming things, I'm also focusing on just buying mod parts. I can never have enough it seems...

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Originally Posted by cheaterdragon1

I know a game that has decreased in value. Somebody created a thread about complete Jaguar XJ220's being hard to find a year or two ago. I can remember a complete Jaguar XJ220 then ended up selling for around $100. I just sold mine for $15. That's just an unpopular Sega CD game though, I haven't seen it happen with any major game.

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That game was a special case. That one that sold for $88 was the first CIB copy of the game to appear on eBay in almost two years. It was also in darn near mint condition and it happened to appear precisely when the Sega CD collecting boom hit - that game being one of the most sought after items for everyone. It was truly impossible to find at that time. It's price immediately dropped after the first one. The next one went for about $60 and was in extremely shitty condition. Then the next couple to follow were in the $20-45 range. From there the range slowly flattened out around $20 as all the collectors snatched theirs up.

So you can't really say that it dropped in value unless you think between $20-45 to just $20 is really a drop in value. $88 Was never what the collective hunters believed it worth. Everyone who wanted it at that time thought $88 was far too much for it. It was an oddity under special circumstances. Just a desperate person (me) wanting to finish their set.

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Originally Posted by SpaceFlea

That game was a special case. That one that sold for $88 was the first CIB copy of the game to appear on eBay in almost two years. It was also in darn near mint condition and it happened to appear precisely when the Sega CD collecting boom hit - that game being one of the most sought after items for everyone. It was truly impossible to find at that time. It's price immediately dropped after the first one. The next one went for about $60 and was in extremely shitty condition. Then the next couple to follow were in the $20-45 range. From there the range slowly flattened out around $20 as all the collectors snatched theirs up.

So you can't really say that it dropped in value unless you think between $20-45 to just $20 is really a drop in value. $88 Was never what the collective hunters believed it worth. Everyone who wanted it at that time thought $88 was far too much for it. It was an oddity under special circumstances. Just a desperate person (me) wanting to finish their set.

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That being said, I don't think those SCD games in the cardboard boxes getting much easier to hunt down in the future, especially in great condition. If I had to bet, I can see those only going up in the future.