anyone have experience getting a game VGA graded?

Nes Freak

i just picked up snes syndicate sealed and was wondering if its risky to mail it out to get it graded by vga?  ive wanted to get other games and a cereal box graded but im afraid of losing the item in the mail or a truck runs over the package before its gets there or back.  ive had it happen before...  a fork lift destroyed my mint sega master system in the box.  and ive had a truck run over a bubble mailer that had a CD album in it.  it shaddered the disk.





so should i or not?  and if so  are there any pointers any one has for me?

 

dr.robbie

Yes, many members on here use them and its a legit service. I've sent 4 submissions and have never had any issues with them. Of course there is some risk involved in mailing anything, but you take the appropriate preparations (lots of bubble wrap, insurance, sturdy box, take it to the po) and hope for the best. Sounds like you're pretty unlucky with mail for some reason. I've easily sent over 1k parcels and have never once had any problems with packages I've sent.



Some pointers: don't expect high grades. I almost always get 5-10 less than I would grade the game. They seem to really like the 85-85+ range (high silver / low gold) so I've come to expect something in there. Turn around time sucks and you'll be waiting for a package for a long time. Think about your reasons for grading it. Are you selling? Is an average game grade going to be worth the ~40$ youre investing? They have good customer service and you can get quick responses for any questions. As far as pricing, I forget the exact breakdown, but I think you save the most per game by sending in 3 at a time. You pay nearly the same for 4+, and you save a few $ by sending in more than 1 or 2.

The 8 Bit Redux

http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=63072

mattbep

Not more risky than anything else being shipped. Just get insurance for the full value and you won't have to really worry. First items I got VGA'd I used hard cases with tons of bubble wrap. By the second time I realized that was overkill and sent my game in a plastic box protector and a small flat rate box. Little more risky cause there could be just enough damage to hurt my grade but not enough to get paid for insurance.



Anyways, insurance. Ship it secure enough that it won't move around.

Nes Freak

thanks for the info guys!