The VGA is BS

[Erik_Twice]

So you are criticizing a company you never hired that works on a commodity you are not interested in based on a FAQ you never read properly and expect us to take you seriously?

[johnny turbo]

If someone is stupid enough to spend that much money on a "graded" game then they can waste their money.

[Jmustang1968]

I got this same topic going on over at Assembler so feel free to see what they're saying
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/sh ... eir-FAQ%29

They're...less favorable towards it than we are.

Looks to be about the same really... you have a few more there who hate vga but just aren't putting it in perspective. I don't get the vga market and find it ridiculous, but that doesn't mean vga is to blame. They are a condition grading service, and from what I can tell, they do a good job at that service. This is similar to other collectibles like coins and cards.

[Blu]

This thread is following the same logic as the collecting sealed games threads that have been jading this subforum. Why are there so many threads bashing this type of gaming niche? If you don't like it, move on. The VGA isn't affecting you one way or the other.

EDIT: You know what becoming an authority entails? In collecting, having a following, combined with adhering to grading criteria. I've seen little evidence in this thread (other than o.p) pointing out that their criteria aren't disclosed. Considering the grading process is subjective, and that there's no ability to challenge, I could see that as a valid argument, if I was a paying customer.

[Zing]

At this point, sealed games are going to stay sealed, so they are essentially off the market for anyone not collecting sealed games.

If you are a sealed game collector, condition is very important. Buying games from the Internet is risky, even if there are photos. Having a trusted third party inspect the item to see if it is a legit seal, and confirm the level of damage greatly improves the confidence of any potential buyers. This benefits both parties. The buyer can be confident that he isn't wasting his time and money on an item that is in worse condition than he would like, and the seller gains more interested buyers.

I feel the only negative aspect is that VGA has all the power over the sellers. There is a huge market value difference between an 85 silver and "85+" gold level. The jump from 90 to 95 is also rather large. If VGA happens to overlook one minor scuff, suddenly your item is worth much more. Likewise, you may get unlucky and end up with a silver rating, possibly costing you hundreds of dollars.

This has led to several people sending their games in to be "re-graded", because they didn't get the grade they felt they deserved. I don't know how often this results in a higher grade. There is obviously a large opportunity for improper behaviour by VGA, but so far, sellers are trusting them. Whether this is a true trust, or just them implicitly working in collusion with VGA to make money, I cannot say.

[foxhound1022]

It all boils down to the fact that people pay for their services. If it was a hokey fly-by-night scam, then I don't believe they would still exist.

So there must be some validity to what they do. I am by no means defending the practice, just simply stating my opinion.

I do, however believe it is driven by those who have an exorbitant amount of money to "waste" on said services. I think the whole thing is rather absurd, considering the fact that you pay out so much of your hard-earned money just to have a museum, basically.

[Ack]

If you really want to track loose/open games, I'd suggest sticking with http://videogames.pricecharting.com/, since they're just pulling averages from auctions on eBay, Half.com, and Amazon. It'll give you a better idea of what games are typically going for.

The VGA folks...I haven't used their services, nor would I, since I'm not a collector of sealed games. But they have existed long enough, are used widely enough, and have the reputation to make them the authority on sealed games. I respect that they know what they are doing for a different aspect of the gaming market that I'm simply not interested in.

[8bit]

Exactly what makes them an Authority? You pay them they slap a number based on a criteria they don't disclose, at an undisclosed location in a sealed Box that is supposed to make something insanely valuable.

Ok So Maybe I missed the point it's to grade Sealed items. But.... again why would a sealed item even need grading? Why would an Autographed anything be considered flawed?

They do lay out most of the criteria for the grades they give - http://www.vggrader.com/grading_scales.aspx

Undisclosed location provides security for the items being graded as well as for their facility itself. They have $1000's of games going through their location each week so why would they want to risk getting broken into and robbed? In fact I believe they use a PO BOX system for further security. Imagine if you were the person sending them a sealed copy of Panzar Dragoon Saga or something similar... would you want it to be public knowledge where that was going to or would you rather the rest of world not know?

A perfectly sealed, no bends, no scratches, no discoloration, sealed item is obviously in better condition than a loosely sealed, corners bent, scratched, tiny holes in the wrapping, sealed item. Just like when you get a loose game, it's condition can vary great right? Some look new and some look like shit. This is not a hard concept to understand!

So you are criticizing a company you never hired that works on a commodity you are not interested in based on a FAQ you never read properly and expect us to take you seriously?

^ Agreed. Stop whining and start thinking.

[TheRev]

The Grading scale is still very subjective what might be an 80 to one grader is a 70 to another. What might be Gem Mint to one person may be Near mint to another.

[Hobie-wan]

The Grading scale is still very subjective what might be an 80 to one grader is a 70 to another. What might be Gem Mint to one person may be Near mint to another.

And what some people call 'good' or 'near mint' on ebay would be called 'junk' in Japan in regards to condition too. That's why you hope for good pictures. Unless you make some machine that scans an item from all directions to check for flaws and then everyone uses that same machine calibrated exactly the same way forever, any judgement will be subjective.