Look at these prices...unreal right ?

[AdamW | 713]

1 hour ago, MiamiSlice said:

Wow.

 

Silly slice, don't you know prices only go up?

[MiamiSlice | 3,095]

7 minutes ago, Mr. CIB said:

Lol you don’t believe that yourself

P.S. The Astro Mini wasn’t an open pre-order and the Atooi Collection was limited to 2,000 copies. 

Oh, right. I forgot the Atooi Collection wasn't an open pre-order. 

I bought two of the Astro Mini because someone on this forum asked me to get one for him. I bought 8 of the Atooi Collection... to scalp. Would you like one? 

[O.G. CIB | 415]

Just now, MiamiSlice said:

Oh, right. I forgot the Atooi Collection wasn't an open pre-order. 

I bought two of the Astro Mini because someone on this forum asked me to get one for him. I bought 8 of the Atooi Collection... to scalp. Would you like one? 

I have one already but I would hold off I were you. Doesn’t matter if you scalp or not but you don’t buy 8 copies to sell to people on here. I scalp things all the time…. Zelda Joy-cons, Razion EX ….. whatever for over 20 years to get my copy of free. All I was saying is you have to roll with the punches on bad buys. I had 6 Shantae pirate curse CEs (2 off LRG site 4 when I went to Too Many Games) I sold 5 at $150 each  and was happy as can be….. should have kept them  

[MiamiSlice | 3,095]

2 minutes ago, Mr. CIB said:

Doesn’t matter if you scalp or not but you don’t buy 8 copies to sell to people on here. 

I never said I bought them just to sell to people on here. Just that if someone on here wanted one I'd be happy to let one go at no markup. I'm trying to unload stuff quickly right now, I have some big expenses coming up =/ 

Edited May 28, 2021 by MiamiSlice

[Tanooki | 4,933]

36 minutes ago, MiamiSlice said:

Oh, right. I forgot the Atooi Collection wasn't an open pre-order. 

I bought two of the Astro Mini because someone on this forum asked me to get one for him. I bought 8 of the Atooi Collection... to scalp. Would you like one? 

Did that someone though BUY that Astro Mini?  I got shut out on that one, was pissed at the time.  I really wish these limited run stuff from various groups would just stop.  Do an open order, that's it, it'll get you covered and anyone who misses it, didn't have the system at the time, were flat broke for fluff, or really were under a rock.

[OptOut | 8,883]

I guess scalping isn't that bad, or I mean in the case of limited run I feel like it's more risky for the scalpers themselves as opposed to the buyers. A lot of Limited Run stuff seems to remain totally flat in terms of value, just a few things take off.

I have never really been interested in Limited Run, but I liked the look of their N64 Star wars games. Fortunately, I was still able to get both games at original retail price, even still sealed, (one thanks to @Darth Vader no less!), and they still turn up on eBay regularly at original RRP.

Of course, I actually decided to OPEN my sealed copies so I could nose around at all the extras, and I have to say... Eh... I mean it's alright for the price I guess? I mean 90 bucks isn't exactly a super premium price, so I would say for the price you kind of get what you pay for.

The carts feel totally cheap and Chinese-y, the printed material has that kind of thin, shiny faux-expensive sort of look and feel to it. The pin and the coin are actually decent, but the cardboard inserts designed to hold them in place have collapsed under their weight and don't really fit in the box properly... I guess they were hoping most people would just keep it sealed so they wouldn't see all this? Eh, like I say, it's acceptable for the price, I guess.

I mean I HAD to get the two of them, because I am such a huge Star Wars fan AND such a huge N64 fan, but these examples really haven't sold me on the value or quality of Limited Run. I would probably buy more N64 games from them, but only to collect, and not the FAKE ass non-real N64 ones like the Yooka Laylee and Turok, I mean REAL playable N64 carts only.

[MiamiSlice | 3,095]

@OptOut I passed on the Star Wars CE’s and reproduction carts... to me they were cheaply made and pointless. The blister packaging is especially disappointing. I like the games so the standard editions were enough for me.

I also stopped trying to scalp LRG stuff. Atooi Collection was one of the last ones where I bought more than one. It’s bad enough to be gambling on what might not be an easy flip but on top of that it’s locking up money for months or maybe even a year. There are better ways to make money than setting aside hundreds of dollars for long periods of time. 

[Tanooki | 4,933]

@MiamiSliceGood call, glad I never did it.  I just sell them for whatever the market dictates if I find I dislike it, or sadly I just need it gone.  Blaster Master Zero2 I hated vs the original, sold it for I guess $40 minus fees, so I broke even...fine by me.  Yet I have others that have gone nuts like that Grandia HD release, I could scalp it, but I won't as I don't hate that one.  I do hate I got rid of Golf Story as much as I hate missing out on that Astro Mini to scalpers.

[Dumars2001 | 164]

Sealed N64 Raw Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside first print sold for $8,100. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234002670327?epid=214712802&hash=item367ba562f7%3Ag%3AtnMAAOSwks5gmG50&nma=true&si=mdOX%2BnMVPOWLIXF1d8vkNA2fV34%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[GPX | 1,369]

4 hours ago, Dumars2001 said:

Sealed N64 Raw Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside first print sold for $8,100. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234002670327?epid=214712802&hash=item367ba562f7%3Ag%3AtnMAAOSwks5gmG50&nma=true&si=mdOX%2BnMVPOWLIXF1d8vkNA2fV34%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

This is just nutz. The game isn’t rare at all plus the box isn’t even mint. Seriously, who are the people making these end bids?

[Tanooki | 4,933]

Armchair investors and speculators, more and more brought in by the likes of the WATA+HA scheme going on being attracted to all the glitz.  That payment likely was nothing to that person they couldn't piss in an hour or two at a high stakes card game in Vegas.  They'll get it graded and just whatever it hits, so what...they'll have heritage turn it over immediately and hope for the best, or they'll hedge a bet and sit on it for a short while, then see where it goes hoping for appreciation of the value on it.

I'm not saying this in jest, dead serious.

[avatar! | 1,811]

2 hours ago, Tanooki said:

Armchair investors and speculators, more and more brought in by the likes of the WATA+HA scheme going on being attracted to all the glitz.  That payment likely was nothing to that person they couldn't piss in an hour or two at a high stakes card game in Vegas.  They'll get it graded and just whatever it hits, so what...they'll have heritage turn it over immediately and hope for the best, or they'll hedge a bet and sit on it for a short while, then see where it goes hoping for appreciation of the value on it.

I'm not saying this in jest, dead serious.

You bring up a really great point - video game flipping.

HUGE these days. 30 years from now, many of these open-order LRG games which are flipped for smallish profits will be selling for thousands of dollars. Also 30 years from now really "rare" and/or popular games such Zelda, Mario, etc. that are CIB and especially sealed, will sell for a ton more than they are now. It won't be too long before a video game breaks $1 million something that people thought was insane when Action Comics #1 (graded CGC 8.0 - first appearance of Superman) broke $1 million in 2010.

[Dumars2001 | 164]

9 hours ago, GPX said:

This is just nutz. The game isn’t rare at all plus the box isn’t even mint. Seriously, who are the people making these end bids?

I 100% agree with you your assessment! Positive feedback was given too. Just makes you shake your head.

[AdamW | 713]

53 minutes ago, avatar! said:

You bring up a really great point - video game flipping.

HUGE these days. 30 years from now, many of these open-order LRG games which are flipped for smallish profits will be selling for thousands of dollars. Also 30 years from now really "rare" and/or popular games such Zelda, Mario, etc. that are CIB and especially sealed, will sell for a ton more than they are now. It won't be too long before a video game breaks $1 million something that people thought was insane when Action Comics #1 (graded CGC 8.0 - first appearance of Superman) broke $1 million in 2010.

That's one possible outcome. Or else 99% of them will be worthless, like 99% of 90s-00s era "limited edition" "#1" comics are.

I tend to agree a few games will hold very high valuations long term, but I'd be pretty surprised if 99% of LRG games even outperform inflation.

[MiamiSlice | 3,095]

37 minutes ago, AdamW said:

That's one possible outcome. Or else 99% of them will be worthless, like 99% of 90s-00s era "limited edition" "#1" comics are.

I tend to agree a few games will hold very high valuations long term, but I'd be pretty surprised if 99% of LRG games even outperform inflation.

Yeah I’m not long term bullish on the limited print current-gen stuff. I like collecting it but it feels like market saturation. There’s so many limited print, special edition blah blah blah that it may as well be the limited print sports cards from the 90’s. 

And honestly, even with retro stuff, I don’t think the speculation is good for every title. If it’s more about investing than anything else, then I expect the niche titles won’t appreciate much because I expect “full set” collecting to wane. Just like comic book collecting is all about the “keys,” game collecting will be all about the hype stuff. So yeah there will be a $1M Pokemon sale eventually, but don’t expect to make big money sitting on Fish Dude. 

[RH | 4,903]

I don't "invest" much in games but I will buy an investment piece every now and then.

The only LRG investment I have is a sealed Breach and Clear. Doubled in value so far and the owner was the original owner and shipped it with the original LRG box and content. That wasn't in the listing and it was nice to see an OG LRG sticker and post card.

[OptOut | 8,883]

6 hours ago, RH said:

I don't "invest" much in games but I will buy an investment piece every now and then.

The only LRG investment I have is a sealed Breach and Clear. Doubled in value so far and the owner was the original owner and shipped it with the original LRG box and content. That wasn't in the listing and it was nice to see an OG LRG sticker and post card.

I don't really look at my video game purchases as investments, at least not in the sense that I would intentionally buy a game hoping for it to increase in value for the sole purpose of selling it at a later date. When it comes to value I always consider it in terms of PRICE, more than anything else; i.e. If I want this item how much will it cost me to BUY it, and if I DON'T buy it now, how much will it cost me to buy it in the future...

So, in that regard, I HAVE bought game items with value in mind, even with value as the PRIMARY consideration, but only to SAVE me money in the future, rather than to MAKE me money. I guess this is a form of investment? Like, inverse-estment? Yeah. Let's go with that!

[jonebone | 1,307]

23 hours ago, Dumars2001 said:

Sealed N64 Raw Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside first print sold for $8,100. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234002670327?epid=214712802&hash=item367ba562f7%3Ag%3AtnMAAOSwks5gmG50&nma=true&si=mdOX%2BnMVPOWLIXF1d8vkNA2fV34%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

That seller got really lucky, he was the first one after a drought and I expected it to do well.  There's been several that have been much cheaper ($1500 or less) with a good amount of wear since.

I got a couple at Wata myself in mid 9s and it's an easy buy and hold game.  I'm biased because N64 is my favorite system and Kobe is my favorite NBA player (his first named game), but with sports cards guys coming over that game in nice shape will always be desirable.  I don't even think I'll sell my dupe, I'll likely hold it as nice tradebait for something down the road. 

[Tanooki | 4,933]

Sadly I started seeing them indirectly as investments some years ago.  When I saw the writing on the wall I had some games I would have happily gotten rid of, but in the back of my mind I knew if I did want them back again in the future to play the price would make me sick so I retained them.  Not popular to say due to the fanboy pool around it, but if Earthbound was a $30 not a $300 game, I'd get rid of it and it's not the only one, even among the new, such as Grandia HD on Switch.  If that wasn't $200 right now, and it could still be had for MSRP +/- a little I'd let it go because i don't have the time and I'm sure someone would enjoy it.  That I know I do want to play again, and $200 and climbing sucks.  So yeah, I see them as investments of inconvenience.

[RH | 4,903]

3 hours ago, OptOut said:

I don't really look at my video game purchases as investments, at least not in the sense that I would intentionally buy a game hoping for it to increase in value for the sole purpose of selling it at a later date. When it comes to value I always consider it in terms of PRICE, more than anything else; i.e. If I want this item how much will it cost me to BUY it, and if I DON'T buy it now, how much will it cost me to buy it in the future...

So, in that regard, I HAVE bought game items with value in mind, even with value as the PRIMARY consideration, but only to SAVE me money in the future, rather than to MAKE me money. I guess this is a form of investment? Like, inverse-estment? Yeah. Let's go with that!

Yeah, buying to "invest" looks like like this to me.  I buy to hold games to use as trade fodder, or to sell later to use profits to get more games.  I also buy games that go in this category that I appreciate on some level of their novelty.  I have no clue what Breach and Clear is like.  What I do know is I originally despised LRG because of their business model and it was a scalper's paradise.  Then they pivoted, I appreciated that they learned from their mistakes and I'm now a big fan.  I bought when the market for this game cooled a bit and then I decided to just use it in the future if/when early-LRG collecting takes off.  I don't see this game dropping in price since it's the first LRG title and only 2,500 were produced.  If this one breaks $1,000 that's a 10x profit and a whoooooole lot of Nintender 64 cassettes I can pick up in the future!

Edited May 31, 2021 by RH

[O.G. CIB | 415]

17 minutes ago, RH said:

Yeah, buying to "invest" looks like to things to me.  I buy to hold games to use a trade fodder, or to sell later to use profits to get more games.  I also buy games that go in this category that I appreciate on some level of their novelty.  I have no clue what Breach and Clear is like.  What I do know is I originally despised LRG because of their business model and it was a scalper's paradise.  Then they pivoted, I appreciated that they learned from their mistakes and I'm a big fan.  I bought when the market for this game cooled a bit and then I decided to just use it in the future if/when early-LRG collecting takes off.  I don't see this game dropping in price since it's the first LRG title and only 2,500 were produced.  If this one breaks $1,000 that's a 10x profit and a whoooooole lot of Nintender 64 cassettes I can pick up in the future!

What they did to grow their business wasn’t a mistake….. it was smart business. Unfortunately, the human tendency is to want what you can’t have or what’s hard to get. By making them limited in the beginning they created a buzz and as such their business took off. If they printed unlimited 80% of people would have put it off or never bought the game. The model has been replicated by others and they still don’t do the volume on short print runs but once it sells out people come running.  I am not an LRG fan for other reasons related to business practices such as long delays in shipping or sometimes what feels as a Ponzi scheme but they made no mistake because they have created an unmatched business.

[avatar! | 1,811]

22 hours ago, AdamW said:

That's one possible outcome. Or else 99% of them will be worthless, like 99% of 90s-00s era "limited edition" "#1" comics are.

I tend to agree a few games will hold very high valuations long term, but I'd be pretty surprised if 99% of LRG games even outperform inflation.

Considering that many LRG games such as Grandia HD are selling for over 3 times the retail cost (which was $54.99 for the record), and that Grandia is a fairly new release, I'm willing to be that most games are going to be selling for anywhere from a fair amount to crazy money - arguably some are already selling for crazy money so just wait!

[AdamW | 713]

Well, sure, they're selling for that right now. But right now we're in the middle of one of the craziest macroeconomic phases of recent history, with gigantic piles of spare cash sloshing around the economy, and the prices on just about every asset class from houses to sneakers to trading cards to video games to things that don't really exist at all are through the roof.

It seems reasonable to assume there is a heavy speculative interest in the market, and any time that's the case, you can't just assume prices will continue to go up and to the right. It's possible, but it's not by any stretch assured.

Again I'd take the comics boom as a reference point; a lot of those sixteen-variant [fifth] "#1" [in the last four months] issues were changing hands for elevated prices after they came out. For a year or two. Then the market figured out no-one was actually that interested in owning them and everyone was just speculating on them, and the prices fell through the floor. The only stuff from that period that's still valuable tends to be things that actually turned out to have lasting significance, frequently real #1s of series that were unheralded at first and so which no-one bought and immediately slabbed for investment purposes but actually, you know, opened and read.

LRG games look a lot like the sixteen-variant, nine "#1s" a year comics to me. How many LRG games do you think people are opening and playing, versus how many are being immediately shipped off to WATA or at least shelved and never touched? A sealed, pristine copy of SMB or Pokemon Red is worth a lot of money because no-one bought those games and just stuck them on the shelf, they opened them and played them and loved them and have strong childhood memories of them. That doesn't apply to this stuff. Is anyone in twenty years going to be thinking of those happy days of childhood when they played the LRG Jak and Daxter collector's box set? Nah. (It's interesting to speculate on what they might get nostalgic about, but it ain't this).

[MiamiSlice | 3,095]

1 hour ago, avatar! said:

Considering that many LRG games such as Grandia HD are selling for over 3 times the retail cost (which was $54.99 for the record), and that Grandia is a fairly new release, I'm willing to be that most games are going to be selling for anywhere from a fair amount to crazy money - arguably some are already selling for crazy money so just wait!

I remember when I felt this way about beanie babies

I know, I know, these are not beanie babies. But your argument was the same one I heard back then. 

[avatar! | 1,811]

1 hour ago, MiamiSlice said:

I remember when I felt this way about beanie babies

I know, I know, these are not beanie babies. But your argument was the same one I heard back then. 

Not knowing anything about the prices of Beanie Babies, I did a search and some still sell for crazy amounts. Sure, these are the "exceptions", and I'm definitely not saying all LRG will be selling for crazy amounts, but quite a few absolutely will! I mean, already some LRG games are selling for thousands of dollars...