Who Pays Full Market Value For Games?

[turf]

I peruse a few forums and whatnot on the interwebs.  I'm really only active on this one, but I do read others like reddit and NA. 

Very, very rarely do I see someone admit to paying full price for games.  I've never bought an expensive (>$50) game at full market value other than new stuff (that I can think of)*. 

How are the prices of these things going up if folks are all buying stuff for $1 at thrift stores?  Someone has to buying stuff off of eBay, or all these resellers would be out of business.

*Disclaimer: I didn't buy Earthbound, but I have a suspision that it was bought at full price by my wife.

[instantreplay]

I don't buy most of my games at full market price. There are only a couple of reasons I'll pay full price for a video game.
1) If it's a multiplayer based game (like Battlefield) then I'll pre-order it and pay full price.
2) The game has a lot of content. I'll pay full price for a game like Persona 4 because I can easily sink 100 hours into it. It's absurd to charge $60 for a game that has only a 7 hour campaign and no other modes.
3) It's an amazing game and I want to support the industry.

[bikingjahuty]

Most people do pay retail for games, us deal hunters are the minority (I don't buy all my games below retail/market value, but probably 85% of them I do). From what I've seen, most collectors are looking for a good deal, but most do not mind dropping full price on a specific game they want. This is why resellers are able to make a living off selling games.

[turf]

I guess I should have been a little more clear.  I'm talking about older/collectable stuff.  I fully expect to pay $60 for something on release day.   

[badATchaos]

Every single person who buys a game online or elsewhere doesn't go into a forum and boasts about how they just bought a 150 dollar Earthbound on eBay. People who actually care and spend their time on forums are in the small vocal minority. There isn't much pride at purchasing a game at full retail prices so why boast about it? The only kind of stories worth writing or even reading about are stories like how you searched through flea markets for a year before you found a five dollar Little Samson. I don't think anyone would care to read about how someone logged into eBay one day and clicked Buy it Now on a game just because they had to have it that moment. -Not very exciting or notable.
 
When it comes to newly released console games (which a this point for me is pretty much just Nintendo) I buy at full price all the time. Ain't no one stopping me from playing Mario Kart 8 on release day dammit! However for the majority of modern games I mainly stick with PC/Steam games. Just wait 3 months and the game is half the price. Than they have those quarterly blowout sales.

With retro games because of where I live I unfortunately don't have much of choice but go around sniping on eBay. I tend to get stuff just at or a little bit bellow "full" price.

[badATchaos]

lol which is why I have been getting into imports. A lot of titles that are really expensive here is dirt cheap in Japan. I've never been there but I don't think they have nearly as many retro collectors over there. Why just a few months ago I picked up the Japanese release of Mario Kart 64 complete in box for FIVE dollars! Super Smash Bros. (JP) complete-in-box for 20 dollars. Yoshi's Island (JP) CIB @ 20 dollars. A Link to the Past (JP) CIB @ 10 dollars. You just can't get those kind of prices on their American counterparts. And that's not even me getting lucky that's just how cheap they are a lot of the time.

[disgaeniac]

Sometimes, sure.

I'll even buy some games that I know that I'll likely never end up playing to show my support for a niche and/or for NIS.

I'm talking "full market value" as = Release day prices on new releases; I'll never pay the outrageous "going rate" values that people on-line try to sell games like Suikoden 2 and /or Panzer Dragoon, etc for!

[burningdoom]

It has to be something I've REALLY been looking forward to, like a new Elder Scrolls game. Pretty much otherwise, nope.

[fazerco]

What is rare and/or collectable?

Im my country i always see ads for lemmings for the game gear that people say is a rare game. I dont think so cause i seen alot of them going around.

Or do you follow a site like this http://www.rarityguide.com/gamegear_view.php?SortDirection=desc&SortField=5&recordsPerPage=20
That site only follows what is on ebay i think.

And for the modern games we have a site called budgetgaming. Its a forum of people who tell eachother were you can find the cheap games and consoles. in stores and online. So most of my vita games i only payed 5€ for new games.

[burningdoom]

I did recently buy Mega Man Legends 2. But I paid about $30 less than most disc-only copies. I bought a scratched-up one, and just got it resurfaced for $3.

[disgaeniac]

And for the modern games we have a site called budgetgaming. Its a forum of people who tell eachother were you can find the cheap games and consoles. in stores and online.

We have the equivalent (here in the US); it's called: "C.A.G."

"C.A.G." =

Cheap Ass Gamers 

[instantreplay]

For me it depends on the price. I generally won't buy an old game if its over $20 used. While I love flea markets and Goodwill I'm very careful of what I buy and I generally won't spend over a couple of dollars per game. I once bought a copy of advance wars for GBA for $4, and I had no idea if it would work because it was at a flea market but since it was $4 it was worth the risk.

Goodwill actually has an auction website and you will occasionally see a bunch of rare games sell for over $100 but people don't bother reading the description which says that the product is sold as is and they have not been tested. I don't understand how people are willing to take such a risk. I mean I don't mind dropping $20 on 10 untested games or maybe $5 on one untested games but $100 is absurd.

[kamikazekeeg]

I've generally bought the full price on a couple things I know I'm never likely to find at a thrift or flea market.  Bought a boxed Legend of Zelda NES from a retro game shop along with a Japanese Link to the Past, both probably around the regular market prices.  Buying a Japanese Ocarina of Time for about the going rate on Ebay there this weekend.  It's really about very specific things which I think is totally fine if you are wanting specific titles that are hard to find. Never bought higher than like 50 bucks though for an old game though and mostly not likely to due to the prices, but luckily, not much I REALLY want right now is over 100 bucks lol

[argyle]

I did recently buy Mega Man Legends 2. But I paid about $30 less than most disc-only copies. I bought a scratched-up one, and just got it resurfaced for $3.

Where did you get it resurfaced?  I have a Persona 1 disk that my wife had - she doesn't even know where it came from.    Anyway, it's scratched up & "skips" in the intro movie so I thought I'd try getting it resurfaced - either it will fix it or destroy it.  It's no good to me as-is regardless. 

And I've been a CAG for around 10 years now - I've gotten some fantastic deals thanks to the guys there. 

[90snostalga]

While I get 90 percent off my collection thrift shopping, I do not have any shame in admitting, (not sure what the big deal about admitting it is) I have bought items at so called full Ebay retail price.  Only a few times but I've done it.  One was recently when I bought my Neo Geo Pocket Color in the box with Metal Slug in the box.  I spent full retail Ebay price on both.  I have no shame in that.  I had the money to spend, so I bought it cause I know there are several games I eventually will get to play and will love playing for the Geo.  *I did end up finding another Geo Color pocket with Sonic for only 30 bucks thrift shopping after I bought one on Ebay, but I got 2 now so that's cool *

 I think the question I have always pondered is why people are scared to admit it. When I watch a Youtube video of some one showing off their collection, I know very well they did not find the top 5 rarest games for the NES thrift shopping for 2 bucks even tho they claim so.