Retro Video Games

Cartridges have exact price tables — most sellers have never seen one.

Retro games are the best-documented flip category in existence: every title has a public loose / complete-in-box / sealed price history. Sellers dump childhood collections as "box of old games" at a flat price per game — while inside, values range from €2 shelf filler to €200 rarities.

Why it flips

Perfect comps: title + platform + region + completeness maps to an exact sold-price history.

CIB arbitrage: the same cartridge with box and manual is worth 3–5× the loose one — sellers rarely price the difference.

Lots are priced per game, flat — the two rare titles in a 30-game box pay for everything.

Demand compounds: every year another childhood console becomes "retro".

🌱 Start here

1.Learn the completeness ladder: loose < with box < CIB (box + manual) < sealed. Price each rung separately.
2.Check region versions: PAL, NTSC-US and NTSC-J prices differ a lot for the same title.
3.Test before you resell — "untested" buys are fine at untested prices, but sell everything as tested.
4.Condition of the label and box drives price more than the cartridge itself.

🎯 Pro moves

1.Hunt misspelled titles and generic listings ("Nintendo games") — they get no search traffic and no bids.
2.Sports titles are shelf filler; RPGs, platformers and anything Nintendo first-party hold the value.
3.Watch for rental stickers and marker on labels — they cut value hard and hide in photos.
4.Reproduction cartridges flood popular rare titles (EarthBound, Pokémon) — learn the board and label tells before paying rare-tier prices.

🔥 Live listings

No live listings for this topic right now — try the ready-made searches below.

Frequently asked

Which platforms should I start with?

Nintendo first: NES through GameCube titles have the deepest demand and the best-documented prices. PS1/PS2 have huge supply and thinner margins per game, which makes them good lot material.

Is a boxed game really worth that much more?

Yes — complete-in-box regularly sells for 3–5× loose, and sealed is another league entirely. The box and manual are most of the value for common titles.

How do I avoid reproduction cartridges?

Be suspicious of any expensive rare title at a friendly price. Check the cartridge screws, board photo and label print quality — and buy rarities from sellers who clearly know what they have.

Free handbook

The Flip Gap turns product flipping into a repeatable workflow: source, verify, calculate take-home profit, buy safely, list well, and learn from every sale.

Fee-aware deal maths
A 30-day operating plan
Checklists for every buy

Read the free guide Download PDF (English)

Education, not an earnings promise. Always verify a deal yourself.