Gaming Pokémon GBA games

[therealethan]

I’ve been looking at the the Pokémon GBA (Pokémon Emerald and FRLG specifically) games for some time now and the prices just keep on getting higher. Are the prices ever going to down or stagnate? Is there a good place where I can buy them for a bit more of a reasonable price?

 

[EvilJagaGenius]

Prices probably are going to continue to rise. I recommend grabbing a flashcart (I like my EZ-Flash Omega) and some nice ROM hacks like Throwback or Complete Hoenn Dex.

 

[chrisrlink]

I would recommend an ez flash omega also but be careful inserting/removing your microSD my SD slot broke, might get a new one in the future

 

[RAHelllord]

Your best chance to get a legit copy is to poke around flea markets and yard sales locally. Most big secondhand stores are likely going to check online prices, but not every private person selling in person will be. Smaller second hand stores might also be a good idea to check regularly until one shows up.
If that's not a solution it's more prudent to get one of the flash cart options, those also allow you to play romhacks as a bonus.

 

[therealethan]

I would recommend an ez flash omega also but be careful inserting/removing your microSD my SD slot broke, might get a new one in the future

I have emulated it on my n3ds but I’ve just been wanting to have the physical game itself for a while

Post automatically merged: Aug 27, 2023

Your best chance to get a legit copy is to poke around flea markets and yard sales locally. Most big secondhand stores are likely going to check online prices, but not every private person selling in person will be. Smaller second hand stores might also be a good idea to check regularly until one shows up.
If that's not a solution it's more prudent to get one of the flash cart options, those also allow you to play romhacks as a bonus.

Yeah that’s kind of what I was thinking. I’ve noticed some of the bigger secondhand game stores often go $30-$40 higher than eBay and such

 

[FAST6191]

Assuming a repro is not on the cards then prices are probably going to be the same or increase for some time yet.

2004 release so if you played it when you were 10 you are now knocking on 30 (wow I am old... did it to myself today) and thus well into the want to relive my youth while also having money phase. If your siblings and you shared one, played it round a friend's or similar is also in play as every one of those might want a copy or copy again, in addition to whatever has come since or dipped out prior and wants to give it an explore. Given they are also toys that often get destroyed or thrown out.

Nintendo first party stuff almost always holds its value during its lifetime as well and has been doing so as long as I have been following it (first really noticed when I wanted some Zelda Oracles games and had seen all the other titles drop to next to nothing/litter the second hand shelves where those stayed £20 until the GBC shelves were cleared in favour of something new). Some other things do manage a few years of cheaper before creeping up (should have finished my 360 list a few years back as it is going to hurt now).

To that end yeah you are left hoping for a clueless mother or grandma doing a clear out at a yard sale/car boot sale/flea market, and beating every other nerd that will play reseller or wants it for themselves in such a scenario (depending upon where you are that mob is up with the sun and winding up the sellers by having nose in as they are setting up or even calling ahead of time if you are in a place that advertises yard sales before they happen). Even without the reseller sharks this is decidedly rare -- even grandmas tend to know to check ebay on their phones this last 10 years or so, as do even small charity shops and thrift shops.
One that can work is buying bundles -- usually on stuff like local facebook marketplaces you get mothers flogging systems and games for not inconsiderable prices but less than the sum of their parts if sold individually. Rarely going to be tippy top RPGs as much as kids party games and shovelware but some of those can also be worth something these days (on Nintendo systems said party games will tend to include things like Mario Kart and Smash Brothers, and even some shovelware tends to be not insignificant courtesy of those doing complete collections), and depending upon the size of the brood then maybe some more controllers as well. That said the resellers also know this trick so have to be quick there too.