Using Amazon.com as reference for game value?

[ZeppelinFan]

Alot of people have suggested using EBAY for game values, some have recommended Amazon.com... I ordered a price guide, but a guy that runs a local retro gaming shop said that game prices can fluctuate rapidly because games can come into high demand rather quickly, maybe because a Virtual Console game peaks interest in the original, or something of that sort... So i decided to choose amazon... however i wanted to know if anyone else does this, and the best method to choose a price point. Take for example, my copy of rival schools united by fate for playstation... after i type it in, i click on the used game tab, and the prices start at like 3 bucks, and towards the upper end, are sometimes 40 bucks... i remember in school using the "mean" method of finding an average.. that is, add up the prices for all 20 of them, then divide by 20... is that a good method? or should i just pick something in the middle? Some games have entries at like 5 across the board, then some random number at like 50 bucks... is that just some crazy guy thinking its worth that much?

i just want consistency... and im not actually looking to sell any games, i just want to have an estimated value to put in my game binder that im putting together of my collection

Thanks for any advice!

[Penguin]

Well, ebay is not a very good place to gauge prices by, because they can fluxuate depending on how bad someone wants the item. For example, I picked up 3 consoles and about 40 games in an auction for $80 one time, and another day I saw a similar auction fetch over $400. A lot of it has to do when the auctions are ending too. No game is worth more than any other, in retrospect. I always try and get all the games I want at the best deal, if you have the patience, and the time and look hard enough you can get almost anything at a decent price. If you want to guestimate a price for a game I would say the best thing to do would be to ask around here.

[raregamergirl]

Ebay is a very good idea of the fair market value on ebay.
Amazon is a decent idea of the fair market value on amazon.
Where do you plan on selling the games?
Amazon takes 15 percent in fees and only gives you $2 or so per game you ship.
Ebay takes less in fees (8 percent or so plus paypal fees) and you choose shipping, which is usually around $5 for one game.
If there are very few of a particular item on amazon, it will generally be very overpriced.
Ebay, though, you always know exactly how much an item sold for. Its very easy to average out the sold price.
Just because someone on amazon wants X dollars for something does not make it worth that much. This is why averaging things out via your method on amazon is not a good idea at all. If pricing via amazon, stick near the bottom 3 and perhaps average those 3 for a good idea of the amazon value.

[Daria]

I look at completed listings on ebay and find the average via your mean method. Only problem is if there is only one of two auctions for that particular game. Then it's either very rare or so undesirable that very few people bother to sell it.

[udisi]

I think ebay IS a good place to guage price. Sure you'll get a few odd overpays, but you also have a few undervalues too. If you follow ebay competed auctions over time, you will come up with a good useable average. The key is looking at individual items, and "lots" of games will flucuate much more than the individual title.

[ZeppelinFan]

How do you view completed auctions? i dont see that there on the ebay site? im not really looking to sell ANY of my games... im just putting together this excel database and it would be great to be able to list the value of my games along with all the game info... i dont plan on ever selling my games, i just would like to know, for knowing i guess lol

[Captain Wrong]

Using Amazon is a terrible idea. It's not an indicator of value, it's an indicator of what people are asking for things, not necessarly what people are paying. I've seen books and CDs sit there for ages on Amazon that go for a fraction on eBay. Also, and this is from selling on there, there tends to be a race to the bottom in terms of pricing for common stuff and some really outrageous pricing for desireable items.

[ALAKA]

i would compare some of the amazon sellers to some of the ebay store sellers who put an inflated price tag for a BIN and hope some shlub will fall into their trap.

[DigitalSpace]

Using Amazon is a terrible idea. It's not an indicator of value, it's an indicator of what people are asking for things, not necessarly what people are paying. I've seen books and CDs sit there for ages on Amazon that go for a fraction on eBay. Also, and this is from selling on there, there tends to be a race to the bottom in terms of pricing for common stuff and some really outrageous pricing for desireable items.

Quoted. For. Truth.

[Jumpman Jr.]

How do you view completed auctions? i dont see that there on the ebay site? im not really looking to sell ANY of my games... im just putting together this excel database and it would be great to be able to list the value of my games along with all the game info... i dont plan on ever selling my games, i just would like to know, for knowing i guess lol

You have to be a member to be able to do that.
If you have an account, log in and go to "Advanced Searches" or whatever.

[kataboom]

How do you view completed auctions? i dont see that there on the ebay site? im not really looking to sell ANY of my games... im just putting together this excel database and it would be great to be able to list the value of my games along with all the game info... i dont plan on ever selling my games, i just would like to know, for knowing i guess lol

yeah click advance search & then there is a little box you tick that says "only completed auctions" then fill in the search bar with whatever you are searching/pricing