Resale prices of the NES Classic Edition have risen astronomically after Nintendo recently announced that it is discontinuing the production of the retro console.
The announcement pushed gamers who want to have a NES Classic Edition to go on overdrive in finding a way to own one of the consoles, including agreeing to pay much higher amounts compared to its $60 price tag.
NES Classic Edition On eBay
Purchasing the NES Classic Edition could be possible through several retailers, but most outlets are sold out of the highly demanded retro console. This has caused gamers to look at listings posted by third-party resellers online, such as Amazon and eBay.
Unfortunately, the demand and average resale price for the NES Classic Edition has hiked up further after Nintendo announced that the shipment of the retro console coming to North America this month would be the last one. On the day of the announcement, two NES Classic Edition units were sold on eBay per minute, with a representative of the online marketplace revealing that the average selling price of the device on that day was $332.
Coming into this week, the average selling price for the NES Classic Edition remains at over five times the retail price of $60, with eBay stating that the average ending price for each auction is at $325. There are some auctions that are ending at around the $215 to $250 range, which is lower than the average but still considerably higher than the retail price of the NES Classic Edition.
The prices are reminiscent of eBay listings for the NES Classic Edition right after it was released in November 2016. Resellers were selling the retro console for prices ranging from $200 to $300, though there were some scalpers who were asking for as high as $999.
NES Classic Edition Supply Shortage
The exorbitant resale prices of the NES Classic Edition are primarily due to the massive supply shortage for the retro console, which is a problem that Nintendo was never able to fix. Stores that replenished their stocks of the device often only lasted minutes before they were sold out again, causing gamers to look to third-party resellers in desperation to acquire the NES Classic Edition.
According to Nintendo, it never meant for the NES Classic Edition to be a long-term product. In fact, the company even had to extend production of the retro console to be able to send out extra shipments to try to address the massive demand.
Why Did Nintendo Pull The Plug On The NES Classic Edition?
The NES Classic Edition is one of the most successful products that Nintendo has ever released, so most gamers are baffled on why the company would discontinue the product.
There are claims that Nintendo perceives the NES Classic Edition as potentially cannibalizing on the sales of the Nintendo Switch and its upcoming Virtual Console feature. However, while the Virtual Console would allow gamers to play retro games on the Nintendo Switch, the hybrid console and the NES Classic Edition are two entirely different products.
Nintendo has not given a complete explanation on the decision to discontinue the NES Classic Edition, only leaving gamers with a difficult mission to acquire the retro console and exorbitant price tags from third-party resellers.
