I started a new hunting expedition in November of last year, after taking off more than a year. It feels good to be back and I've made some incredible discoveries. The greatest discovery I've made in this expedition so far is A Day in the Life of 2049 1 File [TOCT-5725]. I'm calling it the greatest because I wasn't seriously looking for it and its quality (physical and aural) far surpassed my expectations. While it was on my wishlist, I had other priorities. I found one, randomly, by recognizing the cover art, and placed a bid on YJA.

My second greatest discovery is the Power Doll series. Somehow, through more than a decade of collecting, I had never heard anything from this series. The first few albums in the series are very collector friendly, since they are ubiquitous and cheap. Power Dolls 3, however, is more than the double the price of any previous release in the series. I've listened to all of the music from Power Dolls 1 and most of 2, and it's well worth acquiring. I discovered the Power Doll series (Hiroto Saitoh) through Machine Armor Louga (also Hiroto Saitoh), which I had received in 2012 through file sharing. I was so stunned by Louga that I bought the original on YJA, even though I didn't have to.

My third greatest discovery is Shin Momotaro Densetsu. I spent approximately two years trying to acquire it and the trouble was not related to rarity, but to price. This album is not difficult to find. I usually see a couple every time I search on YJA. For a while, the starting price was 20,000 yen, which is prohibitive. Eventually, the starting bids dropped to 10,000 yen and even 5,000 yen, but the damned thing sold for 25,000 yen. I felt the situation was hopeless and I would never get it, but I found one with a "buy it now" for 15,800 yen. I can handle that. It's well under $300, even after fees and shipping. Was it worth 15,800 yen? Considering the relief I feel from having finally acquired it and how cool the music is, yes. The quality of the arranged disc is arresting.

Thanks for reminding me to revisit Powerdolls.

Rarest albums I own are Baroque OST (for the original game) and Racing Lagoon.

You're welcome. So, all this time, you've known about Power Dolls and never told me?

The difference between your rare albums and mine is that you probably purchased them before they became rare. If you tried to buy Racing Lagoon now, it would be slightly painful. I'm not happy about the high prices I pay, but if there were another way, then I would do it. I trade and share often, but there are quite a few albums that I have to (or want to) get as a physical release. I would've loved to save the money I spent on Shin MD and traded instead, but no one (I know of) has it. Every other album I have acquired recently, with the exception of Gungriffon, has been less than 7,000 yen. Several albums that I thought would be financially disastrous were the equivalent of pocket change.

That is disgusting. I paid 90 US for Racing Lagoon in . . . 2004, I think?

Also, Powerdolls is a game series, apparently. I knew it as a schlocky two part, poorly explained OVA that seriously fell short of my expectations waaaaaaay back at age 17, especially coming off of masterpieces like Macross Plus, Evangelion, or even Gundam: Char's Counterattack.

Buddy responsible for the music has, much to my surprise, been with the series since its' inception. He also scored the amazing Folklore soundtrack, and then a whole ton of stuff I've never even heard of.

As soon as I can, I'm gonna rewatch Powerdolls. 80's and 90's OVAs are some of the most intriguing cartoons you'll ever watch, regardless of how good they actually are.

I've been interested in getting Racing Lagoon for many years now (since 2004 maybe?). Due to the game's lack of success and Japan-only residence, I estimate Square Enix's label has not seen it fit to reprint it like almost every other DigiCube release. It's sad. This soundtrack is a true gem, nearly impossible to find on the resell market and of utmost value, a defining reflection of Eguchi/Matsueda's talent.

I always hoped for a smooth jazz-fusion arrangement since they teased us with the few live tracks on the discs. Oh, the lost potential...

I'm trying to find the Mermaid Scar soundtrack at a reasonable price but with no luck.  Does anybody have any leads?  Please note I do speak or read Japanese.

Thanks,

David

Best bet is to regularly patrol Yahoo Japan Auctions and get a Shopping Mall Japan account. Since eBay is laden with bootlegs and unreasonable buy-it-nows, you'll never come across anything without non-negotiable greed heads (like champs_des_pins) In recent years, YJA has become the same bastion for auctions that won't move for prices asked.

SMJ will typically ride your price up to nearly double with fees and shipping, but if you're looking for rarities, it's the proven way and still beats eBay. I recently reactivated my account and found something I let slip over a year ago but for everything I own(ed) that's rare, it's typically been from keeping bookmarks of things you want from YJA and checking often.

"non-negotiable greed heads"... really? I've ordered from champs_des_pins quite a number of times, and have always been more than satisfied!

What I've noticed is that a lot of people are like: "Oh, I've been looking for this really rare soundtrack! I can't afford or won't pay what you're asking, so will you take 25% of what you're asking because I can't afford it or refuse to pay your price? You won't? Well then, I'm just going to call you a greedy bastard from now on, so then!"

People are entitled to ask whatever price they want for a soundtrack. If it's out of print, and very hard to find, I don't see why people bitch when the price is high. If you feel it's too high, just don't purchase it! If there are a number of these soundtracks available, then clearly the overpriced ones will not sell. On the other hand, if it's a soundtrack that almost never shows up, a "high price" may be legitimate. I don't purchase that many rare soundtracks, but I have in the past, and I paid a premium because they are super hard to find. I feel that people are often cheap, and frankly you get what you pay for. That said, I'm not saying there are no "rip-offs" on ebay, since there are plenty, but again I don't feel that applies to very rare soundtracks, especially when there's only one available. Also, as I noted, I've purchased from champs_des_pins a number of times and have always been happy.

Holy Jesus, I had no idea Racing Lagoon had become so rare.

I sold that album to ... I think Dragon God? A long long time ago. For a cheap price, I think. And then he gifted it back to me during one of his first VGM reductions. Which was very kind of him.

And now I'm like ... whoa. I can't believe that.

It's certainly a good album, arguably Matsueda's best work. But those Amazon JP prices are INSANE.

Guess I'll be holding on to that. I assume the price will go down if S-E does a reprint.

As for rare-album hunting on my part, I'm nearing the end of a "complete Cave" collection. I have a very specific purpose in mind for it. Other than educating myself on this great collection of soundtracks, that is. You'll all hear about it in a few months.

The albums I'm still missing are Akai Katana OST and "Shin Arrange" albums, 2 of the 3 iPhone soundtracks (Deathsmiles and Dodonpachi), Muchimuchipork, and Muchimuchipork/PinkSweets W. And friggin' "Mushihimesama 1.5 Cave Festival" album. That thing is annoyingly hard to find.

Jodo -- glad you discovered Power Doll. That's fun music right there. Saitoh-san does good work.

But I will say Jodo has been one of the ones that discovered a lot of very hard to find albums in the past and was one of the first ones to share the knowledge and/or files with the community, back in the day. For that, I salute you sir.

People are also entitled to judge the market realistically and champs's prices are consistently among the worst around. I have seen him constantly throw $50-$60 pricetags on CD's that you can't give away on these boards. VGM albums by nature are rare and it is like he just arbitrarily throws insane prices on everything he sells (offhand, I can't think of a super-rare album he has sold, as I haven't looked in awhile). The sad thing is, he's one of the only consistent sellers of VGM on ebay. In most cases, I'm perfectly content living without knowing what is on a CD with a jacked up price. Unless I know it's either the quality of a Phantasy Star Collection or Game Music Graffiti or even Estpolis Biographies (three of the more traditional high-pricetag albums), it's best just to move on.

But yeah...champ and his prices can go suck the big one.

I am gonna have to add some of these albums to the rarest and most expensive vgmdb thread. I knew about Power Dolls way before I started collecting vgm through Secret Squirrels' Slightlydark website. Never did get around to listening to the third ost though.

For those hunting for the rare Fuujin Ryouiki Eretzvaju Original Soundtrack it is now available for quite cheap on Amazon Japan.

I'm hunting for Sweet Home soundtrack and Overblood soundtrack.

I remember purchasing Sweet Home before 2005. The price wasn't that bad, perhaps $40. But now.

Why not have some more good old days? Shin Momotaro Densetsu
(Note: I've been told that 7-Zip 9.22 will extract the archive if Winrar complains. And if it asks for a password, try zuntata.)

You're right. I just checked YJA, AMZ JP, and Suruga-ya for that Festival album, with no luck. I found large amounts of the Mushihimesama Double Arrange album, though. I had no idea it was that common and cheap. I don't need the original, but it would sure look cool on display.

The song "Alternative Walls" from Power Dolls is one of those deeply penetrating songs. I feel like it has become a part of my brain.

Champs can and will charge whatever he wants but his stuff isn't flying off shelves. I got a deal from him long, long ago (F-ZERO Arrange Album for $49 I think he miss listed that one, which wasn't a BIN and no one competitively bid for it). Does he really need to charge $100 for SST Band Outrun? Look at how much that one's selling on YJA by comparison. There's countless examples of ridiculous buy it nows he relists month after month -- can't even entertain offers much less have auction-style bidding anymore. He'd rather just do a huge mark-up and sucker a small bunch of people who aren't paying his prices.

As I said, if Champs overcharges for all his items, no one will purchase. Clearly, people are purchasing. Maybe not a lot, but then again video game soundtracks have always been a niche market. If you consider his prices too high, just don't bid. I don't think however it's fair to say this his prices are ridiculous. That's my opinion. What I consider ridiculous is $20,000 for Zelda Twilight Symphony:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Legend-of-Zelda … 0833195459

By the way, check out the seller's other items. Not surprisingly, it doesn't appear that he/she has sold a single item...

Well, I've been around this hobby for about 14 years now and I have a pretty good idea of what a ridiculous price is vs a good, fair but high price. Champs are ridiculous/idiotic and just plain gouging for albums that aren't worth much (and probably have very little resale value). It's more than fair to call BS on it. Hopefully people newer to VGM realize that is not the norm for what those albums should be going for.

The unfortunate thing is, like I said, he's been one of the most consistent sellers over the past couple years. The last thing I want to see is some newb list a bunch of albums in the marketplace, using Champ's prices as a general pricing guide. The actual VGM trade is slow enough as it is.

Champ's prices are a premium on those too lazy to search elsewhere or who are too new to the community to have learned all the tricks others use for getting a good deal. I too call BS because most of his prices are inflated to include the ebay, paypal, and exchange rate variation so that he doesn't lose money and still makes a large profit. Also, I've seen albums sit for months at a relatively fair price and the moment the album becomes out of print he doubles the price on its next relisting. His prices on doujin items are the only fair listings as they are as expensive as any other method usable to buy them.

On the flipside, sometimes he sits on albums for so long that he forgets to keep up with the market rate and that's how I was able to obtain Live Music by Piano and Strings: Sekaiju no MeiQ I & II Super Arrange Version for $40 well after being OOP and reaching $100+ listing prices everywhere else. So it can also be a matter of timing.

i rarely have problems with champs in-print album prices and doujin releases. what made me hesitate ordering from his shop was the change in his shipping policy. previously, he would ship single CDs for $3-$6. now every shipment will cost at least $15. no more impulse buying. i have to buy at least 2 CDs to justify an order.

It's because of this post that Soundtrack Central needs a "Like" button.

I remember seeing the Gradius Gaiden soundtrack on his eBay page for like $249...Yeah f'n right...! It's rare but hardly a quote/unquote collector's item. You might as well buy The Gradius Ultimate Collection. At least then, you'll have everything, including Gaiden.

Huh, I didn't know the Power Dolls series has such acclaimed music. I'll have to make it more of a priority to play through my copy of Power Dolls FX sometime then.

Personally, I take prices on Amazon Japan and even those on Yahoo Japan Auctions with a huge grain of salt. Like with eBay, these services are shifting more and more towards big sellers who have no problem sitting on a ton of merchandise for all eternity until they get lucky and a sucker comes along. I don't consider a price a realistic value for the item if it sits unsold forever. That's my problem with the few rare/valuable albums I've been wanting to buy for years, like the soundtracks to Getter Love!!, Wonder Project J, and Wonder Project J2. They're typically either not for sale anywhere or the only ones offered are at prices that I know are too high. In fact, it's kind of hard to even know what the true market value is at that point. Like I just found a copy of the Japanese Star Fox 64 album for about 20 bucks recently, which I know should be a pretty good deal, but I have no clue how good of a deal. On Amazon Japan, the lowest is 35,000-some yen, but I don't believe for a second that that's a realistic price.

I'm not sure what the most valuable VGM album I own is. I wouldn't be surprised if some CDs I have are more valuable than I think since I don't make a huge effort to keep up with the shifts in value. I do know the most I've ever paid for an album is $90, which was for the Star Ocean Perfect Sound Collection years ago, but for all I know, it might actually be worth less than that now. I do have the original Estpolis II release, which I know went for huge sums years ago, but I have no idea what the newer Estpolis collection did to its value, plus my copy doesn't have the outer slipcase.

nothing beats the time a decade ago that Jodo & I mutually agreed not to get into an ebay bidding war over the Lagoon ost.
we would have easily sent in into the 100s, but we just agreed to send the other person a copy,, and i got it for $35

now ebay blocks bidder names to prevent communication. eat balls ebay

Probably didn't affect it too much, considering the reprint is inferior in every way (well, outside of the Lufia GB music). I think that was more of a boom-bust cycle for a real nostalgia hit for some people (same for Dracula New Classic once selling for $1500). Even I was shocked to see it going for $300-$500 apiece a long time ago. The most I had ever bid for it (and barely lost) was $150 for a sealed copy, but that was like a year prior to the blow-up in price (I remember being glad I lost because I wasn't going to be eating for awhile, as I was still in college!).

Back when the US market was more active, it was easy to notice going rates and patterns for certain albums. Now you just kind of have the champs of the world, a few hold-outs liquidating things and a wall of albums on the Vgmdb marketplace with the uninviting "negotiable" label next to them.

VGM albums by nature are rare and it is like he just arbitrarily throws insane prices on everything he sells.

When I first started collecting, I remember champ would start most of his auctions at $9.99 and let the bidding drive them up, but for unknown albums you had the chance to win a bunch for cheap and take the gamble whether the music was any good.  Now it's all (relatively) cheap doujins and bloated prices on out of print albums (though there are markups on non-out of print albums like that Gradius Ultimate box $220 from roughly $139).

Right now I'm hunting for Contra Spirits and No More Heroes, the latter of which I would not have thought would be hard to find... serves me for not playing the game until it was PS3 ported and even then long after initial release.