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 also do not require games to be sent to us; 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 10 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 | £9 |
| 3 | Grading, Label & Box Protector | £14 |
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 (seriously, who needs 8 "Near Mint/NM" grades? With us, NM means NM). 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 at no extra cost (again, unlike our competitors).
| 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. |
How do I submit my games to be graded?
To be completed at a later date
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.
How long does it take for my game(s) to be graded?
Currently, it takes up to 5 working days for your game(s) to be graded, provided that you have enough images of your game in question.
Will I be able to ship my game(s) direct to yourself for grading?
At this point in time, we do not have the facilities to receive video games. Thhis may change in the future, and we recommend that you follow our section (How do I submit my games to be graded?) on how to submit your games to us.
Wait, so I don't have to pay for "return postage"?
Seriously, why add the extra expense of paying us to return your games to you? They are your games after all. Unlike our competitors, we don't offer this expense at all.
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. For information on how to effectively clean your game(s), please join our Discord server.
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 an e-mail to you with the grading notes related to your game.
When will I be able to scan my QR code?
As soon as you receive your label (TIER 2 and above ONLY), you will be able to scan your QR code and read the graders' notes.
What if my game turns out to be fake, or has reproduction entities?
Counterfeit/reproduction games are automatically given a 000 grade.
What countries do you ship to for labels and/or box protectors?
We ship worldwide from the UK.
Do you grade comics?
We do not grade comics. We highly recommend that you visit CBCS Comics to grade your comics.
Do you grade trading cards?
We do not grade trading cards. We highly recommend that you visit Beckett Grading Services to grade your trading cards, including Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh.