To Grade, Or Not To Grade? That is the question!

[avatar! | 1,827]

1 hour ago, CasualCart said:

Forgive me for the bite in my words here, but I'm gonna put this out there anyway...

I used to think it was dumb to grade CIBs, but I've since realized that it's even dumber to berate someone for enjoying their hobby differently than I do. Nobody puts people down when they try to get a high-score as a gamer, so why belittle someone for trying to get high grades as a collector?

-CasualCart

I agree, we absolutely should not berate others for how they want to collect THEIR games! That said, this thread was not about belittling anyone's opinions, rather it was about getting people's personal opinions. I think it's worthwhile for people to share what they think, and as far as I can tell, there were no ad hominem attacks. 

[portabello | 99]

To some extent, grading is just simply a way to authenticate something so that you can more easy give it monetary value. As someone who cares less about the monetary value of a collectible, I prefer CIB in a non-permanent acrylic case. Grading (and the anticipation of the reveal) is really just a muse for most. I can understand the way it protects the item more permanently, but it’s just plastic, people can still break it open, and do.

[YOURTURN | 1,257]

4 hours ago, final fight cd said:

I never understood the point of paying somebody money to tell the owner the condition of a game.  Do you have 2 eyes and the ability to make opinions? Good.  Do it yourself.  

Those who are doing it pay $3 to $5 USD to find out that not only is their collectible both authentic and complete, there are also no signs of it being tampered with. Such as touch ups just to make it look more mint so they can ask for more money. Things that amateur detectives often overlook just because their two eyes are not trained to detect said irregularities.

And based on what CAS says about them not grading NES titles, the overall cost is around $3 (their cost) to at least $5. With the rest being handling and cases fees. And any mishandlings be free of charge. 

[YOURTURN | 1,257]

I also want to add that I do not recommend submitting any games for grading if it is done for "investment" purposes. If you have a client, or clientele, that will pay premium for something like that... Then be my guest and do it.

The rest are just tossing away their money simply because just having a game graded does not mean their job is done. Simply because there is more fiscal responsibilities to collecting graded games than just have them graded.

So grading? There are options.

- With CGA, you can simply buy a custom case with a slide bottom. I do recommend upgrading to their "Archival" level acrylic for those who choose to do this.

- Versus CAS,  where you can choose to skip the grading process, with the savings being $3, as they do great work displaying everything that makes said game complete.

Other than that? I can only say getting them graded is worth it for those who want help preserving their games. CIB or otherwise. Just because nobody is limited to the lone copy they own these days.