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EB anthology has it at 150,000+ copies sold in the US.

I'm not sure where it ever got the "rare" title. It's the most common "rare" game i've seen - always about 2 dozen copies on ebay at any given time.

It's high again ($130-150 range) - it has been fluctuating from $60-160 the past 3 years, up down up down up down...so, sell now if you have and aren't playing it.

Why the hell has Earthbound spiked so high since January?

It consistently has been selling around $150 for just the cart.

Because people want it.

Sought after games are not priced based on rarity, they're priced on how badly people currently want the title.

Chrono Trigger on SNES, for example, is not a rare game ... at all. Yet it sells for significantly higher amounts than it should.

The only "rarity" argument I can think of is that people are mostly unwilling to part with their copies. I mean, if there just aren't a lot of people selling something, then it's automatically hard to find and thus expensive, regardless how abundant it was when it was released.

You can see this reflected in various titles like Chip 'N Dale 2 ... it's like $80 USD right now, which is ludicrous.

Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Lunar SCD, Popful Mail ... these games just aren't going to be sold cheaper, because they're guaranteed cash cows for sellers. Until they stop selling for that high ... it's not going to go down in price.

After all, people will still pay $15-$30 for something ludicrously common like Super Mario Bros. 3 just because it has the box and manual (maybe).

It's also because retro-collecting has become very popular in the last few years. It was just like the comic bubble in the 90s. And, sadly, it's going to burst, they always do.

Im not sure about the retro bubble bursting too soon?
For many years people have been obsessed with modern tech,now I think people are kinda getting tired of the evolution moving too fast and has them thinking about the good O' days when grass was green and air was fresh..

Alot of the promise of future has been dissappointing to a sense and leading to complications and struggle to keep up,but when you can take a break from today and relive abit of the past it sparks some fun and innocence to your life.
Some people never stopped playing their Atari's and Pongs while others are just discovering it.Heck I even see retro making a comeback in many areas,clothing,music,hair styles,gaming,dancing etc.Its a great lifestyle for some and rewarding to preserve!

This is not an attack,just a bit of my 2cents.lol.

Cronozilla wrote:Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Lunar SCD, Popful Mail ... these games just aren't going to be sold cheaper, because they're guaranteed cash cows for sellers. Until they stop selling for that high ... it's not going to go down in price.

Wrong.

Chrono Trigger was selling for $60 (18) months ago, $30 a year ago, and $50 now.
Earthbound was selling for $100 (18) months ago, $75 a year ago, and $150 now.
Popful Mail was selling for $70 (18) months ago, $50 a year ago, and $100+ now.

You didn't mention Suikoden II (currently down, like many PSX RPG's), Spiderman Web of Fire (back up again), etc - all w/drastic and recent fluctuations in price. To say they aren't going to go down is simply wrong, even the most passionate collectors understand video games are not a good long-term investment.

Right Now:
NES Rarities, SNES rarities, SCD rarities, and Gamecube good and overlooked titles are up.
N64 is down w/the exception of (2) titles, PSX rpg's are down significantly from 18 months ago and even a year ago, PS2 is down, etc.

Earthbound is a unique case as it always turns up in these "rare" game articles.

I'm pretty sure Earthbound was never really "rare" - it's just really in demand, and there's little to no likelihood of there ever being a remake or rerelease due to the music issues involved. See: http://www.gamesradar.com/soundtracks-y ... en/?page=3

The tunes were able to slip past back in the day but with the huge focus on music copyright these days they'd probably have to redo all of these songs (pissing off a lot of fans).

Cody_D165 wrote:I'm pretty sure Earthbound was never really "rare" - it's just really in demand, and there's little to no likelihood of there ever being a remake or rerelease due to the music issues involved.

There are very good EB repros around, though it is largely frowned upon and most forums won't allow them to be sold as they are not in need of translation, etc.

The demand is manufactured, mostly be people who've never played the game, imo.

mjmjr25 wrote:Chrono Trigger was selling for $60 (18) months ago, $30 a year ago, and $50 now.
Earthbound was selling for $100 (18) months ago, $75 a year ago, and $150 now.
Popful Mail was selling for $70 (18) months ago, $50 a year ago, and $100+ now.

Right Now:
NES Rarities, SNES rarities, SCD rarities, and Gamecube good and overlooked titles are up.
N64 is down w/the exception of (2) titles, PSX rpg's are down significantly from 18 months ago and even a year ago, PS2 is down, etc.

Something else that is up are pre-DS Pokemon games. They all seem have jumped in price over the last 3 or 4 months, more so than is usual for this time of year.

Its too bad PCB boards dont flux like console games do.

In 2006, could have snagged a nice Armed Police Batrider board for $100.

Now, I am having a hard time finding one under $400.

dunpeal2064 wrote:Its too bad PCB boards dont flux like console games do.

In 2006, could have snagged a nice Armed Police Batrider board for $100.

Now, I am having a hard time finding one under $400.

I think any PCB that has never been ported might be the one exception and could actually be a decent investment, worst case scenario they should hold value and in most cases will go up. Personally, that is where i'm now trying to focus my arcade gets.