Yeah it gets out there and it's getting more popular and wanted every year. Earthbound originally though didn't sell very well in NA, because the game's slogan was "this game stinks"
True. As awesome as that must've been, still probably added to people not wanting it because it probably would've increased the price. But still, sounds like the people who bought it back then got a pretty sweet deal.
It even had scratch and sniff cards and rafren it's the best RPG you'll ever play. If you really wanna know, check out clanofthegraywolf's explanation on youtube.