The Rise of Collector Items in Rocket League, A comprehensive study.

In 2018, u/ncrst_xbox hosted a somewhat giveaway, where you had to submit an essay and the best submissions received rewards. If I remember correctly, he received a surplus of applications, and in 2022 he returned to them and gave me some items after the 4 year wait!

If you're interested, this is my original submission:

Please bare in mind, I was 15 years old.

Hello, I am requesting formally for a donation from you and your questionably large inventory which whom has spent a considerable amount of money on.

The reason I am requesting is because I want to enhance my rl experience alongside the fact my friend always flexes on me. Talking of my friend, he spent 10 keys on 6 tiers when Zenic Official was live and pulled Tw sweeper inverted grip strides, in which I was very annoyed as i was the person who told him about it in the first place.

And I will leave you with this one thought, do you want an innocent youth to be continuously flexed on? Do you want to assist a noob enhance their experience. If so please donate to me.

I remembered about this and set myself a challenge, that being to write a new similar essay. I messaged ncrst, asking for a topic, this is what he sent -

“ The most interesting thing to me rn is how much prices SEEM to have risen on collector items. I think it might just be a bubble, but it could be changing culture, more young rich kids who see digital items as just as legit as real ones. I dunno!”

So with this, I formulated this question, and attempted to write a 500 word essay on it.

The Rise of Collector Items in Rocket League, A comprehensive study.

(1.0) Introduction

This essay will delve into the trading aspect of Rocket League. Particularly, it will seek question into the significant increase in the price of collector items. This surge has raised the question of what factors have led to the escalation in prices of these rare items. With this comes a primary hypothesis which will be reviewed throughout, being that profit traders dictated this influence through a plethora of methods incorporated throughout their trading tactics and techniques. The purpose of this essay is to delve into this hypothesis and explore how this shift has contributed to the rise in prices of collector items in Rocket League.

(2.0) The history of Rocket League Trading

First and foremost, it is critical to define the term “Collector item”. This essay will consider a collectors item, an individual item that is from an original cate series, specifically those with a certification, starting at Champions crates all the way to the final “openable” crate ever released, Vindicator. These items range from exotic wheels, goal explosions, decals, and more.

Historically, profit traders in Rocket League capitalised on the buying and selling of popular items such as Zombas, Octanes, and Fennecs to make a profit. However, as these items have become more readily accessible, through methods such as the item shop, their prices have stabilised, forcing profit traders to look for other avenues to make a profit. It is at this point that these collector items have emerged as a viable option for profit traders to invest their time and money into.

In recent years, specifically since the implementation of the item shop, the prices of collector items in Rocket League have skyrocketed, including items such as decals for the Road Hog, X Devil and even Dominus GT, which were all once considered worthless and “Trade up fodder”. Another explanation, apart from that of profit traders, could be that players may potentially want to have unique and rare items that distinguish them from one another, creating a sense of prestige and exclusivity within these items throughout the market.

Profit traders have taken advantage of this demand for collector items by buying them in bulk and reselling them at a considerable profit. They understand that collectors are willing to pay exorbitant prices for these items, and as a result, have driven the prices of these items even higher. This could potentially be another explanation due to the recent surge of the prices of collector items, making it challenging for collectors to acquire these items at a reasonable price.

(3.0) Conclusion

In conclusion, the surge in prices of collector items in Rocket League can be attributed to a shift in focus of profit traders from traditional items to collector items. With the increased accessibility and stability of prices of popular items, profit traders have turned to collector items as a viable option for investment. This further drives the rarity of these items driving the price up in a somewhat cycle,and the demand for unique and exclusive items among players have contributed to the significant increase in prices of collector items. As profit traders continue to invest in collector items, it remains to be seen whether this trend will continue or if prices will eventually stabilise. Nonetheless, the impact of profit traders on the Rocket League economy cannot be ignored, and their behaviour will continue to shape the market for years to come.