Toxic Crusaders Game Boy (loose) Value

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

Hey all, I finally grabbed a loose copy of Toxic Crusaders. I'm trying to get a better idea of the actual value of the game.

Game Value Now: $433
Price Charting: $275
eBay sold: 3 recent. $275, $275, and $300.

So would you put current value around $285 based on the recent eBay sold, or go with the Price Charting low value? and why on earth is the GVN value SO much higher? 

[RH | 4,903]

That's simply a rare game and the prices shot up even before the big rush in prices. When did the last one sale.

IMHO, it's hard to find a fair value for these games. True, prices skyrocketed but if everyone who was looking for one, probably for a complete set, has gotten there's, this may be tough to move.

OTOH, if yours is in great shape, one hasn't sold in a while not has another been on eBay, you might get $400 for it. Who knows.

I think the market is small, but when it's hot, it's hot. But when it's cool, you may have to be patient to find a desperate buyer.

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

I agree on all points. Not looking to sell, btw, this is for my personal collection. I'm just more curious how the community would calculate the actual current value. Obviously, something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay. 

I did see a copy sold earlier this week on eBay. 

[Tanooki | 4,933]

GVN has a broken algorithm it appears.  I'd stick with what you can hand verify.  Problem is, for toxie there, it's a toxic environment right now for Gameboy just since this year started.  $300 is fair now, but it could be $350 in another day, week, month, depending who goes fishing next and which person just figures...it's only another $50 (what happens if the next is...?) and then it's up once more.  If GB falls back to reality which I wouldn't be surprised if it does at least a good bit, this one is already rare so it may sustain, or at least drop closer to what the 2020 and 2019 values were.

[yZoneFox | 18]

On 2/26/2021 at 6:25 PM, Tanooki said:

GVN has a broken algorithm it appears.  I'd stick with what you can hand verify.  Problem is, for toxie there, it's a toxic environment right now for Gameboy just since this year started.  $300 is fair now, but it could be $350 in another day, week, month, depending who goes fishing next and which person just figures...it's only another $50 (what happens if the next is...?) and then it's up once more.  If GB falls back to reality which I wouldn't be surprised if it does at least a good bit, this one is already rare so it may sustain, or at least drop closer to what the 2020 and 2019 values were.

Toxic? Game Boy rares and CIBs have always been more expensive. Low stock and "disposable" packaging all boost value, if there is enough demand. I didn't think the production numbers were low from GBA onwards, but there are still very expensive and rare GBA games. I have a hunch that a lot of small things like Game Boy games get chucked in the garbage because 'these old tiny things could never be wanted or valuable'.

You have to manually record prices over stretches of years to keep an accurate idea of what a Game Boy game was when it was last seen with its box or loose (like Toxic Crusaders or CHN releases). VGPC and GVN only capture so much. If you note a sale is missing, you can always contact the people who run those sites to add the data. When the games come up again in the condition you want loose, CIB, new / sealed, you then have to re-evaluate whether you care to wait possibly years for it to pop up again or spend the dough and be done with the waiting game.

[Tanooki | 4,933]

I'm not talking about rares, I'm talking about non-rares taking that hit now too as I said the entire environment was toxic (could have been clearer.)

GB has always been a paper issue, and a few game have been annoyingly expensive, but the spikes hit them well with this recent bs.  THe difference though now, even the regular stuff is getting cranked.  Take for instance like Pokemon Puzzle League, formerly a $10 game maybe, now people are getting $25+ for it as a loose game.  Basic stuff like your first two Mario Land's which had been hard up stuck at $5-10 range based on condition I see even ink wrecked ones hitting $15-20 easy...hardly a low print title.

I'm aware, all too aware just how sketchy price aggregate sites are.  I'd never recommend them except for very specific of vague generalities.  THe usual best use is old sales history price that stick with links that typically work, long after ebay purges them from their own site.  At least there you can compare the real condition/quality/completeness of X product against your own to get a value.

[yZoneFox | 18]

Even before the global shutdown and people getting money to sit on their duff, I first observed the increase in GB prices when the word genuine or authentic was introduced into the lexicon as a way of distinguishing items from the repro market. At first, I noticed these terms applied to GBA and DS listings, but then everything else started to use them. I even noticed the word authentic became part of the suggested search for games on ebay.

The whole global meltdown, duff money only exacerbated the situation. I think price increases are a factor of people putting their trust into a seller knowing what they are talking about when they use authentic. I do notice some sellers do a better job at presenting their goods and sell higher than others (time vs money). Other less reputable or lazy sellers creep up their prices when they check the completed prices with stars in their eyes of potential $$$$ which in turn may make those high end sellers reevaluate their listing prices. The same goes for buyers. As long as people are buying at a price, people reset their expectations on what they will pay.

 

I agree about the usage of VGPC and GVN for tracking history. I never believe the quoted loose, CIB, or new prices reflect the current market. I can type in the search bar on ebay to see that. There are some things which rarely pop up, and you could expect those items to go for more even though the last record may be from 2011 or not at all. I do believe that there are probably people who take those numbers as-is. I'm not aware of any sketchiness of those sites, but it you know some facts, then I'd like to see them.

Maybe it's because I am unfamiliar with how these site record info, but I do find it amusing when people argue rarity of something being an R5, R7, etc. because that's what it says on Atari Age, Rarity Guide, or some other site. The only thing that matters is what people are willing to spend.