Factors determining a collectible's value
http://www.rarityguide.com/articles/articles/5/1/Factors-determining-a-collectibles-value/Page1.html
By chronodev (Ron)
Published on 09/21/2008
This article discusses factors that raise or lower a collectible's value
On June 2008, a Quadrun game for the Atari 2600 video game system sold on eBay.com for approximately $1600. During the same month, that same game sold for only $150 in a different auction. Which factors contributed to the big difference between these two items?
In this case, the reason was that the first Quadrun auction was for a sealed, New in Box (NIB) item. The second auction was for the loose (L) cartridge only. There are several factors that bring a collectible item's price up or down.
1) Condition
This is a very important, if not the most important, factor. The condition of a collectible is crucial in determining its price. The better the condition, the higher the value will be. There are many possible conditions, some may or may not be applicable to a specific collectible. Some example of conditions are poor, fair, good, excellent, loose, near mint, mint and new in box. Expect to pay a high price for a mint or near mint collectible, but a much lower price for an item in poor condition, and an even higher price for a new in box collectible. Some collectibles are especially hard to get new in box and the value for a collectible in this condition can be extremely high compared to the same collectible in other conditions.
Make sure to always take into consideration the collectible's condition when buying or selling it. RarityGuide.com understands the importance of the collectible's condition in determining price, which is why our guides provide you with prices for at least 3 different conditions.
2) Seasonal market fluctuation
Values for collectibles can fluctuate up and down during different periods. For example, the RarityGuide.com monitoring system observed that during 2007, Nintendo Game and Watch market prices spiked very high, but in 2008 the prices went back down to the normal range. RarityGuide.com constantly monitors market activities for all categories and feeds updates to the guides as market prices fluctuate. Be sure to check back often to track item prices.
3) Sentimental value
A person might pay an extraordinary high value for a collectible because of the sentimental value that item has for him. Or it might be the last item that person needs to complete his or her collection.
4) Timing
Poor timing or luck when selling a collectible can cause it to sell for a lot less. For example, a person lists a certain rare item on eBay.com with an end time of 4 in the morning. This prevents a bidding war to ensue since people are usually sleeping at that time.
Make sure to take into consideration all these factors when buying or selling any collectible and always consult with RarityGuide.com prices.
In this case, the reason was that the first Quadrun auction was for a sealed, New in Box (NIB) item. The second auction was for the loose (L) cartridge only. There are several factors that bring a collectible item's price up or down.
1) Condition
This is a very important, if not the most important, factor. The condition of a collectible is crucial in determining its price. The better the condition, the higher the value will be. There are many possible conditions, some may or may not be applicable to a specific collectible. Some example of conditions are poor, fair, good, excellent, loose, near mint, mint and new in box. Expect to pay a high price for a mint or near mint collectible, but a much lower price for an item in poor condition, and an even higher price for a new in box collectible. Some collectibles are especially hard to get new in box and the value for a collectible in this condition can be extremely high compared to the same collectible in other conditions.
Make sure to always take into consideration the collectible's condition when buying or selling it. RarityGuide.com understands the importance of the collectible's condition in determining price, which is why our guides provide you with prices for at least 3 different conditions.
2) Seasonal market fluctuation
Values for collectibles can fluctuate up and down during different periods. For example, the RarityGuide.com monitoring system observed that during 2007, Nintendo Game and Watch market prices spiked very high, but in 2008 the prices went back down to the normal range. RarityGuide.com constantly monitors market activities for all categories and feeds updates to the guides as market prices fluctuate. Be sure to check back often to track item prices.
3) Sentimental value
A person might pay an extraordinary high value for a collectible because of the sentimental value that item has for him. Or it might be the last item that person needs to complete his or her collection.
4) Timing
Poor timing or luck when selling a collectible can cause it to sell for a lot less. For example, a person lists a certain rare item on eBay.com with an end time of 4 in the morning. This prevents a bidding war to ensue since people are usually sleeping at that time.
Make sure to take into consideration all these factors when buying or selling any collectible and always consult with RarityGuide.com prices.