Your Old Tamagotchi Might Be Worth More Than You Realize

If you weren't a kid during the '90s to enjoy the Tamagotchi craze, you might not understand this particular craze. In the same way, though, those '90s kids will never understand their parents having a pet rock. The Tamagotchi was a little egg-shaped device on a keychain and on the front of that egg was a digital screen with a pixelated animal for the owner to take care of. It was marketed as "a tiny pet from cyberspace who needs your love to survive and grow." Kind of like the video game "The Sims," the owner has to feed and care for the animal, or it could perish.

In 1997, the original Tamagotchi retailed for roughly $15. It was incredibly accessible. However, due to its popularity, it was hard to come by during the holidays. Well, its popularity is on the rise once again. Not only has Bandai released over 60 new Tamagotchi-type variations and apps – including the wrist worn Tamagotchi Smart Plus – but it also relaunched the original iteration for its 20th anniversary in 2017.

This has kickstarted a new interest in the digital pet, which has greatly increased the original Tamagotchi's value. While you might be able to get one of the newer versions or the relaunched original variation at Target, Walmart, or Amazon for $19.99, you'll need to say goodbye to your savings if you want one of the genuine originals.

Tamagotchis have greatly increased in value since their inception. What used to come with a $15 to $17 price tag can now cost over a thousand dollars. If you have the money but don't want one of the newer Tamagotchis like the R2-D2 version with minigames and skills or the Tamagotchi Pix with a built-in camera, then you can find the vintage version on eBay for over a thousand dollars. 

Smithsonian Magazine reported that one Mobile Kaitsu! Tamagotchi Plus went for $5,000 in 2021 and today eBay is littered with Tamagotchis for similar prices. A limited edition Pizzara-kun is asking for $1,600 while a Tamagotchi Plus Tama Depa version alone is going for over $3,000. If those prices seem a little steep, there are sellers with slightly more reasonable prices — many sellers of the 2004 version of the digital pet are only asking around $100 for this vintage piece of pop culture. While that's still considerably higher than anyone would pay at a big box retailer, it's easier to buy than one of the $1,000 or more listings.

Before you go and dust off your original Tamagotchi in hopes of having a gold mine, the ones that are selling the best are typically only worth a few hundreds of dollars, and many of those come with the original packaging. Selling most collectibles for over $1,000 can be tricky since you need to wait until an interested collector with the funding comes around.