Just saw the news on the front page and while looking around BBTS, it says that the AFA Graded U90 Meister is $89.99. Am I reading this wrong?
AFA grading is just insane...too many people do it as just an excuse to charge 4x as much for the same toy.
Because much like the "gotta have it first" crowd, there's the "gotta have the mintiest, freshest" one around (Makes it sound like an air freshener or a Girl Scout cookie ) that's hermetically sealed for all eternity Personally I've learned to be a lot more patient and am among the "set those suckers free and enjoy them" crowd In fact I really like my loose pieces that aren't mint being mixed in with the collection...those 'bots EARNED their scars
Screw AFA, I only buy CM graded. Or good ol misb graded. I don't and never will understand this AFA bs. How can a toy be graded by it's box only and why should the packaging shape alone quadruple the the cost of the modern toy? Since the toys themselves are'nt really graded . They can't be if the toy packaging has never been opened. Where did AFA come from and why? C10 not good enough? I guess it's for those who want to pay out the ass for something that's guaranteed in perfect shape. Anyone wanna buy a Energon Signal Flare mosc from me? Only $65 plus ship. It's AFA graded!!! Here's the AFA (Action Figure Authority) website http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=www.toygrader.com&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3Dce95bec8fc800157%26clickedItemRank%3D1%26userQuery%3Dwww.toygrader.com%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.toygrader.com%252F%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSCPResultsT%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.toygrader.com%2F And a whole list of $100 Alts http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=afa+graded I hope this BS does'nt take over half of their stocks. No ones gonna buy the AFA's and all the regs will probably be out of stock. Gonna start a dinged box collection now so I can atleast break the tape. Plus how's one supposed to make a profit off AFA's since many misb collectors like to sell em off in the future. Especially when the buyer can just get a non AFA product for 4th the price elsewhere. It should be YRIYBI (You're ******ed if You Buy It) instead of AFA
I can see the value of the AFA for toys made in the 80's. But for toys that are still in production.... You know how much a new Alt Meister in a sealed banged-up, dented, wrinkled box is worth? $20. You know how much a new Alt Meister in a crispy perfect not-a-flaw-on-it-even-after-you-look-under-a-microscope box is worth? $20. You know how I know? Because if I walk into Target or Walmart or Toys R Us or anywhere, that's what it'll cost me. You're a fucktard if you pay $89 for a $20 toy that's still in production. What's even STUPIDER is BBTS offers extra-crispy nice packages for only $2 above the normal cost on the same website! (And I've always thought that was a very nice feature they offer). Is the AFA one really that much better than the $2 "collectors" upgrade? And in all truth, I always buy from BBTS, I never get any of the upgrades, and the box it arrives in is always pristine anyway.
CM, thanks for the links. I had always wondered how much they charge to grade stuff. So, you're paying $20 for a toy, then $20 to grade it, and HOT DAMN!! Now it's $90!!! Can someone teach my bank account that kinda math. I'll buy everyone's junkion if you can.
AFA grading really should only be for older toys to help out it's value, like vintage star wars figures and vehicles. Like others have said, the only reason people are doing it to new toys is to get more money out of it. Its ubsurd, but at least we're smart enough to know to stay away
I've seen AFA graded toys with severe paint defects on ebay. a sealed cybertron hotshot with a giant yellow smear on the left side of the car got an 80. how much was it going for? $60 I remember when I bought an armada star saber minicon team, stomped on the box, ran it over with my friend's car, soaked it with a hose, and sent it off to be graded by the AFA, since it WAS still sealed. bastards sent it back, un-graded.
This trend seemed to grow out of the baseball card graded market, which is absolutely huge. Except graded cards pretty much assure authenticity, whereas graded toys are well, meant to fetch more $$$, it seems. It has merit, but anything after 1990 I think is a stretch. I can't fathom why anyone would buy graded stuff, though that MISB graded G1 Scorponok on Ebay looks pretty sweet.
I feel that having current figs graded is a waste. There are far too many people now days getting figs and keeping them misb. Even 15 years or so down the road there will be far too many MISB figs out there to warrant the purchase of the ones that are graded. It will still be better to get one of those and have it graded yourself than to pay for one that has already been graded. It works much better for the older figs simply because there were far fewer "collectors" around to keep the toys MISB.
Not to mention, is it really worth paying so much for a mint box? I mean, it's not exactly rocket science to find boxes that are mint. Just sift through the stuff at Wal-Mart. In my opinion, it's a complete waste of money to pay THAT much for a MISB toy that you could easily find in the same condition for more than half the price.
