What is everyone's thoughts? Sealed game considered resealed by

[crazykong]

Hi everyone- I truly want everyone's opinion on this story.

 

I bought about 3k of NES games from a long time trusted seller here about a year ago. One of the games was a sealed NES Pro Wrestling. I sold that game two weeks ago and the buyer sent it to Wata for grading. Wada verified it as a reseal. When I contacted the person I bought the game from with the information, I received a message that the game was sold to me in good faith so oh well. I replied that I bought the game in good faith and that has ended the back and forth.

 

 

 

Email sent from Wada to the buyer

I am writing to let your know that it is Watas opinion that the NES Pro Wrestling from your submission is a resealed game. There is clear evidence on the lid edge of the box that the box has been opened, forming a crease as well as a break in the color forming a notable white line along the box flap. I am attaching pictures to illustrate what I am describing. Please let us know if you would either like the game opened and graded as CIB (complete in box) or sent back to you.

 

Thank you,

Kenneth Thrower

Chief Grader, Wata Games

Thoughts?

Edited February 24, 2019 by crazykong

[ianoid]

This is clearly a case of WUS. Wear under seal. I've had stuff denied for sealed grading and there's usually a good reason. I doubt they denied it without some thought. If they have seen a dozen or a hundred black boxes for grading, then they should know. I've sent stuff back to sellers for this reason, when it's a recent eBay sale. Wear under seal can be tough when it's mild, like the lines in the box creases. Price tags under seal is a giveaway.

 

I have some items that have wear under seal that I do believe are original seal just based on what I know about the company- that they sealed and assembled the games themselves, rather than using a packaging company. These are software companies with much smaller print runs. I'm sure Nintendo used a packaging company and wear would be unexpected because they are unlikely to have assembled and wrapped the games by hand.

[S.BAZ]

The comment above sounds very likely spot-on. After reading it, I think that's probably true and you do actually have a new game. Are there any other experts for a second opinion? I was thinking possibly it got assessed by a rookie in the grading department.

 

Whether or not it is indeed a reseal, I see no room for blame. When buying something I always keep in mind that unless there is some written guarantee or something like that, the responsibility is mine to decide its value before buying. If it turned out used, I would just shrug and group it mentally in with some awesome deal I got in the past.

 

Also on the bright side, at least it's just Pro Wrestling.

[portnoyd2]

I was thinking possibly it got assessed by a rookie in the grading department.

 

The rookie is the grader quoted above and even if he didn't, he's the "chief" grader and he's putting his credibility behind the statement. This is what happens when you have hobbyists thinking they can make a buck and their knowledge is anecdotal. No one from Wata (... bad name) are packaging engineers, were involved with game packaging or have any kind of certification beyond "We have purchased a lot of sealed games". Show me the employee on the payroll who worked at Technicolor or some place similar and then you can start being credible.

Edited February 24, 2019 by portnoyd2

[youxia]

And yet these are the guys who decide that a game may be worth over 100K. Fancy that

[portnoyd2]

And yet these are the guys who decide that a game may be worth over 100K. Fancy that

 

There are so many red flags with that whole situation that I hope no one is taking it seriously. It was just an effort to swing themselves favorably against VGA.

 

Regarding the Pro Wrestling, this Wata joker just went down his list of flags and it hit the "bent box" flag. It's all they know. This list of flags was generated over time on messageboards and taken as law by people with too much money invested in the hobby in an effort to protect their investment. It doesn't even offer any critical analysis - if this, then that and nothing more. That's what happened to you, OP.

 

If he was actually doing right, he would be looking at the wear on that edge under magnification. The large amount of scuffing to the plastic implies that it had a rough go of it. If the plastic had similar wear, as well as flaked ink embedded in the underside of the plastic, then it would be legit, which is what it is. Instead, they just assume it's fake because their list said no.

 

The problem lies in that those looking to generate real fakes know this list of flags and know that the grading services use them as their "kit". So as long as you dodge those flags, you can generate fakes en mas. Print new boxes, distribute weight inside the box properly and purchase the exact industrial equipment used by Nintendo (it's out there, can be had for $10-$15k) and away you go. Sure, a $15k investment is a lot, but look at OP, who spent $3k themselves on games and that's one person. Fill some black box fakes and you'll make your money back in no time. In time, grading services will find a new flag to add to their list to try and get past an effort like this. Quite like online scams and malware, the ones doing the scamming with fakes will find a way to be one step ahead yet again.

 

The question is with a situation like this, is it wise to spend money into it? It's not. People who trust these services are going to have a bad time.

Edited February 24, 2019 by portnoyd2

[crazykong]

Thank you everyone that took the time to reply.