Starfield Collector's Edition is Already Reselling

News

By RC Staff

19 June 2023

In a surprise twist that absolutely everyone saw coming, Bethesda’s upcoming game “Starfield” is already a hit. While the game isn’t out yet, aftermarket sales for its collector’s editions have kicked off. While video game collector’s editions are something we’ve discussed in the past, there’s a few special features in this one that we think are worth noting. Stick around while we take a deep dive into the Starfield Constellation Edition.

What's in the Starfield Collector's Edition

Rejoice, fans of buying overpriced plastic. Your day has come. In what has become a ubiquitous practice in AAA game development, Bethesda’s upcoming mega-game includes an equally large collector’s edition. The Starfield Constellation Edition has successfully left the launch pad, and its cargo bay is loaded with goodies.

First, the tangible bits. Included in the Constellation Edition is the game (duh), a code for the game’s first story expansion, and five days of early access to the game. Exciting!

Additionally, gamers who sprang for the primo version will receive a host of goodies that will make a collector’s heart swoon. These include “access to a digital artbook”, a SteelBook display case, a Constellation patch, a Credit Stick, and the highlight of the collection, the Starfield Chronomark Watch and Case. More on that later. Premium editions also come with a download code for a handful of exclusive in-game skins.

While the Constellation Edition is obviously what will catch collectors’ eyes, there’s also the Starfield Premium Edition. This version skips most of the knick-knacks and just punches up the game itself. It gives buyers the same five day early access and the story expansion for $100.

Speaking of prices, maybe we should look at what the Constellation Edition retails for.

Starfield Collector's Edition price

While triple-digit prices are more or less the norm on major game releases, the Constellation Edition still has a remarkable price tag. The Starfield Collector’s Edition costs $300, and is sold through Bethesda’s own site, BestBuy, Amazon, and GameStop.

If you’re thinking of going after the Constellation Edition, take note of which platform you buy from. BestBuy, Amazon, and GameStop offer refunds before shipping the product, but Bethesda has an “all sales final” policy on limited products like the Starfield Constellation Edition. If you’re worried about the market falling out from under you, pick it up from a retailer that offers refunds.

Starfield Constellation Editions will ship in September 2023.

Starfield Chronomark Watch

One thing that you’ll see with video game collector’s editions is a single piece of killer merch included in the bundle. In the past, we’ve covered collector’s editions of Breath of the Wild, and the recent RE4 Remake. One thing these had in common was a unique miniature statue related to the game. Collectors absolutely loved these, and they helped drive sales.

For Starfield, the notable part of the collector’s edition is the Starfield Chronomark Watch. This wristwatch is an exact replica of a watch the character wears in the game, and comes with an objectively dope case to carry it in. Here, let Todd explain:

Credit where it’s due, this watch is actually pretty damn cool. Did you see how the case opens and locks? It’s clear that Bethesda is having fun with this. As it stands, buying the Constellation Edition is the only way to obtain this watch, and it will likely never be sold standalone.

Gamers seem to agree, because the Starfield Chronomark Watch is reselling by itself. There have been a handful of eBay sales recorded since the showcase for the watch and nothing else.

Right now, the Starfield Chronomark Watch is selling for $200 to $350, essentially paying for the cost of the collector’s edition. Hype is strong right now, so we can’t say if this price will hold in the long run.

Starfield Xbox Controller

If you watched the direct all the way through, you might have also seen the limited edition Starfield Controller that is being sold. These controllers are NOT bundled with the Starfield Collector’s Editions. Gamers will need to seek them out from the Xbox website, or take a shower and head down to GameStop.

The Starfield Xbox Controller retails for $80, and has been going in and out of stock since its announcement. There have been eBay sales for the controller at around $120, but it doesn’t appear to be super rare or anything like that. If you’re in the market for a new controller maybe pick this up, but resellers should probably take a pass, as it seems pretty risky. Up to you.

Starfield Collector's Edition on eBay

Sales for Starfield Constellation Editions opened up during the Starfield Direct on June 11. It didn’t take long for Bethesda’s site to run out of stock as gamers and resellers rushed to secure a copy. Currently, the Starfield collector’s edition is out of stock through all major retailers, and has yet to restock.

Because of the high profile nature of the game and the quality of the collector’s editions, Starfield Constellation Editions are already reselling for more than what they sold for.

Currently, the aftermarket price for a Starfield collector’s edition is somewhere in the neighborhood of $400. There have been a handful of sales over $500, but most are falling somewhere between $420 and $475.

That’s more or less what we’ve come to expect from these kind of major game releases. Starfield marks Bethesda Game Studios first game since 2015 (No, Fallout 76 doesn’t count), and their first new IP in decades. There is an absolutely massive amount of hype for this game, so people buying in ahead of time to get a collector’s edition isn’t remotely surprising. In fact, it’s a little remarkable they’re not selling for more.

Time will tell the true value of these collector’s editions. While they will likely always resell for over retail, there are many factors that drive value. In our past articles that have covered notable collector’s editions, the most important aspects are production, perception, and reviews, in that order.

Whether or not a CE is under or overproduced is critical to profit as a reseller. This includes both the initial presales and any restocks that may occur later as a manufacturer wants to continue cashing in. Overproduction is a sure way to tank the market.

Perception and reviews refers to how buyers and gamers see the collector’s edition. For DOOM Eternal, many resellers loaded up on copies of collector’s editions only to return them when they failed to sell. Ironically, this led to the market drying out, and the collector’s editions that remained in the hands of resellers suddenly became rare goods. After Eternal went on to be one of the most popular games of the decades, those same collector’s editions absolutely skyrocketed in value.

Starfield has none of these advantages. Everybody, including Bethesda, knows what it is, and everybody knows that it’s going to be popular. While we don’t know exact production numbers, we can guess that they’re pretty high, and a decent amount have been picked up by resellers. Competition in the market means that prices probably won’t go too high, as buyers will always have someone else to choose from.

All of this is to say that yes, Starfield Constellation Editions will resell. They already are. But, they may not reach the absolutely insane prices we’ve seen for other games. The market is simply too big and too obvious. By all means, pick one up if you have the chance, but don’t expect it to pay for a new car.

Want to learn more about reselling video game collector’s editions? Check out our articles on DOOM Eternal and Breath of the Wild for examples of record-breaking sales, and read our review of the recent Tears of the Kingdom collector’s edition for our thoughts on its long term value. While collector’s editions are occasionally looked down on by resellers for the risk, the fact is that many of them can be sound and quite profitable investments.

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