Dr. Mario NES sealed Wata Question

[Jane | 1]

Hi, I just bought a sealed copy of Dr. Mario for NES at a fleamarket for 5 bucks. I am considering sending it to Wata. Does anyone have an idea of what it might go for on the market? Also, it has a little plastic hook attached to it at the top, how does something like that factor into a rating. Thanks for any information, I really appreciate it.

Edited May 3, 2021 by Jane

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

Troll attempt 1/10

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

I've been looking for a sealed copy of my favourite game. Grading it will cost you $200 and a month's wait so you can save your time and money by selling me the ungraded copy. They're generally worth about $500 graded so we can work from there.

[Jane | 1]

I went through wata and they are charging me 88 dollars, i just haven't sent it yet, as this is all new to me. I am looking for a little guidance. thank you. I posted some photos for reference.

Edited May 3, 2021 by Jane

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

Grading = $85 (2 months wait time)

Light Cleaning = $6

Deep Badge Upgrade = $8 (optional)

Photo Services = $10 (you want this if you're selling it)

Shipping = $20 - $40

Insurance = $20

So you're at about $150 USD and you'll get your pay day in 2 months when you receive the game back and can sell it.

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

5 minutes ago, Jane said:

I went through wata and they are charging me 88 dollars, i just haven't sent it yet, as this is all new to me. I am looking for a little guidance. thank you. I posted some photos for reference.

Remember, you have to pay shipping both ways.  As @Code Monkeyis in Canada, his price estimate is not far off, once the cost of shipping from Canada two ways is factored in.  But you also have to wait a few months for them to grade it, or pay extra for them to rush, and then the time it takes to ship on top of that.  If you're just looking to sell it after anyway, it's probably a LOT less hassle, and a better return on investment, to just sell it as is, especially if you got it for a good price.  I highly doubt the increased expense will net enough of an additional return to be worth it.

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

Another thing to factor in is the likely grade.  That looks to be an 8.0, maybe an 8.5 on a good day.  On such a common title, with a common grade, it's not really worth much extra.

[Jane | 1]

i didnt get the photo service, i wonder if i can add that. i had it insured at 750, and i got the light cleaning and the badge service. all that came to 88 dollars. i wonder if i can cancel it, if i haven't sent it in yet? this is my first post, can i respond to each of you individually, i don't see a way to do that, i am just replying at the bottom, trying to field each of your comments.

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Jane

[Jane | 1]

• 

  1

  Dr. Mario

  • NES
  • NINTENDO
  • 1990

  3D

  Turbo

  Deep “Badge” upgrade

  Light Cleaning

   

   

   

   

   

  $66.00
   

   

  BILL TO:

  • PayPal

    PRINT INVOICE

  ORDER TOTAL:

  $88.56

   

  I deleted my info, but this is the invoice basically, cut and copied

[Khromak | 768]

3 minutes ago, Jane said:

can i respond to each of you individually, i don't see a way to do that, i am just replying at the bottom, trying to field each of your comments.

You can quote someone by highlighting the text you want to quote or you can quote the entire message using the button below the post. Or you can @Jane someone by putting @ then their name (a little drop down will help you).

I agree with the advice above. Unless you have an exceptionally rare or high quality game, it doesn't always make the most sense to grade the game. Looking at price charting, it seems to be about right. Either way GLWS.

https://www.pricecharting.com/game/nes/dr-mario#completed-auctions-new

[Jane | 1]

I agree with the advice above. Unless you have an exceptionally rare or high quality game, it doesn't always make the most sense to grade the game. Looking at price charting, it seems to be about right. Either way GLWS.

 

where is this listing from? HA and ebay are running 700 and up...

[Khromak | 768]

$529 Ebay 4/3 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dr-Mario-Factory-Sealed-NES-Game-Nintendo-Entertainment-System-1990-Box-/143996846221?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l10137.c10&nordt=true&rt=nc&orig_cvip=true

$425 Ebay 3/31 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dr-Mario-Nintendo-Entertainment-System-1990-SEALED-NEW-NIB-/333933000357?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l10137.c10&nordt=true&rt=nc&orig_cvip=true

$480 HA https://comics.ha.com/itm/video-games/dr-mario-wata-90-a-sealed-nes-nintendo-1990-usa/a/122028-13822.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

$528 HA https://comics.ha.com/itm/video-games/dr-mario-wata-92-a-sealed-oval-soq-r-nes-nintendo-1990-usa/a/122047-17783.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

$600 HA https://comics.ha.com/itm/video-games/dr-mario-wata-90-a-sealed-oval-soq-r-nes-nintendo-1990-usa/a/122101-11691.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

I wouldn't expect to make $700 and up. Those were all 9.0 or above, and HA charges insane fees to both buyer and seller, plus you have to wait months for the grading and then months for the auction, plus who knows how long to get your payment from the auction and into your account.

I don't have skin in the game here, but I'd be careful about getting sucked into the hype of selling WATA -> HA. It seems like $$$$ but there's a lot of hassle, waiting, and hoping.

[Jane | 1]

Khromak

 

thank you so much for this information... i suppose ebay wants a cut as well. i was worried that if i sold it on ebay, i just wouldnt be protected if someone wanted to scam me.  and you can tell by the photos that its not in mint, what can you see? thank you again. if i can cancel the wata order, maybe ill just get brave and go rogue..

[Khromak | 768]

I'm far from an expert on sealed video games, I only own a couple and haven't ever gotten one graded, I'll leave that discussion for others. I'm not sure if yours would be an 8.5, 9, 9.8, whatever. Ebay does take a %, but it's generally smaller, for example HA charges the buyer 20%, so if they're willing to pay $1000 they will bid 850, because they have to pay HA another 20% on top of that. I'm not sure what kind of payment processing they use, like if the buyer pays $800 do you then get $650 after fees?

PayPal also takes a fee if you use Goods & Services for the payment, but if you sell it privately, like to a forum member, that's the only fee you pay.

Again, I won't speculate about what grade yours is, how much it might sell for on Ebay, HA, or elsewhere, but my advice is that even if the WATA/HA route might get you $1000 for your game, that may only be $100 or $200 more than you could get otherwise and it will take significantly longer.

You can't just list something on HA tomorrow, they run their auctions in cycles like once every couple weeks. I've never listed anything there but I assume there's a lead time before you can list it. And then they run them for like ~30 or 45 days from open of bidding to close. So add all that time to the turnaround for your sale.

In the end, you are the only one who can decide what's most important to you. If you're looking to make the absolute highest amount of money off this game, regardless of time, maybe WATA -> HA (or ebay) could work. If you want the money sooner, or don't want to have to deal with all the shipping, waiting, making decisions, taking photos, etc. then it's probably a good idea to just do some research about what the market looks like and list it for sale on this site or others and make a private sale.

As far as getting ripped off, you will be immensely less likely to get ripped off selling to a member of this forum than you would with someone on Ebay. Ebay accounts are cheap and replaceable but a reputation on a site like this is not.

[Jane | 1]

Khromak

 

thank you again for taking the time to answer me, ill mull it over. Its still exciting either way.. the old man at the fleamarket sold me that game, some weird joystick, the nes gun, an nes console, with all the cords, duckhunt and a sealed copy of Dr Mario,  for 30 bucks. i only play tetris, and only on nes. but my nes console is old, and i  have to bang on it alot! i was gonna sell the one i purchased at the fleamarket and i plugged it in to make sure it worked, and it did so beautifully...you could see that it was in just really good condition, anyways, i decided to keep it, and have pulled out my ole tetris. high score 940,00 btw,  though that was 20 years ago in my younger days, but i digress.

so anyways, originally at the fleamarket, i didn't want the console cause i already have one, but i spied the game, and asked the old man, can i just buy the game? he took it from my hands looked it over, and said well it originally was 37.50, or whatever the price tag said...he paused, and said, how bout 5 bucks. i said sure. i still didn't think much of it, i sell on ebay, so im always looking for a deal..i thought 40 or 50 bucks maybe. then i went back to my car, thought about, and went back and bought everything else for 25 more. i get home, and my kid comes out to the garage and was like mom, mom, come look, and we about flipped when we saw the prices on ebay..just one of those moments that you only hear on antique roadshow, and my kid watches pawnstar, and said you have to get it validated on wata, so off i went, and now im here,  anyways, thanks again for the great advice..either way, it will be good.

 

again i appreciate your feedback.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

"My kid saw Pawn Stars and said I had to get it validated by Wata." Sounds like their marketing is working beautifully.

Selling the game here, eBay or on the corner of the street is all going to give you the same protection as long as you take payment via PayPal. It protects the sale up to $10,000 so there's really nothing to worry about except the 8% - 13% they take from the sale.

I'll give you $200 shipped, that copy isn't going to grade in the 9s.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

Wow, wait a minute, you submitted it via Turbo? Did you read the associated grading estimate of 90 business days? That means your game will be graded by September 6 at the earliest and they've been about a month behind on everything lately. Then once it's graded, it's about another 3 weeks before it gets shipped back so you'll probably get your game back some time in November. Maybe.

Edited May 3, 2021 by Code Monkey

[AdamW | 713]

You're kinda right on the brink of what's worth grading and selling through a "premium" service there, basically, which is why you're finding it hard to know what to do. If you have a $50k game it's a no brainer: mail it off to HA and wait for the check. If you have a $50 game it's a no-brainer too: stick it up on eBay or a classified site ungraded. Around $500 is kinda right on the brink. So, there's no absolutely clear answer as to what "the best" thing to do is. If you want a definite payday right now, sell it ungraded here or through eBay. If you go through grading you're basically gambling that the cost and time will pay off. If you're lucky, the market will keep going nuts and it'll be worth *more* by the time you get it back. If you're unlucky the bubble will pop and no-one will pay you what it cost you to grade it. Or it might wind up just being kind of a wash.

So...you've gotta think it over and take your pick

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

For the record, I also don't have any foot in this game either.  I wish I'd found it, if only so I could open it up for the sealed contents list, but I do remember @Code Monkeytelling me how he wanted to get a sealed copy of this just a few days ago, so he wasn't just saying that to get it from you...he legitimately wants it for his collection.  He'd likely get it graded, but only because it has personal value to him.  If you're just looking for profit, don't bother grading it, because the difference it MIGHT net won't be worth the half-year turnaround and added expense.  You also have to keep in mind if the game's value might fall in the interim.  Since the virus hit, collectibles have almost universally increased in value.  This is entirely unsustainable, and if in 6 months things go back to normal, you might actually make LESS than you would've if you just sold it.

Basically @Jane, if you're keeping it, go ahead and grade it.  But if you're looking to sell it, just sell it.  You paid $5, so even selling at $250 is a 5000% profit, and you'll likely make far more than that as is.

Also, if you DO go the grading route, look into the pros and cons of the two major companies, WATA and VGA.  I'm not sure which is better because I'm far more likely to open a sealed game than even consider slabbing it, but I'm sure someone here will point you in the right direction with that regard too.

Ultimately, it's your call.  But if I were in your shoes, I'd just sell it as is.

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

Up until today I was promoting CAS. But seeing how they do not make games "more valuable" like VGA and Wata does, I can only suggest that you also check them out. Because after today I am debating if I will do my planned review. As we speak their asking price is $49.99 (before shipping, insurance, etc.), with an estimated 40-60 day turnaround.

And because you have to submit the data prior to having it graded (as they have yet graded this game), asking for a "UV resistance" upgrade has to be a by-email request. If you do it before they received the item, you'll get a response within 24 hours saying so. Otherwise you will be charged that and insurance first.

As for return shipping... They will charge you that one last time once they pack everything up. My rough guesstimate is that shipping will be the same as it costs to ship it there. Maybe more if you live in Canada. Plus since they grade like VGA, and not Wata, you'd be getting a 80+ to 85 on that item. More likely an 85 if VGA graded it.

That is all I can say. I have two games submitted with many more stored away. In the end I chose them over Wata because @Code Monkey's review became the deciding factor. And chose them over VGA because they charge extra for the type of label I want for most of the titles I currently own. Among other things I will not bring up.

I hope this helps. Because all I can say is that they are authentic collectors. Mostly when it comes to toys. But regardless of that, they are worth looking into. 

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

16 minutes ago, the_wizard_666 said:

Also, if you DO go the grading route, look into the pros and cons of the two major companies, WATA and VGA.  I'm not sure which is better because I'm far more likely to open a sealed game than even consider slabbing it, but I'm sure someone here will point you in the right direction with that regard too.

IMHO, VGA is the best when compared to Wata. In the end they only charge for both grading and the fact they have to make a custom acrylic case. Wata is a different case.

Plus, their Archival service has the item return within a month. With me already pointing out that (like CAS) they have a better grading system. I mean if I can be frank, I would not be surprised if HA told Wata to use CGC's grading system. Which feels like it since I have compared CGC 9.8s to CBCS 9.8s.

But I also think that people should consider CAS as an alternative. Especially if they are submitting games, etc. as a means to preserve what they own. Plus, the free services are great for cases like this game. But if it is "for profit"... I'd definitely submit it to VGA since Wata is only good if HA is involved.

[Jane | 1]

 

Selling the game here, eBay or on the corner of the street is all going to give you the same protection as long as you take payment via PayPal. It protects the sale up to $10,000 so there's really nothing to worry about except the 8% - 13% they take from the sale.

 

I don't know about that. if a buyer decides they want to return the item, and opens a claim ebay puts a hold on the funds immediately, and if you lose, they can withdraw from your bank, to make up the funds. from what i have heard, the buyer then can switch out your item, for a damaged or lesser value item, and return it instead and keep the original. it being encased and coded would protect me from that.  

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

8 minutes ago, Jane said:

 

Selling the game here, eBay or on the corner of the street is all going to give you the same protection as long as you take payment via PayPal. It protects the sale up to $10,000 so there's really nothing to worry about except the 8% - 13% they take from the sale.

 

I don't know about that. if a buyer decides they want to return the item, and opens a claim ebay puts a hold on the funds immediately, and if you lose, they can withdraw from your bank, to make up the funds. from what i have heard, the buyer then can switch out your item, for a damaged or lesser value item, and return it instead and keep the original. it being encased and coded would protect me from that.  

Horror stories abound, but the bigger concern from the buyer's point of view is the seller running off with the funds and not shipping the item.  It's happened to me far more often than it should.  Oddly enough, only once outside of eBay since 2003, and I typically make purchases, trades, and sales on "unprotected" forums like this one.  Generally if you're selling to someone on a collector's forum, they're far more likely than not to deal amicably for the simple reason that their reputation is on the line if they screw someone over.  Plus, selling directly to a collector means you only have to deal with PayPal's fees and not eBay's on top of that, so more money in your pocket.  But if you're THAT concerned about those horror stories, your best bet is to just sell it to someone locally for peanuts and let THEM deal with the hassle.

[Jane | 1]

Horror stories abound, but the bigger concern from the buyer's point of view is the seller running off with thefunds and not shipping the item.

 

buyers are more protected on eBay.  eBay will return your money no questions asked, if delivery is not confirmed, or the buyer shows photos of an item not matching the description.. it might take a month, but they always get it back... in fact it’s a buyers are very protected and usually always win resolution queries. Most sellers won’t hassle with it.

[Khromak | 768]

35 minutes ago, Jane said:

buyers are more protected on eBay.  eBay will return your money no questions asked, if delivery is not confirmed, or the buyer shows photos of an item not matching the description.. it might take a month, but they always get it back... in fact it’s a buyers are very protected and usually always win resolution queries. Most sellers won’t hassle with it.

I feel like a broken record here but honestly it sounds like your biggest concern is with being scammed by a buyer. In that case you should 1000% sell your game to someone from this forum. I would bet the entire value of the game at 3:1 odds that you won't get scammed by a tenured member of this forum.

You can also go the HA route and you won't get scammed there either (most likely) but another guarantee is that will take you months, maybe years, to get dollars into your account. As someone posted above, the turnaround time you paid for was 90 business days and there are posts all over the internet from customers of WATA saying that their games are going well past the posted dates. Then add on to that the time to ship the game to HA and wait for them to put it in their next auction, time for the auction to be posted, everyone to bid on the game, and HA to send you the proceeds. It's just not worth it.

All of the above is just my opinion, but that's what you came here for so...you got it.