Skip to main content

Price Tracking

Track the market value of your retro technology collection with integrated price data from PriceCharting. See how prices have changed over time and understand what your items are worth.

How Price Tracking Works

RTC Collector integrates with PriceCharting to provide market price data for retro technology items. When a master item in our database has a PriceCharting match, you can view current market prices and historical price trends.

Price Data Sources

  • PriceCharting: Market prices based on actual completed sales across multiple marketplaces
  • Manual Valuations: Enter your own estimated values for items not covered by PriceCharting

Valuation Conditions

Items are priced based on their completeness and condition:

ConditionDescription
LooseItem only, no box or manual
CIBComplete in Box — item with original box and manual
NewFactory sealed, never opened
Box OnlyJust the original box, no item
Manual OnlyJust the manual, no item or box

Each condition has its own market price, reflecting what collectors typically pay.

Viewing Prices

On Item Detail Pages

When viewing an item linked to a master item with PriceCharting data:

  • Current Market Prices: See prices for each condition (Loose, CIB, New)
  • Price Badges: Quick visual indicators showing current market values
  • Your Item's Value: Based on your item's condition, see its estimated market value

Price History Charts

View how an item's price has changed over time:

  • Interactive Chart: Powered by Recharts, showing price trends over months and years
  • Multiple Conditions: Toggle between Loose, CIB, and New price histories
  • Trend Analysis: See whether prices are rising, falling, or stable

Currency Conversion

Prices from PriceCharting are provided in USD. RTC Collector automatically converts these to your preferred currency using current exchange rates.

  • Set your preferred currency in SettingsCurrency
  • Converted prices shown alongside original USD values
  • Exchange rates updated regularly

See Currency & Localisation for more details.

Collection Value Analytics

Price tracking feeds into your collection analytics:

  • Total Collection Value: Sum of all item market values based on their conditions
  • Value by Category: See which categories hold the most value
  • Value Trends: Track how your total collection value changes over time
  • Most Valuable Items: Identify the highest-value items in your collection

See Analytics for the full analytics dashboard.

Price Suggestions for Marketplace

When creating marketplace listings, price data helps you set competitive prices:

  • Suggested Price Range: Based on current market data for the item's condition
  • Market Comparison: See how your price compares to recent sales
  • Price Guidance: Recommendations for pricing items to sell

Master Item Database Integration

Price data is tied to the master item database:

  1. When you add an item and link it to a master item, price data becomes available automatically
  2. The master item database is regularly updated with new PriceCharting matches
  3. Items not in PriceCharting can still have manual valuations

External Data Sources

The master item database pulls data from multiple sources:

  • PriceCharting: Market pricing and sales data
  • Wikipedia: Item descriptions and historical information
  • Wikidata: Structured factual data (release dates, manufacturers)
  • LaunchBox: Game-specific metadata (developer, publisher, genre, ratings)
  • Giant Bomb: Game database information
  • IGDB: Game database with platform data

Limitations

  • Price data availability depends on PriceCharting coverage
  • Not all retro technology items have PriceCharting entries (coverage is strongest for games and consoles)
  • Prices reflect market averages and may not match local market conditions
  • Price history depth varies by item
  • Currency conversion rates are approximate

Questions?

For questions about price tracking: