VGA or WATA?

[ConsoleCollector88 8]

New to collecting, seen these two rating companies and curious is one is more preferred or if it matters?

[NESfiend 1,301]

Thats a really controversial topic here. WATA was started by people who used to be a part of the forum. At first, everyone thought it was superior to VGA and would wipe them out of business. If you search these forums for WATA, you will see plenty of people complaining about various topics. Some of them are almost political, but from a purely consumerist standpoint, the big complaint seems to be the consistency of the grading scale. Games that people across the community thought were minty came back with like 7s from WATA. That issue has a lot of people upset. 

That said, whether you like it or not, it seems like WATA is really taking over. I dont see a whole lot of vga compared to WATA on ebay. I assumed it would take years and years for WATA to emerge bigger than VGA, but it happened fast. I would probably go with WATA because that seems to be what collectors want in general and would add more value to you item than a vga grade. 

[B.A. 1,110]

It isn't that easy of a question, and depends on what you want to send in and what is your end goal.  The two companies don't do the exact same things.   

Just some examples: VGA won't grade loose stuff like WATA.  WATA uses pre-manufactured cases, so depending on if what you have is at all out of the ordinary WATA might not have a case for it.  Some of it is just aesthetic preference.  If you want to sell on Heritage auctions they won't even accept VGA.  

Lots of things to consider.

[a3quit4s 3,230]

Send one shitty game to each and decide who earned your business 

[NESfiend 1,301]

48 minutes ago, B.A. said:

VGA won't grade loose stuff like WATA.  

I like that WATA does CIB grading. I can only remember seeing VGA on sealed stuff. Does VGA grade any gaming stuff that isnt sealed?

[MrWunderful 2,609]

Wata cases have more security features, VGA can be opened and closed easily. I dont think it occurs often, but is much easier than I thought and someone could easily switch out a lower grade version, reseal etc

[Tulpa 2,852]

7 hours ago, NESfiend said:

Does VGA grade any gaming stuff that isnt sealed?

Only if it didn't come sealed from the factory, like some accessories.

[WalterWhiteJr. 1,003]

I prefer Wata. Easy interface. Good communication. Wait times suck but it is what it is. 

Edited August 28, 2020 by WalterWhiteJr.

[Californication 1,466]

Does VGA grade sealed repro's?

[NESfiend 1,301]

15 hours ago, Tulpa said:

Only if it didn't come sealed from the factory, like some accessories.

Thats a big argument for VGAs days being somewhat numbered. Theres a lot more demand than supply for sealed games. Ungraded sealed games for sale may be few and far between before long. I parused eBay and most everything I saw in my quick search was graded except for the lowest end titles.

CIB values are rising to the point where grading stuff is starting to make more and more sense. Obviously, there isnt an endless supply of great conditioned original boxes, but more than sealed. There was also no one grading them until WATA, so vast majority of even high end stuff isn't graded now. I think thats going to change pretty quickly in the coming years. 

Edited August 28, 2020 by NESfiend

[B.A. 1,110]

1 hour ago, NESfiend said:

Thats a big argument for VGAs days being somewhat numbered. Theres a lot more demand than supply for sealed games. Ungraded sealed games for sale may be few and far between before long. I parused eBay and most everything I saw in my quick search was graded except for the lowest end titles.

CIB values are rising to the point where grading stuff is starting to make more and more sense. Obviously, there isnt an endless supply of great conditioned original boxes, but more than sealed. There was also no one grading them until WATA, so vast majority of even high end stuff isn't graded now. I think thats going to change pretty quickly in the coming years. 

There have been other companies that tried, but didn't last. VGA will grade games that aren't sealed but they are supposedly new but opened. I don't like to speak to this stuff and have someone quote me like im an expert because I honestly don't care, but I have a fairly good idea of what both companies will do.

[Startyde 174]

VGA

Pros: Can fabricate any sized case, and thus, can grade any game or system or item. Have been in business for 10+ years in gaming, and longer in Toy Grading, in which AFA is a virtual monopoly. They're going nowhere as a business. Their cases for horizontal games in particular, are superior looking. Typically stick to their specified turnaround times, sans for the occasional backup. VGA games will always be in demand as even Wata collectors will try to snatch them up to one day try and convert, so there will never not be a market for VGA. They will answer questions within 24 to 48 hours. Use they toy grade scale. 

Con: Antiquated site, often difficult to see who is behind the grading. Single grade for wrap and game that can sometimes be obtuse in determining why the overall is what it is without a grading report. No census after nearly 10 years, though you can email for grading report. Cases permanently sealed and would be to be inelegantly damaged to remove the game, potentially causing damage. 

Wata:

Pros: Newer grading company with some heavy game and collector influencers behind it. Interesting and attractive labeling. Prefabricated cases that can lead to (hypothetically) lower cost and faster turnaround. Currently has the buzz with partnerships to CGC and HA.com. Attracting high end spenders that is propelling videogame speculation into the limelight, to the delight of longtime collectors, and the shagrin of people trying to now enter the market. Very slick site and easy to checkout. Grade CIB games which will become an underclass of collecting in time. Separate wrap and case grade for an easier understanding of grade. Uses the comic scale. Cases easy to break open and retrieve game if desired. 

Cons: Because cases must be of a standard size and ordered in bulk, there are many games, systems and editions currently unable to be graded, nor may ever be able to be graded under Wata. Their cases are designed with a vertical aesthetic, making horizontal games downright hideous to display. Company is new and has not scaled with demand. Current ETA for an email response is about a week or more. Current turnaround times have always been 200-300 percent of stated time. Inconsistency early on on what they grade off on (one point drillholes were accepted, now not, stickers not considered a flaw, even though they look awful etc). Heavy emphasis on matrix technology that has yet to be released in several years. 

TLDR: Each company has their place and isn't likely going away. Like any asset, you should diversify in more than one to truly capture the benefits of graded game collecting. 

[GPX 1,207]

Here’s my take:

- if you want the best condition possible for a particular game, then it shouldn’t matter which grading company.

- are you buying the game for the game/condition? Or buying for the acrylic case belonging to the grader?

Currently, I get WATA is hot in the market trends, but I can picture both VGA and WATA to co-exist, because they cater for different markets with overlapping features.

[BlackVega 175]

It is probably a matter of time until we see HDMI graded games

[Super Nintendo Chalmers 48]

On 8/28/2020 at 8:52 AM, NESfiend said:

I like that WATA does CIB grading. I can only remember seeing VGA on sealed stuff. Does VGA grade any gaming stuff that isnt sealed?

Yes, for example many Australian games and consoles within their boxes weren't sold/readily available sealed. There are exceptions, but across the board this was standard. So the contents themselves inside are new, but the box has been opened. They have a seperate process for those new but unsealed games. One of a few reasons why you don't see many Aussie graded games around.

 

Edited August 30, 2020 by Super Nintendo Chalmers

[tidaldreams 646]

Go with VGA. Only go with Wata if:

1. You have a game in mediocre condition and want a 9.2 out of it so you can pawn it off to some chump who doesn't know any better; or

2. You want to sell on heritage auctions

[Gulag Joe 525]

I sent some sealed games to VGA in 2014. I was very pleased with the experience, and the cases were very nice and clean.

4 years later I hear about WATA. I was reluctant to send games to them because a) internet feedback hated all over one video game grading company already- VGA, and b) another pop up made me think about all the grading companies that sprang up for card collecting in the early 2000s, which somewhat delegitimized the whole 3rd party grading segment of the hobby.

However, a few things WATA does swooned me. They grade the seal separately, they grade CIB games, and they list the variation types right on the label. So I sent them some games. When I got them back, they were packed nice and safe, the grades were what I expected, but the cases were not the best in my opinion. Some scuffing on the INSIDE of the cases and dust/debris trapped inside the case with the games was very offputting. I'm sure if I contacted them they would re-encapsulate them, but having to go through the effort of repacking and resending back to them when it should have been done right the first time is simply too much of a hassle.

Ultimately, I'd like a service that is a combination of VGA cases with WATA grading methodology.

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by Gulag Joe

[Tyree_Cooper 471]

None of them.

[GPX 1,207]

I think the better approach is not to idolize either company. Take each item on their own merit, and how they fit with the scheme of grading for either companies.

Personally, I only own VGA items so far. However, I do have some nice CIBs that I might try the WATA route sometime in the near future.

[FenrirZero 1,107]

Between the two I am looking into going with CAS.

They are better known for grading toys, but also grade video games. The downside is that they do not offer top labels. But other than that it is something I am looking into when it comes to me revising my video game collecting plans.

[fcgamer 3,940]

On 10/27/2020 at 9:32 AM, Tyree_Cooper said:

None of them.

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