VGA Face Palm (Just read their FAQ)

You can't stop greed. VGA isn't responsible for buyers or sellers with no connection to them.

If they're shown to have an actual part in value inflation, THEN the story changes.

 

If I were VGA I'd be grading games my self and selling them off on the side to benefit from my own hype. Is there any evidence of that happening? I guess that's where the company's loyalty lies.

 

VGA are to blame, because the came up with the stupid idea. When you think about it, who are they, and why are they so special when it comes to condition and ratings?
They even have sealed Wii games, YES WII GAMES, they are current bloody gen, why GRADE something from the factory!? There should be some limit, or age limit for them to grade things, it's just stupid. I'm sorry but if I want a sealed game I'd just buy one sealed, not some made up grade that, somehow means a lot.

 

I have this same Convo going on over at Racketboy, They seem to be a bit more favorable towards VGA
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=41991

Now lets go back to Super Mario Bros. This is without a doubt the MOST common game there is and ever was. A grand for a graded sealed copy is a bit rediclious. I just looked for a non graded sealed SMB and I saw another VGA Graded going for 8k

OK Maybe this isn't a case against VGA I looked at sealed SMB copies on Amazon and well:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...ndition=new&me=&qid=1361952128&seller=&sr=8-1

So is it seller greed? VGA? How much would you reakon a sealed SMB would be? For me I'd say $200, maybe $300 tops?
I'm sure at the most with the game being as common as it is there are a few thousand sealed copies floating around somewhere.

 

It sold for $1000+ before people put it in VGA boxes. $300 tops is a dream world of 10 years ago. You're talking a super popular black box series game here in factory seal. Only copies surviving are from people who for whatever reason never opened it, nobody collected sealed stuff back at that time. Furthermore was it frequently included with consoles so finding a standalone sealed release is hard.

And that's also the reason why all those people who put current gen games in VGA boxes can go fuck themselves. That stuff will never be worth jack shit cause everyone 'collects' it sealed. Of course, it's easy to pick up new... so how will it ever become valuable? Idiots.

 

Last I ever checked, sealed copies of the original SMB print aren't exactly popping up all the time. It seems to be that way for most black box games I think? I don't know perfectly what SMB is worth worth, but what people are willing to pay in an auction is a better estimate of something's true worth than just what any one person would personally pay IMO.

And I never will get why people value VGA's opinion either. Who are they, just some gamer/s that decided to start this business up out of nowhere? Who wouldn't trust their own personal opinion over that of a complete stranger?

Well, whatever. Personally if I ended up with an ultra rare sealed game though, I wouldn't want to risk it being ruined through transit in any way. It'd likely do fine without their 85 on it. And it's always an 85. Even new games. It's their go to number.

 

I'm not even sure they're gamers. Anywho I'm going to continue to search for Sealed SMB elsewhere and try to figure out what it's actually worth. Maybe it's just becasue I've been watching alot of Pawn Stars lately and feel like one of those experts Rick calls in. Or maybe it's just I'm not buying the four figure Price Point my two searches came up with.

 

if i had the money i'd buy some up, and open them

 

Just be sure to make videos of you opening to crush the hearts of Game hoarders everywhere

 

VGA didn't come up with grading, people have been grading collectables for years including coins and baseball cards. Are you saying it's stupid to grade those items as well, having them in protective cases to protect them from damage and encouraging longevity of the item? VGA are no different except from the bad stigma they seem to get for the insane prices of their graded items and the apparent questionable reliability of their products. The idea is not stupid, the idea is great for collectors alike who want to be sure of their purchases and want a professional analysis of the item in question. Whether VGA live up to those standards I do not know, but the basic premise is great for both sealed and unsealed collectors who value the condition of their items and if anyone feels they can do a better job I encourage them to do so. It's the sellers who push these prices and the very fortunate people who are sitting on enough money to spend on these items, they're the ones who are driving this insane market and encouraging greedy people to play to the hands of wealthy collectors.

 

I am not defending a fool ,but technically just because someone is an authoritative figure does not mean they have to be truthful or have any education on what they are the authority of. I know it sounds absurd ,but if you compare this to an idiot boss or a politician this theory is proven somewhat valid.

 

The VGA only visually inspects the games, they don't determine rarity or value. The people who are determining the prices are the idiots who keep spending thousands.

 

I didn't say they came up with grading? Not sure where you got that from.

Reason why they are to blame, is because they made some "authority" of grading games and sticking them into cases. It just doesn't make sense at all, not sure why there needs to be a group of people inspecting a game and putting some sticker on the cover with a rating. :/

 

You can always buy games off the Internet from people with no quality standards at all, if you like. Because eBay sellers are always truthful about the condition of their items and you can always inspect them your self before buying (obviously not but you know what I'm saying). Grading services, especially those who live up to their standards, give buyers confidence as they know the item has already been inspected and it's condition has been approved. I don't see how that's a bad thing at all when done properly.

 

@galuda
Well, there were a lot of successful trades happening before people paid $100 to have someone put their game in a plastic box, you know
Pretty much every collector knows that. You do not need VGA... and if you want this security of a game being already graded prior to purchase then you will have to pay for it. And is it really worth that cost? $2000 EXTRA on a $500 sealed game just because it's in a stupid box?

No thanks, I'd rather have the $2000 and buy a trip to Hawaii. I'll take my $500 non-graded sealed game with me so I can look at it on the beach while having a white russian. Same price.

 

If it costs $2000 for them to do their thing then that's a joke, I wont deny that. But if an honest seller adds the value of the grading service to the item and sells it honestly I really can't see a problem with it. Seller pays for grading service, adds $2000 to the sale, VGAs fault? I'm not so sure it is.

 

I'm pretty sure he means they came up with being a self-proclaimed authority, not that they came up with grading collectibles.

 

Would you really want to take a chance and keep a game sealed? What if the game is defective or if not factory seal, there is just folded up cardboard inside? Nobody will retire investing in video games, so open it up and play it! Now is the time to confirm and not twenty years later when the game will become very difficult to find.

 

^This