Yahoo! Auctions watch: inexplicably expensive games edition

HOW much?!

By J.D., January 12, 2010

Lot 1: Formula 1 Championship Edition (PS3)

This troubles me because I don’t understand it. In that sense, it’s a lot like baseball. Or Scottish accents. And it’s been going for a year or longer, too: Sony’s original F1 game on the PS3 consistently sells in Japan for high prices. How high? It’s near-impossible to buy the game on Yahoo! Auctions for less than 4,500 yen (£30/$48) used, while brand new copies like this one (above) go for anything up to 7,500 yen (£50/$81) each! Scarcity might be the issue, and the absence of a PS3 F1 game in intervening years is likely a factor, but still…

Lot 2: Out Run 2006 Coast 2 Coast (PSP)

OK, this one I do understand: it’s expensive because it’s an import. Coast 2 Coast in its PSP form was never released in Japan, so most copies have had to be imported from the UK. Nevertheless, there’s quite some mark-up action going on here, with used copies typically going for 4,000 yen+ (£27/$43) and brand new ones selling for 5,500 yen (£37/$60) and up. Compare that with the prices people are actually charging for copies in Blighty and it’s easy to see a decent business opportunity. Damn, I should have kept that to myself…