With the upcoming Pathfinder RPG to be available just days away, do you think we'll see a surge sales of 3.x material over ebay and the like?

I'm hoping we will see a drop in prices of 3.5 stuff.

Those that go 100% Pathfinder may unload some of their 3.5 core books, causing a price decrease, but otherwise, I expect prices for 3.5 stuff to increase.

As time goes by, 3.5 products will continue to become more scarce, and thus the price will increase.

The best time to buy 3.x stuff was Fall of 2007 and Spring of 2008.

As time goes by, 3.5 products will continue to become more scarce, and thus the price will increase.

Certainly supply is one side of the issue. But if demand drops faster than the supply drops, then the price will drop. You can find 2ed items quite cheaply, not because there is a big supply (which there may be), but because the demand is so small.

Depends on the books. I think books like Lords of Madness will be in high demand.

Based on the number of people still playing 3.5, and the fact that Pathfinder is compatible with 3.5, I don't expect demand to go down, except perhaps with rule books for which there is a Pathfinder alternative (PHB, DMG, MM).

I expect the core books to flood the market. I also expect a lot of the class splat books to be tossed, but not as many as the core books.

I plan on preparing my stuff this week for sale on here and eBay.

I'll get rid of all of my useless class splat books (I HATED those books) and the core books, and anything non monster related I haven't used in the last year or so.

I doubt there will be a big change in price for 3.5 books. I suspect that there are far more folks out there playing 3.5 than Pathfinder.

I can only speak from personal experiance here.
I picked up 6 books on EBay for around 50 bucks. All new,shipping and handling are more than some of the books themselves.
One of the titles was the Explorers Handbook for the Ebberon setting it sold for 3.00. The shipping was 3.65. I found things like The Secrets of Sarlona, The Dragonmarked Hardcover and The Sons of Grummish for less than half of what you can get them in store or with discount.
Yes the bad part is you have to wait a week or more to get your RPG goodness but hey good things come to those who wait right?

I do plan on continuing my support of PAIZO just like they have supported us, I can't wait for the new core book release but I aint made of money and theres no way I'm turning down a bargain.

My two cents worth.

The best time to buy 3.x stuff was Fall of 2007 and Spring of 2008.

As evidenced by my experience with the local game store.

...(I HATED those books)...

I wonder, how many, like you, hated those books, but still purchased them.

Krome wrote:

...(I HATED those books)...

I wonder, how many, like you, hated those books, but still purchased them.

I know I did. My players kept pressuring me for awesome stuff, and like the pleasing fool i am, i capitulated. but the only books I really enjoyed outside of the core ones were lords of madnwess, draconomicon and that one there on the undead that i've forgotten the name of. 6 books total, I pretty much hate the rest of the 40-someodd that are on my shelf. And I'd aseel them in a heartbeat if I wasn't such a packrat who may or may not go back to them sometime in the future to referance them.

edit: Libris Mortis. That's the undead one I like.

My dad, god bless him, knows I'm into D&D, and so he buys me books for my birthday and holidays, but I've never asked him for any books, so what I get is pretty random. I think he picks them based on how "cool" the cover looks. I have Complete Scoundrel, Forgotten Realms Champions of Ruin (I don't even play FR, let alone DM it), Into the Demonweb Pits, and the Magic Item Compendium. Now, I threaten to teach him how to play, so that the books will see some use. He's gonna retire soon, so maybe he'll take me up on my offer.

Yay! A good dad.

He's a great dad.

All we ask is that you remember to call...

clears throat loudly

I think he picks them based on how "cool" the cover looks.

My mom did the same thing for me when I played Magic: the Gathering.

Art directors who read these posts should demand a raise. :)

Although I'll be purchasing PRPG, I'm going to keep most of my 3.5 books because PRPG (for the most part) is backwards compatible.

Especially my Monster Manual and other bestiaries, they aren't going anywhere. No need to ditch 3.5 campaign setting books either, especially since they are better than the 4E versions.

I think at most I'll be selling my DM guide and maybe a splat book or two.

Zeugma wrote:

I think he picks them based on how "cool" the cover looks.

My mom did the same thing for me when I played Magic: the Gathering.

What a great mom!

Art directors who read these posts should demand a raise. :)

Agreed. Sarah totally deserves a big raise at Paizo!

Sarah is awesome. I described in great detail once what Sarah deserved, at the beginning of LoF, but I dunno, it got no love.

DaveMage wrote:

The best time to buy 3.x stuff was Fall of 2007 and Spring of 2008.

As evidenced by my experience with the local game store.

I went in just after the 4E PHB was released, and asked if he'd give me a discount if I bought a lot of books. He knew 3/3.5 was on the way out, and gave me a 25% discount off the store price. I bought the Races series (all 4), Rules Compendium, Magic Item Compendium, and Spell Compendium.
The next week I came in, looking to see what 3.5 books had come in on the last shipment, and was told I would not get the discount again. The 4E stuff wasn't generating much response, he said, and there was still a big market for 3.5. ^_^

I bought several 3.0 books from my comic shop during their 30% off sales, I also bought a lot of GRG books from PAizo's sales, I admit, MOST of the Complete and races of books kinda suck...the only thing I like from them is the additional feats.

I think it depends a lot on which books. I recently sold around thirty or forty 3.5 books on Ebay. Some of them went for $5, others sold for around $60. All of them had a number of people watching and most of them had several bidders.

This is in Australia though, not sure how that is different from the US. (Our local gaming store, for example regularly sells out of 4th edition stuff and is having great difficulty moving their 3.5 stock - something which is apparently not "the norm").

Certainly I'd be one of the people the OP was perhaps thinking of - ditching all my 3.5 stuff so as to play "pure" pathfinder. Maybe there'll be lots of people who do that.

This is in Australia though, not sure how that is different from the US. (Our local gaming store, for example regularly sells out of 4th edition stuff and is having great difficulty moving their 3.5 stock - something which is apparently not "the norm").

Nope. That's the norm for at least several of my FLGS here in the Golden State, U.S.