What a dumb practice and something most collectors all agree is a horrible practice. As I do my usual eBay hunting for games to add to my collection, I keep coming across random "graded" VGA listings with jacked up unfounded prices, and random number based rating systems. I do some googling, and I find numerous threads (even on GAF), YT videos, etc all speaking about how trash it is, yet people still grade their stuff. Here is an example of a ludicrous auction. $619.91 USD. Why, though? The game doesn't seem to be particularly rare, and they are a handful of sealed copies on eBay as we speak. You can even get a new 3DO with one, and it still is several hundred dollars less than a "VGA Graded" copy. The pricing structure seems to be based on nothing, and it's just a seller markup on whatever price they decide on a whim. The VGA version isn't special. There are no known defects or misprints or anything of that nature. It's not a beta/prototype or anything, either. Oh, and check out that same seller's $10,000 copy of Zelda (NES)! It's literally just a regular oh copy, "graded". It's not even "GEM MINT", it's only rated at 90/100. So why are you charging 10 grand, then? You can see the bait titles in the listing; "MASTERPIECE HOLY GRAIL" in all caps.
A way superior method to simply protecting your games (if that is the goal, as most looked to be trying to take advantage of a poor soul who is doing some retro shopping), is here, and it is wonderful;
These can be opened at any time to take the goods out when desired. They are incredibly form fitting and blend in on the shelf seamlessly, not taking away from the uniformity of the cases design. Instead of being damaged from light and air in the plastic coffin that is VGA casing. And when you want to actually get it out (because it's a game), you could actually really do harm to sealed copies of games, or games with cardboard boxing.
This practice seems to be related (or copied) from trading cards and comic books (CGC, etc). But there are fundamentally different and superior reasons to grade a card or comic, and not a boxed pieced of digital media. Seems to do way more hurt and harm to both the product and the market than ANY good. I know we had a thread or two on it before, but it just particular made me sick this morning and I wanted to share.
A way superior method to simply protecting your games (if that is the goal, as most looked to be trying to take advantage of a poor soul who is doing some retro shopping), is here, and it is wonderful;
These can be opened at any time to take the goods out when desired. They are incredibly form fitting and blend in on the shelf seamlessly, not taking away from the uniformity of the cases design. Instead of being damaged from light and air in the plastic coffin that is VGA casing. And when you want to actually get it out (because it's a game), you could actually really do harm to sealed copies of games, or games with cardboard boxing.
This practice seems to be related (or copied) from trading cards and comic books (CGC, etc). But there are fundamentally different and superior reasons to grade a card or comic, and not a boxed pieced of digital media. Seems to do way more hurt and harm to both the product and the market than ANY good. I know we had a thread or two on it before, but it just particular made me sick this morning and I wanted to share.