Out of the loop - how's the market for NTSC-U Wii / GC / PS2/3 / Dreamcast?

[topper]

As per title. I'm studying for a second degree, as well as working long hours, and playing lots of guitar, and like so many of us in the past, I'm looking at the games gathering dust. Oh, I also want to study for a Private Pilot Licence.

Is the market reasonably solid right now, or are my games worth bugger all and I should scrape around for some other stuff to sell? Obviously I haven't provided a list, I don't have anything too exotic, most of my games are generally regarded as popular on their various platforms... So feel free to be general in your responses. :P

[Wools]

It sounds like you just want to off load those systems so my advice would be to see your consoles + games in bundles but split out the rare games (If you have any) to sell indervidually.

I sold my collection years ago so not best to speak of the wider market but an outsiders view is eBay has raised the price of all games but they don't sell at the price! Retro games are worth nothing like they used to be but if they're mint you can command a premium if you can find someone to buy from you.

Best of luck with your pilots licence!

[speedlolita]

Really depends on the titles to be honest.

[topper]

Fair enough, I know I was vague... Meanwhile, trying to find a USA flying school that supports the government Student Exchange and Visitor Program, and has reasonable fees, is proving to be challenging, so I might not be selling after all...

[Asura]

Dreamcast stuff in general has become a bit more valuable than it once was, due to the failure rate of the machines, and, naturally, the more time passes since the machine was contemporary, the fewer games and working machines that remain. Like Speedlolita says, though, the specific titles make all the difference.

One thing to be careful about is the eBay "trending prices" feature. eBay now tries to index prices of items to give you a "trending price" for stuff. This is meant to be to protect people from scalpers who are trying to sell mundane items (like common games) for daft prices, but it seems to have had the opposite effect, inflating the prices. I suspect that people are colluding to buy items from each other, therefore only paying the fees, in the hope of driving prices up, and it seems to be working on paper (though whether this transfers into successful actual sales is anyone's guess).

[speedlolita]

Stick stuff on for 99p starting, with correct postage. The auction will speak for what the item is worth.

[wakka]

I think the best way of checking value is to use the Completed Listings option when searching on Ebay. That way you don't risk selling your treasured copy of Ty 2 on Gamecube for 30p.

[Wools]

Dreamcast stuff in general has become a bit more valuable than it once was, due to the failure rate of the machines, and, naturally, the more time passes since the machine was contemporary, the fewer games and working machines that remain. Like Speedlolita says, though, the specific titles make all the difference.

Is the failure rate of the DC now accepted to be very high?

I've always thought that myself purely through ownership of several of the consoles. My original console had the reset bug (Which was fixed by cleaning the metal clasps) had problems connecting through controller port 1 and a few of my controllers had specific buttons stop working. I've owned at least 2 since my original unit, 1 which was brand new, and they all developed faults that was a right pain in the arse.

I've seriously had more problems with Dreamcasts than I ever had with Xbox 360's and I played a hell of a lot more on my 360 than my DC. It's contributed to me not wanting to pick up a console and collection as it feels like it would break if I moved it!

[Dogg Thang]

I had no idea there were problems with the DC. I had of course assumed that because my sample group of 1 unit (my own) works fine that they all do (who wouldn't make that assumption? - it's basic science). Would be interested to know more because if I am expect my DC to clap-out any time now, I would probably pick up a second unit sooner rather than later.

[Asura]

Is the failure rate of the DC now accepted to be very high?

It has always been a known thing; the units were very temperamental. I worked at a second hand games shop when it was active, and we had far more returns of the Dreamcast than any other machine, and I too have had 2 faulty ones over the years (whereas I've never had a faulty console of any other kind - that includes an early Xbox 360 unit that I owned for nearly 7 years without problems).

[endo]

I've been lucky too then, because my launch JP unit is still going strong. Had a Saturn die on me out of the blue a while ago though.

[Wools]

Very sad to hear but not surprising.

I picked up some brand new DC stuff late last year with the eye to start a mini collection to compliment my PlayStation collection but it was short lived. Got some brand new controllers, VMU's, games and sourced an immaculate console all for under ?100. But 2 months later, it got the reset bug, could not read brand new discs, and every controller port stopped working.

I loved the DC at the time and some games are classics but would not want to pick up that console again. It's really, poorly made.

[Dogg Thang]

Sounds like I need to invest in a safety unit. Mine is modded from back in the day and I couldn't imagine losing it.

[topper]

Hi everyone, I'm bumping this rather old thread as, well, it's the obvious place to talk about things.

We've had a pandemic, we're on the verge of war and at a micro level life has thrown me some curveballs and I've moved countries. Also there are other positive forces going on; I'm trying to build a business and any "spare time" is going into guitar, my band, and flying lessons. Yes, life is good but I simply have other passions that have taken over from gaming.

My current collection is ~190 games, the vast majority PS3 with a handful for original Xbox and Wii. (I did sell my DC and GC stuff before the pandemic, oops.)

What this means is that my stuff is sitting in boxes waiting for me to:

1. Move in with my girlfriend who currently lives in Australia.
2. Have time to play which isn't looking that likely, who builds a business, plays music, flies, and has time for gaming?

On that basis, how is the market looking? I think things went up over the pandemic but I don't really know. My head says sell up if I'm not playing, but there's always that what if... I don't see myself building a collection like this again, but I'm not sure it matters any more.

Any thoughts / advice appreciated. Specifically, would this be seen as a "good" time to sell? (I know nobody has a crystal ball.)

I hope everyone is well, browsing the forum it does seem quieter than it once was (bloody social media?).

[egparadigm]

I’ve been collecting OG Xbox in the past 9 months or so. Some titles are dirt cheap, some are between £20 and £50. I noticed that prices seem to have dropped back a little bit in the last couple months. You could use CeX as a guide, but eBay is usually about £30%+ higher in prices.