Shigesato Itoi's EarthBound spent about five years in development at Ape and HAL Laboratory before reaching North America on June 5, 1995. Nintendo backed it with scratch-and-sniff ads and the line "This game stinks," and it sold about 140,000 copies in the US against 518,000 in Japan. Copies got scarce, and it grew into a cult classic and one of the most sought-after SNES games. The box is oversized because it held a 128-page Player's Guide, full of maps and clay models of the enemies, that doubled as the manual and had scratch-and-sniff cards on the back cover. The cart carries some of the most devious anti-piracy on the system, which wipes your saves right before the end on a copy it doesn't trust.
Before you plug it in
Should come with it
Check the listing photos against this list, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing piece should come off the price.
The save battery is the main worry, since a dead one loses all three files. On complete copies, the guide is what matters most, so check that its scratch-and-sniff back cover is there.
New to retro hardware? How to check a used retro console covers testing, yellowed plastic and opened shells, and regions and video out explains what will run on what, and on which TV.
Buying guide
We'd buy the loose cart titled tested with working saves at $450 with free shipping, $78 under the $528 median, or the big-box complete copy with its scratch-and-sniff cards at $2,106 if you want it complete. There are at least 31 listed; loose carts here ask $331 to $556 delivered, carts with the Player's Guide but no box $657 to $808, and big-box complete copies $2,106 to $4,075, so the $430 to $1,725 band is mostly loose carts. EarthBound is one of the most bootlegged SNES games, so ask for a photo of the board, a Nintendo SHVC-1J3M-20 with a mask ROM marked SNS-MB-0, and don't worry about the missing Made in Japan line on the label, which every real copy lacks. It keeps three save files on a coin cell, so ask the seller to save, power off and reload before it ships. Skip the $2,023 box and cart with no guide titled, and the $6,577 near-complete copy.
$330.98est. delivered
The lowest delivered EarthBound here at $331, a loose cart titled tested with a working battery. That's the bottom of the loose asks on a game bootleggers love, so ask for a board photo before you pay.
SNES Earthbound authentic cartridge only tested working battery Super Nintendo
$450.00delivered
A loose cart titled tested with working saves at $450 with free shipping, $78 under the median. Ask for a photo of the board to match the SHVC-1J3M-20 and SNS-MB-0 markings.
EarthBound SNES Super Nintendo Authentic OEM Cartridge Tested Working Saves
$2,106.32est. delivered
Big box complete with the scratch-and-sniff cards, the copy collectors want, at $2,106 delivered, the lowest complete ask here. Ask for photos of the Player's Guide and its back cover, since the guide is what makes it complete.
EarthBound CIB with Scratch and Sniff Cards Super Nintendo (SNES)
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 15, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 15, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$330.98est. delivered
$324.99 + $5.99 shipping
Buy It Now$324.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Cart only, titled tested with a working battery.
Seller: monksmood87
100% positive
Used$450.00delivered
$450.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$450.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Cart only, titled tested with working saves.
Seller: cortlee
100% positive
Used$2,106.32est. delivered
$2,099.99 + $6.33 shipping
Buy It Now$2,099.99
Good buy
Big box CIB with the scratch-and-sniff cards.
Seller: v_game
99.9% positive
Used$379.99delivered
$379.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$379.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Cart only, titled tested and working, with a badly torn label.
Seller: xeean
99.9% positive
Used$405.92est. delivered
$399.99 + $5.93 shipping
Buy It Now$399.99
Our take
Cart only, titled tested with a new battery. 98.7% seller.
Seller: setsailodin
98.7% positive
Used$555.99est. delivered
$550.00 + $5.99 shipping
Buy It Now$550.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Cart only, titled tested with a new save battery.
Seller: chrico-collecting
99.9% positive
Used$2,023.35est. delivered
$2,000.00 + $23.35 shipping
Buy It Now$2,000.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Priced high
Cart and big box, no Player's Guide titled, at about the price of complete copies.
Seller: gr_ocgoc_j2i3o6
100% positive
Used$6,577.05est. delivered
$6,500.00 + $77.05 shipping
Buy It Now$6,500.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Priced high
Big box, nearly complete, titled never played. About 12 times the median.
Seller: lilbakersson0814
100% positive
Prices change daily. The live eBay search shows everything listed now, including anything new since Oct 15, 2026.
See every listing on eBay ↗eBay searchSNES
Game$280–$775 typical ask
SNES
Game$110–$380 typical ask
SNES
Console$120–$210 typical ask
PlayStation
Game$100–$240 typical ask