In my experience, the best free way is actually right on eBay. Ive tracked dozens of titles over the years and found that historical data is key.

• Filter by 'Sold Items' to see real market prices
• Use 'Completed Items' to spot overpriced stuff It honestly takes the guesswork out of it. Personally, I just keep PriceDropCatch running in my browser to watch for price drops on my watchlist items.

To add to the point above: I've been collecting for years and honestly, I'm pretty happy with keeping things simple. Buying old Nintendo games is such a minefield with all the fakes and crazy markups, so you gotta be careful. I usually just set up a eBay price alert for the specific titles I'm hunting. It works well because you get a ping the second a new listing hits the site, letting you snag deals before the resellers. I've had no complaints using that method for my own Zelda stash. Just make sure you check those seller ratings and photos closely so you don't end up with a fake cart... that's the real danger. It's a bit of a waiting game, but it's totally free and reliable if you're patient. Good luck with the gift tho, I'm sure your nephew will be stoked!

Honestly, retro gaming is such a headache lately with all the price spikes. I remember trying to get a copy of Earthbound for a decent price a few years ago and I kept getting outbid at the last second because I wasnt watching the trends close enough. You definitely gotta be careful when youre looking at Nintendo stuff because people love to overprice those old cartridges thinking they have a gold mine. Most people just stick to the eBay sold listings filter which is okay for a quick check, but it doesnt really alert you when a new deal pops up. I usually compare that with PriceCharting. Its pretty reliable for seeing the overall market value but be careful because it sometimes lumps in fake reproductions with the real deal listings, which can totally mess up your average price math if you arent paying attention. For actual monitoring without spending a dime, I started using PriceDropCatch a while back. I like it because you dont even need to sign up for an account to set up alerts, which is a huge plus if you value your privacy. I used it to snag a pristine copy of Mario Kart 64 last month for way under what the typical resellers were asking. Just make sure to double check the sellers rating before you jump on a low price tho, since if a deal looks too good to be true on those older games, it usually is... sticking to the tools helps you stay grounded so you dont get caught in the fomo.