VGA Grading

[Atari8bitCarts]

I've been seeing more of this lately and have no idea what it means (i.e. worth of their rating). Their website is completely down at the moment www.vggrader.com.

And after seeing them screw this up, I have serious doubts of their expertise. They didn't even know what the product was! Romox makes cartridge, this is a cartridge!

 

 

[Necron99]

anything VGA graded is a waste of money.

[Emehr]

Simply put, it's a crock of shit.

 

"Oh, look at this perfect box encased in plastic. It's truly a sight to behold! Who cares about what really matters. You know, the contents. The game. The instruction manual. You know, that thing you'll never read that has artwork you could be admiring and prose that probably dates it and that game you'll never insert into a console and play: the whole purpose for the box being there in the first place. That box. Oh, that perfect box. All hail the box!"

 

Should be called Video Game Box Grading because that's all it amounts to. It's like "grading" DVDs still in the shrinkwrap. Utterly pointless.

[+save2600]

VGA grading <> sham.

[Andre81]

The cases are nice, the grading is worthless. They have cases with a sliding bottom. I'll probably put all games > $250 in their cases with UV protection.

 

[Atari8bitCarts]

The cases are nice, the grading is worthless. They have cases with a sliding bottom. I'll probably put all games > $250 in their cases with UV protection.

 

The worst thing is that they couldn't even get the product correct. How can you grade something in which not only do you know absolutely nothing about but you don't even research it!

[+remowilliams]

[Andre81]

The worst thing is that they couldn't even get the product correct. How can you grade something in which not only do you know absolutely nothing about but you don't even research it!

To be fair they don't need to know the product. All they do is to grade the condition of the box.

 

For comics and coins grading might even make sense as a novice might not be able to separate junk from jewels.

 

You are paying for the expertise so you don't buy a reprint or fake coin.

 

But all the VGA guys are doing is to grade the condition of the box. You don't need to be an expert to do that so their "service" is just a way to make money.

 

[Atari8bitCarts]

To be fair they don't need to know the product. All they do is to grade the condition of the box.

 

For comics and coins grading might even make sense as a novice might not be able to separate junk from jewels.

 

You are paying for the expertise so you don't buy a reprint or fake coin.

 

But all the VGA guys are doing is to grade the condition of the box. You don't need to be an expert to do that so their "service" is just a way to make money.

 

What you are saying doesn't make sense. You say that all they do is grade the condition of the box. But then you say you are paying for their expertise so you don't buy a reprint or fake..

If they don't know what they are grading how can they "save" you from buying something that is not correct (i.e. fake or reprint, etc). If they grade only boxes they should state this box is a 90.

I highly doubt that for comics they call a DC comic something like Marvel (I know nothing about comics...).

How can they grade something that they don't know the contents of what is inside. And they don't know if it's been resealed, etc. They don't even know what it is they are grading. I would hope they have some expertise in the area they are grading.

[Andre81]

What you are saying doesn't make sense. You say that all they do is grade the condition of the box. But then you say you are paying for their expertise so you don't buy a reprint or fake..

If they don't know what they are grading how can they "save" you from buying something that is not correct (i.e. fake or reprint, etc). If they grade only boxes they should state this box is a 90.

I highly doubt that for comics they call a DC comic something like Marvel (I know nothing about comics...).

How can they grade something that they don't know the contents of what is inside. And they don't know if it's been resealed, etc. They don't even know what it is they are grading. I would hope they have some expertise in the area they are grading.

I was taking about grading comics and coins. It makes sense here to grade them IF the grader has the expertise. You don't want to buy a reprint or a comic that has been put together from multiple copies.

 

There are also fakes of the more valueable coins and you really need to be an expert to grade the condition.

 

But those are reputable graders and not VGA. All VGA does is to grade the condition of the box. If they at least had the expertise to tell a reproduction from an original and if a game has been resealed and if the shrinkwrap is from the factory then grading would make sense. But that's not what they are doing. I bet you can send them a reproduction Spiker box with an ET cartridge shrinkwrapped at home and get a 90 mint grading.

 

[ianoid]

VGA does comics and toys too. They are expanding into video games.

 

<<Que lynch mob>> DOWN WITH VGA

 

[ianoid prepares next package to VGA with sealed items]

 

And on topic, I would send that back to be revised if it were mine, and I'd probably try to convince them to give me a significant credit for the trouble.

[Andre81]

VGA does comics and toys too. They are expanding into video games.

 

<> DOWN WITH VGA

 

[ianoid prepares next package to VGA with sealed items]

 

And on topic, I would send that back to be revised if it were mine, and I'd probably try to convince them to give me a significant credit for the trouble.

CGC does comics and for coins there are a few reputable graders.

 

A few years down the road grading video games probably makes sense as well. Some games are selling for $1,000+ and the problem with reproduction boxes has just started. Video game collecting is a young hobby (compared to stamps, coins, toys, comics,...). I'd say the hobby is barely older than 15-20 years.

 

I'd always pay a $50 premium to have a rare game in a protective case and guaranted original. But VGA is no "authority". They are just trying to make money by grading the condition of the box. And then you have sellers like the dumbestsellerever who thinks grading turns a $10 item into a $500 item.

 

[ianoid]

I agree, sellers do lame stuff with grading.

 

However, well chosen items to have the seal graded increase the value more than the cost of grading. WELL CHOSEN. A good sealed awesome condition rare item that people care about. Not just anything. It is something that will be better appreciated in the future. Right now, it seems kind of lame. And I'm all about lame.

[Atari8bitCarts]

I agree, sellers do lame stuff with grading.

 

However, well chosen items to have the seal graded increase the value more than the cost of grading. WELL CHOSEN. A good sealed awesome condition rare item that people care about. Not just anything. It is something that will be better appreciated in the future. Right now, it seems kind of lame. And I'm all about lame.

Understandable, but again, no one needs to grade anything in which they know nothing about meaning they're not the expert to give analysis, ratings, nor protection to the buyer.

Reminds me of the movie Tommy Boy:

 

Tommy: Let's think about this for a sec, Ted. Why would somebody put a guarantee on a box? Hmmm, very interesting.

Ted Nelson, Customer: Go on, I'm listening.

Tommy: Here's the way I see it, Ted. Guy puts a fancy guarantee on a box 'cause he wants you to feel all warm and toasty inside.

Ted Nelson, Customer: Yeah, makes a man feel good.

Tommy: 'Course it does. Why shouldn't it? Ya figure you put that little box under your pillow at night, the Guarantee Fairy might come by and leave a quarter, am I right, Ted?

[chuckles until he sees that Ted is not laughing]

Ted Nelson, Customer: [impatiently] What's your point?

Tommy: The point is, how do you know the fairy isn't a crazy glue sniffer? "Building model airplanes" says the little fairy; well, we're not buying it. He sneaks into your house once, that's all it takes. The next thing you know, there's money missing off the dresser, and your daughter's knocked up. I seen it a hundred times.

Ted Nelson, Customer: But why do they put a guarantee on the box?

Tommy: Because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of shit. That's all it is, isn't it? Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for now, for your customer's sake, for your daughter's sake, ya might wanna think about buying a quality product from me.

[video game addict]

I wonder how long before someone fakes a box, seals it, and sends it in to be graded? I think a proper project for CPUWIZ. Sealed Eli or Video Life perhaps?

[Hydro Thunder]

Oh dear lawd.

I couldn't decide whether to post this in Interesting Auctions or here, and here seemed best.

Ridiculous. "Game" (It's actually a demo disc) is worth like $7 tops.

 

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574883395&toolid=10001&campid=5336500554&customid=&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FVGA-Graded-NM-85-Xbox-Exhibition-Demo-Disc-Volume-1-Halo-First-Master-Chief-%2F290892325428%3Fpt%3DVideo_Games_Games%26hash%3Ditem43ba88a234

 

I do not cease to be amazed at the idiocy.

[amiman99]

Oh dear lawd.

I couldn't decide whether to post this in Interesting Auctions or here, and here seemed best.

Ridiculous. "Game" (It's actually a demo disc) is worth like $7 tops.

 

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574883395&toolid=10001&campid=5336500554&customid=&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FVGA-Graded-NM-85-Xbox-Exhibition-Demo-Disc-Volume-1-Halo-First-Master-Chief-%2F290892325428%3Fpt%3DVideo_Games_Games%26hash%3Ditem43ba88a234

 

I do not cease to be amazed at the idiocy.

$300 for Demo disk, that's funny!!

and "Impossible to find in this condition"

[high voltage]

Once they graded a game being a 5 1/4 disk, when it was actually a cart, yup those people know their stuff for sure.....

[schuwalker]

When I was collecting vintage Star Wars items (still am), and this *so-called* company came into fruition; I just knew it was going to be a mess for a potential buyer. I'm not saying in it's entirety, but gone are the days of picking up items reasonably priced. Now, you get Tom, Dick and Harry giving their items to be *graded* and putting a %50 markup price. What a joke!

 

What's really sad is people fall for this stuff! Not to bag on NES fanboys, but they are making some dough of you! Actually, it's also in the Star Wars collecting market as well somewhat...

 

It comes down to guys like you and me that grade these items and were suppose to believe these guys are the 'all and end all' for grading items <------ right......

 

I heard a rumor that the guy that does the AFA grading is the brother of the VGA grading.... Bahaahahhahaahaaahaha - shysters!

[Greg2600]

I wish I had a robot that could just reply to every VGA thread on the Internet with the word "HATE" He he he. I really do despise it.

[ianoid]

It's easy to hate mong on the 'net. We throw around 'hate' with aplomb on the net, but say that far less to anyone in person.

 

When you look at the casing of your goods, that is worth something. The grading is here to stay. Whine all you want. And there will be errors and problems. They are human and they are dealing with relatively cheap items.

 

It is actually a reasonable way to protect and preserve valuable collectibles if you don't want them to be damaged with time- encasing them in acrylic. The grading is of value to some folks, certainly not on just any item. But let's not ignore the actual cost of making an acrylic case. Assuming it costs about $40 to grade an item, I could imagine $25 of that is getting a case made- at least on the retail side. It probably costs them $3. I don't begrudge services a profit.

 

That Xbox demo disk is awesome, in a pathetic way. If you look at that seller's auctions, they have a habit of having everything graded. A few successes and then they try to take advantage of the graded item buyers, who are certainly a different breed from most of us. That could be a new low for that seller. I thought the Atarisoft Apple games were pretty weak too.

[bomberpunk]

what a joke.

 

i have my own two eyes, with 20/20 vision. i don't need some dipshit telling me how much my [fill in the blank] is worth.

 

i'll never pay those prices, for any title. ever.

 

everyone involved in VGA-grading should catch fire and fall into an oil well.

 

supporters too.

[+slx]

I would assume that those cases can be had for less than 20$ apiece, as many shops use them to sell various "theft-prone" merchandise.

 

Maybe I'm just in the wrong league but even figuring postage paying 22$ just to have the box of a videogame inspected for completeness seems a bit steep to me. There's probably a collector for everything and following market theory even mint Hershey bar wrappers must increase in value due to their scarcity, but collecting videogames for the packaging seems a bit off at least to me.

 

Reminds me about the Aliens in John Christopher's "Tripods" series who kill humans and encase them to preserve their beauty.....

[Keatah]

I love this stuff. Anything to drive up prices is a good thing.

[Atari8bitCarts]

 

 

It's easy to hate mong on the 'net. We throw around 'hate' with aplomb on the net, but say that far less to anyone in person.

 

When you look at the casing of your goods, that is worth something. The grading is here to stay. Whine all you want. And there will be errors and problems. They are human and they are dealing with relatively cheap items.

 

It is actually a reasonable way to protect and preserve valuable collectibles if you don't want them to be damaged with time- encasing them in acrylic. The grading is of value to some folks, certainly not on just any item. But let's not ignore the actual cost of making an acrylic case. Assuming it costs about $40 to grade an item, I could imagine $25 of that is getting a case made- at least on the retail side. It probably costs them $3. I don't begrudge services a profit.

 

I don't hate grading, I hate a grader that can't even determine the media in which the product they are grading is. The last thing I want to pay for is a grader's learning curve. They're not doing us a favor at cost. I thought I saw a post (search Google) in which the costs are $70-100 for one game. And you say these games are relatively cheap! Video games go from $5 to $50k, so I have no idea of what you call cheap.

Raises prices is one thing but I love standards and repeatable grading, "They are human"! That makes no sense. They're in business to be accurate, hence the grading.

 

Edited September 3, 2013 by chrislynn5