Sorry to say this and a lot of you are going to hate me for saying this, but if you are solely a gamer, you will not like this thread. If you read it you will see why. I still want your opinion though! Just tell me in your post whether you are more of a gamer or collector. I cannot stress the importance of this thread! I now know of two individuals who have contacted me about financially backing them on moving this forward! Any advice is appreciated. One thing though, keep it civil and show mutual respect, as this can be a "hot topic" once you understand how it has changed other collecting fields. I will post more on that as we move along!
As some of you may know, in other fields of collecting (i.e. coins, toys, action figures, sports cards, comic books, etc.) the process of third party grading has taken over. Its effects on the market cannot be denied and that is why I started this thread. I am looking for input! Is it a good idea as it relates to our hobby? Is is a bad idea? These are all relevant questions. For the uninformed, third party grading is basically defined as a "third party" using their own set of standards grading a collectible and sealing it in a plastic "slab" that is also tamper evident. Obviously, if the outer "slab" has been opened or tampered with the grade is invalid.
What I am asking for is your thoughts as a whole on this topic. Right now as we speak, collectors are paying top dollar for factory sealed games. This is due to a few market factors: (I did not list them all, I know)
1. Lack of a grading standard. Example: I describe something as mint and sell it to you. You get it and put it under a magnifying glass thus finding various scratches. You want a refund because the item is "not as described." A grading standard set by a third party grading company will eliminate that.
2. Factory sealed games are selling at an average of four times the cost of an identical opened "MINT" item! Unless you want a FACTORY SEALED game, this is a little ridiculous (I'll even agree with that).
Due to no known grading standards or the lack of a third party grading company, collectors who want MINT games are forced to buy multiple mint copies of a game hoping they eventually find a true mint game, or buy a factory sealed game then open it! This is stupid!
Drawbacks to third party grading:
Guess what: Your collectibles will be sealed in a plastic slab! You can either open the slab, thus voiding the grade, display the slab, or resell it! Reselling a high graded item is going to cause an increase in prices! It has happened in every collectible field thus far, so I am telling you in advance. Dealers and resellers will make this happen. When collectors see that a FFVII is the highest available copy on eBay, they will pay big bucks for it.
Keep in mind a few things:
Most third party grading companies utilize a "census." This measures what they have graded, what grade was assigned, and how many are out there, whether it be in the marketplace or in a display case! These numbers are updated frequently and are displayed on the third party grading company's website.
MULTIPLE GRADING COMPANIES CAN AND WILL HARM THE MARKET! Want to buy a "graded" coin? Guess what? You have about five companies to choose from, but only two have collector confidence. This caused a lot of problems and still does to this day. Each company has different grading standards. How fun!
SO, THOSE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THIRD PARTY GRADING IN OTHER FIELDS AND THOSE WHO DO NOT: HOW DO YOU, AS A VIDEO GAME COLLECTOR, FEEL ABOUT THIS? IF YOU ARE A GAMER, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS? OBVIOUSLY, A GAMER WILL GET CAUGHT UP IN A WHIRLWIND OF HIGH PRICES IF HE HOPES TO HUNT DOWN AN IN DEMAND GAME!
I hope you will post on this subject. I know of certain individuals who are in fact, moving it forward!