Physical Fortnite Game Discs Are Selling For Mind-Boggling Prices Online
No matter which platform you want to play Fortnite on, it's available as a free download—all that is required is a decent Internet connection and the requisite storage space. Yes, there is plenty of DLC available if you really want to spend some money, and many gamers choose to do exactly that. The game itself is free though, unless you are after a physical copy. In that case, you'll find listings ranging topping $300 in some cases.
How can that be? Even though Fortnite is a free-to-play title, Epic Games is no longer producing physical discs for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. That makes them a bit of a rarity, and they seem to be attracting interest from what we presume are collectors. Maybe the ones paying the inflated price tags are hoping they will go up in value, or perhaps they just really want to hold a physical copy in their hands and are willing to pay a premium for it.
Either way, some of the prices are outrageous. On Amazon, you're looking at $147 and up for a used copy for the Xbox One, plus shipping. If you want a copy that is brand new, pricing starts at $252 (at the time of this writing). These are all through third-party sellers, though we did spot one that is at least fulfilled by Amazon and comes with free two-day shipping for Prime members. That one will set you back $329—yikes! The most ambitious asking price is a grand, and the seller still wants you to pay $3.99 for shipping.
Physical copies of Fortnite are selling for inflated prices on Amazon and eBay
The question is, are people actually paying these prices, or is it wishful thinking on the part of the sellers? It's the former, folks. Over on eBay, we looked at recently completed auctions for physical copies of Fortnite, and narrowed our search to only those that actually sold, as opposed to auctions that ended without a buyer. Here are the most recent ones:
- Fortnite (PlayStation 4), new and unsealed—$258 plus $4 shipping
- Fortnite (Xbox One), new and sealed—$187.50 plus $3.95 shipping
- Fornite (PlayStation 4), pre-owned—$179.50 plus $4.99 shipping
- Fortnite (PlayStation 4), new and sealed—$79.99
- Fortnite (PlayStation 4), pre-owned—$137 plus $3 shipping
The one that only sold for $79.99 was a Buy It Now listing, and compared to the other sales, the seller priced it way too low. In the other four auctions, we tallied up a combined 145 bids.
Situations like this underscore how the landscape has changed over the years. I can remember browsing the aisles of Software Etc. and ogling at the big game boxes with physical software inside, which back then consisted of 5.25-inch and later 3.5-inch floppy disks. These days, digital downloads rule the day, though game discs are not completely obsolete. They are, however, expensive collector items in some cases, such as this one.
