Need research help: TG-16 game prices

[spenoza]

Well, roll me in shit and dip me in breadcrumbs... Time to re-do the list.

[vestcoat]

Well, roll me in shit and dip me in breadcrumbs...

I'll have to use this one.

[spenoza]

You might want to use the correct one. I screwed it up. I think it's "dip me in shit and roll me in breadcrumbs," but I couldn't remember it correctly when I typed it.

[Black Tiger]

As for your guesses there, I do know that by current eBay pricing, none of those games in your =< $10 list are available under $10. The only truly must-have game I found available for under $10 was Legendary Axe (note that eBay prices necessarily include shipping costs).

If you're up on current prices, then why are you asking for help?

I think that a "how-to-use-eBay" guide is mandatory before posting a Turbo deal guide. Shipping costs are completely random and shouldn't be included in any kind of price guide, especially for TG-16 games which can be sent by letter mail and whose combined shipping can work out to pennies a piece.


Bonk's Adventure

Failed to sell loose for $9.99 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bonks-Adventure-TurboGrafx-16-1994-/261040365292?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3cc737deec

Complete $16 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bonks-Adventure-TurboGrafx-16-hub-card-with-manual-case-/370622914054?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item564ad8de06

Complete $17 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bonks-Adventure-TurboGrafx-16-1990-/150833613694?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item231e624b7e

Bonk's Adventure + Bonk's Revenge + Vigilante + Keith Courage $21 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bonks-Revenge-TurboGrafx-16-1991-BONKS-ADVENTURE-VIGILANTE-ETC-/251080974600?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3a7597a108



Bonk's Revenge

Failed to sell Complete for $15 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bonks-Revenge-TurboGrafx-16-1991-/160816874988?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item25716ec5ec

Twice failed to sell loose for $17.99 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bonks-Revenge-TurboGrafx-16-1991-/221042855229?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item33772e4d3d

Bonk's Revenge + Bonk's Adventure + Vigilante + Keith Courage $21 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bonks-Revenge-TurboGrafx-16-1991-BONKS-ADVENTURE-VIGILANTE-ETC-/251080974600?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3a7597a108



Alien Crush

Complete with cardboard box $10.49 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alien-Crush-TurboGrafx-16-1989-complete-with-box-/110896043114?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item19d1eb546a

Complete $10 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alien-Crush-TurboGrafx-16-1989-/150833607870?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item231e6234be



Bomberman

Complete $15 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bomberman-Turbo-Grafx-16-Complete-NO-BOX-/150836879033?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item231e941eb9



Ninja Spirit

With manual $13 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ninja-Spirit-TurboGrafx-16-1990-/150833662261?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item231e630935

Failed to sell loose for $15 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ninja-Spirit-TurboGrafx-16-1990-used-good-condition-/160816873287?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item25716ebf47

Ninja Spirit + Keith Courage both Complete failed to sell for $20 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Keith-Courage-in-Alpha-Zones-Ninja-Spirit-TurboGrafx-16-/180904299346?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item2a1ebc8b52



Dungeon Explorer

Listed loose as *VERY RARE* failed to sell for $13 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dungeon-Explorer-TURBO-GRAFX-16-GAME-HU-CARD-ONLY-TG16-DUO-VERY-RARE-/310405664604?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item48459e8f5c

Complete $15 http://www.ebay.com/itm/DUNGEON-EXPLORER-Game-for-Turbo-Grafx-16-/350572752308?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item519fc3adb4

Complete $15 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dungeon-Explorer-Turbo-Grafx-16-Complete-/221051424870?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3377b11066



Side Arms

Twice failed to sell loose for $13 and $15 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Side-Arms-TurboGrafx-16-TG16-Hu-Card-Capcom-NEC-TurboExpress-TurboDuo-Shooter-/280897793026?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4166d02c02

Complete with cardboard box $15 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Side-Arms-Hyper-Dyne-TurboGrafx-16-1989-/150833676036?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item231e633f04

[spenoza]

I think that a "how-to-use-eBay" guide is mandatory before posting a Turbo deal guide. Shipping costs are completely random and shouldn't be included in any kind of price guide, especially for TG-16 games which can be sent by letter mail and whose combined shipping can work out to pennies a piece.

I guess what I'm trying to do is help folks know what to expect. If Joe Shmoe who reads RB articles decides he's got some spare income and wants to get into the Turbo, what games can he reasonably expect to find relatively affordably that are worth picking up? That's really it. When you're starting out it can be daunting looking at an entire library of games, even one as small as that of the Turbo, and try to figure out what to go for. I'm not trying to tell folks that if they go to eBay and buy it at this auction they'll get it for $11.95 with $4 shipping, but rather if they've got $20 to give to it they can probably find a couple games on this list of quality starter titles if they hunt around a little.

[SignOfZeta]

Import means biting the bullet and modding a US system or buying a Japanese system and getting JPN games vs simply getting US games for a US system.

How is it any "simpler"? I've been into PCE for almost 20 years now and aside from a brief period in time from 92-94 when I could buy games at EB, all the shit I own has come  from the same place: the mail box. Actually, that's not totally true. I did buy games from a Die Hard store near me back in the day, but all they had were imports.

The first thing a NEC noob needs to know is to not waste his money on a TG-16. This is because, if he likes the system, his next step will be trying to find a working US CDROM, then trying to afford a Super System card for less than $150, then fixing his CDROM which will have broke by now, etc etc when what he should have done right off the bat was buy a Duo R. I've seen this story play out here and in person even more times than I've told it.

[FiftyQuid]

I think most of the prices everyone has posted up until this point are very accurate.  I'm yet another of the noobs around here reconnecting with my youth who decided to collect the entire collection of US hu cards.  At the start I admittedly overspent.  I tossed a $20 out for Bonk's Adventure, and a $20 out for Ninja Spirit.  Both were complete in jewel cases and in good shape.  I had some disposable income and paying $20 for Bonk's Adventure didn't bother me.  I wanted the game and $20 was a lot cheaper than the price I paid back in the 90's so I figured I was ahead.  Then I found PCEngineFX and the members here raked me over the coals.  Well, not so much in the forums, but the posts I was seeing were things like "Are you nuts?!" and "You paid how much?!".  Also, the eBay gouging thread is a fantastic read and a great learning experience.  So I learned a few things very quickly;

1) You can get some great games here for cheap.
2) Trade games whenever you can.
3) If I really really want a game, and someone offers it here for sale there's a good chance no one here will buy it because many of the members already have it.

[TheClash603]

Since everyone buys stuff from eBay or this forum anyway I don't understand the distinction between "import" and otherwise. It's not like you can buy this stuff at Target either way.

This seems like an odd statement.  Doesn't import simply mean that you are purchasing a game from another country?  If I buy a game on ebay or on this forum, but the guy I am buying from is in Japan or Europe, then that's importing.

Recently I bought a bunch of Gizmondo games, which were somewhat reasonably priced.  However, after the currency exchange rate, the cost of shipping from the UK, and the wait to get the games, the "cost" to me was high.  This cost being time and money.

Obviously if you buy a PCE game from a guy on the forum who lives in the US, then it isn't an import.  That's also the preferred way to shop, because it is cheaper and quicker.  Thankfully there are a lot of games from other regions floating around the US now, so it is also an easier option.

However, even in the year 2012 there is a very distinct difference between purchasing a game domestically and importing.

[Black Tiger]

Import means biting the bullet and modding a US system or buying a Japanese system and getting JPN games vs simply getting US games for a US system.

How is it any "simpler"? I've been into PCE for almost 20 years now and aside from a brief period in time from 92-94 when I could buy games at EB, all the shit I own has come  from the same place: the mail box. Actually, that's not totally true. I did buy games from a Die Hard store near me back in the day, but all they had were imports.

The first thing a NEC noob needs to know is to not waste his money on a TG-16. This is because, if he likes the system, his next step will be trying to find a working US CDROM, then trying to afford a Super System card for less than $150, then fixing his CDROM which will have broke by now, etc etc when what he should have done right off the bat was buy a Duo R. I've seen this story play out here and in person even more times than I've told it.

I bought my first PCE CD games in 1991 (would have started earlier, but got ripped off with my first mail ordered Turbo-CD). I continued to mail order imports until 1993, when I ordered a kisado convertor with SFII'. After which I continued to buy PCE games locally and through the mail to this day. I still see as many PCE games in the wild as TG-16 ones and they are much easier to find than Turbo stuff online.

I think that a "how-to-use-eBay" guide is mandatory before posting a Turbo deal guide. Shipping costs are completely random and shouldn't be included in any kind of price guide, especially for TG-16 games which can be sent by letter mail and whose combined shipping can work out to pennies a piece.

I guess what I'm trying to do is help folks know what to expect. If Joe Shmoe who reads RB articles decides he's got some spare income and wants to get into the Turbo, what games can he reasonably expect to find relatively affordably that are worth picking up? That's really it. When you're starting out it can be daunting looking at an entire library of games, even one as small as that of the Turbo, and try to figure out what to go for. I'm not trying to tell folks that if they go to eBay and buy it at this auction they'll get it for $11.95 with $4 shipping, but rather if they've got $20 to give to it they can probably find a couple games on this list of quality starter titles if they hunt around a little.

Personally, I consider any game <$20 basically free. I'm not concerned about getting the best deal when the most I am paying is the price of a meal. If a game player or collector is poor enough that the difference of a few dollars is going to be a deal breaker, then the best advice would be to steer clear of the Turbo brand and/or eBay altogether. If they don't have trouble navigating eBay and understand that not everything in the world is available all the time, then the tiniest patience will save them a fortune.

I have made many purchases from Japanese eBay sellers of 30+ games which cost <$15 to ship and arrived within 2 - 3 business days. The games themselves are a fraction of the price of North American versions, but the shipping is pretty much free as far as I'm concerned.

[storino03]

My TG16/CD Unit works fine. I didn't pay anything for it a few months ago, so I'm still in the green.

[SignOfZeta]

Since everyone buys stuff from eBay or this forum anyway I don't understand the distinction between "import" and otherwise. It's not like you can buy this stuff at Target either way.

This seems like an odd statement.  Doesn't import simply mean that you are purchasing a game from another country?  If I buy a game on ebay or on this forum, but the guy I am buying from is in Japan or Europe, then that's importing.

Recently I bought a bunch of Gizmondo games, which were somewhat reasonably priced.  However, after the currency exchange rate, the cost of shipping from the UK, and the wait to get the games, the "cost" to me was high.  This cost being time and money.

Obviously if you buy a PCE game from a guy on the forum who lives in the US, then it isn't an import.  That's also the preferred way to shop, because it is cheaper and quicker.  Thankfully there are a lot of games from other regions floating around the US now, so it is also an easier option.

However, even in the year 2012 there is a very distinct difference between purchasing a game domestically and importing.

Are you serious? In case you are...

First off, the distinction between "import" and domestic for the purposes of NEC hardware being purchased by the majority of the people on this forum is the difference between PC Engine and TG-16. PCE games are "import", TG-16 games are not. When someone says the "collect import Turbo games" they are talking about PCE, not TG-16 games that spent time in France before heading back to the US.

My point was that if they all show up in my mailbox, if they are all purchased online, these traditional definitions are totally meaningless. These are just...games.

Spenoza was saying that he was trying to keep things simply by excluding PCE games from his list. My opinion is that including US games at all just complicates things. US games/hardware are the reason we need mods and converters. They are the reason there are "Turbotaps" and "Duotaps" instead of just "taps". US games are the ones that are so f*cking expensive. The best way to keep it simple is to just buy PCE. Europeans, for example, almost always choose PCE since both systems are "imports" to them. Why buy the more expensive, uglier, less reliable stuff?

[majors]

Vestcoat, I am not a fan of the give an exact price range approach ($12 - $15), because once that article is out it only takes a couple weeks for it to be largely useless.

You could just list titles as "$" "$$" and "$$$" so to avoid exact prices. Common good games ("$") should keep their value amount in comparison to other rare/expensive games. Of course, some random shit could cause Bonk to skyrocket but one should maintain a article such as yours (at least addendum once a year or two)

Or drop prices altogether and just list must-haves in order of rarity. Hell, make ebay links for the games so ppl can see what is current on the auction arena. I think most RBers would hit the selling threads on the forum anyhow.

[SignOfZeta]

I like that idea, $, $$, $$$, and $$$$..

[CPTRAVE]

Thirty dollars for shadow of the Beast a good price U.S version?

[Bernie]

Thirty dollars for shadow of the Beast a good price U.S version?

I'd buy it.