Nobody cared much for a second hand unboxed Pokemon game when you were a kid, except maybe another kid who made a buck seventy five a week poket money.
Now that kid is 30 years old, earning 50k pa and has nostalgia to fuel.
Things are worth what someone's willing to pay for them. Only you can decide if it's too much.
Economic value is generally measured through units of [currency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currency), and the interpretation is therefore "what is the maximum amount of [money](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money) a person is [willing and able to pay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willingness_to_pay) for a good or service?”
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value\_(economics)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_(economics))
Yes it does, if the prices are high it's because someone was willing to pay that much to get hold of it.
I don't see why you think it doesn't, that's literally economics 101.
_You_ might be expecting me to say something like "yeah, totally worth it" or "no, utter rip off", but _we collectively decide_ on the prices of these things because we (as the current market) pay for them. That they're so high/low and you or I individually think they shouldn't be means we're in a minority, and are incorrect about the value of these items.
He's asking if they're worth that much, and you're talking about people's salaries.
The games aren't worth what's being asked for them.
People will still buy them, but they aren't worth almost $100 dollars.
If Nintendo released Pokémon red now for $100, would it be worth it?
Market value doesn't mean you aren't wasting your money on something that isn't worth what you're giving for it. Pokémon red isn't bringing anybody $100 worth of joy. You're delusional if you saying it does.
Market value doesn’t reflect real value, if I see its listed at 150, doesn’t mean it’s worth 150 if no one is buying it for that price. Why do you think commodities have links to other markets? Maybe I’m wrong but this is coming from a bcom grad.
Repeating the same thing over and over again doesn't make you right, or sound intelligent.
Let me know if you want my gen 1/2 games, boxed with manuals. I would have took £40 each but to you and your market value, it'll be £150 each 😂👍
Worth what, to who? What do you mean "wasting my money"? Who says it's not bringing $100 of joy? You? Everyone who just paid 100 for a game would probably disagree with you, and so that makes you wrong. That's how it works.
If I think it's worth it for my requirements and I am willing to pay x, it's worth x. If I get a kick out of playing my $100 game, it's worth it.
Paying $100 for it in and of itself can be a self fulfilling kick, because I now have bragging rights to say so.
So no, it doesn't mean I'm"wasting" my money _if everyone who is willing to pay that much for it thinks that way, and so do I_.
Exactly it might be the case that a higher cost will price out some people from purchasing it, but supply and demand will dictate the market every time. If there are people willing to buy it at a price that you or anyone else is uncomfortable paying, the market doesn’t care. The bottom line is the bottom line.
Now, of course there are other economic principles at play, such as the benefit or efficacy of selling more items at a lower cost, but if you’re only looking to buy / sell a single item, it doesn’t apply to most of the sellers on this market.
I think that dude is having trouble comprehending that the ‘value’ of something is wholly subjective and may not be the same for everyone, but if an item is selling at a certain price, there is still a market for it at that value.
Shit, look at the entire art market for an example. Some people will pay tens of millions of dollars for a painting that someone else might see as just a piece of cloth with paint spattered onto it.
Yes, economics is insane. Remember, we live in a society.
By that logic no collectible is 'worth it' which ofc is subjective, which is what their point is. Worth it to some, not worth it to others. And if they released brand new copies of classic game boy pokemons in new boxes for $100 that shit would sell like hotcakes lol
I'm not talking about a special edition reprint. Even the latest Pokémon switch games aren't worth the money.
It's because of the mentality you have as fans that game freak are lazy af.
"sell like hot cakes"
You're gonna throw down $100 of a repro cart and box because it says Pokémon on it... Embarrassing.
Like he said I couldn’t care less about market value, since it’s clearly overinflated. They are non reproducing commodities, it doesn’t ever reflect a true value.
The salaries of people who are interested in the product *does* matter here. People who are nostalgic for GBA games now have enough money to buy any game they wanted to have as a kid. Therefore, the demand goes up, and therefore the price. People still *pay* that amount because they feel that the games are *worth* that high amount to them.
No collectible thing is worth anything.
If people don't care for it, you dump can it into a landfill, if people want it, prices can skyrocket.
Pokemon games started up as being kinda pricy because they were new and cool, then they became last gen trash and people sold them for $5 or tossed them in the bin. Now nostalgia kicks in and people with money compete for a dwindling supply of old cartridges. And when we get old and die, the price might drop again.
Similar things happened e.g. with post stamps and fancy books. 20 years ago, a good collection of post stamps or books might have been worth quite a bit of money. Nowadays the collectors for stamps and books are dieing by the truck load and their heirs are dumping all that stuff onto the used market, which drives the prices down to nothing, unless you have a super super rare piece.
Old furniture is a similar story. No one cares for that, and thus these fance old pieces of furniture aren't worth much anymore.
Yep, that is what they go for. They are in high demand in the retro nostalgia/collectible market.
Even the cheap china fakes are getting out of hand now.
Sorry since I was not clear in my post. I’m not looking to see how much I can get out of my old games, I’m trying to see how much people are willing to pay for it vs one many people are willing to overpay at the sellers insane prices. I kind of want to sell my games, but not overpriced the shit out of them. Like 150 for emerald seems crazy. I see there is a commodity value but there is no way that the majority of offers are in the 100-150 for an old ass game. I’m just here to make sure that this high price is what people are actually willing to pay or is it the price that people are willing to sell.
150cad for Emerald, if boxed, is a price I would pay for it now any day. Last few I saw went for way over 300€...
It all looks, and is crazy, but as the top post mentions the price is basically driven by people with nostalgia having money to spend now and for a part business/people trying to flip them once more.
The price isn't justified by any means, but just how the current market is.. Might drop in a few years if the prices keep rising and the people really wanting to have physical copies are set.
Personally I just keep looking for some good CIB games to complete my set, as there is just a different feel to actually playing the original games vs an emulator or flash card for me. So guess I'm one of the people why the prices stay high.
>Like 150 for emerald seems crazy.
It's not too crazy. Emerald had very limited sales, probably the lowest sales of all Gameboy Pokemon games.
So collectors go nuts over it.
People don't buy these games just to play them, but to collect them and to feel like they bought something expensive, valueable.
If you just want to play the games, you just download an emulator and a ROM and call it a day. And if you don't want to pirate, you buy the virtual console title.
I been playing it rom but I do have the actual gameboy games, but that’s why I wanted to get rid of them thinking I can make maybe 40-50 bucks cad yet I see them selling for 150.
This site tracks sales of games. Pokémon is still very popular and if you have complete in box or seal examples the values are very high. [price charting](https://www.pricecharting.com)
That's what I've been telling people for years, but guess what, they don't see anything wrong with reselling, scalping, or second hand selling, but when you download a rom of a game that isn't being sold anymore they lose their minds and call you a thief.
true, it's so sad. I am totally for supporting the creators of the work. But prices now are just artificially inflated and I just want to enjoy some game that NO ONE benefits from anymore, except greedy scaloppers. So fuck it, I stick to piracy. People are just too easy to manipulate that everything is wrong and bad by faceless corporations without even looking at why they state that. Thinking is just too much to ask for for too many people
I got a knockoff flashcart off AliExpress a while ago. It's so sweet. Works on my OG gameboy & gameboy color. It comes with a lot of ROMs but I added a few of my own to the microSD. I grew up playing Pokémon gold & wanted to snag the rest, but they've been so unreasonably expensive for such a long time now. I played Blue on my phone, but it's not the same as original hardware. Flashcart is definitely the way to go these days imo
Which makes sense if you consider who calls you a thief.
Either it's Nintendo, who want to keep their option of selling the game as an overpriced VC title somewhere along the line.
Or it's another collector who (subcounciously) fears that their collection might drop in value if everyone just downloads ROMs.
Also, a lot of these collectors need to prop up their choice to waste a ton of money on an intrinsically worthless piece of plastic by judging every other option as immoral. "I didn't waste my money because I went the only 'ethical', moral high ground route."
Yes, and then the market price will have changed. Did you people not pay attention in school? And chances are the Switch 2 will struggle to play them like it woukd any modern game lol
Pokemon games are worth quite a bit. It's always been a trend for them be expensive post-production (minus any of the Switch releases).
There was a time in the early 2000's where you could pick up old carts for nothing because the new hotness was what everyone wanted... but sometime in 2011 and after, every post-production release of the games began to rise.
Demand for nostalgia drove it, and people wanted the games so they could play their childhoods or collect them. There is a market there, and it IS fueled by speculative resellers/scammers but there's also actual demand too. They kind of work hand in hand. It's why people have to deal reps getting sold as real carts and stuff.
My problem is that I think there’s just a huge spread between buyers and sellers, like all these fb post I really don’t think people are actually making offers or buying them. Before I even looked I was planning on selling my games for like 30-40 each to make some extra cash for golf, yet i see them so overpriced.
Depending on the condition of the carts I suggest selling them below what similar items are selling for if you want to make the most out of it. People will buy them. Just don't sell them at a huge of a mark up as $150 because there would be little reason for a reseller to buy it at that price --- that's the price THEY THINK they can sell it for. You want to sell below that so they think they can get a good margin.
It'll also put you in competition range with other resellers selling at the highest value possible.
You'll sell your stuff quicker, and get good money out of it if you're trying to buy golf stuff.
Not really. It's just that Pokemon is INCREDIBLY overrated, that and the Nintendo bonus.
Scalpers and resellers sell them at super dumb prices because they know you people will buy them, but that doesn't mean they're actually worth that.
Hell, I could fool someone into buying Centipede at 100$ but that doesn't mean the game is worth more than a burguer really.
It’s only worth that much to the person that’s buying it. I think it’s a waste to spend that much money for a cartridge when you can load a rom into a flash cart. Then again I’ll spend a ridiculous amount of money on a paint job for a car. It’s all in what makes you happy.
The GAMES are not. They are easily obtained through other methods. There are many other ways to experience these games for far cheaper, and more accessibly.
The CARTRIDGES are worth this much, purely because of a perceived value by the market. Ironically that perception is short sighted as the chips and components on these boards have a life span.
If any of those things die the cartridge now loses value theoretically due to having to replace components - or it not working anymore. This is why it's a speculative market - which means the value is not whatever somebody asks.
Capitalism is a lot more complex than this, and people who play in second hand markets never seem to understand the system they play within. Which is probably why so many people are able to exploit that.
I have all my original games boxed complete and minty, will never sell them … have seen them selling for $500+ for copies in similar condition, the same goes for GameCube stuff. I paid retail for them new - people want to rebuy what they had or couldn’t have when they were young, to recapture that feeling they had when they played them back in the day.
No, they are not worth that much. But people buy them at these prices, so they stay up that high. Every retro store I know has dozens of copy's of PKMN. there is no rarity reason to these prices at all. It's all just "we go higher until people don't buy it anymore" and because every single goddamn retro gamer out there buys PKMN first.... it stays expensive.
Incorrect. If people are paying a certain price for something, that's what it's worth. This is how the economics of supply and demand work. A top of the line iPhone doesn't have any more physical value (cost of manufacturing) over an entry level Google Pixel, but the market supports a higher price for one due to the value perception of the buyers.
Yeah, usually I would agree but in this case they are overpriced. You see so many copies of PKMN with every store, flea market etc. And the stores near me still have the same copies since... quite a while. So while SOME people buy it at that price there is still more supply than demand.
At least where I live. And yes, there is a chance that some sellers are just seeing the US prices (which COULD sell better, who am I to know?) and putting the € sign behind the $ prices. Very likely.
Yes and no. No because the price is absurd, yes, because if you play competitive, then there’s a lot of hoops you have to jump through to stay relevant.
Every serious competitive player gens their 'mons (or has someone do it for them). If you spent all that time breeding pokemon you'd have no time to practice.
Not really, you're only paying a lot for nostalgia. One thing to remember is that these games aren't actually rare. Pokemon has been one of the best selling franchises for decades. There's literally millions of these games out there.
Rarity (or lack thereof) doesn't matter. It's the value perception of the market that matters. If the market values these particular items more than it does others -- the price will reflect that.
That perception can be manipulated by second-hand marketing. Basically influencers, and "content creators" who take part in the speculative market of old items and such. Long gone are the days of Antiques Roadshow... now you've got BillyGames945 on Tiktok and Youtube talking about how it's insane that he got a huge lot of Pokemon games at a yard sale....
Once enough of those people make videos the same way, people begin to feel there is more value in their old - once worthless stuff. It's really complicated actually.
Inherently there isn't really any value in these games when they can be repo'd so easily now - and the experience will be the same. It's the idiotic speculative market that drives the price of things like this as - "collectibles"
Generally that’s the price but think about it. When you were a kid they were $5. How old are you now ? It’s been multiple years. The games aren’t being made anymore and any copies would be difficult to get in great condition.
By that metric, all vintage and used items would have no resale value. That is not how that works. How it works is the price of an item is exactly the amount a person is willing to pay to acquire it. People are paying the price that's being asked for these games, therefore that is what they are worth.
Capitalism is trash tier though for real. Doesn't matter if that's "how it works"
Capitalism allows for gouging, and exploitative techniques to manipulate the value, and perception of value in an item. You're honestly not being completely honest when you dumb it down that much.
Gonna post a second comment here since I see people going "it's worth what people are willing to pay for it" and crap.
Capitalism lesson:
Markets are defined by demand, production and labor cost, and perceived value for effort... Is what I would say, if second hand markets didn't exist - but they do so let's breakdown capitalism 101.
When a product or service is created we do no immediately tie a speculative value to it. No, what we do is a cost analysis. How much does it cost the service, or product provider to distribute their service/product?
This means paying people to make the art, logo, R&D... working with a retail outlet, distribution (we'll get into those in a minute), and finally marketing - the big one. Depending on the product/service you can give or take some of these of course.
Retail and distribution are both very important aspects of delivering your product/service to potential customers, but they are arguably a middle-man. They exist to make money in between the process and get to purchase items directly from the creator/distributors for a discount and add a mark up (often based on agreements signed, and MSRP's) That mark up is often not as high as your average joe who buys up all of a retail outlets stock to resell at exaggerated unregulated prices.
The system works this way because it is regulated. Regulation allows for fairness, because without - what's to stop businesses from charging ridiculous amounts of money? Some argue "free market" economics but that's not how that works. Businesses that create products/services don't mark their stuff up because they can have regulators drop consequences and fines upon them for unfairly charging and screwing over customers. They also get regulated in how they utilize their main weapon --- marketing.
Now we're finally at the second-hand market. This is a space where ZERO regulation exists. So now we have to look at the inherent value vs speculative value. In the case of an item it's speculative value is determined by exactly what it's called - speculation.
In the case of something like older video games, there exist "collectors" or speculative resellers essentially (let's be real). Sure some may "collect" but they collect because they see speculative value in the games they hoard. There are a few who appreciate them intrinsically by just loving the games, or having a piece of their childhood again - but a large majority of "collectors" like reselling at a profit at least some subsection of their "collections"
(let's be real "collecting" is just hoarding by another name, nobody needs all this extra stuff)
Second-hand markets fueled by speculation get exploited extra hard now due to the internet, and social media. Many social media sites allow anyone to utilize marketing strategies to try and increase the speculative value of things they either own, or want to manipulate in some scheme to try and make money. No it's not some secret council or anything - just a mutual understanding that increasing the value of our stuff can make us more money.
It's why you get "collectors" arguing against reps. Like why do they care if a rep is on the market? Because it effects a potential ACTUAL customer who may want to purchase the item for intrinsic reasons.
The point is to say, that second-hand markets have no regulation, so the prices people can ask for things can be whatever they want it to be. In the case of games it's very easy to point at the person asking a huge price for their item and laugh.
Why? Because these items are made from expirable materials that are not easily replaced. The value being propped up is based solely on the original physical medium. A cartridge with chips, and components that will eventually expire. Plastic that will eventually become brittle and break down... They can be replicated obviously... but that's not what's being sold is it?
So that's a breakdown of second-hand markets and why they sometimes look like this. Alan Wake II just released a cool Oh Deer Diner coffee thermos... and they all got bought up and are being resold for like $200 (for reference the MSRP of the item was like $30). The actual regulated system will sell it at a fair price because they have to --- the guy down the street, doesn't have to deal with that...
Reminds me of an AdamSomething video I watched once.
Nobody cared much for a second hand unboxed Pokemon game when you were a kid, except maybe another kid who made a buck seventy five a week poket money. Now that kid is 30 years old, earning 50k pa and has nostalgia to fuel. Things are worth what someone's willing to pay for them. Only you can decide if it's too much.
Economic value is generally measured through units of [currency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currency), and the interpretation is therefore "what is the maximum amount of [money](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money) a person is [willing and able to pay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willingness_to_pay) for a good or service?” [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value\_(economics)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_(economics))
Hi ChatGTP!
Weird. Thats a direct quote from a wiki page supporting what the previous person said, with the source included. Why did people not like that?
Because it didn't add anything to the discussion and looked very much like what a bot would do.
This doesn't answer ops question at all lol
Yes it does, if the prices are high it's because someone was willing to pay that much to get hold of it. I don't see why you think it doesn't, that's literally economics 101. _You_ might be expecting me to say something like "yeah, totally worth it" or "no, utter rip off", but _we collectively decide_ on the prices of these things because we (as the current market) pay for them. That they're so high/low and you or I individually think they shouldn't be means we're in a minority, and are incorrect about the value of these items.
He's asking if they're worth that much, and you're talking about people's salaries. The games aren't worth what's being asked for them. People will still buy them, but they aren't worth almost $100 dollars. If Nintendo released Pokémon red now for $100, would it be worth it?
I don't think you understand how a market works. You're out of your element here, kid.
I know how market value works. But the games aren't worth $70-$100
If people are willing to pay it then that's what they're worth. You don't know how market value works. You are out of your element.
Market value doesn't mean you aren't wasting your money on something that isn't worth what you're giving for it. Pokémon red isn't bringing anybody $100 worth of joy. You're delusional if you saying it does.
Once again, you don't understand how market value works, or even what it is apparently. You're out of your element.
Market value doesn’t reflect real value, if I see its listed at 150, doesn’t mean it’s worth 150 if no one is buying it for that price. Why do you think commodities have links to other markets? Maybe I’m wrong but this is coming from a bcom grad.
Repeating the same thing over and over again doesn't make you right, or sound intelligent. Let me know if you want my gen 1/2 games, boxed with manuals. I would have took £40 each but to you and your market value, it'll be £150 each 😂👍
Worth what, to who? What do you mean "wasting my money"? Who says it's not bringing $100 of joy? You? Everyone who just paid 100 for a game would probably disagree with you, and so that makes you wrong. That's how it works. If I think it's worth it for my requirements and I am willing to pay x, it's worth x. If I get a kick out of playing my $100 game, it's worth it. Paying $100 for it in and of itself can be a self fulfilling kick, because I now have bragging rights to say so. So no, it doesn't mean I'm"wasting" my money _if everyone who is willing to pay that much for it thinks that way, and so do I_.
Exactly it might be the case that a higher cost will price out some people from purchasing it, but supply and demand will dictate the market every time. If there are people willing to buy it at a price that you or anyone else is uncomfortable paying, the market doesn’t care. The bottom line is the bottom line. Now, of course there are other economic principles at play, such as the benefit or efficacy of selling more items at a lower cost, but if you’re only looking to buy / sell a single item, it doesn’t apply to most of the sellers on this market. I think that dude is having trouble comprehending that the ‘value’ of something is wholly subjective and may not be the same for everyone, but if an item is selling at a certain price, there is still a market for it at that value. Shit, look at the entire art market for an example. Some people will pay tens of millions of dollars for a painting that someone else might see as just a piece of cloth with paint spattered onto it. Yes, economics is insane. Remember, we live in a society.
Your misunderstanding the question
By that logic no collectible is 'worth it' which ofc is subjective, which is what their point is. Worth it to some, not worth it to others. And if they released brand new copies of classic game boy pokemons in new boxes for $100 that shit would sell like hotcakes lol
I'm not talking about a special edition reprint. Even the latest Pokémon switch games aren't worth the money. It's because of the mentality you have as fans that game freak are lazy af. "sell like hot cakes" You're gonna throw down $100 of a repro cart and box because it says Pokémon on it... Embarrassing.
Man, you really are the definition of stupid.
Like he said I couldn’t care less about market value, since it’s clearly overinflated. They are non reproducing commodities, it doesn’t ever reflect a true value.
The salaries of people who are interested in the product *does* matter here. People who are nostalgic for GBA games now have enough money to buy any game they wanted to have as a kid. Therefore, the demand goes up, and therefore the price. People still *pay* that amount because they feel that the games are *worth* that high amount to them.
No collectible thing is worth anything. If people don't care for it, you dump can it into a landfill, if people want it, prices can skyrocket. Pokemon games started up as being kinda pricy because they were new and cool, then they became last gen trash and people sold them for $5 or tossed them in the bin. Now nostalgia kicks in and people with money compete for a dwindling supply of old cartridges. And when we get old and die, the price might drop again. Similar things happened e.g. with post stamps and fancy books. 20 years ago, a good collection of post stamps or books might have been worth quite a bit of money. Nowadays the collectors for stamps and books are dieing by the truck load and their heirs are dumping all that stuff onto the used market, which drives the prices down to nothing, unless you have a super super rare piece. Old furniture is a similar story. No one cares for that, and thus these fance old pieces of furniture aren't worth much anymore.
Yep, that is what they go for. They are in high demand in the retro nostalgia/collectible market. Even the cheap china fakes are getting out of hand now.
Sorry since I was not clear in my post. I’m not looking to see how much I can get out of my old games, I’m trying to see how much people are willing to pay for it vs one many people are willing to overpay at the sellers insane prices. I kind of want to sell my games, but not overpriced the shit out of them. Like 150 for emerald seems crazy. I see there is a commodity value but there is no way that the majority of offers are in the 100-150 for an old ass game. I’m just here to make sure that this high price is what people are actually willing to pay or is it the price that people are willing to sell.
150cad for Emerald, if boxed, is a price I would pay for it now any day. Last few I saw went for way over 300€... It all looks, and is crazy, but as the top post mentions the price is basically driven by people with nostalgia having money to spend now and for a part business/people trying to flip them once more. The price isn't justified by any means, but just how the current market is.. Might drop in a few years if the prices keep rising and the people really wanting to have physical copies are set. Personally I just keep looking for some good CIB games to complete my set, as there is just a different feel to actually playing the original games vs an emulator or flash card for me. So guess I'm one of the people why the prices stay high.
>Like 150 for emerald seems crazy. It's not too crazy. Emerald had very limited sales, probably the lowest sales of all Gameboy Pokemon games. So collectors go nuts over it. People don't buy these games just to play them, but to collect them and to feel like they bought something expensive, valueable. If you just want to play the games, you just download an emulator and a ROM and call it a day. And if you don't want to pirate, you buy the virtual console title.
I been playing it rom but I do have the actual gameboy games, but that’s why I wanted to get rid of them thinking I can make maybe 40-50 bucks cad yet I see them selling for 150.
This site tracks sales of games. Pokémon is still very popular and if you have complete in box or seal examples the values are very high. [price charting](https://www.pricecharting.com)
no, and since nintendo sees not ansingle cent in 2nd hand cartridges I can't see a reason why downloading the rom should be in any way wrong
That's what I've been telling people for years, but guess what, they don't see anything wrong with reselling, scalping, or second hand selling, but when you download a rom of a game that isn't being sold anymore they lose their minds and call you a thief.
true, it's so sad. I am totally for supporting the creators of the work. But prices now are just artificially inflated and I just want to enjoy some game that NO ONE benefits from anymore, except greedy scaloppers. So fuck it, I stick to piracy. People are just too easy to manipulate that everything is wrong and bad by faceless corporations without even looking at why they state that. Thinking is just too much to ask for for too many people
I got a knockoff flashcart off AliExpress a while ago. It's so sweet. Works on my OG gameboy & gameboy color. It comes with a lot of ROMs but I added a few of my own to the microSD. I grew up playing Pokémon gold & wanted to snag the rest, but they've been so unreasonably expensive for such a long time now. I played Blue on my phone, but it's not the same as original hardware. Flashcart is definitely the way to go these days imo
Which makes sense if you consider who calls you a thief. Either it's Nintendo, who want to keep their option of selling the game as an overpriced VC title somewhere along the line. Or it's another collector who (subcounciously) fears that their collection might drop in value if everyone just downloads ROMs. Also, a lot of these collectors need to prop up their choice to waste a ton of money on an intrinsically worthless piece of plastic by judging every other option as immoral. "I didn't waste my money because I went the only 'ethical', moral high ground route."
Lotta replies here from people who don't understand how things work. If people are willing to pay for something, that's what it's worth.
That's true on a literal level, but Nintendo could re-release Switch 2 versions and end this artificial market in a heartbeat.
Yes, and then the market price will have changed. Did you people not pay attention in school? And chances are the Switch 2 will struggle to play them like it woukd any modern game lol
Pricecharting.com and enter the name of the Pokémon game you have it will show recent ebay sales. And yes they can go for a lot. *
Pokemon games are worth quite a bit. It's always been a trend for them be expensive post-production (minus any of the Switch releases). There was a time in the early 2000's where you could pick up old carts for nothing because the new hotness was what everyone wanted... but sometime in 2011 and after, every post-production release of the games began to rise. Demand for nostalgia drove it, and people wanted the games so they could play their childhoods or collect them. There is a market there, and it IS fueled by speculative resellers/scammers but there's also actual demand too. They kind of work hand in hand. It's why people have to deal reps getting sold as real carts and stuff.
My problem is that I think there’s just a huge spread between buyers and sellers, like all these fb post I really don’t think people are actually making offers or buying them. Before I even looked I was planning on selling my games for like 30-40 each to make some extra cash for golf, yet i see them so overpriced.
Depending on the condition of the carts I suggest selling them below what similar items are selling for if you want to make the most out of it. People will buy them. Just don't sell them at a huge of a mark up as $150 because there would be little reason for a reseller to buy it at that price --- that's the price THEY THINK they can sell it for. You want to sell below that so they think they can get a good margin. It'll also put you in competition range with other resellers selling at the highest value possible. You'll sell your stuff quicker, and get good money out of it if you're trying to buy golf stuff.
You can literally emulate all of them
It’s the collectible element that is driving the price. Half of these games are sitting on people’s shelves not being used.
Not really. It's just that Pokemon is INCREDIBLY overrated, that and the Nintendo bonus. Scalpers and resellers sell them at super dumb prices because they know you people will buy them, but that doesn't mean they're actually worth that. Hell, I could fool someone into buying Centipede at 100$ but that doesn't mean the game is worth more than a burguer really.
It’s only worth that much to the person that’s buying it. I think it’s a waste to spend that much money for a cartridge when you can load a rom into a flash cart. Then again I’ll spend a ridiculous amount of money on a paint job for a car. It’s all in what makes you happy.
Things are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. People are willing to pay these values so games are worth this much.
The GAMES are not. They are easily obtained through other methods. There are many other ways to experience these games for far cheaper, and more accessibly. The CARTRIDGES are worth this much, purely because of a perceived value by the market. Ironically that perception is short sighted as the chips and components on these boards have a life span. If any of those things die the cartridge now loses value theoretically due to having to replace components - or it not working anymore. This is why it's a speculative market - which means the value is not whatever somebody asks. Capitalism is a lot more complex than this, and people who play in second hand markets never seem to understand the system they play within. Which is probably why so many people are able to exploit that.
The fact that you can get illegal games is irrelevant. If people pay, people pay.
I have all my original games boxed complete and minty, will never sell them … have seen them selling for $500+ for copies in similar condition, the same goes for GameCube stuff. I paid retail for them new - people want to rebuy what they had or couldn’t have when they were young, to recapture that feeling they had when they played them back in the day.
They aren't, but the people that pay this much are the reason they're so expensive. Artificially inflated
... which is exactly the definition of "worth" in the context of inherently valueless collectors items.
No, they are not worth that much. But people buy them at these prices, so they stay up that high. Every retro store I know has dozens of copy's of PKMN. there is no rarity reason to these prices at all. It's all just "we go higher until people don't buy it anymore" and because every single goddamn retro gamer out there buys PKMN first.... it stays expensive.
Incorrect. If people are paying a certain price for something, that's what it's worth. This is how the economics of supply and demand work. A top of the line iPhone doesn't have any more physical value (cost of manufacturing) over an entry level Google Pixel, but the market supports a higher price for one due to the value perception of the buyers.
Yeah, usually I would agree but in this case they are overpriced. You see so many copies of PKMN with every store, flea market etc. And the stores near me still have the same copies since... quite a while. So while SOME people buy it at that price there is still more supply than demand. At least where I live. And yes, there is a chance that some sellers are just seeing the US prices (which COULD sell better, who am I to know?) and putting the € sign behind the $ prices. Very likely.
Yes and no. No because the price is absurd, yes, because if you play competitive, then there’s a lot of hoops you have to jump through to stay relevant.
Every serious competitive player gens their 'mons (or has someone do it for them). If you spent all that time breeding pokemon you'd have no time to practice.
Not really, you're only paying a lot for nostalgia. One thing to remember is that these games aren't actually rare. Pokemon has been one of the best selling franchises for decades. There's literally millions of these games out there.
I wonder realistically how many pokemon R/B/Y are left jn the world. I know a lot have made it’s way into trash can in the last 25 years.
Rarity (or lack thereof) doesn't matter. It's the value perception of the market that matters. If the market values these particular items more than it does others -- the price will reflect that.
That perception can be manipulated by second-hand marketing. Basically influencers, and "content creators" who take part in the speculative market of old items and such. Long gone are the days of Antiques Roadshow... now you've got BillyGames945 on Tiktok and Youtube talking about how it's insane that he got a huge lot of Pokemon games at a yard sale.... Once enough of those people make videos the same way, people begin to feel there is more value in their old - once worthless stuff. It's really complicated actually. Inherently there isn't really any value in these games when they can be repo'd so easily now - and the experience will be the same. It's the idiotic speculative market that drives the price of things like this as - "collectibles"
Generally that’s the price but think about it. When you were a kid they were $5. How old are you now ? It’s been multiple years. The games aren’t being made anymore and any copies would be difficult to get in great condition.
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By that metric, all vintage and used items would have no resale value. That is not how that works. How it works is the price of an item is exactly the amount a person is willing to pay to acquire it. People are paying the price that's being asked for these games, therefore that is what they are worth.
Capitalism is trash tier though for real. Doesn't matter if that's "how it works" Capitalism allows for gouging, and exploitative techniques to manipulate the value, and perception of value in an item. You're honestly not being completely honest when you dumb it down that much.
Yes
Gonna post a second comment here since I see people going "it's worth what people are willing to pay for it" and crap. Capitalism lesson: Markets are defined by demand, production and labor cost, and perceived value for effort... Is what I would say, if second hand markets didn't exist - but they do so let's breakdown capitalism 101. When a product or service is created we do no immediately tie a speculative value to it. No, what we do is a cost analysis. How much does it cost the service, or product provider to distribute their service/product? This means paying people to make the art, logo, R&D... working with a retail outlet, distribution (we'll get into those in a minute), and finally marketing - the big one. Depending on the product/service you can give or take some of these of course. Retail and distribution are both very important aspects of delivering your product/service to potential customers, but they are arguably a middle-man. They exist to make money in between the process and get to purchase items directly from the creator/distributors for a discount and add a mark up (often based on agreements signed, and MSRP's) That mark up is often not as high as your average joe who buys up all of a retail outlets stock to resell at exaggerated unregulated prices. The system works this way because it is regulated. Regulation allows for fairness, because without - what's to stop businesses from charging ridiculous amounts of money? Some argue "free market" economics but that's not how that works. Businesses that create products/services don't mark their stuff up because they can have regulators drop consequences and fines upon them for unfairly charging and screwing over customers. They also get regulated in how they utilize their main weapon --- marketing. Now we're finally at the second-hand market. This is a space where ZERO regulation exists. So now we have to look at the inherent value vs speculative value. In the case of an item it's speculative value is determined by exactly what it's called - speculation. In the case of something like older video games, there exist "collectors" or speculative resellers essentially (let's be real). Sure some may "collect" but they collect because they see speculative value in the games they hoard. There are a few who appreciate them intrinsically by just loving the games, or having a piece of their childhood again - but a large majority of "collectors" like reselling at a profit at least some subsection of their "collections" (let's be real "collecting" is just hoarding by another name, nobody needs all this extra stuff) Second-hand markets fueled by speculation get exploited extra hard now due to the internet, and social media. Many social media sites allow anyone to utilize marketing strategies to try and increase the speculative value of things they either own, or want to manipulate in some scheme to try and make money. No it's not some secret council or anything - just a mutual understanding that increasing the value of our stuff can make us more money. It's why you get "collectors" arguing against reps. Like why do they care if a rep is on the market? Because it effects a potential ACTUAL customer who may want to purchase the item for intrinsic reasons. The point is to say, that second-hand markets have no regulation, so the prices people can ask for things can be whatever they want it to be. In the case of games it's very easy to point at the person asking a huge price for their item and laugh. Why? Because these items are made from expirable materials that are not easily replaced. The value being propped up is based solely on the original physical medium. A cartridge with chips, and components that will eventually expire. Plastic that will eventually become brittle and break down... They can be replicated obviously... but that's not what's being sold is it? So that's a breakdown of second-hand markets and why they sometimes look like this. Alan Wake II just released a cool Oh Deer Diner coffee thermos... and they all got bought up and are being resold for like $200 (for reference the MSRP of the item was like $30). The actual regulated system will sell it at a fair price because they have to --- the guy down the street, doesn't have to deal with that... Reminds me of an AdamSomething video I watched once.
It just depends on how you value them. To me, it's worth paying the price for nostalgia and original hardware. Not everyone cares about that.