Starting to collect

[Dan Keane | 0]

Hi guys, im currently looking for sealed games on ebay and wondering how common replicas / fakes are.

Im 17 looking for some ds and gameboy games to buy for nostalgia and to build up a collection for myself.

After looking on ebay, i came across some graded games graded by "UKG" which seems quite common over here in the uk but i dont know how reliable they are.

Cheers.
 

[Tanooki | 4,930]

DS and Gameboy (GBA in particular) are the most notorious for damn near 1:1 accurate fakes, good enough you basically may need it in hand to check it out, using a kit no less seeing the board on GBA to figure it out.

Can't tell you have that grade bit, I consider it all shady and suspect.

 

It's best to read into the tells on DS and GBA (back to GB) games as far as plastics (color, molding, feel in hand, etc) go but also tells on how you can see the bs when it comes to the stickers too.  Boxes are easy, if someone shows the inside Nintendo used their own kind of stock and most often the fakes just use cheap white flat card stock which is a dead give away.  A give away as much as any GB to GBA game not having a stamped (indented) into the sticker number code.

[joshdose | 56]

Always start by picking up a couple of the cheaper games that you are looking for. Games that are not as likely to be reproduced or duplicated. These could be good references for you to have in hand while studying and researching into your new hobby. Once you become familiar enough in assessing the fine details, you'll gain some confidence with purchasing on Ebay. Always buy from reputable sellers... check their reviews. UKG are very similar to the VGA service we have here. They should be a reliable source for authentic sealed games. Also, this forum, videgamesage, is a great place to get tips and advice for items you are interested in buying. Welcome to the community. I have just joined myself, but I have been collecting casually for about 12 years.

Edited November 19, 2020 by joshdose