Are the Rising Prices of N64 Games Sustainable?

[Desh]

Mister Deshu, while I don't believe you are one of the evil resellers, I can't help but notice the starting bid on this piece of plastic.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TMNT-Channel-6-News-Van-COMPLETE-Playmates-1992-/301202109817?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item46210b7579&nma=true&si=jsTEbCnzSPjqdBPoUATgIHdBpuw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

That was an item I had a hard time brining myself to sell.  That was my original from childhood.  The rarity of that toy complete had driven the price up.  Also, the toy hunter guy kind of featured it and it seemed to bring those things into the spot light.  Recently ended auctions, of that item, when I listed it ranged from $150-$250.  I just decided to put a starting bid of half of that to see what would happen.  If it didn't sell I would have relisted for less.  That thing ended up going to Chile (after the buyer waited 1.5 months to pay).  Anyways that plastic van paid for my PCE Duo that has become a thorn in my side.

[vexcollects]

I guess we are not on topic anymore. Oh well, maybe it wasn't such a great question to ask anyway. 

[Mzo]

I'm hoping that the video game fad passes and game prices plummet someday.

When people stop buying games the resellers will bail out and flood the market with their stock.  Then the fly-by-night collectors will get tired of the hobby and start unloading their collections before they lose their value, driving prices lower.

Some games will stay expensive but prices should fall overall eventually.

[khog143]

I encourage all resellers to cash out their IRAs and invest it all in N64 carts.

Seems like sound business advice. Investors everywhere bragging, "My portfolio includes Banjo, Glover, and Conker".

Pssshhh, no Sculptor's Cut.  Who is investing in that shit.

[Desh]

I guess we are not on topic anymore. Oh well, maybe it wasn't such a great question to ask anyway. 

Sorry to the OP it seems I've single handedly derailed this thread.  It seems N64 threads are poison around here.

I believe N64 prices are actually going to continue to climb.  For 1.) It's Nintendo and that alone seems to make people shit themselves.  2.) The kids that grew up with the system are to the age where they have expendable cash and are looking for a nostalgia trip.  3.) It seems like a lot of collectors, whether new to the scene or not, are looking at the N64 for many reasons.  They expect, it will be the next system to continue to go up in price and it is a relatively small set to complete.  I also think it is hot for reasons I previously mentioned (still able to find items for cheap).

[vestcoat]

I wonder if you feel all people in life that resell items are parasites?  Car dealers?  Grocery Stores?  Gas stations?  Best Buy?  Pharmacy?  They all work on this same principle they call capitalism. 

Unlike you, all of these businesses provide a service. Gas stations buy/rent land in a convenient location, build a store front, purchase bulk quantities an individual could never afford, and keep their pumps working.

You, on the other hand, scrounge around consumer venues for kids' toys, buy them before your peers can, and hold on to them until you find a sucker willing to pay a higher price. You do nothing. You have no overhead, take no risk, and provide no service. You hoard anything that's cheap in the wild and ransom it for more money on the internet.

You feel I am the world's biggest douche and don't deserve a response?

Mostly this. Also because your questions weren't really questions. If I had a nickle for every time some idiot with two hundred posts tried to turn the tables and accuse me of the same gouging they practice, I'd have a shitload of nickles. Like I said, not everyone tries to exploit their hobby peers for profit.

[HailingTheThings]

Mister Deshu, while I don't believe you are one of the evil resellers, I can't help but notice the starting bid on this piece of plastic.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TMNT-Channel-6-News-Van-COMPLETE-Playmates-1992-/301202109817?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item46210b7579&nma=true&si=jsTEbCnzSPjqdBPoUATgIHdBpuw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

That was an item I had a hard time brining myself to sell.  That was my original from childhood.  The rarity of that toy complete had driven the price up.  Also, the toy hunter guy kind of featured it and it seemed to bring those things into the spot light.  Recently ended auctions, of that item, when I listed it ranged from $150-$250.  I just decided to put a starting bid of half of that to see what would happen.  If it didn't sell I would have relisted for less.  That thing ended up going to Chile (after the buyer waited 1.5 months to pay).  Anyways that plastic van paid for my PCE Duo that has become a thorn in my side.

I understand, perhaps you should have kept it then. Don't even act like that exclusive green jacket April's got on doesn't get you hot. lol

I want to seriously hit that toy hunter guy in face, repeatedly.

I'm hoping that the video game fad passes and game prices plummet someday.

That'd be nice.

[esteban]

STATUS: Ha! Desh.

[Desh]

Mostly this. Also because your questions weren't really questions. If I had a nickle for every time some idiot with two hundred posts tried to turn the tables and accuse me of the same gouging they practice, I'd have a shitload of nickles. Like I said, not everyone tries to exploit their hobby peers for profit.

It is a damn good thing that the post count on an online forum is how a person is measured.  I will remember to put that on my resume' when I am a baller like you.

Since there is no reasoning with you perhaps you could give me some guidance?  I have a great example to give from this weekend.  I walked into a Savers Thrift Store and found a GameCube bundle for $9.00.  The bundle included:
1.) Silver GameCube and all hookups
2.) Wavebird controller and 2 receivers
3.) Loose GBA startup disc (it was in the Gamecube).

I have been wanting a Wavebird for a long time.  And this is finally my chance to own one.  What should I do?  I can tell you what my plan is: 
1.) I will keep the Wavebird
2.) I gave the extra receiver to my friend who had a controller only
3.) I will use the GBA disc as trade bait for something I don't have.
4.) I will list the GameCube on Craigslist for$10.00

I don't see how any of this is wrong but I would surely like you to tell me the right thing to do, so I don't ruin the hobby and continue on with my parasite ways.

Now that I think about it, you are definitely in the minority.  Every single person I know (friend and foe) that collects retro games do some buying/trading/selling on many levels.  I honestly can't think of a single person I know or have talked to at a gaming convention that has followed your methods of:
1.) Only using money earned from providing an important service (work) that doesn't include the buying and or reselling of stuff.
2.) Have a collection of games that were all only purchased when brand new because otherwise you might have to buy an item from a parasite
3.) If there is an item you no longer play or have purchased and decided you didn't like it you either give it away or throw it away.

I commend your purity from videogame sin and hope that you can please give me the input to become good like you.  I really hope to stick around here and gain a large post count so I can fully become a man like you.

[MrBroadway]

removed

[vexcollects]

I think being the last home cartridge system has some affect on the collectability (is that a word?...collectableness??) as well. Maybe...

[cobrad12]

As far as the price trends go I think that we do see a decline eventually with most games, with the exception of rare games prolly staying high. I do think the 1st party n64 games that are really fun do hold some decent value, but as others have said, many of them are not rare and once either the fad declines or everyone who wants these copies has them the prices will decrease.

I think a good example of this was the Final Fantasy 7 price for playstation 1 about 5-6 years ago. This game was regularly going for >$50 for a greatest hits copy and $100 for the black label for basically no reason. It wasn't rare by any means, it was just highly sought after at the time and everyone wanted a copy. Just a quick scan of the pricing charts to prove my point. In April 2008 it reached an average high of $70, and today it is around $17. I think eventually we see the same with a good amount of the N64 stuff and I welcome it.

[khog143]

I think the prices are plenty sustainable, unfortunately.  I have very little affinity for the N64, outside of a few games.  However, the prices on a system like the SNES ($30-40 for Super Metroid and rising, and games of that ilk that sold millions of copies and are extremely common) show me that they are, unfortunately, gonna keep going up as kids that grew up with the system reach an age where they are able to have a stable income and buy stuff that they are "nostalgic" for, whether they stay in the collecting game for the long haul and expand their reach beyond N64, or sell out in 3 months once they get bored with it.

It is the same deal with threads that pop up on forums everywhere saying "When will the *insert console here* prices bust, just like the Atari did?", and I am getting to the point where I think that they won't ever just plummet, but may just stall out and maintain their current pricing.  This is currently seen in NES collecting, where most of the rare games, outside of Stadium Events and the NWC, have started to maintain a consistent price, for the most part.  Examples include Flintstones hanging around $600-650, Little Samson seemingly capping out around $550-600, Bonk's stalling around $250-300.  It seems like that these are now the commonly accepted prices for these high-end items unfortunately.

However, it does make picking around Flea Markets all the more scintillating when you do hit the rarez.

[Necromancer]

I think being the last home cartridge system.....

Can the playstation tv (vita tv) be considered a cartridge based console, or is it just a consolized portable even though it's functionally very different (no touch controls)?

[vexcollects]

I think being the last home cartridge system.....

Can the playstation tv (vita tv) be considered a cartridge based console, or is it just a consolized portable even though it's functionally very different (no touch controls)?

Good question. I figured someone would call me on that claim. Can you consider a flash media card a cartridge? I guess by that logic, if Nintendo made a home system that could read DS games, DS games would now be considered carts? Who knows....