So you can be informed without the need to start a new thread, this will remain stickied. Please read and try to use tips in this thread before posting a new price request. Also feel free to add to this thread if you have a suggestion.

First and foremost: If you're seeking prices for loose NTSC games, consult our latest free price guide in the NintendoAge e-Zine (on the website homepage).

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eBay: the world's price guide

There are many bad ways to harvest price data from eBay, and two good ways. Some people simply type in the name of their game in the search box on the frontpage and look at the various prices that pop up. "What's that, my Legend of Zelda is only worth $0.99?" Of course not, it may just be a new auction without any bids.

So what are the two good ways? To look at what an item is immediately purchasable for, and what an item has historically sold for. Here are three links from which you can start an easy search. I use variations of these links on a day-to-day basis. Note that you must be logged in for the last one. Take a moment to click on them before I explore the details. The will be for loose Kid Icarus carts for simplicity.



http://search.ebay.com/kid-icarus-nes_W0QQcatrefZC6QQdfspZ1Q...
http://search.stores.ebay.com/kid...

http://search-completed.ebay.com/...

The first two links will bring you to a list of BIN's for both eBay stores, and eBay auctions. They are sorted by price+shipping, lowest first. Take both into account, add them together and you have the lowest price you could buy this item for right now, shipped to your doorstep. Useful if you're either listing for sale, trying to find relative trade values, or selling to a board member. A good global price.

The last link is historical data of what this item has sold for in the last two weeks. Also a useful gauge of value, this is real data on what people have paid for an item. This would seem more accurate than the first group of links, but keep in mind that many things can affect a cart's value. Bonuses like a manual or case, a seller with exceptionally high feedback, or a bid war can affect the selling price and so these prices should be taken into consideration, but not always used as a rule. You'll note these are sorted by highest-first. So this link shows the most an item has sold for in the past couple weeks.

If you're looking for something specific, like the price for a manual or box or CIB or such, try adding these to your search. Cut and paste them right into your search box, after you've clicked the links above:

(book,booklet,manual,instructions)
(cib,complete,boxed,box)
(new,sealed)

Adding these to your links above, you can see how much a CIB Kid Icarus sold for last week, and is currently available at BIN for, and use that to find the "fair market value" of a similar item.

For some items, like Super Mario Bros 3, you may get lots of "false hits" on items that aren't the game you're looking for. Plush toys, shirts, stickers, and even other games (in this case, SMB/Duck Hunt/WCTM 3-in-1). You can filter your results by resubmitting the search, with negative keywords:

-(duck,plush,shirt,sticker,decal) --useful for most Mario items
-(book,booklet,manual,instructions,cib,complete,boxed,box) --if you just want to see loose carts

One final note: be sure to click into an auction before you quote it as a price. Look for indicators that may affect value, like use of a stock photo, condition of the item in listings that do use a real photo, and presence of items bundled with it - i.e. - "lots" of items.

Using these links, and perhaps modifying them to fit your own needs, you should have no problem finding a good price WITHOUT the need to ask all 600 users on the board in the form of a global post in the price check thread.

haha, great points of advice dan... i agree with all of it. there is no need to ask the going rate for a zelda when 1,000 of them have ended in the past month. just check the bay. if you cant find ended auctions for whatever you are looking for, THEN come to the thread to ask fellow NA'ers for help. hopefully everyone takes your post seriously! with that said, how much is a cib super mario 2? haha

I agree 100%.  I posted a price check yesterday here after I checked the ebay completed listings and current ebay items.  Tack and Field 1 was no where to be found.  THEN I came to NA for help.  This should help curb unneccessary posts. 

Another big tip: How about searching the NA forums (What's it Worth and Buying and Selling) before posting a new thread? The game you are interested in may have been talked about a million times, you may find some info there. Granted, prices change regularly, but if spoken about recently it may give you a decent start as to how much the item is worth.

Now, if you want these tips to be effective on the NA community for a long period, you may put this thread in a 'common knowledge of the collector' section, that everybody will be able to point out to member who abuse of the Price Check Threads and etc.

Posting general and basic tips that every collectors should know in a 'usual thread' cause the thread to disappear in the million of threads posted here on NA( including these abusive Price Check).

EDIT: Okay, it seems that has already been though, the thread is always on top of the Price Check. You guys are so, so smart :-p.

It's just so much easier to make a new post. instead of searching ebay or searching thorugh old posts.  I mean, aren't we all here to help out our fellow collectors?

I don't presume to speak for everyone else, but when I want to help someone with pricing I use these exact links to do the work. Why not spare your fellow collectors the work of doing what you yourself can do easily without making a post.

Yeah the point is educational. If you want to be a 'productive' collector or reseller, you better masterize all the art of pricing instead of always depending on 'superior authority'. By giving these tips, Dangevin try to help people in a better way than letting them depend on the knowledge of other collectors.

Like a breath of fresh air...

Great post and idea. eBay is the price guide, takes 2 seconds to do a 30 days search and find your answer 90% of the time.
~~NGD

And in most cases, if an item doesn't pop up for sale that often, chances are good that SOMEONE has already asked about it here. Searching old threads covers a lot that eBay sometimes can't (as MrMark said).

I agree with the previous points. This topic area was originally started for asking the "not so obvious" price checks, not ones that are easily ascertainable by checking completed ebay auctions. Someone stumbles upon an "Korean Version" SMB/DH, or a sealed game without knowing nothing about sealed games -- stuff that perhaps a fellow collector might help out with that ebay can't as easily.

thanks so much for these... I actually never knew how to look at completed listings. That will help me a lot.

one thing is dont use store's prices to go buy most are marked up 60 percent more than what they sell for

It's all relative, if you're looking for trade values, compare store prices to store prices, or auction to auction...I agree they're definitely not comparable, but they do sell for those prices!

Its all true.  I never have/sell anything super uncommon, so I usually post when it's all over the board and I'd like a opinion on what a reasonable price would be.  It helps when I don't want to let something go for too low.

but you posting a post about not posting a post is posting a post about posting posts therefor adding to the posts of the already post.

good points

Yes but aren't we all guilty of this now and then?   Posting about not posting is still posting! hehe

EDIT: It may be worth noting in the top post that you can expect to pay less/get less buying/selling in person versus ebay

Im still all about there is NO SET price for anything. A item is only worth what someone is willing to pay.

And now we can add the eZine to this list.

lol good call

Or someone is willing to sell it for.

Does anyone ever use the rarityguide website for a rough idea of prices? or are they not up to much?

Why use rarityguide when you can use the nintendoage ezine guide that is updated every month?

I guess that means you dont use rarityguide then, ok cheers.
Yeah i use both incase your interested. It's good to cross reference sometimes. Choice is a good thing yes.