I don’t want to buy games digitally anymore until I can actually own the game rather than the license. But then some freak on eBay is asking for $500 for a copy of Klonoa on the PS1. Then there are even more freaks who are willing to bid higher than that! Then the smaller retro games stores around me base their prices on these prices. There needs to be a price cap on this stuff. We can’t let all of the richest nerds control the economy.
Some of it is just them getting hard to find for things that were made in smaller numbers. As time goes on there are less of them floating around.
But also: grading and internet hype has drawn the eyes of a certain class of investor that want to sit on these “assets.” Then everyone that sees a graded copy of a game sell for a high dollar amount assumes their grungy copy with no box and their name written on the cartridge is worth the same amount. You see the same thing across a lot of collectibles hobbies, unfortunately.
The no box and no manual postings drive me mad. Firstly, I kept all of that stuff because it’s fun to look at and reread the manual after years of not touching it, so it just boggles me that so many people immediately threw those things away and slipped the disc into a sleeve. But secondly, how are you going to sit there and tell me your loose, scratched up, sugar encrusted copy of Armored Core is worth over $100?
I’m guilty of tossing plenty of stuff out over the years. So many boxes full of boxes, eventually the downsizing bug bites and I need to separate wheat from chaff.
But the idea that people pretend to have no idea that those things adds to the value confuses me as well. I’m also perpetually confused that people don’t understand the difference between something being listed for an amount and something selling for an amount. Anyone can list anything they want for any amount, but that doesn’t mean other people are buying it! I could list my copy of Low G Man for 10 billion dollars if I want to, but it’s sure as heck not worth that.