July 15 is NES Day! The year 2023 will mark the 40th anniversary of the birth of the NES, and various initiatives are providing more and more opportunities to rediscover the appeal of retro games. Some titles from the NES, Super NES, and Game Boy can be played via Nintendo Switch Online, a paid service on the Nintendo Switch, but the romance of the actual console cannot be passed up. However, the NES and even the Nintendo 3DS, which is still fresh in our memories, have already been discontinued, making it difficult to obtain a console. The world's largest online marketplace, eBay, where anyone can list and buy NES consoles, has been seeing a lot of transactions for the 40th anniversary of the NES and its rare software.
祝！40周年！「ファミコン誕生40周年キャンペーンサイト」＆コンテンツが一気に公開！
eBay, an online marketplace from the U.S.
The online marketplace "eBay" from the U.S., which is not so familiar to Japanese, has been developed in more than 190 countries around the world as a cross-border e-commerce service that allows both individuals and corporations to start selling products for free, as well as making purchases. The number of items listed on eBay is more than 1.8 billion, and the transaction volume is estimated to be 73.9 billion US dollars (about 10 trillion Japanese yen ) in 2022, which should give you an idea of the scale of the marketplace.
Although many people have an impression that eBay is a mail-order site, not many people have actually used it. However, eBay Japan K.K., the Japanese subsidiary of eBay Inc., has been providing Japanese-language support since 2009 for Japanese companies seeking to expand their overseas sales channels and increase sales. In 2018, eBay Japan LLC was established to operate the Qoo10 e-commerce site for the Japanese market. Many of you have probably bought daily necessities, home appliances, household goods, cosmetics, and other items from Qoo10. eBay has been lurking in a familiar place.
Retro games are increasingly traded on eBay.
Video game-related products have recently become even more popular on eBay. In particular, the popularity of retro games such as the NES is increasing, and the number of Japanese sell ers on eBay is increasing year by year. One of the reasons is that video game-related products are an easy category to enter, allowing sellers to list items as small as a single video game software package that they have lying around in a closet in their parents' house. The number of video game-related products listed on eBay from Japan during the one-year period from June 2022 to June 2023 amounted to approximately US$40 million (approximately 5.8 billion yen). In particular, Japanese-language software, game consoles, and Japan-only titles seem to be attracting the attention of overseas game fans.
Examples of retro game-related items traded at high prices on eBay include...
- Nintendo 64: US$4,289 (about 600,000 yen)
- The Legend of Zelda" for Disk System: US$1,900 (approx. 270,000 yen)
- Summer Carnival '92" for NES: 1,900 U.S. dollars (approx. 270,000 yen)
- Fire Emblem: Thrace 776" for Super Nintendo Entertainment System: 1,745 US dollars (approx. 250,000 yen)
- Famicom adventure game book "Metroid": 500 US dollars (about 70,000 yen)
The list goes on and on. If you remember having any of these items, it may be worth your while to hurry up and look for them.
Popular game titles and consoles on eBay
Many other video game software titles are traded on eBay. For example, the Super Mario Bros. series has seen a resurgence in popularity with the release of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" in April 2023. In particular, the Nintendo Switch version of the Super Mario 3D Collection, produced to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. franchise, has already been discontinued and is attracting a lot of attention from enthusiasts.
The release of "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom," the latest installment in the Legend of Zelda series, has also led to the release of "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," "The Legend of Zelda 1" for the NES, "The Legend of Zelda: Dreams of Zelda" for the Nintendo DS, and "The Legend of Zelda: The Legend of Zelda: The Legend of the Kingdom" for the Nintendo DS. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild", "The Legend of Zelda: Hourglass of Dreams" and "The Legend of Zelda: Whistler of the Earth" are also attracting attention.
Sales of video game-related items from Japan on eBay have been strong, increasing 27% in the first quarter of 2023 (January-March) compared to the same period last year. Sales in the video game console category, including game consoles, were particularly strong, up 40%. The majority of items sold from Japan are used products, and the fact that Japanese used products are considered to be in good condition is another factor behind the strong performance.
If you have retro games, go to eBay!
eBay offers free listing plans for individuals and corporations alike. Especially if you want to sell your prized treasures as a side business, the free plan may be enough for you, so feel free to get started! The official eBay Japan website has a Japanese-language manual that covers everything from how to create an eBay account to fees, taxes, shipping, and more.
Comment from Ryosuke Ichida, Category Manager, eBay Japan
The retro game market on eBay is very active right now. In the second quarter of 2023, sales of video game consoles grew 37% year-on-year. Although these video game consoles are very popular, in fact, most of the video game consoles traded are not the latest consoles but retro games (used consoles). In recent years, there has been a resurgence of nostalgia and interest in retro games from the 90s and early 2000s, which can be attributed to the influence of streaming platforms and social media. Famous streamers and YouTubers distributing the games have brought their appeal to a large number of people, creating new fans and increasing demand. Retro games are attracting worldwide attention and are widely handled because they are very compatible with eBay. It is also recommended to check out your own game consoles and software, as they may be worth more than you imagine. We encourage you to enter the fascinating world of retro games.
Sorry, this article is only available in Japanese. at the moment.
