Its just not for me. Im cool with collectors who are into it because they enjoy it and are passionate about it, but I'm so sick and tired of random resellers just trying to make millions from NES games. Excuse the terminology if its off, I'm not very educated in vga,, but I get nauseous when I see sealed vga games like "Blades of Steel" with $800-$1k price tags.
It's not for me either all it does is make it harder to find some games and cost more. I saw this crap with Transformers and comic books too, these things are meant to be used and enjoyed not encased in plastic.
Poor Q-graded games, they just don't get any love and affection (
I'm just trying to get more thoughts in current times regarding VGA/Q grading. There is certainly no misconception that Q grades are looked down upon, even on sealed collecting forums. However, I do believe the general public is a little misinformed in that Q grades = [mint box] + [mint manual/cart]. When in fact, Q grades = [mint box] + [new/unused manual/cart.]
The discussion on prices should not come to play regarding Q games, as prices are determined by seller vs buyer, and not VGA themselves.
Also, there are games that never came originally as sealed (eg. a lot of the Australian Nintendo games), so Q grade game is the next best thing to a standard grade, and theoretically, in better state than a mint CIB. The benefits Q grades can bring, is that it confirms authenticity, and also as a by-product of this, this may help to deter the repro sellers from doing an oversupply of repro games.
I totally forgot about this thread, looks like im still in the minority, i look at it as a grading service for mint cibs and definitely feel a third party evaluation of a mint game is worth paying extra for, how many times have you guys bought a "mint" grade from someone and ended up getting something less than mint?
Also im not certain the unused aspect is actually verified, everything ive sent in to get a q grade came back fine, so has anybody actually been turned away of a Q grade? Also are people against a grading servixe for cibs?
How does VGA verify the game is new but not sealed? Do they look at the creases in the cardboard with a magnifying glass, looking for evidence of the flaps having been opened? If not, sure, the game could be in there, but unless they have an exhaustive list of all of the contents of new games, it could missing registration cards, catalogs, etc.
Poor Q-graded games, they just don't get any love and affection (
I'm just trying to get more thoughts in current times regarding VGA/Q grading. There is certainly no misconception that Q grades are looked down upon, even on sealed collecting forums. However, I do believe the general public is a little misinformed in that Q grades = [mint box] + [mint manual/cart]. When in fact, Q grades = [mint box] + [new/unused manual/cart.]
The discussion on prices should not come to play regarding Q games, as prices are determined by seller vs buyer, and not VGA themselves.
Also, there are games that never came originally as sealed (eg. a lot of the Australian Nintendo games), so Q grade game is the next best thing to a standard grade, and theoretically, in better state than a mint CIB. The benefits Q grades can bring, is that it confirms authenticity, and also as a by-product of this, this may help to deter the repro sellers from doing an oversupply of repro games.
The reason that Qualified is crap is because games are frankensteined together. I can have a game with a crap box and perfect contents, then combine it with a super Mint box of the same game. Then someone like you would buy it because VGA says it is new, when it was just 2 games combined into one.
Qualified is just a niche service for people who can't afford the price of the sealed equivalent, or who are unable to find it due to rarity. It's not a demand that needs to be met on a large scale.
How does VGA verify the game is new but not sealed? Do they look at the creases in the cardboard with a magnifying glass, looking for evidence of the flaps having been opened? If not, sure, the game could be in there, but unless they have an exhaustive list of all of the contents of new games, it could missing registration cards, catalogs, etc.
A person can open the box all they want under the Qualified grade (though the grade might suffer), they are stating that the contents are new. To your point about the extras, there is no way VGA knows exactly what should be in every game down to the Nintendo Power ads, warning cards, all of that stuff. There is a thread floating around here with sealed NES games contents and it's only like 1/3 complete. It would be impossible to know every game for every system.
I can see the use for games that never came sealed, like Earthbound or whatever. There probably are lots of those with new contents as that is the way they came. The idea that there are thousands of examples of people bothering to open sealed games then not bothering to do anything with the contents is absurd.
What if a kid opened his game on the car ride home and read through the manual, is it still new? What if someone wrote inside of a manual? Does VGA inspect every page of the manual to verify it's new? Wouldn't just the act of them doing that make it no longer new? The entire concept is flawed and impossible to accuratly state.
I need to stress I don't encourage everyone to go out and buy Q grades games, nor are they a big part of my gaming collection. I just think it's unfair how all Q grades games are labelled in just the 2 groups "nay" or "yay".
Think simply, if they were totally useless, then why are people still buying Q games and VGA still providing such service?
That being said, I think Q grades are more useful for games which were never originally factory sealed. "Frankensteining" games in theory can be done, but you got to think of which titles they are and the overall grade. It's the rarity factor that's what makes them of value. Examples:
How does VGA verify the game is new but not sealed? Do they look at the creases in the cardboard with a magnifying glass, looking for evidence of the flaps having been opened? If not, sure, the game could be in there, but unless they have an exhaustive list of all of the contents of new games, it could missing registration cards, catalogs, etc.
A person can open the box all they want under the Qualified grade (though the grade might suffer), they are stating that the contents are new. To your point about the extras, there is no way VGA knows exactly what should be in every game down to the Nintendo Power ads, warning cards, all of that stuff. There is a thread floating around here with sealed NES games contents and it's only like 1/3 complete. It would be impossible to know every game for every system.
I can see the use for games that never came sealed, like Earthbound or whatever. There probably are lots of those with new contents as that is the way they came. The idea that there are thousands of examples of people bothering to open sealed games then not bothering to do anything with the contents is absurd.
What if a kid opened his game on the car ride home and read through the manual, is it still new? What if someone wrote inside of a manual? Does VGA inspect every page of the manual to verify it's new? Wouldn't just the act of them doing that make it no longer new? The entire concept is flawed and impossible to accuratly state.
Seems like this is gonna be one of my favorite threads to respond, as I just love to discuss anything to do with games/collecting. I collect for both CIB and BNIB (sealed/unsealed), so I'm in a position to better explain for the "nay" and the "yay" aspects of Q grades.
"The entire concept is flawed and impossible to accuratly state." Well, true. Can't argue with this generalized comment. But what I can say, is that collecting online is actually a flawed concept anyway, as no way you will have a 100% accurate description from one's computer screen to another. Even if the seller is 100% genuine, and they take 100 photos showing all angles and corners, using the best camera known to mankind. There will be the subtle things that a real object's flaws will not translate 100% through the eyes of the camera lens, and then transferred through a screen monitor.
If we are fair dinkum, as collectors, we all need to accept there is margin for error in item "description", from the point of online purchase to the point of them reaching our eager hands.
With the above in mind, if you open up your mind/perspective, understand any grading concept is a flawed one, but there is merit to the process, including the Q grades.
I've personally sent in a bunch of games (which never came as factory sealed), and one of which was actually rejected. There was no intention from my end to pull off a scam, and let me explain further. This rejected game had a mint box, and the manual, cart (with baggy) from my quick glimpse looked in "as new" condition, I couldn't know for sure if it was genuinely new or not, as I had purchased from a collector online, and along with a few other games (which also went for grading and these were accepted and graded qualified). I was disappointed that the said rejected game was refused, but upon further reflection, it made me more confident in the manner in which VGA grade their items. They stated that there was slight wear to the cart label/contacts, which I can see upon receiving it again from VGA.
The main thing I really want to add, is that mint contents and new contents are quite a different group of species. Mint ones you will find, in relative terms, quite easily. But new contents (game, baggy, insert, manual, posters), are not easy to find (for the older retro games). Even if you try "Frankensteining" the old games with box and inside contents, sometimes it aint that easy for certain games. And if "frankensteining" was a thing you severely dislike, then aim for a really high grade, which makes it virtually impossible to do a "Frankenstein".
eg. Clayfighter Sculptor's cut Q90+, anyone can do a Frankenstein? If so, they probably deserve to get away with it!
Poor Q-graded games, they just don't get any love and affection (
I'm just trying to get more thoughts in current times regarding VGA/Q grading. There is certainly no misconception that Q grades are looked down upon, even on sealed collecting forums. However, I do believe the general public is a little misinformed in that Q grades = [mint box] + [mint manual/cart]. When in fact, Q grades = [mint box] + [new/unused manual/cart.]
The discussion on prices should not come to play regarding Q games, as prices are determined by seller vs buyer, and not VGA themselves.
Also, there are games that never came originally as sealed (eg. a lot of the Australian Nintendo games), so Q grade game is the next best thing to a standard grade, and theoretically, in better state than a mint CIB. The benefits Q grades can bring, is that it confirms authenticity, and also as a by-product of this, this may help to deter the repro sellers from doing an oversupply of repro games.
The reason that Qualified is crap is because games are frankensteined together. I can have a game with a crap box and perfect contents, then combine it with a super Mint box of the same game. Then someone like you would buy it because VGA says it is new, when it was just 2 games combined into one.
Qualified is just a niche service for people who can't afford the price of the sealed equivalent, or who are unable to find it due to rarity. It's not a demand that needs to be met on a large scale.
I see nothing wrong with this, and you have openly admitted you will add cello to mint games, and im sure you have frankensteined better copies together, my point remains a third party verifying condition is worth paying extra for.
I will say to put things in perspective I don't beleive vga verifies contents as new, i opened a harvest moon that was vga 80+ and it had a dirty dust cover, a few dings in the label, minor wear on the pins aswell as some rubbing damage on the inserts and a not mint manual.
I do feel the condition grade of 80+ was however fair for the CIB the way it was and it did include everything it should have. So I still think the third party grading of cibs is worthwhile for that reason alone. Also to add on the "its niche" well sealed collecting is "niche" and vga sealed collecting is more "niche" and if you start collecting vga games below gold grade you are about as niche as it gets.
I will say to put things in perspective I don't beleive vga verifies contents as new, i opened a harvest moon that was vga 80+ and it had a dirty dust cover, a few dings in the label, minor wear on the pins aswell as some rubbing damage on the inserts and a not mint manual.
I do feel the condition grade of 80+ was however fair for the CIB the way it was and it did include everything it should have. So I still think the third party grading of cibs is worthwhile for that reason alone. Also to add on the "its niche" well sealed collecting is "niche" and vga sealed collecting is more "niche" and if you start collecting vga games below gold grade you are about as niche as it gets.
So when something is graded under the qualified scale, are all components considered when tallying the final grade? What if a new, complete FF3 has 1 ruined poster and reg.card, but everything else is perfect. I'm genuinely curious as to how that would work? Of course, people would just swap in a perfect poster / reg. card so I'm sure that example almost never happens, but still.
I will say to put things in perspective I don't beleive vga verifies contents as new, i opened a harvest moon that was vga 80+ and it had a dirty dust cover, a few dings in the label, minor wear on the pins aswell as some rubbing damage on the inserts and a not mint manual.
I do feel the condition grade of 80+ was however fair for the CIB the way it was and it did include everything it should have. So I still think the third party grading of cibs is worthwhile for that reason alone. Also to add on the "its niche" well sealed collecting is "niche" and vga sealed collecting is more "niche" and if you start collecting vga games below gold grade you are about as niche as it gets.
So when something is graded under the qualified scale, are all components considered when tallying the final grade? What if a new, complete FF3 has 1 ruined poster and reg.card, but everything else is perfect. I'm genuinely curious as to how that would work? Of course, people would just swap in a perfect poster / reg. card so I'm sure that example almost never happens, but still.
Thats somethig I have no way to answer, maybe you could ask their customer support. Even with sealed games you never know what kind of damage hits the grade the hardest.
Seems like this is gonna be one of my favorite threads to respond, as I just love to discuss anything to do with games/collecting. I collect for both CIB and BNIB (sealed/unsealed), so I'm in a position to better explain for the "nay" and the "yay" aspects of Q grades.
"The entire concept is flawed and impossible to accuratly state." Well, true. Can't argue with this generalized comment. But what I can say, is that collecting online is actually a flawed concept anyway, as no way you will have a 100% accurate description from one's computer screen to another. Even if the seller is 100% genuine, and they take 100 photos showing all angles and corners, using the best camera known to mankind. There will be the subtle things that a real object's flaws will not translate 100% through the eyes of the camera lens, and then transferred through a screen monitor.
If we are fair dinkum, as collectors, we all need to accept there is margin for error in item "description", from the point of online purchase to the point of them reaching our eager hands.
With the above in mind, if you open up your mind/perspective, understand any grading concept is a flawed one, but there is merit to the process, including the Q grades.
I've personally sent in a bunch of games (which never came as factory sealed), and one of which was actually rejected. There was no intention from my end to pull off a scam, and let me explain further. This rejected game had a mint box, and the manual, cart (with baggy) from my quick glimpse looked in "as new" condition, I couldn't know for sure if it was genuinely new or not, as I had purchased from a collector online, and along with a few other games (which also went for grading and these were accepted and graded qualified). I was disappointed that the said rejected game was refused, but upon further reflection, it made me more confident in the manner in which VGA grade their items. They stated that there was slight wear to the cart label/contacts, which I can see upon receiving it again from VGA.
The main thing I really want to add, is that mint contents and new contents are quite a different group of species. Mint ones you will find, in relative terms, quite easily. But new contents (game, baggy, insert, manual, posters), are not easy to find (for the older retro games). Even if you try "Frankensteining" the old games with box and inside contents, sometimes it aint that easy for certain games. And if "frankensteining" was a thing you severely dislike, then aim for a really high grade, which makes it virtually impossible to do a "Frankenstein".
eg. Clayfighter Sculptor's cut Q90+, anyone can do a Frankenstein? If so, they probably deserve to get away with it!
You glossed over my main point, and the point others have made. I'm not saying there isn't a value in an objective grading entity for collectibles, most hobbies have them. It can be argued how good VGA is at it, and their level of transparency, but that wasn't my point. The idea of 'qualified' is just absurd. New contents are impossible to prove, sure maybe they can look at a cart and determine if it has been used or not, but what about the rest? They are simply grading the condition, so they should stop sugar coating it and just say as much. It's not about 'new', they will grade stuff that looks new. That's fine, just say so.
@BA, honestly I understand where you're coming from. There is a sense of illogic to the Q grades, by the fact that the only way to confirm "newness" is that they have to inspect all angles and aspects of the contents ie. read all the pages of the manuals, all surfaces of the the inserts/carts etc. However, if one is to investigate very 100% thoroughly and undoubtedly, then that sorta makes it become "used".
So with regarding to the grading, it truly is more an estimate of newness rather than 100% proof. However, the estimation and approximation is basically good enough for most instances, and it's something you have to put in some blind faith towards, there's really no way to get around this issue of definitiveness.
Think of it like this, me being a MIB collector and a BNIB collector, I have enough experience to distinguish between the 2 except the really borderline cases where some minimal wear makes it tricky to know new vs used. VGA, one can assume, has more of the technical tools and experience to further approximate the borderline cases.
It probably can work both ways, a used (with minimal wear) may be accepted as new, and an unused (with minimal wear) may be perceived as being used. Proving Q grades is a flawed concept, does not mean though that there are no merits to the process of the Q grades. Because at the end of the day, there is a market for collectors who prefer a Q grade games over MIB games. You may not accept "new" as a 99.99% approximation, but certainly Q grade collectors might think otherwise.
Comments
I'm just trying to get more thoughts in current times regarding VGA/Q grading. There is certainly no misconception that Q grades are looked down upon, even on sealed collecting forums. However, I do believe the general public is a little misinformed in that Q grades = [mint box] + [mint manual/cart]. When in fact, Q grades = [mint box] + [new/unused manual/cart.]
The discussion on prices should not come to play regarding Q games, as prices are determined by seller vs buyer, and not VGA themselves.
Also, there are games that never came originally as sealed (eg. a lot of the Australian Nintendo games), so Q grade game is the next best thing to a standard grade, and theoretically, in better state than a mint CIB. The benefits Q grades can bring, is that it confirms authenticity, and also as a by-product of this, this may help to deter the repro sellers from doing an oversupply of repro games.
Also im not certain the unused aspect is actually verified, everything ive sent in to get a q grade came back fine, so has anybody actually been turned away of a Q grade? Also are people against a grading servixe for cibs?
Poor Q-graded games, they just don't get any love and affection
I'm just trying to get more thoughts in current times regarding VGA/Q grading. There is certainly no misconception that Q grades are looked down upon, even on sealed collecting forums. However, I do believe the general public is a little misinformed in that Q grades = [mint box] + [mint manual/cart]. When in fact, Q grades = [mint box] + [new/unused manual/cart.]
The discussion on prices should not come to play regarding Q games, as prices are determined by seller vs buyer, and not VGA themselves.
Also, there are games that never came originally as sealed (eg. a lot of the Australian Nintendo games), so Q grade game is the next best thing to a standard grade, and theoretically, in better state than a mint CIB. The benefits Q grades can bring, is that it confirms authenticity, and also as a by-product of this, this may help to deter the repro sellers from doing an oversupply of repro games.
The reason that Qualified is crap is because games are frankensteined together. I can have a game with a crap box and perfect contents, then combine it with a super Mint box of the same game. Then someone like you would buy it because VGA says it is new, when it was just 2 games combined into one.
Qualified is just a niche service for people who can't afford the price of the sealed equivalent, or who are unable to find it due to rarity. It's not a demand that needs to be met on a large scale.
How does VGA verify the game is new but not sealed? Do they look at the creases in the cardboard with a magnifying glass, looking for evidence of the flaps having been opened? If not, sure, the game could be in there, but unless they have an exhaustive list of all of the contents of new games, it could missing registration cards, catalogs, etc.
A person can open the box all they want under the Qualified grade (though the grade might suffer), they are stating that the contents are new. To your point about the extras, there is no way VGA knows exactly what should be in every game down to the Nintendo Power ads, warning cards, all of that stuff. There is a thread floating around here with sealed NES games contents and it's only like 1/3 complete. It would be impossible to know every game for every system.
I can see the use for games that never came sealed, like Earthbound or whatever. There probably are lots of those with new contents as that is the way they came. The idea that there are thousands of examples of people bothering to open sealed games then not bothering to do anything with the contents is absurd.
What if a kid opened his game on the car ride home and read through the manual, is it still new? What if someone wrote inside of a manual? Does VGA inspect every page of the manual to verify it's new? Wouldn't just the act of them doing that make it no longer new? The entire concept is flawed and impossible to accuratly state.
Think simply, if they were totally useless, then why are people still buying Q games and VGA still providing such service?
That being said, I think Q grades are more useful for games which were never originally factory sealed. "Frankensteining" games in theory can be done, but you got to think of which titles they are and the overall grade. It's the rarity factor that's what makes them of value. Examples:
- Fifa 64 Q75+ = who cares!
- Clayfighter Sculptor's Cut Q85+ = OMG, I want!!
How does VGA verify the game is new but not sealed? Do they look at the creases in the cardboard with a magnifying glass, looking for evidence of the flaps having been opened? If not, sure, the game could be in there, but unless they have an exhaustive list of all of the contents of new games, it could missing registration cards, catalogs, etc.
A person can open the box all they want under the Qualified grade (though the grade might suffer), they are stating that the contents are new. To your point about the extras, there is no way VGA knows exactly what should be in every game down to the Nintendo Power ads, warning cards, all of that stuff. There is a thread floating around here with sealed NES games contents and it's only like 1/3 complete. It would be impossible to know every game for every system.
I can see the use for games that never came sealed, like Earthbound or whatever. There probably are lots of those with new contents as that is the way they came. The idea that there are thousands of examples of people bothering to open sealed games then not bothering to do anything with the contents is absurd.
What if a kid opened his game on the car ride home and read through the manual, is it still new? What if someone wrote inside of a manual? Does VGA inspect every page of the manual to verify it's new? Wouldn't just the act of them doing that make it no longer new? The entire concept is flawed and impossible to accuratly state.
Seems like this is gonna be one of my favorite threads to respond, as I just love to discuss anything to do with games/collecting. I collect for both CIB and BNIB (sealed/unsealed), so I'm in a position to better explain for the "nay" and the "yay" aspects of Q grades.
"The entire concept is flawed and impossible to accuratly state." Well, true. Can't argue with this generalized comment. But what I can say, is that collecting online is actually a flawed concept anyway, as no way you will have a 100% accurate description from one's computer screen to another. Even if the seller is 100% genuine, and they take 100 photos showing all angles and corners, using the best camera known to mankind. There will be the subtle things that a real object's flaws will not translate 100% through the eyes of the camera lens, and then transferred through a screen monitor.
If we are fair dinkum, as collectors, we all need to accept there is margin for error in item "description", from the point of online purchase to the point of them reaching our eager hands.
With the above in mind, if you open up your mind/perspective, understand any grading concept is a flawed one, but there is merit to the process, including the Q grades.
I've personally sent in a bunch of games (which never came as factory sealed), and one of which was actually rejected. There was no intention from my end to pull off a scam, and let me explain further. This rejected game had a mint box, and the manual, cart (with baggy) from my quick glimpse looked in "as new" condition, I couldn't know for sure if it was genuinely new or not, as I had purchased from a collector online, and along with a few other games (which also went for grading and these were accepted and graded qualified). I was disappointed that the said rejected game was refused, but upon further reflection, it made me more confident in the manner in which VGA grade their items. They stated that there was slight wear to the cart label/contacts, which I can see upon receiving it again from VGA.
The main thing I really want to add, is that mint contents and new contents are quite a different group of species. Mint ones you will find, in relative terms, quite easily. But new contents (game, baggy, insert, manual, posters), are not easy to find (for the older retro games). Even if you try "Frankensteining" the old games with box and inside contents, sometimes it aint that easy for certain games. And if "frankensteining" was a thing you severely dislike, then aim for a really high grade, which makes it virtually impossible to do a "Frankenstein".
eg. Clayfighter Sculptor's cut Q90+, anyone can do a Frankenstein? If so, they probably deserve to get away with it!
Poor Q-graded games, they just don't get any love and affection
I'm just trying to get more thoughts in current times regarding VGA/Q grading. There is certainly no misconception that Q grades are looked down upon, even on sealed collecting forums. However, I do believe the general public is a little misinformed in that Q grades = [mint box] + [mint manual/cart]. When in fact, Q grades = [mint box] + [new/unused manual/cart.]
The discussion on prices should not come to play regarding Q games, as prices are determined by seller vs buyer, and not VGA themselves.
Also, there are games that never came originally as sealed (eg. a lot of the Australian Nintendo games), so Q grade game is the next best thing to a standard grade, and theoretically, in better state than a mint CIB. The benefits Q grades can bring, is that it confirms authenticity, and also as a by-product of this, this may help to deter the repro sellers from doing an oversupply of repro games.
The reason that Qualified is crap is because games are frankensteined together. I can have a game with a crap box and perfect contents, then combine it with a super Mint box of the same game. Then someone like you would buy it because VGA says it is new, when it was just 2 games combined into one.
Qualified is just a niche service for people who can't afford the price of the sealed equivalent, or who are unable to find it due to rarity. It's not a demand that needs to be met on a large scale.
I see nothing wrong with this, and you have openly admitted you will add cello to mint games, and im sure you have frankensteined better copies together, my point remains a third party verifying condition is worth paying extra for.
I do feel the condition grade of 80+ was however fair for the CIB the way it was and it did include everything it should have. So I still think the third party grading of cibs is worthwhile for that reason alone. Also to add on the "its niche" well sealed collecting is "niche" and vga sealed collecting is more "niche" and if you start collecting vga games below gold grade you are about as niche as it gets.
I will say to put things in perspective I don't beleive vga verifies contents as new, i opened a harvest moon that was vga 80+ and it had a dirty dust cover, a few dings in the label, minor wear on the pins aswell as some rubbing damage on the inserts and a not mint manual.
I do feel the condition grade of 80+ was however fair for the CIB the way it was and it did include everything it should have. So I still think the third party grading of cibs is worthwhile for that reason alone. Also to add on the "its niche" well sealed collecting is "niche" and vga sealed collecting is more "niche" and if you start collecting vga games below gold grade you are about as niche as it gets.
So when something is graded under the qualified scale, are all components considered when tallying the final grade? What if a new, complete FF3 has 1 ruined poster and reg.card, but everything else is perfect. I'm genuinely curious as to how that would work? Of course, people would just swap in a perfect poster / reg. card so I'm sure that example almost never happens, but still.
I will say to put things in perspective I don't beleive vga verifies contents as new, i opened a harvest moon that was vga 80+ and it had a dirty dust cover, a few dings in the label, minor wear on the pins aswell as some rubbing damage on the inserts and a not mint manual.
I do feel the condition grade of 80+ was however fair for the CIB the way it was and it did include everything it should have. So I still think the third party grading of cibs is worthwhile for that reason alone. Also to add on the "its niche" well sealed collecting is "niche" and vga sealed collecting is more "niche" and if you start collecting vga games below gold grade you are about as niche as it gets.
So when something is graded under the qualified scale, are all components considered when tallying the final grade? What if a new, complete FF3 has 1 ruined poster and reg.card, but everything else is perfect. I'm genuinely curious as to how that would work? Of course, people would just swap in a perfect poster / reg. card so I'm sure that example almost never happens, but still.
Thats somethig I have no way to answer, maybe you could ask their customer support. Even with sealed games you never know what kind of damage hits the grade the hardest.
Seems like this is gonna be one of my favorite threads to respond, as I just love to discuss anything to do with games/collecting. I collect for both CIB and BNIB (sealed/unsealed), so I'm in a position to better explain for the "nay" and the "yay" aspects of Q grades.
"The entire concept is flawed and impossible to accuratly state." Well, true. Can't argue with this generalized comment. But what I can say, is that collecting online is actually a flawed concept anyway, as no way you will have a 100% accurate description from one's computer screen to another. Even if the seller is 100% genuine, and they take 100 photos showing all angles and corners, using the best camera known to mankind. There will be the subtle things that a real object's flaws will not translate 100% through the eyes of the camera lens, and then transferred through a screen monitor.
If we are fair dinkum, as collectors, we all need to accept there is margin for error in item "description", from the point of online purchase to the point of them reaching our eager hands.
With the above in mind, if you open up your mind/perspective, understand any grading concept is a flawed one, but there is merit to the process, including the Q grades.
I've personally sent in a bunch of games (which never came as factory sealed), and one of which was actually rejected. There was no intention from my end to pull off a scam, and let me explain further. This rejected game had a mint box, and the manual, cart (with baggy) from my quick glimpse looked in "as new" condition, I couldn't know for sure if it was genuinely new or not, as I had purchased from a collector online, and along with a few other games (which also went for grading and these were accepted and graded qualified). I was disappointed that the said rejected game was refused, but upon further reflection, it made me more confident in the manner in which VGA grade their items. They stated that there was slight wear to the cart label/contacts, which I can see upon receiving it again from VGA.
The main thing I really want to add, is that mint contents and new contents are quite a different group of species. Mint ones you will find, in relative terms, quite easily. But new contents (game, baggy, insert, manual, posters), are not easy to find (for the older retro games). Even if you try "Frankensteining" the old games with box and inside contents, sometimes it aint that easy for certain games. And if "frankensteining" was a thing you severely dislike, then aim for a really high grade, which makes it virtually impossible to do a "Frankenstein".
eg. Clayfighter Sculptor's cut Q90+, anyone can do a Frankenstein? If so, they probably deserve to get away with it!
You glossed over my main point, and the point others have made. I'm not saying there isn't a value in an objective grading entity for collectibles, most hobbies have them. It can be argued how good VGA is at it, and their level of transparency, but that wasn't my point. The idea of 'qualified' is just absurd. New contents are impossible to prove, sure maybe they can look at a cart and determine if it has been used or not, but what about the rest? They are simply grading the condition, so they should stop sugar coating it and just say as much. It's not about 'new', they will grade stuff that looks new. That's fine, just say so.
So with regarding to the grading, it truly is more an estimate of newness rather than 100% proof. However, the estimation and approximation is basically good enough for most instances, and it's something you have to put in some blind faith towards, there's really no way to get around this issue of definitiveness.
Think of it like this, me being a MIB collector and a BNIB collector, I have enough experience to distinguish between the 2 except the really borderline cases where some minimal wear makes it tricky to know new vs used. VGA, one can assume, has more of the technical tools and experience to further approximate the borderline cases.
It probably can work both ways, a used (with minimal wear) may be accepted as new, and an unused (with minimal wear) may be perceived as being used. Proving Q grades is a flawed concept, does not mean though that there are no merits to the process of the Q grades. Because at the end of the day, there is a market for collectors who prefer a Q grade games over MIB games. You may not accept "new" as a 99.99% approximation, but certainly Q grade collectors might think otherwise.