Why Do Resellers Go After Video Game Collector's Editions?

We have to start with the obvious. After all, there’s no point in flipping something if the money isn’t there. Video game collector’s editions have a lot going for them when it comes to profitability.

For one, they’re inherently limited and expensive. They serve as a unique, collectable option for fans of a particular game that are willing to shell out for something special to hang on a shelf.

Most collector’s editions retail for somewhere between $150 and $300, and typically include an assortment of physical goodies. A small statuette from the game is usually part of the package.

Video game collector’s editions have to be produced several months ahead of the game’s release, and only a limited quantity are available. This makes them perfect for reselling, especially when a game outperforms expectations.

Many resellers make the mistake of only focusing on profit. While there are plenty of items out there that resell for triple or even quadruple digit profits, many more fail to resell for any profit at all. Avoiding bricks is just as important as making a profit, and that’s why you should always take a close look at return and refund policies.

Again, video game collector’s editions are ideal for reselling. Most of them are revealed and available for preorder months ahead of launch. That means you have plenty of time to judge the market for them, and can easily cancel an order if things aren’t looking good.

Profit is great, but so is saving your money. With generous return and cancellation policies, you can almost completely avoid any risk to your money, which means you can capitalize on practically every flip you come across.

This is connected to the last point. Like we said, these collector’s editions are listed for preorders well ahead of the game’s release time. For most titles, they stay in stock for several months.

Unlike shoes or cards or most of the stuff we usually cover, video game collector’s editions require no effort to buy. No bots, no monitors required; you can just make a preorder through the publisher’s site at pretty much any time you want.

Hopefully you can understand why video game collector’s editions have been so popular with resellers in the last few years.

Of course they’re no different from any other type of product. Not every collector’s edition will be a profitable flip, and there’s a few factors to consider before diving in.

For one, you should always consider a game’s popularity and overall quality. The price and popularity of a collector’s edition usually correlates with its overall reviews. The better the game, the better the flip.

But it’s not that simple. If a publisher expects their game to sell well, they’ll usually overproduce collector’s editions to match demand. This works out well for them, but not so much for resellers.

One great example to consider is Starfield. Bethesda spent years working on this game, and anticipated tons of sales ahead of launch. They produced a ton of Starfield Collector’s Editions and sold them for $300. While they did okay at first, this overproduction and Starfield’s mediocre reviews saw their collector’s editions fall below retail price after the game’s release.

Rather than banking on the obvious blockbusters, smart resellers hunt for games that punch above their weight. A recent example is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. This turn-based RPG offered gamers something outside their usual fare, and ended up reviewing and selling exceptionally well.

In turn, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Collector’s Editions ended up as one of the most profitable flips of 2025. Gamers rushed to pick these up at pretty much any price they could. Now, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Collector’s Editions are reselling for up to $1,500.

That’s a profit of over ten times MSRP, and these editions were in stock for months. There are tons of new games released every year, and profits like these aren’t uncommon. If you’ve been skipping out on reselling video game collector’s editions, it might be time to start looking into them.

Fortunately for you, you’re on the right website. We’ve been talking about video game collector’s editions a lot lately, and wanted to give readers out of the loop some insight on why they’re so popular among resellers.

If you’re looking to get in on the next big flip, check out our (highly speculative) guide to GTA 6 Collector’s Editions. These will probably be going up for preorder sometime this year, so get informed before they go live.