mlbfan10 | 340 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 (edited) Strolling through eBay and found something I want to bid on but it's more than meets the eye. https://www.ebay.com/itm/354581173008?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=OkwYNr9CQ4i&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=Ges-8UPzT9a&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY Edited February 15, 2023 by mlbfan10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkchylde28 | 1,546 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 Seems to either be a "pity" grade after WATA screwed the seal themselves or somebody there was just high as a kite when they were grading this and totally missed everything that the seller documents in their photos and then accurately writes about in the description. The only other explanation I can imagine is that someone figured out how to perfectly remove and replace a WATA seal and swapped in a game that's technically sealed but nowhere in the ballpark of the condition that the case states that it's in. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptOut | 8,883 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 Buy the game, not the grade! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
final fight cd | 186 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 A++ seal but the seller goes on to write a novel about all the flaws in the seal . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retro.magnus | 136 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 I’ve bought multiple games from this seller. They have always described each game very well and everything I have received has arrived with a shit ton of bubble wrap. Based on my experiences with them I wouldn’t imagine they are to blame. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWunderful | 2,927 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 WATA straight up gaslighting us now. so, who should we believe, the grade? Or our own eyes? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3quit4s | 4,096 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 Pretty decent of the seller to basically say this item isn’t worthy of the grade and have 25 pictures showing it isn’t worth the grade. In a world full of shadiness it’s good to see someone being upfront. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodysGameRoom | 2,008 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 hysterical 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkchylde28 | 1,546 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 1 hour ago, a3quit4s said: Pretty decent of the seller to basically say this item isn’t worthy of the grade and have 25 pictures showing it isn’t worth the grade. In a world full of shadiness it’s good to see someone being upfront. It's not really decent of them, it's them doing their job as a seller and doing all they can to guarantee they won't get it returned to them after the auction for "item not as described." I mean, they are being honest about it all, but then again, as the seller, they're supposed to be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWunderful | 2,927 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 I think the real question that needs to be answered here, is what is more important – the grade that wata gave it or the actual real life condition? aside from the fact that this is a completely insignificant PlayStation 2 game that is ludicrous that anybody’s grading it anyways. I’m actually tempted to buy it just so I can have one of watas mistakes sInCe ALl CoMPaNieS mAkE MIstaKeS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkchylde28 | 1,546 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 55 minutes ago, MrWunderful said: aside from the fact that this is a completely insignificant PlayStation 2 game that is ludicrous that anybody’s grading it anyways. I mean, based on the production numbers, one could argue that Mario64 is an "insignificant" game as well. Common game + "perfect" grade = $$$ per the snake oil salesmen of our hobby, y'know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWunderful | 2,927 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 9 minutes ago, darkchylde28 said: I mean, based on the production numbers, one could argue that Mario64 is an "insignificant" game as well. Common game + "perfect" grade = $$$ per the snake oil salesmen of our hobby, y'know? I personally wouldn’t consider the worlds most famous video game IP in its first true 3-D setting “insignificant” but thats me. but since grading comes down to someones subjective opinion anyways, maybe the grader that graded that game really felt that was the highest quality level seal possible. Or it was his buddies. Who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodysGameRoom | 2,008 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 The "every company makes mistakes" thing always made me laugh. It's true, and we are all human. But when the point of your company and the goal and what people are paying you for is 100% accuracy, it's not a moot point. It has to be considered when considering the reputation of a company like Wata. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkchylde28 | 1,546 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 21 minutes ago, MrWunderful said: I personally wouldn’t consider the worlds most famous video game IP in its first true 3-D setting “insignificant” but thats me. but since grading comes down to someones subjective opinion anyways, maybe the grader that graded that game really felt that was the highest quality level seal possible. Or it was his buddies. Who knows? I would consider it "insignificant" in relation to the supposed value of a mint sealed copy versus the massive number of copies it sold (~12 million). Many (most?) of the rarest and most valuable games in the collecting hobby tend to be "insignificant" ones I think there's fair comparison to be made about the realistic value of mint sealed examples of a popular but common-as-dirt game versus one that's significantly less known and loved, where the majority of its stock most likely had to get discounted several times while getting moved from bargain bin to bargain bin to finally get sold off. I don't think there's room in any formal grading structure for giving a game the top grade possible simply because it's the nicest one that's been seen. What happens when one that's in legitimately excellent shape comes to light? Do you suddenly invent an A+++ or A++++ simply to have somewhere to go? Or do you grade the game that looks like it was used like a playing card stuck in bike spokes the same as the one that's legitimately as perfect as the day it came off the production line? In regard to this game, I stick with my theories that this was damaged by someone at WATA and graded against what it should have originally gotten or someone at WATA simply wasn't paying attention the way that they should have been. Personally, I see the former as the more likely one, as I seem to recall several of these being mentioned previously in threads on here. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkchylde28 | 1,546 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 13 minutes ago, CodysGameRoom said: The "every company makes mistakes" thing always made me laugh. It's true, and we are all human. But when the point of your company and the goal and what people are paying you for is 100% accuracy, it's not a moot point. It has to be considered when considering the reputation of a company like Wata. I'll start forgiving them for making mistakes when they start admit to making them and paying out people for the mistakes they've made at the same rates they're charging them for worthless "insurance" based on WATA's skewed valuation model. To date, I don't think we've ever seen WATA admit they've ever screwed anything up beyond that blatant fake Rondo of Blood PCE CD that they graded as legitimate. All of the damaged-by-WATA games whose photos have rolled through have thus far either gotten grades they didn't deserve (but likely did before WATA messed up the seals, games, etc.) or shrugged at by WATA as if they arrived in that shape (despite photos of the item pre-shipment and during the packing process almost always being provided). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inasuma | 1,203 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 (edited) looks like a dumpsterfire. yikes. i'm not alone in thinking this but the current blisters aren't ideal. they're a little too tight and can damage some games. they're aware of it though, even though they'd never admit damage occurs, so hopefully the new blisters are much better (they've confirmed as much in @GetTheGreg's discord server). Edited February 15, 2023 by inasuma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH | 4,903 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 I'll not rehash all of the details but this seems to be exactly what happened to me. (I didn't read this full thread.) I have a 9.6/A+ seal Riven that's up on eBay now. I sent it in in immaculate shape and they damaged it (scraped at the bottom.) I think they know they screwed it up because there's no way it's an A+ seal with that damage. It's the only game I've had graded and since it took them 18 months to get it back to me (and only after I complained because I could see the damage from the photo they had taken) I decided I was done with WATA and I'd never go back. I got me another sealed copy of Riven, in better shape than the graded one but not as good shape as it was before I shipped it out and I might send it to VGS. Anyway, when they screw up, I think they do "pity" grade. I messaged them as soon as they posted the photos of my game but hadn't yet assigned a grade and I think they gave me a graded equivalent of "hush money". Oh, and when the game did arrive, I opened up the case gain because it was much more evident. They paid to have it shipped back to them and have the grade "reverified". Either their standards for A+ PS1 titles is super-lacks, or they stood by their belief that my low-quality game was a 9.6/A+. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulag Joe | 582 Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 (edited) Case looks suspect to me Edited February 15, 2023 by Gulag Joe 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPX | 1,369 Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 A plus, plus…my ass. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fcgamer | 4,723 Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 11 hours ago, darkchylde28 said: It's not really decent of them, it's them doing their job as a seller and doing all they can to guarantee they won't get it returned to them after the auction for "item not as described." I mean, they are being honest about it all, but then again, as the seller, they're supposed to be. I thought the purpose of these grading companies was so that we could hear a grade and then buy the game sight unseen, knowing what sort of item we were going to be receiving. If we need to describe a game's condition on top of getting it graded, it defeats the purpose of getting the item graded in the first place, whether it's this copy we are discussing or a different copy where the condition matches the grade. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyree_Cooper | 753 Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 no fcgamer, you are wrong! here's some excuses from the grader's handbook: it was honest mistake, seller needs to be responsible, buyer needs to inspect the game anyway, graders aren't perfect, a slip once in a while is ok, we were only grading the disc duh, it's 9.8 out of 100, blah blah blah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdStrongestMole | 430 Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 I've only graded about 10 games with WATA, and I've had good experiences mostly, except for a reholder when their old blisters sucked. That being said, if I were grading something for the first time, something like this would send me elsewhere. I don't know when this game was graded, and I realize that shouldn't matter, but with all the retooling WATA has done over the last few years, I feel like it does. Ultimately, if you screw up as a company, you should always own your shit, and it shouldn't take people calling you out to do so. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retro.magnus | 136 Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 8 minutes ago, 3rdStrongestMole said: I've only graded about 10 games with WATA, and I've had good experiences mostly, except for a reholder when their old blisters sucked. That being said, if I were grading something for the first time, something like this would send me elsewhere. I don't know when this game was graded, and I realize that shouldn't matter, but with all the retooling WATA has done over the last few years, I feel like it does. Ultimately, if you screw up as a company, you should always own your shit, and it shouldn't take people calling you out to do so. It was graded in April, last year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdStrongestMole | 430 Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 17 minutes ago, retro.magnus said: It was graded in April, last year. Okay. That might've been during the Cali transition. I can't remember. Still, not great for a company that's had its fair share of issues. Maybe I'll try VGA if I submit again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidaldreams | 654 Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 looks like an 9.8 to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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