Finding Online Retro Games Could Now Becoming Scarce Too Many Collectors

[oldgamerz]

I hate to say this but it seems that today most online stores being both DkOldies and Lukie Games are rapidly have all their retro games thinned out to the point of being out of stock on about 97% of all their retro games. I'm lucky to have what I have already compared to people just now starting to collect. This is the day I've always feared, the day where modern games heading towards all digital and old games being bought out by collectors who got their first.


I am angry at the modern gaming industy for starting to go all digital, if my house burns down as well as any other collector it don't look like we'll be getting replacements for long.

[dreama1]

Lmao. So much for this video game bubble crash bullshit fairy tail. Was just a myth pushed to keep down prices as long as possible.

[ffxik]

I've noticed some of the games I was after a while back has had their prices escalate pretty severely.  So I doubt I'm going to be getting those anytime soon, if at all.  That's for the harder to come by Saturn and Sega CD games I didn't pick up yet though.

I've noticed some level out and a few drop.  The only way the prices will drop is if most big collectors start dumping their games all at once.  I don't see it taking a tangible drop any other way.

[redblaze57]

Do keep in mind that the past couple of months it's probably been hard for them to restock on games that require trade-ins. Plus a possible influx of ordering to some extent of people trying to be entertained.

[oldgamerz]

Do keep in mind that the past couple of months it's probably been hard for them to restock on games that require trade-ins. Plus a possible influx of ordering to some extent of people trying to be entertained.

yes I know @redblaze57

but the reason why this can upset a lot of people is  (I was just thinking about this) 

If everything was digital, and nothing left physical. Than what (gamewise) would parents buy their children or even adults for a Christmas or birthday gift? they might just get a lame one time code probably for a download.

and everyone including us adults would have nothing new that we could both keep for. video games are already being destroyed in the digital world. With game companies shutting down online download servers. That are required in order to download a video game online in the first place.

 but the game companies don't give a darn, it's fine being a collector but it's not fine what the modern video game industry is heading to.

[campercarl]

I'm mad at everything going digital, but I'm more mad at the sudden raise in popularity video game collecting saw after 2005-2008.

The market became flooded with people buying old games not because they wanted to play them but because they saw it as an investment.

Garage sale deals became less frequent, online deals were quickly bought out, even pawnshops caught on and started to jack up the prices of older games tenfold.

I can guarantee that most of the people who own a sealed copy of Earthbound don't even care about the series.
They're the same people who try to push the idea of sealed game grading.

[bikingjahuty]

We're talking about games that haven't been available brand new from a retail store in 20+ years. You can't just order them from a supplier like you can PS4 or Switch games. It's hard for anyone to come by, even if retro games weren't as desirable as they are. And because they are desirable there are fewer people letting them go than bringing them in.

[bikingjahuty]

Lmao. So much for this video game bubble crash bullshit fairy tail. Was just a myth pushed to keep down prices as long as possible.

I wouldn't write off a crash just yet. Unemployment is at 10% right now and we're almost assuredly in an economic recession right now if not a full on depression. What are the first things people are going to sell if they need money from lost wages? Video games, sports cars, boats and motorcycles, vacations, and all other non-essential things get put on the back burner, and in the case of actual assets they get sold. Interest in retro games can be there all day long, but if most people who want them can no longer afford them and many that do have them are selling you create a perfect storm for values to plummet.


Even before all this COVID shit happened overall prices on most retro consoles were either dropping or plateauing, indicating a lack of interest and an increased supply. I think it's only going to get worse in the coming months and years. I think most people are still under the illusion that everything is going to go back to the way things were before when the economy starts reopening and Corona cases are on the decline. This is only the beginning, and retro gaming prices are going to crash, I'm sure of it now.

[Warmsignal]

I dunno, I'm kinda doubting a retro crash at this point. Aside from the areas that have plateaued, new areas are on the rise in value. Just says to me that collector's are turning their attention towards things they can still afford. I would be one of them, in sense. Fairly content with a lot of my long-term collecting, but always seeking out new avenues to expand upon. I just don't think that a lot of us are willing to give it up. I don't know what it'll take, but we're addicted to owning plastic. I don't know why, but it never seems to get old. If anything, it almost seems like there's been a buying increase since the lock down if you look at the volume of stuff selling on eBay. People were given stimulus money and didn't need anything more substantial than more stuff to collect.

[tripredacus]

It is a misnomer that the reason why games are not as easily found as years ago is because of the collectors. It seems like there are a lot of collectors because that is what our predominant viewpoint is. But you have to understand the history of how we got to this point, and you'll find that it has nothing to do with collectors buying up everything at all. In fact, I am under the belief that there are less collectors now than there was 10 years ago. The reason being was that during those early years, it was before games were a known commodity, before the "retro" boom.

When that boom happened, resellers were buying up games for sale. Then the price spikes happened, even for common games. Then what happened? People got out because it was too expensive. Many people got more into emulation or digital and away from physical games.

Now we are in a situation where you can't find everything on ebay. All those games from years ago didn't go anywhere. They are all in warehouses and storage units of those resellers from years ago. The ones that did not plan for the de-valuation of the common titles. Used game stored went out of business once they found they couldn't make it on game reselling alone.

Why do I think that this is the case? Because there are still those old resellers still around that have all those games they hoarded 10 years ago. Piles and piles of common games still marked at 10 year old prices, and thus they sit there forever because there isn't anyone willing to buy them. Any of the companies that folded up, or shifted their inventory would likely have put the product that wasn't selling into storage. It may take some years for that product to filter back into the secondary market again.

[oldgamerz]

I wounder if some other console company will come into the gaming industry (in the future) and have a Physical release for all or most of their video games, there may be a more generous or new company that specializes making old physical games come back, lets just pray to God that happens, I'm pretty sure they would kill competition! on the holiday seasons.

 I mean what idiot would want to buy a lame code for someone Christmas or birthday gift, or a game that developers could take away game requiring a download server at any given time frame.

 (edit) it has not happened to most 7th and 8th Generation consoles but it's heading towards that direction


 I am aware of free ROM's but those ROM's are not all what their cracked up to be, trust me. if someone could send malware through a porn site. Those same SOB's would probably send it through a ROM site as well just to piss people off as well.

I will warn about those ROMS' again. I have had malware on my computer from downloading off game sites before and it's not fun. Anti-virus will only protect against malware that has already been discovered.

[tripredacus]

The vast majority of people who are using ROMs are using "legal" ROMs. In other words, they are buying add-on titles or devices with emulators in them, such as Nintendo's Virtual Console/PSN Classics, or the devices like the Mini consoles.

[oldgamerz]

The vast majority of people who are using ROMs are using "legal" ROMs. In other words, they are buying add-on titles or devices with emulators in them, such as Nintendo's Virtual Console/PSN Classics, or the devices like the Mini consoles.

Then those who download a legal ROM or use the mini consoles should be fine

[sworddude]

I dunno, I'm kinda doubting a retro crash at this point. Aside from the areas that have plateaued, new areas are on the rise in value. Just says to me that collector's are turning their attention towards things they can still afford. I would be one of them, in sense. Fairly content with a lot of my long-term collecting, but always seeking out new avenues to expand upon. I just don't think that a lot of us are willing to give it up. I don't know what it'll take, but we're addicted to owning plastic. I don't know why, but it never seems to get old. If anything, it almost seems like there's been a buying increase since the lock down if you look at the volume of stuff selling on eBay. People were given stimulus money and didn't need anything more substantial than more stuff to collect.

if even 500$ and up games are rising in value I'd say it ain't only the 100$ and below stuff aka the stuff that pretty much everyone could afford that collectors are paying attention to.

It is a misnomer that the reason why games are not as easily found as years ago is because of the collectors. It seems like there are a lot of collectors because that is what our predominant viewpoint is. But you have to understand the history of how we got to this point, and you'll find that it has nothing to do with collectors buying up everything at all. In fact, I am under the belief that there are less collectors now than there was 10 years ago. The reason being was that during those early years, it was before games were a known commodity, before the "retro" boom.

When that boom happened, resellers were buying up games for sale. Then the price spikes happened, even for common games. Then what happened? People got out because it was too expensive. Many people got more into emulation or digital and away from physical games.

Now we are in a situation where you can't find everything on ebay. All those games from years ago didn't go anywhere. They are all in warehouses and storage units of those resellers from years ago. The ones that did not plan for the de-valuation of the common titles. Used game stored went out of business once they found they couldn't make it on game reselling alone.

Why do I think that this is the case? Because there are still those old resellers still around that have all those games they hoarded 10 years ago. Piles and piles of common games still marked at 10 year old prices, and thus they sit there forever because there isn't anyone willing to buy them. Any of the companies that folded up, or shifted their inventory would likely have put the product that wasn't selling into storage. It may take some years for that product to filter back into the secondary market again.

Sure the trash, but what about the actual good games? your thundrforces your contra's your chrono triggers etc etc.

I get nobody wants to buy a soccer or pinball game on nes aside from completionists but if where talking uncommon or even common games that people like to play are those still packed in ware houses. we all know that trash titles rarely sell but that's logical almost no reason to play those.

[tripredacus]

Sure the trash, but what about the actual good games? your thundrforces your contra's your chrono triggers etc etc.

It is all mixed in. A company may decide to sell video games, they see it as a whole inventory. When that market fell out a few years ago, all of the games get pushed off, the good games and the junk.