The most expensive game in a Retro video game store

[Mario_Friend1982 | 176]

A sealed Pokémon Yellow CIB at Gamedeals in New Westminster priced at $2,000.

[fcgamer | 4,737]

It's always the N64 games, always.

[a3quit4s | 4,112]

One of the game stores by me when I was in MD had a legit Samson at the height of crazy prices in 2022, I think they were asking $2k. I feel like I’ve seen some others but can’t remember off the top of my head

[Tanooki | 4,943]

I remember years ago a local chain that really at this rate deserves to largely die off got a bunch of CIB NES games in, but one that was utter balls was Panic Restaurant.  They wanted like $1200 for it, and this was (if you check VGPC to date this) back when a complete copy average on their line graph was in the $600-800 range.  Needless to say it sat for years and years, occasionally dusted off, and eventually it disappeared.  I quit caring to check, it was like a plexiglass case museum display really, but it did disappear likely since they never updated the sticker and their shit price became the average shit price.  They won by attrition.  (Perspective, 8 years ago they had I believe 7 stores, they have 2 left and soon to be 1 because they have that kind of reputation now.)

[Kguillemette | 1,547]

Level up Games in Goffstown Nh had some really impressive stuff last time I was in. Maybe slightly above ebay, but nothing crazy. Off the top of my head they had a nice CIB Crusader of Centy for $900.

[Link | 2,715]

40 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

I remember years ago a local chain that really at this rate deserves to largely die off got a bunch of CIB NES games in, but one that was utter balls was Panic Restaurant.  They wanted like $1200 for it, and this was (if you check VGPC to date this) back when a complete copy average on their line graph was in the $600-800 range.  Needless to say it sat for years and years, occasionally dusted off, and eventually it disappeared.  I quit caring to check, it was like a plexiglass case museum display really, but it did disappear likely since they never updated the sticker and their shit price became the average shit price.  They won by attrition.  (Perspective, 8 years ago they had I believe 7 stores, they have 2 left and soon to be 1 because they have that kind of reputation now.)

Eh, some years ago I took a last-ditch effort at visiting games stores and thrift stores searching for vintage games. I mapped out a route and spent a whole day visiting 10+ locations. 

I saw a cart-only copy of Mega Man 1 at Trade N Games for $80. I turned it down, but now it costs more than that anywhere per VGPC. ($95 as of today). If I was still shopping for it I would regret not picking it up then. Do they contribute to rising prices? Sure you can make that case. But they are there for walk-in customers, and storing that until it sells months after acquisition costs material, equipment, utilities, wages, advertising, etc. on top of their cost to obtain. What exactly is the free market supposed to do here? 

[RH | 4,932]

I have a local game shop I go into mostly because I like the guys there and kind of got to know the owner.  Somehow, he has a knack for being the go-to place to sell your games.

Anyway, I went in about 2 years ago and the guys had a CIC Magical Chase.  I can’t recall the price tag but I know it was about what would be expected. ($8-9,000)

I saw it and looked at the guys working and I just asked, who dropped that off with my jaw dropped!

One of the things that gets me about selling to used games shops is that they are pretty honest about how much they will pay you for a game vs. what they will sell it for.  I know these guys give 25% in cash for what they intend to sell it for or 50% in store credit. It baffles me that people sometimes drop off a box is games, get offered, say $2-3,000 and never stop to say, “hey wait, there might be something in there worth $10,000?!”

I get taking stuff in for $200-500 maaaaybe in trade-in because you have to work to list stuff on eBay, or whatever and it’s easy to drop it off and be done with it.  But when you are sitting on something worth potentially thousands  more than what a store is offering, I just don’t get why people do it, even if you need quick money. Well someone did do that with a nice Magical Chase.

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

25 minutes ago, RH said:

Anyway, I went in about 2 years ago and the guys had a CIC Magical Chase.  I can’t recall the price tag but I know it was about what would be expected. ($8-9,000)

Sometimes that may be from the store owner's collection.   

The local chain here had a ton of Sega heavy hitters (Master System, CD, etc) come in all at once and it turned out an employee had "traded them in".  I would assume he got a much better cash offer than usual.

A different store in that chain had somebody that must have dumped off an inherited Wii collection.   Tons of random underpriced rarities that I snagged, so I can only imagine what I missed.

Haven't been to any of those stores in a few months, but next time I go I'll see what (horribly overpriced most likely) expensive stuff is behind the counter for you there OP.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

I remember seeing a CIB copy of Chase the Chuckwagon for the Atari 2600 at a local store a few years ago and I think they wanted $800 for it.

[guitarzombie | 927]

Interesting thread.  My friend who owned a VG store had a good amount of crazy stuff but a lot of it didn't have it priced, or it wasn't in the store.  Now I'm trying to think.

[Code Monkey | 2,011]

A local game store used to have The Flintstones: Surprise At Dinosaur Peak for $2000.

I say they used to have it because it's on my shelf now.

[Tanooki | 4,943]

14 hours ago, Link said:

But they are there for walk-in customers, and storing that until it sells months after acquisition costs material, equipment, utilities, wages, advertising, etc. on top of their cost to obtain. What exactly is the free market supposed to do here? 

I'm aware, and I vote with my money, as in not handing them money.  I'm ok at minimum when the price is close or at online if it's such a lower cost item it has no real impact.  Stores that shoot higher, I walk away, it's a want, not a need.  I think what the free market needs to do, as we're talking LOCAL free market, is to price local to the area.  What someone makes(median income) say in more rural states isn't what they make on the big coastal states/cities by a wide margin.  So pricing according to VGPC/ebay makes less sense because of that, and because you're not serving a global market, but a local community.  My approach is price local, buy local, price online, buy elsewhere.  I get they have rents, paychecks, insurance, etc but again, that's local, not international.

[Link | 2,715]

I saw a 1982 Mario Brus. at GameXpress in Hemingford, NE for $5,000,0000.

[guitarzombie | 927]

1 hour ago, Code Monkey said:

A local game store used to have The Flintstones: Surprise At Dinosaur Peak for $2000.

I say they used to have it because it's on my shelf now.

Ooof. 

[Code Monkey | 2,011]

35 minutes ago, Link said:

I saw a 1982 Mario Brus. at GameXpress in Hemingford, NE for $5,000,0000.

Fifty million dollars?

[Link | 2,715]

19 minutes ago, Code Monkey said:

Fifty million dollars?

$5,000,0000. 

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

7 minutes ago, Link said:

$5,000,0000. 

Is that like the tiny 9 at the end of gas prices?

[a3quit4s | 4,112]

Not sure how this is going to become a list but I’m sure it will

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

I mean, I can list my 10 yd fight cart only for 100,000,00.00 if I want

 

But seriously my “local” gamestore has tons of minty clean CIB sand sealed from nes to modern. Dead mint sealed chrono trigger. Un-piricearked because if you have to ask the prices, you cannot afford it. 

[Link | 2,715]

1 hour ago, captmorgandrinker said:

Is that like the tiny 9 at the end of gas prices?

                                                99
Correction: §5,000"o☼00.00

Edited July 10, 2023 by Link

[Code Monkey | 2,011]

11 hours ago, Link said:

$5,000,0000. 

That's fifty million.

[Link | 2,715]

5 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

That's fifty million.

You're fifty million.

[AirVillain | 490]

All the stuff I want. 

Don't really keep tabs at each time I go.... but.... Buddy here locally has some good stuff. Mega Man X3 CIB. Couple others.... I try not to look at those too hard for right now... 

Not quite $50,0000,0000.0000, though. 

Edited July 15, 2023 by AirVillain

[Bighab | 58]

A local store I go to often to buy my Switch games has a CIB Earthbound with a $4K Canadian price tag(PC has it at around $2800 Canadian) Not sure if it was a copy the store got in a trade or the owner's copy. On a side not this store does sell games on commission for people. I've taken in stuff and set my minimum ask and the store will ask whatever they want. I get my asking price without any hassle of trying to sell it online and the store makes some money.

[Gamegearguy | 225]

Gee, I was going to say a Sega CD console for $450 and an Atari Jaguar console for $400.