AES / MVS prices

bogsie

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Having been out AES / MVS collecting for over ten years now I recently looked up some prices on ebay

If those prices are to be believed, if I had kept my collection I would now be sitting on a small fortune

The likes of MOTW, Waku Waku 7, Top Hunter, Viewpoint etc were an achievable purchase for ordinary folk

The pricing I am seeing now indicates only the stinking rich could get involved in the hobby nowadays and like anything of value no doubt there are more and more bootlegs being passed off as genuine cartridges

Is ebay really a good indicator of pricing ?
 

heihachi

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eBay’s usually marked up at least 15-20% from a forum sale due to the fees. Also make sure you’re only looking at Sold listings for prices. Tons of shit goes up on eBay at inflated prices that never sell.
 

SignOfGoob

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Yeah, I long for the days when Neo was a practical affordable system that average people could afford…wait, are you fucked in the head?!?
 

city41

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Yup, prices are nuts and bootlegs are common. I fear for anyone getting into AES these days. Heck, even MVS seems more risky (but I don't do MVS, so I don't really know).

Yeah, I long for the days when Neo was a practical affordable system that average people could afford…wait, are you fucked in the head?!?

In the late 90s, used AES prices were pretty reasonable. Also around the same time consolized MVS's started appearing and you could literally get MVS games for 5 dollars for the really old stuff and about $50-100 for the "just pulled out of rotation" stuff.
 
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Shuri

Kula's Candy
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The market sucks now, and prices are never going down. I should had bought more games back in the days but I didn't want to buy more stuff that I could play or else you never really appreciate the games.

Ugh.
 

SignOfGoob

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Yup, prices are nuts and bootlegs are common. I fear for anyone getting into AES these days. Heck, even MVS seems more risky (but I don't do MVS, so I don't really know).



In the late 90s, used AES prices were pretty reasonable. Also around the same time consolized MVS's started appearing and you could literally get MVS games for 5 dollars for the really old stuff and about $50-100 for the "just pulled out of rotation" stuff.

Oh, I know this. It was when the arcades were dying and there was little to no retro market. I also know that MVS carts cost nearly a grand new and AES cart prices rose in price by over $100 a game during the system’s life. You can’t compare bottoming out points to normal values. MVS games are $600+ carts. Raw materials alone are $100+ per cart. You can’t…assume it’s always going to be like that. I bought a mint complete KOF2003 kit for $65 ten or more years ago, at the same time you could buy Metal Slug 3 for $40, which I did. I knew it was a gold rush, I knew it wasn’t going to last, I bought what I could, I have no regrets. If I ever own Garou it’s going to cost me $200+ or a good trade. I know this, but I also know I got lucky so I don’t complain. Great stuff can’t be worthless forever.
 

Pro_Gear

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I've been in the MVS game for many years now and it's nothing but bad news if you're a collector type and just starting out/over. Honestly if I were in that position I wouldn't bother. If it's just the games that interest you on real equipment get a flash or multi cart- otherwise best to act quickly with MVS loose (some of the scarce/in demand titles will still hurt though).

Maybe some economic downturn could loosen things up again from peeps needing quick cash but as it stands it's only going to get harder and more expensive from here.
 

bogsie

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I had both AES and a consolized MVS from Kenny...?

Had a lovely collection of AES carts, I think the most expensive I had being Blazing Star that if I recall correctly cost about $700 / £600

Also had a number of AES specials from I think his name was cgame off of ebay, Ghostlop, Captain Tomaday, Shock Troopers 1 etc

When I totalled it all up back then, at that time I had approx £12k worth off games that I largely didnt play through fear of scuffing / damaging the carts in some way - they sure looked nice on the shelf though

I didn't lose money on the carts, even the cheaper ones - Burning Fight, Robo Army, Top Hunter and Viewpoint were relatively cheap back then

I only have a couple of boxed controllers (green box and the less common red one) left now which I wont sell as they at least give me some ties back to the greatest console of all time

I wish I had kept the lot as I very much doubt it will be a hobby I will get in to again unless I come in to some serious funds
 

Burning Fight!!

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You are a dumbass if you actually have the big tymer games, looked at those prices that they usually sell for these days and didn't immediately think TIME TO SELL THE COLLECTION.

Too bad you sold your stuff earlier... at least the NeoSD now exists as a consolation prize.
 

bogsie

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Oh, I agree I am a dumb ass, I was young though and thought I needed the money for other things

Retaining them would have been the best return on investment I would ever have seen in my life

It hasn't been good for me to realise current market value

Mistakes have been made, I'm sure I'll make more
 

vincewy

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I was lucky enough to get in the scene in the mid 90s and got a lot of AES games for as cheap as I could, kept them all.

I recently got back to playing the games more often and tried to get some more as backups (especially MVS), prices have absolutely gone through the roof, especially in the last 2-3 years. I even regretted selling some of my English AES carts in late 90s once I found their JP counterparts, instead of just doubling up, when I tried to get those back not only are prices astronomical with high probability of being bootleg, I can never get the conditions of the games I have had.

Even some of the sought after MVS carts are going through the roof, such as Twinkle Star Sprites and Pulstar. Along with more common games in English version being a challenge to get if you want one in mint condition.
 
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yagamikun

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In 2018 I got back into the AES after a number of years, and I'm glad I did when I did. Then, prices were still eye-watering. Now? Many of my AES games have doubled or tripled in price from what I paid for them. There are quite a few titles that hit a plateau a while back and haven't seen such price hikes, though. Your Fatal Fury's, KOF's, and Samurai Shodowns (not the V series), for example.

I was searching through Price Charting rather than Ebay the other day. Not sure where they get their averages to create their price charts but it seems consistent with games I would double check on Ebay, Mercari, Facebook, etc. Buying direct from Japan is still the cheapest way to get AES games these days, by a fair margin.

I've had great luck buying from Surugaya using a proxy service like From Japan these last two years for all manner of games and have saved literally thousands off of US pricing - even imports (for all consoles) sold through US services like Ebay are way, way over priced. What I've found is that, generally, games I buy from Japan are in much, much better shape than anything I've found in the US as well.

Despite the Neo being a niche collection scene and always being expensive, all the money and attention is on Nintendo shit right now. If you want to really see some inflation, look at the USA GBA market - it's bonkers! The US PS1 market is also ballooning fast. If I dipped my toes into retro collection in late 2021/2022 I would have stuck with emulators. Glad I jumped back in when I did and have already built the basic library of games I want.

While I don't intend on selling anything outside of a game or two here or there I don't play, it's nice to know I'm sitting on a mint if things so financially south for my family.
 

city41

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You can’t compare bottoming out points to normal values.

My point was while that was about as cheap as Neo ever got, the increase in price from there was very gradual. Even in the early 2010s quite a few games were very reasonably priced. There were many years, decades even, where one could build a nice collection without going too crazy on price.

Hell, Sengoku 3 used to be a sac cart.
 

SignOfGoob

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Price guides in general, most of them, only go up, never go down, inflating bubbles.
 

Neo Alec

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Price guides in general, most of them, only go up, never go down, inflating bubbles.
I always found the neo-geo.com price guides reasonable and helpful. Since they're curated by people, they stay within reason, rather than chasing the latest bubbles.
 

wyo

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I always found the neo-geo.com price guides reasonable and helpful. Since they're curated by people, they stay within reason, rather than chasing the latest bubbles.
JNX and mjmjr25 did a good job with their price guides when they were maintaining them.

At some point, the market will crash. We've been on an upward trajectory for so long, people seem to forget this.
 

yagamikun

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Looking at 2018 prices with nostalgia now?

I don't use price charting. That site bears as much responsibility for recent price increases as anything.
Ha! A good chunk of my collection I purchased direct from Japan with much, much lower prices than even what our own price guide said. I also have a fair number of AES loose carts (that I housed in repo cases) that were being sold for a pittance I stumbled onto like Last Blade 2, Ninja Master's, Last Resort, Real Bout 2, etc.

Honestly, it was the first time I had ever visited Price Charting. Was just curious as I had seen it referenced a bit recently. Prices across the board (not just Neo) surprised me, but they generally check out. Like I said, I have no idea how they aggregate their data to come up with their averages so many games could be way off base and playing off of current market bloat and speculation rather than raw data.

JNX and mjmjr25 did a good job with their price guides when they were maintaining them.

At some point, the market will crash. We've been on an upward trajectory for so long, people seem to forget this.
Exactly, when they were maintained. Digmac (where on earth did he go!?) did a great job compiling a 2020 price guide but that's gone now, as well as his website with old internet archival material. Glad I saved a bunch of that stuff before he took the site offline.

I generally agree, the market overall will crash eventually. That said, with the current WATA bullshit and video games getting caught up in the higher-end of shady collectors (like Comics), I don't know if the market will ever crash completely. I'm honestly surprised we haven't seen Neo stuff come up in this whole WATA/Heritage debacle.
 

Tarma

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At some point, the market will crash. We've been on an upward trajectory for so long, people seem to forget this.
People have been saying that for nearly 20 years, and the prices have only gone one way. Yes, economics is cyclical by nature, economies and stock markets will be marked with a correction at some point, but never has one taken 20 years...

I don't see how one can come about unless a large group of people suddenly cash out all at once and slash the prices of their collections in desperation to liquidate... I just can't see that happening.

The only scenario I could see playing out is if general interest in Neo-Geo just dried up, and there became negative entrants into the scene, then, and only over a long period of time, could I see cart prices coming down... but a crash in values? I'm sorry, as much as I, and many others, would like to see this happen it's most unlikely.
 

XxHennersXx

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Yeah, I long for the days when Neo was a practical affordable system that average people could afford…wait, are you fucked in the head?!?
I mean when I started collecting MVS in 2007, it wasn't bad at all. Most games were under $100, with only a few (TSS, Ninja Masters, Garou) being more.

Ha! A good chunk of my collection I purchased direct from Japan with much, much lower prices than even what our own price guide said. I also have a fair number of AES loose carts (that I housed in repo cases) that were being sold for a pittance I stumbled onto like Last Blade 2, Ninja Master's, Last Resort, Real Bout 2, etc.

Honestly, it was the first time I had ever visited Price Charting. Was just curious as I had seen it referenced a bit recently. Prices across the board (not just Neo) surprised me, but they generally check out. Like I said, I have no idea how they aggregate their data to come up with their averages so many games could be way off base and playing off of current market bloat and speculation rather than raw data.


Exactly, when they were maintained. Digmac (where on earth did he go!?) did a great job compiling a 2020 price guide but that's gone now, as well as his website with old internet archival material. Glad I saved a bunch of that stuff before he took the site offline.

I generally agree, the market overall will crash eventually. That said, with the current WATA bullshit and video games getting caught up in the higher-end of shady collectors (like Comics), I don't know if the market will ever crash completely. I'm honestly surprised we haven't seen Neo stuff come up in this whole WATA/Heritage debacle.

Digmac disabled all his social media as well some time ago. I know he had some health problems.
 

Neo Alec

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People have been saying that for nearly 20 years, and the prices have only gone one way. Yes, economics is cyclical by nature, economies and stock markets will be marked with a correction at some point, but never has one taken 20 years...

I don't see how one can come about unless a large group of people suddenly cash out all at once and slash the prices of their collections in desperation to liquidate... I just can't see that happening.

The only scenario I could see playing out is if general interest in Neo-Geo just dried up, and there became negative entrants into the scene, then, and only over a long period of time, could I see cart prices coming down... but a crash in values? I'm sorry, as much as I, and many others, would like to see this happen it's most unlikely.
The only scenario I see for prices going down is when the generation of people nostalgic for these games starts dying off. And by then these will be seriously old antiques, and there may be a big enough next generation to take their place (johnny-come-lately 'retro' gamers, and the children of gamers who inherited the hobby). So it's possible, but especially systems where games sold in lower quantities like the Neo, I kind of doubt there will be a dramatic downturn in price.
 

wyo

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People have been saying that for nearly 20 years, and the prices have only gone one way. Yes, economics is cyclical by nature, economies and stock markets will be marked with a correction at some point, but never has one taken 20 years...

I don't see how one can come about unless a large group of people suddenly cash out all at once and slash the prices of their collections in desperation to liquidate... I just can't see that happening.

The only scenario I could see playing out is if general interest in Neo-Geo just dried up, and there became negative entrants into the scene, then, and only over a long period of time, could I see cart prices coming down... but a crash in values? I'm sorry, as much as I, and many others, would like to see this happen it's most unlikely.
I would say prices have only seen significant increases in the past 5-10 years at most. Almost everything was at rock bottom around the economic crash of 2008. We haven't had another major downturn since then and in the last 5 years we've seen huge growth in all kinds of speculative markets from collectibles to crypto. Housing has rebounded beyond the previous bubble, even taking inflation into account. No one knows for sure where we're heading but based on historical economic cycles we are overdue a massive correction and/or inflationary scenario which has the same effect in real terms.
 

SignOfGoob

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Everything loses popularity eventually. When I was a young fanboy you would often see old guys paying totally nuts money for things related to Golden Age comics, old time radio, Doc Savage, etc. Now there is essentially nobody living who personally remembers Fibber McGee & Molly or Little Orphan Annie decoder rings and while I doubt the listed value of this stuff has changed much the truth is that nobody really buys and sells it anymore. They sit on what they have to not “lose money” until they die.

Before Wasabi left he had what sounded like similar concerns about sitting on AES.
 

madmanjock

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The only scenario I could see playing out is if general interest in Neo-Geo just dried up, and there became negative entrants into the scene, then, and only over a long period of time, could I see cart prices coming down... but a crash in values? I'm sorry, as much as I, and many others, would like to see this happen it's most unlikely.

See that did happen with stamp collecting, Elvis memorabilia and others. But what I’m not sure of is that if such a crash will happen in our lifetimes.

There will be kids born now that in 30 years probably won’t give 2 shits about Neo Geo because they will be collecting Uber rare Wii U games or some other stupid shit.

As (collectively) our user base of dudes aged 30 something to 50 something die off, I’m not sure there will be enough people buying in to sustain these stupid prices. In those conditions, I can see a crash happening.
 

smokey

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I started purchasing AES in may of 2019.
These are the prices including shipping and fees. Mostly from Japan trough remambo.
I stopped noting down my purchase after a while. It was too confronting.

titleregioconditionprice in yenprice in euro
NEO GEOjaploose29490242.06
Samurai Spiritsjapcib00
World Heroes 2japloose00
Art Of Fightingjapcib555645.6
Fatal Fury Specialjapcib302224.8
World Heroes 2 Jetjapcib614450.34
King of Fighters '94japcib331027.17
Art of Fighting 2japcib276022.65
Fatal Fury 3japcib880171.88
Samurai Spirits 2japcib320526.18
King of Fighters '95japcib858370.1
Samurai Spirits 3japcib1018083.14
Ninja Combateurocib170
Super Spyeurocib170
Ghost PilotsUSAcib169.22


I was selling of some playmobil to a fellow collector and his dad who had collected Tin soldiers and stuff like that from the 40-60 , said that prices are at an all time low. People who cared for those hobbies are now dead or in a retirement home. You shouldn't collect AES for the value but for the love of the games and packaging. Who cares if I paid more for my Last Blade 2 then some bogdweller did in 2005. I've been coveting that game since 1999. And only now have the disposable income (thank you bitcoins) , to purchase such things. Whatever you do with it: play or keep it sealed in plastic the thruth is nobody is going to give a shit in 30 years time. And your children or grand children are gonna dump in the trash or donate it too a thrift store.
Everything has it's time in the sun and then it dies off.
 
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