1 AM Rant: Why Are Crazy Nintendo 3DS Collectors Paying a Premium for Games and Systems?

** Trigger Warning: Please note that this is a collectibles finance channel. As such, you may be easily offended if you are a collector watching this. You have been warned. **
In this video, we discuss the mania surrounding speculators/collectors paying a premium for Nintendo 3DS games and systems at present time. For the record, the Nintendo 3DS line of systems hasn't even been discontinued for 3 years yet as of the recording of this video! What is causing this mania?
Email: Antique/Collectible Consulting Services: [e-mail]
Patreon: / reservedinvestments
Videos are not intended to give direct financial advice and are not a substitute for professional financial advice.

[@latinsizer]

I agree, the items people buy in mass to put on a closet because 'they will be worth a lot someday' are usually the ones that never raise in price.

[@calibomber209]

I buy games that are fun and different with some rarity. Obscure games too. And every one I buy I try to get cheap. Like I really like Metroid prime federation fighters. It was cheap and at launch ppl said it sucks. Today that game cib is over 100$. I paid $3 for it. I have done this many times. Several years ago I was buying 2ds for $5-12$ . I bought every color and even broken ones that was easy to refurbish. Now 2ds goes for 90$ and up. This dude is spitting facts!

[@anymoose]

​@@calibomber209dang I remember seeing that Metroid game on clearance and I passed on it. Too bad

[@junghan96]

Absolutely agree. I just wanted to grab a 3DS and some games I loved playing 8 or 9 years ago, since I lost mine years ago. But the prices are insane, in some cases the games are more expensive than they were brand new...

[@CMRetroGaming]

I do a lot of the retro gaming stuff, but I genuinely collect it because I love it and want to play it. I also dabble in the new toys. My problem with the new toys is really two-fold. First they are way to expensive for kids to buy them. This is important because it desiccates the future buyers market, these kids aren't going to care about Star Wars black series in the future. There will be new star wars stuff when they grow up and have kids. Secondly, it's all made to be collected, kept in the box and stored. So in 20 years-ish when it's time to sell, the market will be flooded with sealed in boxes...I would guess that there are going to be more sealed SW black series figures in the future than there are loose figures.

[@masterlee2590]

It's nice when Nintendo release 3DS HD or whatever they going to do and I can just swap my old stuff for the new stuff without paying any money.... I did it when Nintendo released the Switch I swapped my Sega Genesis collection and managed to get 2 Switch's and every game available and pro controllers and SD cards and I'll do it all again someday

[@saltytbone]

During the lockdown, I was looking for 4" GI Joes from 15 years ago and I almost never found them loose. Tons of carded ones though.

[@ivanvargas2425]

I don’t even buy my kid toys rly I buy them for myself and we just keep them boxed.

[@Theundisputedelite]

I bought pokemon white (cartridge) at gamestop for 25$ back in 2018, its damn near 200$ now cib, insane!! Greed truly knows no bounds 😔😔

[@SleepyBunny00]

Nitendo 3ds eshop was closed at 3/27(no longer able to purchase digital games online). People are FOMO to the max and made this worse.

[@alfredocamba1995]

This is 100% what happened.

[@Fizggig]

The prices will drop

[@americanbadass88]

the Wii u FOMO hype is beyond me. Most the WIi U games have been ported to switch and the wii u will never be the Sega Saturn like everyone is claiming. The gamepad is whats going to make the Wii U extinct and the system is USELESS without it

[@redwingdog22]

@@americanbadass88Same was said of Sega Saturn games

[@thepinkchungus]

@@redwingdog22 but people were not hyping nor panic buying sega saturns in 1998 when they were discontinued

[@pt8292]

Im laughing about this whole scenario. I remember when the SNES edition 3DS was an Amazon exclusive and stayed up for almost a year available for purchase. Now it is selling for $1K new. BUT the silver Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate edition was barely available and sold out within the first week and it’s going for at most half of that. I appreciate you pointing out how delusional some people can be.

[@latinsizer]

Same can be said about some NES and SNES games. The mass produced games sell for hundreds of thousands.

[@jimmyjay689]

Public demand > rarity

[@ReservedInvestments]

They weren’t hoarded as bad as the modern stuff…that’s the difference.

[@Singuy888]

@@ReservedInvestments However who is hordering the 3DS? They were on fire sale after the switch came out and was on fire sale for years. Generally people don't horde discounted items, especially when they were going for much lower on the secondary market.

[@ReservedInvestments]

@@Singuy888 Hold my gluten free beer? Are you kidding me? I'm one of many. Most of this stuff is being hoarded.

[@shortstuf1105]

I don’t think people realize how many distributors are sitting on pallets upon pallets of sealed “rare” 3ds games. The 3ds is a fantastic console but I can’t imagine that I would want to own the fire emblem fates collectors edition if I didn’t get it for msrp. 800 for a dlc is insane to me

[@samuellayton3539]

Started selling some of my 3DS stuff. Prices right now are simply too high to keep these. Yo-kai Watch 3 is unbelievable right now. Just watched a sealed copy go for $500. You could have easily purchased that game for around $100 a couple years ago...

[@lovesgibson]

It’s wild. I bought a Nintendo new 2ds/3ds a few years ago when it was new for like $150, and now people are trying to sell it online for like double the price… crazy. Hard to believe if anyone is actually paying these prices. Or like the people who are selling special edition 3ds and Nintendo switches for $400+ lolol

[@anthonymolina7416]

I saw a ton of badly scratched 3Ds for sale on Mercari Lol 240$ and it’s not even modded

[@MrDemonsushiGuy]

Yes finally someone else is acknowledging this!!!

[@ecoao80]

There are so many "limited print run" switch games being produced and purchased out of speculation... there is so much hidden stock right now. I wouldn't be surprised if 95% of these are worth less than retail price once the bubble bursts

[@penguinjay]

Idk, somehow they have fans and people that insist certain titles are worth a lot, they maybe could break reality and just keep sinking money, but they'd need to speculate forever to do so. IDK, I think LRG games in general have so much hidden stock and are not really very limited at all, and most are bought to hold and sell it seems like to me. So put that all together, and I expect them not to appreciate much at all unless it's a very fun game that for some reason very few were sold, maybe stuff from when they were new. I'm not a fan of theirs. The scope of LRG now pretty much ensures the current games will be worth less than retail by a certain point. I am with you.

[@Claudius_Nero]

The rarest of the rare LRG games are ones that have actually been opened and played. Kind of like modern Star Wars toys or limited edition Lego.

[@emanttnf]

Praying for this bubble burst every night before I go to bed so that hoarders can lose their shit

[@Figuremakr]

This is a great topic, thanks. Nintendo could literally offer gorilla poop in a bag, and collectors would buy all of it.

[@ReservedInvestments]

You're definitely not wrong...

[@MTG69]

I have a graded 8.5 special edition dingo shit, with bits of corn. Extremely rare to find.

[@monkeh86]

They could market it as donkey kong poop 🦍💩

[@andrewanderson4555]

I’m confused at why he says around the 11:30 mark that he has over 10 copies of each game sealed, and simultaneously telling us it’s a terrible investment. Why did he invest?

[@thepinkchungus]

looks like you weren't paying attention, because he clearly said he bought boxes of these wholesale which costed him about 20 bucks a pop, no way in hell you can get those same games for that same price today, so he is referring to anyone wanting to buy said games at the current going prices. He still profits no matter what because he got in early, a point which he emphasizes thruought the video

[@AgentMorgan2010]

It's only a terrible investment _now._ Clearly, he didn't think so when he bought all that shit up. Pokemon crap only tends to retain their value and shoot up in price. But, yeah, he's a scalper. Scum of the earth. Giving advice to other, dumber scum of the earth. But this not-so-rare shit does actually turn out to be rather rare for normal folks when these parasites horde up all the available stock, and then set the price at double, triple the value on the second hand market. That bullshit didn't exist in the 80's and 90's either.

[@lovesgibson]

@@AgentMorgan2010 At the end of the video he says: “the people making money on these items, are people like me, that bought in when prices were low, and now we’re sitting on a stockpile of this, because we can feed your nostalgia and we know you’ll pay a premium for them”

[@AgentMorgan2010]

@@lovesgibson Yep. These people bring absolutely no value to the table, just prey upon and leech off of the markets, and other people's ingenuity and work.

[@lovesgibson]

@@AgentMorgan2010 he needs to make a profit bro !!

[@Ghost101]

E-shop closing: People are FOMO like crazy Piracy: People are just sitting back and relaxing like "Lol, we got H-shop and a homebrew community. I don't see how that's our problem."

[@americanbadass88]

with the prices of retro games i am all for emulation. i can't believe people are paying almost 200 bucks for Turbo on the WIi U. A friggin childrens game stores couldn't even give away years ago.

[@AgentMorgan2010]

I have H-shop and the homebrew community, but jailbreaking it has only exacerbated my fandom for the hardware, and now I want to own a lot of this stuff physically. That said, I will gladly pirate the likes of Yo-kai Watch 3 -- not that I'm actually even particularly interested in it -- rather than get scalped for $500 for a physical copy. That said, I still succumbed to FOMO on a lot of other stuff.

[@ToGuyFor]

Thank you for getting the facts out. Its very true, people are paying/ charging ridiculous prices for newer sealed stuff and YES its a waste of money. Opportunities disappear as quickly as they come along, its not as simple as "buy sealed stuff." People should think about careers, instead of flipping video games, which is not going to secure your financial future.

[@vgrepairs]

I'm a Timmy just checking in. Taking a look around.

[@Swamp-Bat]

Poindexter here, ready to drop $$$ on some funco pops

[@vgrepairs]

@@Swamp-Bat bro im DEADDDDD lololol

[@calamity0.o]

Hello fellow Timmy. Are your copies of Mario Allstars enjoying their best life too? Living the dream?

[@vgrepairs]

@@calamity0.o I have 1 sealed copy and its worthless! :D

[@calamity0.o]

​@@vgrepairs me too, had 2, hubs opened 1 to play. The carts will probably die before the system support ends... I had sealed copies of ultra moon and sun too but now just ultra sun in hiding...

[@amead78]

I’m glad that I picked up most of my 3DS collection before the pandemic.

[@L1R1Select]

Great job capitalizing on the current collectible climate! I hope the channel keeps growing. Keep up the good work!

[@jeffmoen8563]

Most people don’t understand rarity. No one thought stuff was collectible in the 80’s90’s and didn’t keep boxes or kept stuff in nice condition. We played with it and that’s all that mattered. Love your honesty.

[@goatreviews]

Great points, Shawn! Interesting to hear about your stock ready to go. Do you expect WATA games to get in on grading the 3DS game trend?

[@HermannTheGreat]

They couldn't give this junk away 12 years ago, Timmies are going to lose thousands thinking they are building a portfolio worth millions when they should be slowly investing into index funds.

[@redwingdog22]

Now look at ps1 titles going for. $$$

[@Singuy888]

The op talks about how an item becomes collectible if they couldn't even give it away near the end of their life cycle. 3DS were on fire sale for years and you can buy them online for 50 bucks. No one was hording sealed boxes of them because that would be stupid when Nintendo was dropping prices every few months. And as they become cheap, people were using them and throwing them around. So naturally new mint conditions become more and more rare.

[@Fizggig]

I'm at Midwest gaming classic right now and I can confirm the 3ds prices are crazy but lots of vendors don't even have 3ds games

[@runsame]

just sold one of my "ugly" brand new 2DS for 350.- ... I bought it for less then 25.- ... lol crazy people :)

[@shirayukinobunaga9424]

Nice, i remember buying a 2ds for only 40 dollars new and sold it to a co-worker for 90 cause that was the going price at the moment and had him pick up a few games on the 3ds shop cause of the closure

[@misterkeebler]

I might have missed if you ever did a vid like this, but a fun idea could be taking a sample of some of the sought after retro games and checking their current price charting market values against the S&p 500 over the same time period since release and in real returns. Make it like a top 10 or something for the algo. I think it will surprise a lot of people in how even some of the pricier retro games did not exactly just get astronomical in value compared to the broader market. And people are taking way more risk in hoping their particular selections are part of the very small percentage of games that may have came out profitable. Either way, I've been enjoying the channel for a while now and it is quality stuff. Keep plugging away!

[@ReservedInvestments]

Did that video already...

[@calamity0.o]

I still remember when I found out dad threw away my box of complete pokemon base jungle fossil dark rocket. He compared them to mom's beanie babies in the closet... I like collecting the pins that come with the cards in a shadowbox for myself. Not bother grading my game stuff. I just want to keep it displayed safely out of hubs and kids reach.

[@scottywalker701]

Always good stuff. Was in Allentown last week for the Super Gigantic Yard Sale.

[@Mousevengeance]

To each their own, I don't care for video games as I'm playing a completely different game to most. Just holding a handful of pop-culture collectibles as speculative plays, with a 5-8 year window: Stranger things topps auto cards, and a sealed hobby box, a Darth Vader (JEJ) topps auto, Dark Knight sealed 4k blu-fans LE box (incase sealed blu-ray from iconic movies get the VHS love). Aside from that, I plan to liquidize my entire collection, I'll be left with just a few vintage posters/prints I love for the "man cave". The proceeds will go into an index fund, which is what I've been doing throughout Q1 already. Maybe i'll buy a nice painting from the gains in 3-5 years, who knows, but right now I like the "less is more" mantra.

[@Tryphen]

Rick & Morty made 3DS hoarding jokes a few years ago. I think that says a lot about just unique these investment ideas are.

[@ShopkeepMike]

Because the e-shop shut down this week people are panic buying 3ds stuff. It reminds me of when 2 years Sony announced that the ps3 store would shut down and people started panic buying ps1,ps2 and ps3 stuff, prices spiked and some stuff has come back down to normal price now. With the 3ds its the same thing, I think it will be worse but only cause its Nintendo.

[@lovesgibson]

Why do you think it would be worse cuz Nintendo?

[@americanbadass88]

i am still amazed how games like Lollipop Chainsaw went for over 100 bucks during that whole fiasco. I use to run into that game all the time for like 5-15 bucks just a few years prior to that. Seems like crappy games are usually the ones that end up "collectible"....

[@AgentMorgan2010]

I don't think it's quite the same thing, and I also don't think it's just because it's Nintendo. There were always a lot of niche games with shorter print runs on handhelds in general. So, I'm sure some of the more obscure JRPGs and whatnot will retain their value, and likely increase. Also, as mentioned in the video, you can't really emulate the stereoscopic 3D effect of the 3DS, and I believe that unique feature is another reason the games will retain value going forward.

[@THEKLEVER187]

What are your thoughts on smaller companies like limited run games that only produce a small amount of games that were only available in a digital format and print then once and that’s it . Do you see those games becoming more valuable especially if they are kept sealed ?

[@ReservedInvestments]

Did previous videos on this…

[@mllarson]

Shawn, how do you insure your storage units? Did you ever make a video on that to point me towards? Excellent work as always 👍

[@ReservedInvestments]

Yes, I have insurance. Did a previous video on this…

[@jebrennock]

As always, great content!

[@romainhugon7052]

hi, what do you think about cave games they sold between 10 000 and 30 000 copies of each game, and they're selling now on ebay for 80 to 300 depending on the game. i really like those games but the price i can't justify. but for some of those games (mushihimesama futari, dodonpachi sdoj ...) it's the only way to get them, and i'd really like to play them, do you think the price will drop, in wich case i'll wait and play them later. not looking to invest here, just wanna play those games :/

[@ReservedInvestments]

Unfortunately, most video games are in a massive speculative euphoria at present time. If they get re-released, potentially the prices the fall.

[@romainhugon7052]

@@ReservedInvestments thanks for your response, let's hope they rerelease them then.

[@MrBRAUNSBREWCREW]

Great video! Very informative.

[@ReservedInvestments]

Thank you!

[@hamishmobbs7788]

I bought alot of my sealed game collection 5 to 10 years ago with games costing me in the 100s of dollars now most of those games are worth 1000s of dollars. Even some of those games I sold in the last hype cycle of 2021 for 10000s so it has certainly made me some money and my collection has increased in value so it may not have been the best thing to invest in but I enjoyed collecting the games because of the great memories I have playing the games with my family and friends growing up in the 80s and 90s. I enjoy the channel Shaun and thanks for giving us all the great investment advice keep up the great work and keep us grounded in our investment journey. Enjoy the process and enjoy learning!

[@Mousevengeance]

If you buy in low enough it's good

[@hamishmobbs7788]

@@Mousevengeance yea so true ...

[@Johndeplume.]

Congratulations! This is EXACTLY the way to do it, in my opinion. Purchase what you love, remain educated in your desired field/s, and keep a close eye on prices. If prices go north of what you paid for your item to a point that you feel it'll 'look better on someone else's mantlepiece', then let it go. Rinse and repeat, and make your collection self-funded (and, hopefully, one that continues to generate some sort of a profit). In the end, you'll have a collection that you love, and the only thing it owes you is the commodity none of us can get back... time. 👍

[@joenuyen6017]

Spittin truth! If you failed to buy in at msrp or on sale when they released, you CANNOT be buying these for investment now. A ton of gains have already been made. That said, if you want to buy, by all means get what you want. A lot of high system pricing even in the base 3ds unit has been rising steadily due to the cfw market. The hshop market alone has driven console prices higher than they should be but people have some crazy ocd over condition and screen type lottery and are willing to pay a premium to buy new or close to mint so they can be or pretend to be the first to play that unit on their toilet!

[@MrDemonsushiGuy]

This is a very sensible line of thought. It's also nice that you're calling out the crazy nature of the 3ds market. You've earned a sub!

[@gilldaking]

Thank you bro for the tips really good info

[@markg155]

As a game collector I cannot see any fault in what you had to say. I think that traders who scavenge at garage sales for pennies and sell for hundreds are the ones who you are upsetting the most.

[@-foxcroft1518]

Hey man, I've watched a lot of your videos and you mention POGS regularly. I didn't hear there was any sort of market for them. Could you tell me more?

[@ReservedInvestments]

POGS were a speculative mass produced collectible that took the world by storm in the 1990’s. There is a very limited market for them at present time.

[@barrag3463]

I feel like some of the mania is the same thing that happened to beanie babies, except with funkos in particular the product is pretty much mass produced and sold as "collectibles" from the get go to get (dupe) people to buy them.

[@katielowen]

But Shawn THIS TIME ITS DIFFERENT (plugs ears with fingers)

[@Thekuzguy]

These are the only videos I want to watch right now

[@mresab1997]

Well said. So much hysterical stupidity… not to mention greed

[@stpworld]

I got Kid Iurcus from the eshop before it closed. I kept all my games The only ones i sold high priced were some vga games I remember the days when you can find those items for less and they could hardly give them away.

[@ReservedInvestments]

I loved Kid Icarus for the 3DS. Wish they would do a sequel for Switch!

[@red3994]

yknow this really does help me in terms of what to collect and what does sell, i happen to have every Mega Man game released for the NES and SNES and i have the rarest of the two being 5 for the NES and X3 and my speculative answer as to why they went for so much now is because no one was buying them heavily back in the day and they weren't produced as much as say 2 for the NES or X1 for the SNES. Which does apply to the logic presented here in this video if i am getting this all correctly down pat.

[@HarakiriRock]

The main reason X2 and X3 are valuable/uncommon is because they contained an exclusive enhancement chip and were produced in smaller quantities than usual.

[@stevebay8906]

Hey shawn, love the videos really appreciate the content you are producing. If your interested Id love a segment on vinyl records, would really like to hear your opinion. Thanks

[@ReservedInvestments]

I have one in the works, but it may be a while before it gets into production.

[@stevebay8906]

@@ReservedInvestments Awesome thanks

[@Johndeplume.]

Very timely. For the first time in decades, vinyl record sales have outstripped CD sales. There's a certain romance of the vinyl record that cannot be replected on a CD (or cassett tape for that matter). I reckon that there'll continue to be high demand for mint vinyl records and sleeves into the future (not that it's a niche I intend to get into).

[@mattdubovik3082]

Why did't you grade those Pokemon games as "uncirculated" if they came from a case? The grades seem a bit low for case fresh units. No hate just curious.

[@carnivalhands2884]

How do I contact you personally for a consultation?

[@ReservedInvestments]

Email is in every video’s description. [e-mail]

[@ParallelUniversity]

Do you consider Kenner Star Wars an established collectible, or is this a second wave of speculation?

[@BestTherianGear]

Can you discuss digital Goods like counter- strike? This month over 30 million cases were opened. Cases I bought for 3 cents are now about two go over the $6 mark. Counter-Strike 2 just got announced and it seems like every item is going up in price. I've been playing the game for 15 years, but it's been around for longer. Everything including prices is well documented so if you decide to go down that route there is plenty of information.

[@brasscupholder6233]

Fellz has a good CS:GO channel.

[@MetalBum]

Hey I know you talk a lot about overvalued and inflated collectors markets. What do you think are some undervalued markets that are both. Any markets that are depressed or hated? -that are currently undervalued and scarce have good fundamentals ? Maybe some silver age comics that are down 40%?

[@pesadeloperiferico7731]

That was really direct and honest, thanks.

[@PARZ90s]

It makes sense that 3DS games aren't being sold at the flea market for 25 cents like NES games were (most NES games are unplayable) but it is a bit strange how a lot of these games are retaining a $20-$30 price range for a loose copy.

[@tiaryzi8853]

This is why I’m so glad I got my New Nintendo 3ds XL last year for £270 something I think. It was difficult to find a uk version but I managed. I’m also being careful about spending money on certain 3ds games, because I sold my collection years ago and kinda regret it. When I was replaying Pokémon X I realised how bad it aged because of it’s quality and it’s camera controls. I’m being wise here on certain games that don’t even deserve it’s high price. I reccomend watching gameplays of 3ds games if you think they’re worth playing.

[@poxpower]

How are you timing markets to "sell into the hype"?

[@ReservedInvestments]

Certain markets are much more easier to gauge than others, and video game markets are especially easily as of late.

[@thepinkchungus]

the writing was kinda on the wall starting in Summer of 2020, specially regarding 3ds games and the massive hype being generated about people buying into video games in mass due to lockdown. That plus the 3ds/2ds family being discontinued meant the was hype in the near future, which is also why i bought several copies of pokemon ultra sun and moon at walmart in 2021, now I can offload them for 2x what i paid for.

[@blackrook29]

i bought a factory sealed sonic cd blister packaging. that's my favourite game of all time and I'm taking it to the grave. that's genuine rare.

[@TheConuresrule]

I bought all the 3ds stuff naturally over time since 3ds release and started to buying remaining stuff that I didn't have or doubles or more consoles between 2017 and 2019 just because I loved the system so much and wanted to have extras that will work until the day I die. So regardless if they become valuable or not I love my 3ds stuff. And good thing that I bought in cheap lol

[@BasTHoorn]

If I buy in Nintendo, I buy most of the time the promotional posters/ shop display who are not meant for sale at the store or similair stuff like that.

[@Mousevengeance]

Advertising? I like that too man

[@BasTHoorn]

@@Mousevengeance yes

[@STAXONDECK1]

Where the fuck did all that Wii U stock go after Nintendo took it off the shelves?

[@scottwhite9609]

My best friend got his copy of Xenogears for 10 bucks out of a bargain bin in the 90’s. 200 bucks nowadays. Totally ridiculous.

[@rogerarteaga2665]

How I feel about retro consoles nowadays mostly looking at Brand New sealed PS2's and Wii's that go for close to a thousand. Those will never sell at all

[@bemuparadise2384]

Could you do a video on the potential oversaturation of the limited print videogames market? It's no secret that those companies are bombarding us with new releases constantly and wihout having any solid numbers, it FEELS like everyone of them is selling way less these days. Special Reserve Games even outright canceled two upcoming games, most likely to abysmal preorder numbers, and Limited Run just had a huge cost-cutting operation, disguised as "we want you to get your games quicker so we're streamlining!" Would love to hear your opinion!

[@ReservedInvestments]

I’ve done tons of videos on limited run faves already. Check them out.

[@bemuparadise2384]

@@ReservedInvestments I know, watched them all. :) I greatly enjoy your content so I was hoping for a take on the current developments, but maybe at a later time then.

[@90shandheldgamer]

I only buy games i wanna play and even i wasn't about to pay a premium for 3ds games. I did buy a few physical games that I wanted before the eShop closed but, I only paid msrp or below.

[@RealTechGeek]

I know will get a lot of hate for this but truly that's why retail investors are called "Dumb Money" Spoken like a true hedge fund lol 😆 🤣.

[@BawhawhawYT]

I am a video game collector and completely agree. I don't go mad for any of this. I don't buy anything for its value but I took a punt on one game as an investment and it's not on an old system. It's poop Slinger on ps4. I'd love to know your thoughts on that as a collectible.

[@monkeh86]

Absolutely, I can see it now. Many future generations all selling their entire worldly possessions just to own a copy of poop slinger.

[@tomneijnens4048]

Thank you very much

[@windyvidz4434]

Comment for the algorithm. Scalpers need to hear this

[@wiishopchannel0175]

The rarest Wii U game is the devils third because only 3 thousand copies sold

[@masterlee2590]

I swapped my Sega Genesis collection for 2 Nintendo Switchs at launch and I got all the games available on game store shelves and Pro controllerd/SD cards for the Switch's

[@artyboy1377]

I've seen people online asking for $$$ for their 'special edition' 3DS.. they are basically being ignored. They are the exception rather than the norm. I don't "collect" 3DS, I bought one 7 years ago and I recently bought another 3. Not as an "investment" but something I want to keep and enjoy because I don't think Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft will be making another 3D handheld (unless the Switch 2 does which would make me even happier). I know that a lot of people dislike 3D but I for one see it as a very unique feature especially on a gaming console. I only wished I did the same with my Nintendo Game & Watch centuries ago lol. LCD screens corrode over time so I see no point collecting and "investing" in them. Its meant to be enjoyed as a gaming console until it eventually dies. I bought a new 3DS XL for about $200 seven years ago. Now pre-owned ones cost about the price of an OLED Switch lol! Why? Because it an end-of-line product which are no longer in production and 'brand new' ones at EBay cost a lot more (even exhorbitant).

[@cardboardorigins]

Probably the most ridiculous sale i ever made was a sealed copy of link between worlds for $460 a couple years ago during the covid craziness

[@monkey39128]

What's odd is that all this stuff did very briefly go to the bargain bin. I bought all the ones I wanted in Amazon sales when the system was dying out. PS Vita was the same although I understand that one slightly more because a few of the games are scarcer due to the system being unpopular. Still speculative of course. Very interesting what you said about bubbles can last for decades. It'll be interesting to see in 10, 15, 20 years from now if that's the case with Pokémon. A lot of people saying they'll "diamond hand" for 20 years rather than flipping for a profit in 1-5 years. To be fair to them I do think there's a fair chance a lot of that stuff will go up but the opportunity cost by that point is going to be IMMENSE. So glad I found this channel age 29 rather than 59. I will admit I've unsubscribed and re-subscribed a few times before I started getting it! Thank you for the free knowledge! Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to start liquidating my Evolving Skies boxes so that I can put that money into an index fund!

[@blackrook29]

i had a nice retro game collection i sold a large chunk of nintendo games this year for £20k that cash is just sitting under my mattress in a shoe box.

[@ThatwasaSTRIKE]

I remember youtubers going to Walmart around 2020 and getting 3Ds games for 5 bucks each. Think Walmart was getting ready to stock ps5 and new Xbox games and were getting rid of that inventory. Most games are or were mass produced, never understood why some of them go for $100+

[@redwingdog22]

Because the $100+ were not

[@ThatwasaSTRIKE]

@@redwingdog22 As far as I’m aware, there were no games that were produced in limited quantities for the 3Ds. I could be wrong though haven’t looked into it.

[@redwingdog22]

@@ThatwasaSTRIKE scary that you make that assumption so easily

[@ThatwasaSTRIKE]

@@redwingdog22 ?

[@redwingdog22]

@@ThatwasaSTRIKE Azran legacy print in low quantities

[@bluegreen391]

I still play 3ds at home sometimes. Its good feel in hands and dosent use phone battery. If mario prices spike with movie. Will sell some 3ds mario games that people didn't want and couldn't sell over last few years

[@notfooled.]

Stopped collecting comics, when they started releasing sealed "collectors editions". Never could believe the way, many naive people embraced the whole, buy a comic, don't read, just send straight off to CGC to get that, so so important 9.8

[@NukeCaulfield]

It doesn't really matter how much of it is out there if everyone's charging the same ridiculous price. The only way to get them is to pay it. I'm paying about $900 just to get a few pokemon games. It is what it is.

[@varsityathlete9927]

Do you reckon the Mario film, and the following Nintendo Cinematic Universe will boost up these game values much higher. Mario film is going to be a massive hit.

[@ReservedInvestments]

I just answered this in a recent Q & A video…

[@varsityathlete9927]

@@ReservedInvestments thanks, ive not had time to catch up on yt for a while. I'll have a look.

[@Camille_Boomer77000]

I am on the same page as you. When I say people selling pokemon emerald on ebay for $500, all I have to do is look at how many copies were sold when the game came out. There are 7 million copies out there and no there are not more than 7 million people out there looking for the game. This is ridiculous but eh more power to those paying this price for something not rare at all. 😂

[@nxtime5967]

The 3ds e shop closure has probably exacerbated this. Its interesting to see the market turn so quick on these things. I used to buy games from this UK based website and they never a really did full clear outs of older system stock so they had 3ds games up on the site for years. Even during the pandemic they had first party Nintendo, 3ds pokemon games just sitting there. Prices were not great, but they would do a site wide sale occasionally and then it would be reasonable. Maybe not every retailer held on to stuff but you have imagine there is a lot of this stuff is out there esp for the games that sold millions of copies. On the hardware, you mileage may vary for new in box for certain variants but if you just need the system to play japanese 2nd hand can be a good way to go. 2nd hand stores in japan are often filled with these systems in pretty good condition much cheaper than western versions, just hack the system to get rid of region lock and your good.

[@CatsGamesWhatever]

I sold my excess 3ds stuff too soon during the pandemic boom looking at these prices now.

[@charizard_baller69]

Shawn for future secretary of Treasury

[@penguinjay]

@5:00 you make some good points. IMO the games that go high in value are the most fun games that had low sales figures. That's only for older games though bc people weren't hoarding. Biker Mice from Mars for snes, that game is fun to play, niche, and wasn't bought in mass. The landscape is very different today. So many more people are buying games to collect and resell. Those will not go high in price imo. What you said about hoarding stuff is true. Only truly scarce games will rise. Ninja Gaiden on wii u is super cheap. Very readily available. Too many people bought it specifically to resell since it's an M rated Nintendo title (a lot of people probably determine scarcity by that, but times have changed for Nintendo). Times changed, I don't expect new age games to increase in value like the old gens did, they have to be extremely unique extremely fun games, or the retro gaming hobby will have to grow to an insane scope to make the old value increases happen to newer systems' games. Maybe the insane inflation will help the curve hold steady or something. You're smart. Scarcity x Fun x Collectibility = good profits. Mario 3d allstars on switch is going to sell for 60 bucks sealed for a long long time. The scarcity and fun might be there, but the amount of people that collected them to hoard is likely unreal. I expect that to go lower than 60 sealed sooner than I expect it to go for higher.

[@darkveilnight9993]

I have together about 70 games ds/3ds games and rare ones among them.

[@shirayukinobunaga9424]

Honestly its cause with the closure of the 3ds shop, it creates a true limited scarcity and people want a piece of that pie. Honestly im shocked certain games didn't jump heavily in price like Dragon Quest VIII for the Ps2 as its the cheaper option to buy if you want to play the main story of that game without the extra content or say Pokemon Black and White as their the only versions that you can actually catch Thundurus and Tornadus in a Limited Gen 5 setting My opinion is find out if there is other older versions of said games and buy them as you get to play the experience of those games on top of saving money and to the people that are paying premiums, you had your chance with the 3ds shop now pay the price for missing out

[@C.hitchens2.0]

It’s because physical new video games are disappearing as the industry transitions to digital copies. Physicals prob have more room for growth for some games imo

[@ReservedInvestments]

This is an overstatement. Physical games are not going away yet…

[@nintendonerdjoseph]

It's ridiculous. Metroid Prime Federation Force should not, under any circumstances, be 90 dollars.

[@ReservedInvestments]

I agree fully. I actually pulled the several copies I have out of the discount bin in Target for under $20 each.

[@nintendonerdjoseph]

​@@ReservedInvestmentsNice! I was hoping to try it out actually with one of my brothers, thinking it'd be dirt cheap, but nope! Looks like you've got a small gold mine there! Maybe we'll just mod our systems...

[@doctordistracto8390]

Didn't realize this was going on. Guess it's time to drag my 3ds stuff out of the closet and dump it.

[@bat2275]

Next time let's get a 3 a.m. rant 😅

[@kadashiuzubara2226]

Why? Why 3 a.m?

[@bat2275]

​@@kadashiuzubara2226 I figure the more tired he is the more ranting there will be😅

[@ReservedInvestments]

I could make that happen on some nights. Lol.

[@bathombre9739]

3am with day savings time change day

[@megamob5834]

I enjoying buying and collecting games that I want to play, or that have nostalgia attached to. I Could care less about buying them as an “investment”. So I tend to gravitate towards stuff that’s 1) good and 2) that I can buy cheap. Right now it’s anything Xbox and ps3 (though ps3 is starting to climb) Ironically, a couple years ago it was 3DS. I still have highly coveted 3DS games sitting factory sealed on my shelf that I just haven’t gotten around to playing yet. Many of which I bought on clearance, that I will one day tear open and play. Because that is the point of video games. This whole market since the beginning of the pandemic has reminded me a lot of the 90’s comic boom. *Most* of what people are buying as “investment” pieces right now will be worth a fraction in the future. You’ll always get your Amazing Spider-Man 300’s and your New Mutants 98’s, that will continue to increase in value, but the vast majority is so mass produced and well preserved by collectors, that on the whole the value just won’t be there when the bubble bursts. Long story short, buy games because you want to play them and buy them cheap when no one else wants them. They’re only worth what you’re willing to pay based on the amount of enjoyment you get from them. Don’t buy into the artificial scarcity and fomo that’s being pumped.

[@fartoplata308]

I would absolutely like to see a deep dive on short/medium term video game flipping. I don't invest in video games or collectibles in the long term, but I do dick around a little bit with short term flips, because I end up with a handful of items to sell due to my impulse game buying/collecting. I'd like to hear you touch on strategies like targeting late cycle systems, esoteric or niche genres, and how to access wholesale. At present time, I just pick stuff up whenever Wario64 tweets out deals on stuff that interests me. Kinda bummed I returned my Samus 3DS XL to Best Buy back in the day, lol.

[@evank5562]

Sean, thoughts on the Louvre 3DS game that was released only in Paris. Sealed English version is fetching 1k USD atm.

[@dabradmp1]

I like when he talk about the real difference between investments and collectable. Do you think retail arbitrage is a good way to make money? Like your exemple of the 20 pokemon games cases. Maybe it could be a nice video in the future talking about the pros and cons of retail arbitrage

[@ReservedInvestments]

Retail arbitrage can and does work, if fund correctly. I engage in it…

[@unstoppableExodia]

This is true. A lot of 3DS games are collectible but few are truly rare. In my region one game that is insanely rare is Yokai watch 3. I wish I’d had ordered at least one copy. Multiple would have been better tho. But still I scored heaps of 3DS games cheap. I knew to target quality JRPGs and have amassed a lot of doubles that were cheap and at current prices could pay for the games I intend to keep. I have been gradually selling off my doubles making a profit on each sale. No shade on the people willing to pay to dollar for games they missed out on, they’re the ones making those profits possible. It’s their misfortune to have missed out on the best time to get these games cheap but they’re not wrong to want them badly enough to pay a premium. Although they might be a little misguided if they consider it an investment to pay 500 for a game that originally cost 50 under the assumption that its value growth will be linear and it will definitely be worth 5000 in the near future

[@littlebee7147]

Tbh, with all the sold listings this week, I feel like people have hoarded just to cash in after the shop closed. I had bought my own LE 3DS console and games during the pandemic knowing that I will take a hit because I wanted to play games. I'm still shocked at how some of the stuff I bought has gone up like crazy because of the madness (the console I bought has doubled which is ridiculous). It's to the point that I'm contemplating selling into the market even though I wasn't intending to.

[@inasuma8180]

as much as I love 3DS, i agree, a lot of these games are not rare at all. I try to take a more nuanced approach to 3DS and only collect print variants I think have some sort of relative rarity, like early print copies of certain games (mario and zelda are surprisingly scarce in their launch print). in that case, i'm not willing to spend much more over MSRP for them and i'll likely not buy them already graded. that said, it would be nice to eventually have a high grade copy, it's just hard to justify with the mania of 3DS this year, so I'm on pause with it. I'm sure prices will drop in 6 months once everyone's spent their tax returns. lol

[@americanbadass88]

the same people that are going nuts over the Wii U/3ds e shop closing are the same ones that drove PS3 prices of crappy games like Lollipop Chainsaw going for over 100 bucks. This is why i gave up "collecting" and just focus on what i want to play. i am glad i got all my stuff when it was beyond dirt cheap

[@tartoras]

As someone who just wants to finish his SMT games: where can I get a mint, sealed, CIB, N3DSXL? I'd take a used one but I only find them for well over $150. You can message me privately if you wish lol.

[@Mingodough]

For some people they think the only way to play these games is through the physical cart on original hardware. I saw so many videos saying that the games will be gone “forever” even though it’s easy to emulate these games and find them online through a couple of clicks. For free!

[@granthse]

Personally I do think over time ds/3ds will retain value only because there is not a easy or similar system out there that can replicate the play experience but I fully get what your saying and agree things are nuts atm

[@oriongear2499]

The solution to this increase in 3DS games? Piracy.