Chrono Trigger Price Study
This study is intended to gauge the price of Chrono Trigger on Ebay.com, where it is frequently sold. It was held during June 19 to June 25, 2006. The study documented the selling price of all items listed and ending before June 25, 2006. However, additional items were counted in the Rarity Check, which noted how many games were for sale at certain points in time. The Rarity Check only included NTSC versions of the games, and not SFC versions or other merchandise (including sales of more than one game). Chrono Trigger was compared with other SNES game auctions for rarity; the games were selected to for varied genres and popularity. for Final Fantasy 6 (another popular RPG), Mario Kart (a popular racing game), U.N. Squadron, Aerobiz, Breath of Fire (a popular RPG), Earthbound (a popular RPG), Madden Football '95, Super Empire Strikes Back, SimCity, and Sid Meier's Civilization (both popular strategy games). Each check was performed at 7:30 PM CST. Please note that in addition to these listings, many more informal retailers sold these games as Ebay sellers.
Rarity Checks
- June 19
- Chrono Trigger: 28 Listings (14 listed as rare, 50%)
- June 20
- Aerobiz: 1 listing
- Breath of Fire: 20 listings (5 listed as rare, 25%)
- Chrono Trigger: 30 listings (15 listed as rare, 50%)
- Earthbound: 17 listings (10 listed as rare, 59%)
- Final Fantasy 6: 21 listings (4 listed as rare, 19%)
- Madden '95: 1 listing
- Mario Kart: 47 listings (5 listed as rare, 11%)
- Sid Meier's Civilization: 1 listing
- SimCity: 7 listings
- Super Empire Strikes back: 19 listings
- U.N. Squadron: 7 listings
- June 21
- June 22
- June 23
- June 24
- June 25
Prices
- June 19
- Box Only: $17.51
- Japanese Cartridge Only: Did not sell; relisted.
Conclusion
Chrono Trigger is not rare. While each listing did receive numerous bids, listings are frequent and the price is economical unless one is buying complete sets or factory sealed boxes. Note that the latter may be false as one can simply have the game rewrapped. Additionally, compared to other SNES games considered popular by fans, Chrono Trigger is regularly sold in greater quantities, making it a very common game compared to its peers. Some other SNES games, such as F-Zero and Killer Instinct, are even auctioned with a beginning price of 1 cent -- such is the quantity available. The labeling of the game as rare is simply a ploy to attract more buyers and increase the perceived value of the game. Games sold in lesser amounts proved more modest in this capacity, featuring comparatively less appearances of the rare label (the rarest games often lacked it completely). Chrono Trigger, despite being sold more often than its peers, was listed as rare half the time. The best example of "rarity" being used as a marketing tool is Mario Kart, which averaged the most listings but was still sometimes described as rare. By the numbers, Chrono Trigger is a fairly common game, and those wishing to buy it should exercise the same competitive thrift that would be given to other common items.
From: Games
