Should I get my games graded?
VGA and WATA charge exorbitant amounts for grading, encapsulating and sending back games. Whilst VGA and WATA are the "gold-standard" in video game "investment", we want to change that. In the past, VGA and WATA have knowingly graded and encapsulated fake games, which have been sold to unsuspecting consumers. We verify every game submitted to us in-house at a high standard, with a proven track record. We do not want the community to be mislead by unscrupulous vendors, hence why we have a verifying and grading service that is accessible to all that need it, for the low, low price of FREE. Yes, free for all.
Unlike VGA/WATA, we do not encapsulate games - we believe that gamers should play their games, like manuals and comics should be read (what's the point in spending £100+ on Pokemon Diamond if you're not going to have an army of Rattata?) As a result, we highly recommend that you invest in box protectors. You can get these for nearly every console/game, and are considerably cheaper than encapsulating your game (the price of encapsulating your games is tenfold the price of a box protector), still giving you the ability to play your games. It's not difficult to look after a pristine sealed game, and we provide a service that aids you in your collecting journey, without losing the possibilty of playing your games.
We require games to be sent to us via the PDS, a revolutionary method using government drones; this means our turnaround times are vastly faster than the 60-90 business days our competitors claim.
Why choose us?
Like our competitors, we verify and grade our games at the highest possible standards. Between us, our grading and verifying teams have 25 years of experience in this field. However, unlike our competitors, we charge the least for initial grading as per our Tier 1 price. We have three tiers:
| Tier | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grading | FREE |
| 2 | Grading & Label | £10 |
| 3 | Grading, Label & Box Protector | £15 |
How do I submit my games to be graded?
Your games can be submitted via these seven simple steps:
- Submit a ticket into the PDS.
- Take high quality Polaroids.
- Roll these Polaroids tightly with crisp £5 notes.
- Zip-tie the Polaroids with the £5 notes to an enthusiastic carrier pigeon.
- Whisper the following phrase softly into your carrier pigeons ear: "WATA and VGA are a scam, praise be!"
- Let your pigeon free, and hope that your pigeon doesn't get distracted from his valiant mission.
- Wait 72 hours for your grade and label to be delivered by the same carrier pigeon.
How are your labels set out?
- Grade awarded to game
- Our subreddit
- Article number relating to submission on database
- Our website
- Scannable QR code that takes you directly to the article number relating to a game
- Brief grading notes (further grading notes accessible via QR code)
- Verfication result from r/gameverifying.
How do you grade your games?
Each game submitted to us gets given a numerical value from 000 to 100, spread evenly across 11 grades, unlike our competitors (a clear, concise value system. Was that so hard?). Counterfeit/reproduction games are automatically given a 000 grade. We also include a brief description of our decision to award the game with the numerical value shown, and give you the ability to request an in-depth explanation.
| Grade | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 000 | NG | Game only. Major grooves in optical media, contacts of cart heavily corroded/non-existent, label non-existent, casing(s) cracked/missing pieces, game unplayable. Counterfeit games will automatically get a 000 scale. |
| 010 | L- | Game only. Major scratches in optical media, contacts of cart heavily worn/corroded, parts of label visible. |
| 020 | L | Game only. Minor scratches in optical media, contacts of cart worn, minor scratches in label visible. |
| 030 | L+ | Game only. Minimal scratches in optical media, contacts of cart lightly worn, parts of label visible. |
| 040 | GB- | Game and box, no manual (or manual missing pages), box heavily damaged, game with heavy wear and scratches. |
| 050 | GB | Game and box, no manual (or pages torn, heavily creased), box lightly damaged, game with minor scratches. |
| 060 | GB+ | Game and box, no manual (or pages creased), box with minor wear and scratches, game with minimal scratches. |
| 070 | CIB- | Complete in box. Minor wear on corners and flaps, manual with visible creasings, game with minor scratches. |
| 080 | CIB | Complete in box. Minimal wear on corners, manual with small, light creasings, game with minimal scratches. |
| 090 | CIB+ | Complete in box. All corners pristine with no wear, manual in pristine condition, game with no scratches whatsoever. |
| 100 | Mint | Sealed, complete in box. All 4 corners of Y-folds untouched, H-seam wrap taut with no stretching, holes or imperfections, Nintendo strip (PAL) pristine. |
Questions and Answers
What platforms do you grade?
We verify and grade most platforms, from Atari to Panasonic, Sega to Xbox.
Do you grade consoles?
We do verify consoles. You may need to send more than one pigeon, however.
How long does it take for my game(s) to be graded?
Currently, it takes up to 72 hour for your game(s) to be graded, provided that you have enough images of your game in question, and your delivery arrived safely.
Should I clean my game(s) before submitting it to yourselves?
Yes, you should clean your game(s) before submitting, as this can improve your grade in some cases. We can't promise that your pigeon will shit all over them, however.
How can I read the graders' notes regarding my game?
Scan the QR code on your label (TIER 2 and above ONLY) with your smartphone/tablet - this will take you to the exact article number of your game and show you any imperfections the grading team have come across. If you do not have a smartphone/tablet, please message the grading team with (your article number) + request grading notes as the subject and they will send out a pigeon to you with the grading notes related to your game.
What countries do you ship to for labels and/or box protectors?
We ship worldwide from the UK using specially trained carrier pigeons.
How can I get the pigeon shit off of the label?
Use dish soap.
It's been 72 hours, my pigeon went missing.
Your pigeon wasn't enthusiastic enough. Attach £5 notes to an more-enthusiastic pigeon this time.
My pigeon came back drunk.
Your pigeon was over-enthusiastic.
Coo?
Coo.