One thing - for ppl outside US and Canada, wata told someone to choose "pick up in person" and THEN email them so they can calculate the shipping charge due their website cant do that correctly...any infos about that someone? :-)
This is what they replied to me: We can accept games from outside of the US. However, we have a different process for these submissions. It'll be a couple of extra steps: 1) Shipping quote, 2) Place order with special instructions and 3) Payment for shipping Shipping Quote: We will need to quote return shipping for you since international shipping isn't calculated on our site. Provide us with the address you would like us to ship to, as well as how many games you plan on submitting? Once we get the address we will be able to quote you for the shipping. Place Order: If you're OK with the shipping charges, etc then you'll simply place an order on the site but select "I will pick up my games in person". Pay for Shipping: Then, we will request that you send the actual shipping payment separately to our Paypal address, which is submissions@watagames.com. Under the dollar amount where it says "Add a note" you will write "RETURN SHIPPING FOR (insert your order number)". After that the rest is easy! Please be aware that while we can certify many foreign games, we cannot certify those that are odd sizes or different sizes than standard NTSC games we offer grading for. Please reply with how many games you intend to send, & format your address this way: Country/Territory Company Contact name Address 1 Address 2 Postal code City Phone no. Please let us know if you have any other questions about this. Thanks, The Wata Team
Haha I just realized that the options for "board photos" and "testing" are closed because I was submitting a sealed game. Both of those options are impossible😅🤦
From being inside of the community and what I see from others, no one really places any value or emphasis on either option. If you were doing it for, say, a competition cartridge, or NWC, or a prototype, etc, then I think it would be worthwhile. Otherwise, it's a purely personal thing, not a value adding proposition.
Brother, thank you for this video! And be honest as a child of the 70s that lived through the 80s; I love your long hair back then! The menu for the wata services has changed a little bit; but your tutorial makes it super simple to get this done. A little bit nervous for my first submission of course but this video sure helped. Thanks again!
Great extensive and informative Video! I have not seen a better video on this topic on UA-cam, yet. Great effort Moreover, thank you for making the things, that you explain even more clear by showing pictures
Thanks for this video! i went to gaming convention and bought a sealed game and notice arriving home that theres a small little tear. is it still worth sending to WATA? and would WATA still consider that "Sealed" thanks!
Hey! It is absolutely still sealed so long as the game can't actually be opened/removed from the plastic. As for if it's worth it, it's very game dependent. A small tear will likely get you an "A" seal rating, which isn't horrible, especially if the overal case/box is still very nice. So if you end up with say, a 9.2 A rating, still very much worth it overall! A small tear isn't generally a make or break in most cases unless it's something pretty common/cheap to begin with.
Thanks so much for this video mate! I tried contacting WATA about international shipping but I'm getting no response. Guess they are experiencing what PSA has had to deal with for the last few months lol
Just what I was looking for. Looking to get my first game graded (sealed goldeneye) but wasn’t sure about the process. Your waiter analogy earned my sub
Hahah thanks man! Now I won't have to mutter about you under my breath when you click off the video😅 And that's awesome you have a sealed Golden eye, that's quite the gem these days👀
I have a sealed Pokemon Silver and a sealed Pokemon Pinball. The Pokemon Silver has a detector sticker on the back of it. Would the deep cleaning option be able to remove that tag? Also would they grade a CIB purple GameCube? Thx
The deep cleaning *should* be able to, yes, unless they deem it to be too dangerous for whatever reason. I know those security tags/stickers are definitely the hardest of the bunch to remove. But my expectation would be "yes". The CIB GameCube, no. VGA could grade a GC if it was NIB, but no one will grade a CIB one.
Hey man! If you got to my "how to remove stickers" video and jump to the 18 or so minute mark, I go over lightly cleaning the games and show my process!
Once you complete everything as shown at 8:46, does the WATA website give you a shipping label to print out so you can send your game to have it graded?
I appreciate the full tutorial! I'm taking a shot on the Call of Duty Finest Hour Black Label Bar Code First Print that I found at a flea market for 8 bucks! See what I can get
I'm interested to see just how different the process is for VGA considering how this has basically become the standard for grading (like you've talked about many times before)
It's archaic, in comparison. I'll make the video soon here but I literally need access to a printer so I can get the forms necessary to show what you need to do. Yes, you fill out physical forms in 2021🤦
Hey Greg I have a Xbox 360 game that I wanted to grade but something inside the case broke , it isn’t the disc it’s a little piece of plastic from something.. makes some sounds when you movie it , worth grading ?
That confirmation slip will actually go inside of the box so they can scan it upon arrival. But yea, that's all you'll require! That slip will contain all of your order info
Definitely not opposed to the idea, yea! I've heard of some people doing that although I've never done it myself (I've never had issue with scratching from the cases. At least that I've noticed haha)
Great video! If I submit a CIB game, any idea if they will clean the board/pins for me if I select light cleaning? Also just in case anyone is wondering, I submitted 5 games using speedrun and the entire thing took 30 days from them receiving the games to my grades getting added to my order.
Yea it will take them a bit, especially since it's Friday, you might not get a status update until Monday type of thing. Generally isn't a long wait though!
Thanks for this, watched before I submitted! How will a small corner seal tear effect a PS2 grade? And how do scuff on the plastic effect the grade? Should make a ‘grading scale’ video next! Haha
I plan on getting something like that up soon! Glad this proved helpful! A small corner tear will likely be an A or A+ depending on size/other scuffing or scratching present on the wrap. Scuffs/scratches can still A++ is very minor, more likely to fall into the A+ range though, even an A in they are numerous/severe
Thanks again for the great video and the good explanation. I still have a tip for safe shipping, put in the box a Styrofoam box and put the games in there. The Styrofoam box is very stable and can withstand a lot of load. Your hair does not bother me at all by the way
Ah yes! Those styrofoam boxes are awesome; I've used them a couple of times! Good advice👌 Long hair, don't care! I won't be putting it in a bun again ahaha
Do you need to prepare the package or contents in any specific way? I'd like to submit directly by purchasing a game from eBay and shipping it to them. Would this be possible?
Greg blurs out just when we get to the juicy info 🤤 and here I thought "Greg is gonna slip up, here it comes!" I thought the explanation was great just odd you couldn't ask them to test your sealed game haha 🙃
Hahaha I realized I was submitting a sealed game and that was the issue... But I realized that 36 hours later. Like an epiphany had hit me! Also, no DDOS attacks today, pal!
Great video. Still waiting on my turbo I submitted January lol. BUT where did you get your majoras mask in the background? Seen to many junk/scam ones.
Thank you for the video! My sealed game has a large retail sticker with the original price on the front. Do you think it's better to remove this? Or does it add to the authenticity?
If you enjoy it and want it on their for yourself, go for it! I personally remove any and all stickers but some people feel differently. I actually have a video speaking about stickers in more detail haha 👌
So I just did a submission to send a game out and I noticed that my invoice page that they want printed does not have a qr code on it at all, but the email they sent me after submitting the order has a qr code should I just print out both and just add that qr code from the email along with the invoice page they want printed out? Or did their invoice page just go wonky on me for some reason?
Hey Greg, do you know what are estimate times of the stages? I got "scanned" and then "grading", I guess "grated" should be the next one, but, how long take in grading stage?
I have a sealed game that has a small number writing on it with a black marker on the back of the case, would you recommend using the heavy cleaning for that? (First time submitting some games)
Yea, you'll definitely want to get that removed prior to having it graded. It will for sure affect your wrap grade. They might have heavy cleaning closed at the moment. If that's the case, you might have to reach out via email and see if they can handle that via the "light clean" (I think they would be able to).
I have a sealed 32x night trap game which is in pretty good shape. The box is in great shape but the seal has a pea size puncture in it. Is this still a good idea to send to wata?
It's *generally* something pretty expensive like a competition cartridge or a heavy NES/SNES. Maybe sculptor's cut, stuff like that. On the other end, a lot of people will submit their childhood cartridges just to have a sentimental display piece!
WATA will grade the slip cover as a "game specific insert" separate from the overall game grade. I would submit it with the game unless it is in poor condition/aesthetically unappealing.
@@GetTheGreg dang I didn’t even think about it when I bought it. It’s got a couple dings on the corners, so not very pleasing. Would you recommend just sending it in without the slip? It was 1/2 that were left when I bought it at the store and I figured the film covering would be more I ort at than the cardboard slip
@@PokePOPJPX what game is it specifically? It's really hard to say at this point if you should submit with it or not. There is much data or opinion to go off of since so few have been submitted yet. I would "probably" submit with it myself. Also, I don't believe they do PS4 yet. The ones on eBay of "fortnite" are part of a demo/test run they did for gaming conventions
You'd have to have a video game store that orders/carries them. There are a ton of different online retailers (they aren't branded or anything) so just depends if any of your local stores get them in
I have a sealed Tetris+Dr Mario for the snes that I would like to send off. So after I pay for the game on the website I print off the code and put it inside the package. That way when it get's delivered they can find it inside the package and scan the code to bring up my information on the game. Right?
@@GetTheGreg thanks Greg! The game itself has minor damage just a tiny bit on one or two edges and some surface scratches. I think it is still good condition though. Do you think it is worth it to grade. And also what would you consider to be a good grade for boxed games instead of plastic cases. Because I know boxed games are quite harder to get higher grades rather than plastic newer games.
That's definitely a good one to get graded, especially if it's the original release version (not player's choice). Generally, a "good grade" is going to be like 9.0 A - 9.2 A+. 9.4 and above are pretty great, 8.5 and below are closer to average. That's a very general range though. I have a whole video going over the actual data breakdowns from the WATA pop reports.
I have a copy of the original metal gear solid 1(ps1), cd’s are in good condition but I’m interested in getting this game graded. It’s not sealed, obviously. But will WATA be willing to grade it for me?
Is it worth it to do this with cib games? I have many n64 and playstation 1 and 2 games that are cib but are like new. Games like super mario 64, zelda ocarina of time and majoras mask. Would any of those games sell for a decent amount?
N64 would definitely see a boost if you can get a 9.0 overall score. You truly do need NM/M components to do that on CIB, though. The PS1 and PS2, not really a market for graded CIB at this point. Of course, if you managed a 9.6/9.8 you'd see a nice boost, but I don't think a 9.0-9.4 is going to help much given the expensive price of grading a CIB game.
PLEASE HELP I NEED GUIDANCE! I am really excited to get some games graded by Wata, but I am very worried about shipping. Is anyone aware of a company who will insure my package on the way to Wata? Thanks
@@GetTheGreg Ah thanks for letting me know I appreciate it. I just wish VGA's submission process was as streamlined as Wata. Also boy have the turnaround times sure went up compared to when you filmed this.
Has to be sealed. The only other thing VGA will grade is a game that is opened, fully CIB, but completely unused (generally it's not even worth grading those unless it's like a console or something).
If you're getting heavy cleaning for a specific sticker or whatever, I think you could also get light cleaning to go over the rest of the box. I would think they would cover it all in heavy, but it's one I'm not 100% sure on haha
Question: I’ve got a factory sealed Pokémon Silver I’m looking to send to WATA. I’ve gotten it looked at by someone with lots of experience and I know it’s legit. However, I noticed a little white spot of debris beneath the seal, it seems to be attached to the wrap and not the game. How bad would this hit the grade?
Assuming it's just small dust/cardboard flaking, it's will be very negligible. If it's large, multiple flakes/particles, it could be noted on the label - but this doesn't sound like the case. At absolute worst I'd assume a .2 knock to the grade, but I don't think it would be enough on its own to swing the grade one way or another
Most USA collectors only collect NTSC. You'd know much more about the PAL market than me, but you might be able to submit to UKG in Europe if there is a big market for those graded games?
How does this work for people who don’t live in the US? For example me i am from the EU and would like to send my games to Wata. Can i just print the QR Code and put it in the box and send it from my own country (Netherlands) directly to Wata and let them ship my graded game to a US shipping forwarder afterwards? :D
I think you could do that? Or WATA will just ship back to you directly in the EU. Pretty sure you just leave the return shipping portion blank and they will then invoice you once the service is complete!
I’m still waiting for a Turbo order that I sent out 7/29/2020. It’s been stuck on scanned since early August. I don’t know what to think anymore honestly.
awesome video! quick question: for the insurance, if I buy something, let's say, for $40, that means i should insure it $0 - $99? what if i think the value is about $200?
It's whatever value you want to be able to claim if something happened to it (within reason). So if you paid $40, but you think it's closer to $200 FMV, go with the higher option
@@GetTheGreg Ive graded hundreds of TCG cards, but this will be my first game. It's a CIB copy of pokemon red... Is it only an option for sealed copies? The only thing I can tell that has any sort of marks on it is the cartridge itself, from being ejected from the Gameboy, so it has some light scuffing. Otherwise everything else seems super clean
@@W0rstplayerNA ahhh, gotcha. You probably have a pretty good eye then for what you're doing. With CIB, they wouldn't be able to do much more than give it a gentle wipe anyhow. There's no way that I know of to remove scratches/scuffs of that nature, so you probably could skip getting the light clean, actually.
Yea they for sure do but make sure to write it in the notes section that you absolutely want it back haha. I know they have been known to not return the cheap cases in some instances, so just make sure to cover yourself!
@@mai0h Yes, it most likely is. Since they separate the seal and the box rating, the small rips might mean you get an "A" seal, but you could still get a 9.8, for example!
If the hangtab is one of those hard plastic ones, you won't be able to without bending the hangtab pretty considerably. I'd skip the protector and just use a soft bag + some bubble wrap
2 boxes? 3 boxes.... 4 boxes!!!! 4! because I want some serious protection! In the video you showed a single game being sent in but what would be the mins and maxs of sending in, such as what's too few to be cost effective and what's too many to justify not making a second order?
Hahah ensure the people at WATA can't even get to the game. That's the only way to be confident you have enough protection! Given that I'm from Canada and shipping is super expensive, I always want to send in at least a few at a time. Just have to gauge how much money you want to spend at once haha. Hard to tell people to send 5 at a time when that is going to be $300-$500!
Very helpful information and yes subscribing to a channel you're likely to revisit is the courteous thing to do. Lastly, your hair looks fine down. I'd keep it the way you're comfortable with.
ahhhhh, you are most likely correct on that actually! I was assuming they would have N64 as well for specific NFR games or Sculptor's Cut, but must not be worth it.
If you happen to go submit them, the website has now been updated with longer wait times and I think price increases, too, since I made this video haha. Just as a heads up!
@@GetTheGreg get this dude. My buddy emailed the Trade N Games guys to ask a couple questions to see what their best guess is to the value of these games we subbed. These guys no joke said that Paperboy NES with 9 could fetch 700 and the Jurassic park nes 3-400. The last raw JP did 5k and paperboy 8k are these guys that shady???? Unreal!
@@justifythis4375 how long ago was it that your buddy emailed them for the estimates!? Those are obviously quite low given the comparisons you have, but if it was awhile ago maybe there wasn't as much known info on these 2 title? Regardless, the estimate on JP was low haha. They definitely seem like straight shooters so I don't think they were attempting to intentionally mislead👀
Hey Anthony! They will NOT provide you a shipping label, it's up to you to ship your games to them via whatever method you desire. The shipping address for sending can be found on their website!
Hey man! got another question for ya, I just picked up a copy of yellow, and red, and they both still have the factory plastic on them, however the previous owner cut a slit around the top edge of the wrap to be able to access the contents ( they're all genuine) do you know if I can submit them with the wrap still on? obviously they are not "sealed" anymore, so my only option is submitting them under CIB games, but I was curious if they would allow the wrap to stay on the boxes, and get encapsulated with it as well. thought I'd ask if you had any idea 😅
Hey man! You absolutely can submit them and opt to have the cellophane left on! However, you can't send used games to VGA so your only option will be WATA and I believe they are still quoting $170 per game for CIB grading...😬
@@GetTheGreg Wata is who I much prefer anyway, and both games are really minty so I don't mind spending 170 per game tbh, just curious what their true turnaround times are currently lol
@@W0rstplayerNA oh sorry! For some reason I thought this was commented on the VGA Video haha. Their turnaround times are actually great right now. The slowest tier is taking like 6-8 weeks and the speedrun tier is basically 1 month or so. The turnaround are actually really close to the estimates posted!
My main question which I hope you can answer because THEY WON"T. When submitting a ton of games (I have 40 plus) and I add 10 or so to one payment details am I able to seperate some of them when shipping or are they looking for one package per submission. How does this work and what should I do for more valuable games? Thanks
Separate them for shipping for sure. Put the entire order through and then print off the submission form. On the form, write a note regarding how many boxes total are shipped - you could even include the submission form in each box. On the boxes themselves, you can out 1 of 4 in the corner, just like when long tweets let you know there is more coming haha. So long as they have the submission forms included, they can scan the QR code and quickly link them to your order!
@@GetTheGreg I guess including the form in each box is the only way since you likely run a huge risk of confusion or missing items without the form. Even then, you still have a slight risk of misplaced items.
@@GetTheGreg But I believe one per box would be a bit much since a lot of them are wii and wii u games and would constitute some slight protection on their own. I feel 8 or so dvd case based games shouldn't be a huge issue, but we'll see.
@@Jackie_Fhan yea for sure. Try to do as few overall boxes as possible while still ensuring proper care is taken for shipping👍 with my last VGA order, I did 25 games over 2 boxes, and they had no issue receiving them and attributing them all to my single order!
hey greg i have an snes mario kart, original print, the no "game pak" variant. I want to put it in an acrylic, but it has an old hang tab, and there is a moderate sized tear in the side of the seal. so not a good idea. Box is great. I'd say maybe a 9.2(easy)-9.4 B+ with a chance at an A, since there isn't much damage outside of a slight corner just poking from the sharp edge of the box and no dings or scratching to the seal outside of that. Little worried about the process with this one. Anything special you'd recommend?
Dang, that's a very cool (and pricey) piece you have! I wouldn't necessarily suggest anything special. The last thing you want to do is overthink or overpackage something which could inadvertently cause damage all the same. You will be sending it for grading, I take it? Because of the hangtab, I personally wouldn't use a case for it. Wrap in bubble wrap, place in small box, wrap more bubble wrap, place in a bigger box.
@@GetTheGreg yeah u think I should leave the hang tab? They might fuck it up removing it. Also kind of cool I guess. Also, that tear, the wrap is still there, just lifted, if you will. If you go to reddit, and then game valuing, I posted it images of it. If you can u can give me an idea of what kind of grade I'm looking at (of course I know not everything is in pics, but it's pretty representative). I collected a loooong time ago, when everything was peanuts. This game I bought on eBay back in around 06, a dingy, likely 4mp image, and said it was sealed and selling it for a church charity. I took the chance. Won it for a $36 bid, free shipping haha. It's been sitting in a box surrounded by that same paper towel with other games under the box, in a large tupperware for like 15 years. I should've graded it n dumped it during the craze, but what can you do.
I found it on game valuing but there was only a single image I could see. It doesn't look like the hangtab has yellowing to it, so whether it's left on or removed shouldn't make an actual difference. I'd probably leave it be just to be safe. What an insane story of a purchase haha, great grab on it! My own recommendation would be to consign to Heritage Auctions (they could assist you with grading it as well) but regardless of what you do with it, it's going to sell well even if the top of the market is past us.
@@GetTheGreg yeah not looking to get rid of it now. Little late haha. 1 image. Damn. Just reposted it to game collecting on reddit. There's 7 pics. You'll see there's yellowing where the adhesive is to the crooked hang tab.
The 3D label is what you see on basically every WATA game. It's the top portion of the case with all of the game info and grade very prominent. The 2D label makes the label flush with the side of the case instead of standing upright. It's basically a "hidden label". Very few people ever used it.
@@torkil2639 awesome choice! It is currently pretty damn expensive for CIB grading though so you may reconsider once you begin the submission process haha😅
![[FULL] Signature Auction THIS FRIDAY! - Heritage Graded Game Live Auctions](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0hb-npjBBfA/mqdefault.jpg)
One thing - for ppl outside US and Canada, wata told someone to choose "pick up in person" and THEN email them so they can calculate the shipping charge due their website cant do that correctly...any infos about that someone? :-)
This is what they replied to me:
We can accept games from outside of the US. However, we have a different process for these submissions. It'll be a couple of extra steps: 1) Shipping quote, 2) Place order with special instructions and 3) Payment for shipping
Shipping Quote: We will need to quote return shipping for you since international shipping isn't calculated on our site. Provide us with the address you would like us to ship to, as well as how many games you plan on submitting? Once we get the address we will be able to quote you for the shipping.
Place Order: If you're OK with the shipping charges, etc then you'll simply place an order on the site but select "I will pick up my games in person".
Pay for Shipping: Then, we will request that you send the actual shipping payment separately to our Paypal address, which is submissions@watagames.com. Under the dollar amount where it says "Add a note" you will write "RETURN SHIPPING FOR (insert your order number)".
After that the rest is easy! Please be aware that while we can certify many foreign games, we cannot certify those that are odd sizes or different sizes than standard NTSC games we offer grading for.
Please reply with how many games you intend to send, & format your address this way:
Country/Territory
Company
Contact name
Address 1
Address 2
Postal code
City
Phone no.
Please let us know if you have any other questions about this.
Thanks,
The Wata Team
@@mattdubovik3082 fantastic! Thanks for sharing this!
@@mattdubovik3082 so do I have to follow these steps if I’m submitting for Canada?
Hey Kid, I'm Canadian myself. The website offers Canadian rates so you won't have to do these additional steps!
@@GetTheGreg what a relief 😅
Props for re-shooting the video, that’s dedication. I loved it. I looked on the website at lead times today and they are crazy long 5 months on.
And those lead times are still even longer than advertised🙃
Haha I just realized that the options for "board photos" and "testing" are closed because I was submitting a sealed game. Both of those options are impossible😅🤦
Do you happen to have any opinions on getting either of these options? Great video btw, lots of great information!
From being inside of the community and what I see from others, no one really places any value or emphasis on either option. If you were doing it for, say, a competition cartridge, or NWC, or a prototype, etc, then I think it would be worthwhile. Otherwise, it's a purely personal thing, not a value adding proposition.
Brother, thank you for this video! And be honest as a child of the 70s that lived through the 80s; I love your long hair back then! The menu for the wata services has changed a little bit; but your tutorial makes it super simple to get this done. A little bit nervous for my first submission of course but this video sure helped. Thanks again!
Would be HUGE if there was a “ How to Vid” for VGA 😭 cannot find a single one. Bloody hard navigating that site
Perfect timing for this, was looking to send my first pack to Wata in a week
Awesome man, glad it could help!
Dude! Thank you!! I’ve been looking for a vid like this for the longest and it came just in time
What a "coincidence"....
Cue X-Files music.
Great extensive and informative Video! I have not seen a better video on this topic on UA-cam, yet. Great effort
Moreover, thank you for making the things, that you explain even more clear by showing pictures
Thanks a lot, I appreciate it! Hopefully it helps in your decision making!
Thanks for this video! i went to gaming convention and bought a sealed game and notice arriving home that theres a small little tear. is it still worth sending to WATA? and would WATA still consider that "Sealed" thanks!
I’m in a very similar situation and want to know this exact same question, hoping you get an answer soon 🤞
Hey! It is absolutely still sealed so long as the game can't actually be opened/removed from the plastic.
As for if it's worth it, it's very game dependent. A small tear will likely get you an "A" seal rating, which isn't horrible, especially if the overal case/box is still very nice. So if you end up with say, a 9.2 A rating, still very much worth it overall!
A small tear isn't generally a make or break in most cases unless it's something pretty common/cheap to begin with.
@@GetTheGreg wow thank you so much for explaining this, my heart sunk when i saw the tear. thank you again and keep making awesome content!
i have a sealed zelda 2 link nes , it has a price tag on it from a store from the 80s, is it better to remove it or leave it ? ..
Thanks so much for this video mate! I tried contacting WATA about international shipping but I'm getting no response. Guess they are experiencing what PSA has had to deal with for the last few months lol
Yea haha, they are quite overwhelmed these days! Hopefully you'll still get an answer in a few days, but...!
Did you receive an anwser about international shipping?
Just what I was looking for. Looking to get my first game graded (sealed goldeneye) but wasn’t sure about the process. Your waiter analogy earned my sub
Hahah thanks man! Now I won't have to mutter about you under my breath when you click off the video😅
And that's awesome you have a sealed Golden eye, that's quite the gem these days👀
I wish VGA was this simple. They need a serious update
I know.... Says the website is under construction but who knows how long that will be...
I have a sealed Pokemon Silver and a sealed Pokemon Pinball. The Pokemon Silver has a detector sticker on the back of it. Would the deep cleaning option be able to remove that tag? Also would they grade a CIB purple GameCube? Thx
The deep cleaning *should* be able to, yes, unless they deem it to be too dangerous for whatever reason. I know those security tags/stickers are definitely the hardest of the bunch to remove. But my expectation would be "yes".
The CIB GameCube, no. VGA could grade a GC if it was NIB, but no one will grade a CIB one.
Perfect timing! Thanks for the great info! Searching for the perfect boxes now!
You're welcome, man!
I'm bout to see about getting some switch games graded so later on they will be worth a lot and I'm looking to do this with obscure titles
Great video as always brotha!! The wait times are killing me!!! haha
Thanks dude! I hear ya. Hopefully this video doesn't cause a rush of new speedrun orders to bump you down the line😅
@@GetTheGreg hahahaha
Will you make a video on how to light cleaning the games before submitting them?
Hey man! If you got to my "how to remove stickers" video and jump to the 18 or so minute mark, I go over lightly cleaning the games and show my process!
@@GetTheGreg Awesome, cheers!
Once you complete everything as shown at 8:46, does the WATA website give you a shipping label to print out so you can send your game to have it graded?
No, you get a little order ID to print out and include with your package but you'll have to then pack it andpay to ship via whatever method you want!
Can you add where to ship it to?? I did the process but can’t find where or how to ship it I thought it would give me a label but didn’t
love the video
when are you going to do a VGA
grading process ??
thanks
Hopefully within 1-2 weeks I'll have that one up as well!🙌
I appreciate the full tutorial!
I'm taking a shot on the Call of Duty Finest Hour Black Label Bar Code First Print that I found at a flea market for 8 bucks! See what I can get
Subscribed!
I'm interested to see just how different the process is for VGA considering how this has basically become the standard for grading (like you've talked about many times before)
It's archaic, in comparison. I'll make the video soon here but I literally need access to a printer so I can get the forms necessary to show what you need to do. Yes, you fill out physical forms in 2021🤦
I wonder if "testing" was greyed out as you selected a sealed game vs. CIB?
Thanks brother. VGA’s site was so awful I just said screw it im going with WATA. They need to do something about that lol
Hey Greg I have a Xbox 360 game that I wanted to grade but something inside the case broke , it isn’t the disc it’s a little piece of plastic from something.. makes some sounds when you movie it , worth grading ?
So is that confirmation paper you print all I need to submit on the box? Sry, probably a dumb question but ive never shipped anything out lol
That confirmation slip will actually go inside of the box so they can scan it upon arrival. But yea, that's all you'll require! That slip will contain all of your order info
@@GetTheGreg thanks for the info.. I subbed
I wonder if the acrylic cases could cause scuff marks. Thoughts on wrapping it in a microfiber cloth to protect the outer wrap?
Definitely not opposed to the idea, yea! I've heard of some people doing that although I've never done it myself (I've never had issue with scratching from the cases. At least that I've noticed haha)
Great video! If I submit a CIB game, any idea if they will clean the board/pins for me if I select light cleaning?
Also just in case anyone is wondering, I submitted 5 games using speedrun and the entire thing took 30 days from them receiving the games to my grades getting added to my order.
I'm pretty positive light cleaning will encompass that for you! Heavy is only for actual removal of residue/stickers/etc
A very nice VIideo. Thanks i will send my game to Wata.
Thanks for checking it out, man!
does it typically take some time for wata to mark the package as received? My games arrived this morning just nervous about them
Yea it will take them a bit, especially since it's Friday, you might not get a status update until Monday type of thing. Generally isn't a long wait though!
great vid as always!
📈
This version of the video was great. But now I'm curious about the old version ha.
Ahah it wasn't even "funny" bad, it was just unenthusiastic and disjointed bad😅
Where do you buy your cases?
right in time!!! i need to send my paper mario to wata!
Do it up man!
Thanks for this, watched before I submitted! How will a small corner seal tear effect a PS2 grade? And how do scuff on the plastic effect the grade? Should make a ‘grading scale’ video next! Haha
I plan on getting something like that up soon! Glad this proved helpful!
A small corner tear will likely be an A or A+ depending on size/other scuffing or scratching present on the wrap.
Scuffs/scratches can still A++ is very minor, more likely to fall into the A+ range though, even an A in they are numerous/severe
Thanks again for the great video and the good explanation. I still have a tip for safe shipping, put in the box a Styrofoam box and put the games in there. The Styrofoam box is very stable and can withstand a lot of load.
Your hair does not bother me at all by the way
Ah yes! Those styrofoam boxes are awesome; I've used them a couple of times! Good advice👌
Long hair, don't care! I won't be putting it in a bun again ahaha
Great video man!
Do you need to prepare the package or contents in any specific way? I'd like to submit directly by purchasing a game from eBay and shipping it to them. Would this be possible?
Greg blurs out just when we get to the juicy info 🤤 and here I thought "Greg is gonna slip up, here it comes!" I thought the explanation was great just odd you couldn't ask them to test your sealed game haha 🙃
Hahaha I realized I was submitting a sealed game and that was the issue... But I realized that 36 hours later. Like an epiphany had hit me!
Also, no DDOS attacks today, pal!
Great video. Still waiting on my turbo I submitted January lol. BUT where did you get your majoras mask in the background? Seen to many junk/scam ones.
That one came right from First 4 Figures back when they did pre-orders for it!
How have you not taken this down yet....????
Why?
Do they also remove dust in heavy cleaning? My sealed PS2 game has a sticker on it
Thank you for the video! My sealed game has a large retail sticker with the original price on the front. Do you think it's better to remove this? Or does it add to the authenticity?
If you enjoy it and want it on their for yourself, go for it! I personally remove any and all stickers but some people feel differently. I actually have a video speaking about stickers in more detail haha 👌
So I just did a submission to send a game out and I noticed that my invoice page that they want printed does not have a qr code on it at all, but the email they sent me after submitting the order has a qr code should I just print out both and just add that qr code from the email along with the invoice page they want printed out? Or did their invoice page just go wonky on me for some reason?
Hmm, that's a bit weird. definitely do print out that QR code one and include it. Just makes everything go more smoothly/you'll process quicker!
Great video! As always!
Thanks dude!
Thank you pimp!! 💪🏽
Hey Greg, do you know what are estimate times of the stages? I got "scanned" and then "grading", I guess "grated" should be the next one, but, how long take in grading stage?
They don’t give you a shipping label once you complete the purchase? Or you have to ship it over there your own option
You ship it there yourself via whatever method you prefer!
I have a sealed game that has a small number writing on it with a black marker on the back of the case, would you recommend using the heavy cleaning for that? (First time submitting some games)
Yea, you'll definitely want to get that removed prior to having it graded. It will for sure affect your wrap grade.
They might have heavy cleaning closed at the moment. If that's the case, you might have to reach out via email and see if they can handle that via the "light clean" (I think they would be able to).
@@GetTheGreg awesome thanks for the help!
I have a sealed 32x night trap game which is in pretty good shape. The box is in great shape but the seal has a pea size puncture in it. Is this still a good idea to send to wata?
WATA is a much better choice than VGA in this case. You can likely still get an "A" seal grade which isn't too bad!
What types of games would you get cartridge graded from Wata? Is it worth getting loose games graded?
It's *generally* something pretty expensive like a competition cartridge or a heavy NES/SNES. Maybe sculptor's cut, stuff like that.
On the other end, a lot of people will submit their childhood cartridges just to have a sentimental display piece!
Dude, awesome info. Thank you!
A quick question, what do you do with sealed games with the cardboard slip covers (not the film)? Toss them or send them with the game?
WATA will grade the slip cover as a "game specific insert" separate from the overall game grade. I would submit it with the game unless it is in poor condition/aesthetically unappealing.
@@GetTheGreg dang I didn’t even think about it when I bought it. It’s got a couple dings on the corners, so not very pleasing. Would you recommend just sending it in without the slip? It was 1/2 that were left when I bought it at the store and I figured the film covering would be more I ort at than the cardboard slip
I’ve also seen on eBay that wata graded ps4 games but for some reason, that’s not a drop down option under the “submit game” button on wata website
@@PokePOPJPX what game is it specifically? It's really hard to say at this point if you should submit with it or not. There is much data or opinion to go off of since so few have been submitted yet. I would "probably" submit with it myself.
Also, I don't believe they do PS4 yet. The ones on eBay of "fortnite" are part of a demo/test run they did for gaming conventions
Just submitted my first sealed game to be graded. Highly appreciate this video. It helped ease my nerves a bit. PS2 Def Jams Fight for NY. So stoked!
That's an awesome one to be submitting! Hopefully it grades out sell for you, man!👌🤞
The cheap plastic cases for the game...where can you get that locally?
You'd have to have a video game store that orders/carries them. There are a ton of different online retailers (they aren't branded or anything) so just depends if any of your local stores get them in
I have a sealed Tetris+Dr Mario for the snes that I would like to send off. So after I pay for the game on the website I print off the code and put it inside the package. That way when it get's delivered they can find it inside the package and scan the code to bring up my information on the game. Right?
Yes!
@@GetTheGreg thanks Greg! The game itself has minor damage just a tiny bit on one or two edges and some surface scratches. I think it is still good condition though. Do you think it is worth it to grade. And also what would you consider to be a good grade for boxed games instead of plastic cases. Because I know boxed games are quite harder to get higher grades rather than plastic newer games.
That's definitely a good one to get graded, especially if it's the original release version (not player's choice).
Generally, a "good grade" is going to be like 9.0 A - 9.2 A+. 9.4 and above are pretty great, 8.5 and below are closer to average. That's a very general range though. I have a whole video going over the actual data breakdowns from the WATA pop reports.
@@GetTheGreg thanks Greg! Unfortunately it is players choice though but pretty good condition.
Just wondering if I ship my games to wata or cgc in an acrylic case, do I get my case back when the game comes back? Thank you for the great contents
You'd have to make sure to clarify that they return the cases to you. I generally just use the soft $1 cases instead of the heavy acrylic ones
I have a copy of the original metal gear solid 1(ps1), cd’s are in good condition but I’m interested in getting this game graded. It’s not sealed, obviously. But will WATA be willing to grade it for me?
Yup, they will grade it for you! Just choose the "CIB" option.
Is it worth it to do this with cib games? I have many n64 and playstation 1 and 2 games that are cib but are like new. Games like super mario 64, zelda ocarina of time and majoras mask. Would any of those games sell for a decent amount?
N64 would definitely see a boost if you can get a 9.0 overall score. You truly do need NM/M components to do that on CIB, though.
The PS1 and PS2, not really a market for graded CIB at this point. Of course, if you managed a 9.6/9.8 you'd see a nice boost, but I don't think a 9.0-9.4 is going to help much given the expensive price of grading a CIB game.
PLEASE HELP I NEED GUIDANCE! I am really excited to get some games graded by Wata, but I am very worried about shipping. Is anyone aware of a company who will insure my package on the way to Wata?
Thanks
ngl you kinda rock that bun my guy
If there wasn't a far more informative comment that needs to be pinned to this video, THIS would be pinned. The world needs more people like you👌😅
If you ship a game in a hard acrylic case do you know if they'll return the case along with the graded game?
I think with WATA you have to put additional instructions in the notes to return the damn case haha.
VGA has always returned my stuff to me!
@@GetTheGreg Ah thanks for letting me know I appreciate it. I just wish VGA's submission process was as streamlined as Wata. Also boy have the turnaround times sure went up compared to when you filmed this.
My first time grading, I sent games off in a single box with bubble wrap. The anxiety has pushed me to always double box haha
ahah I did the exact same. It was like 10 games in a bigger box and in box protectors/bubble wrap. Thank god nothing went wrong!
Does my gameboy pokemon box need to be sealed or is it fine to have an unsealed box to send in?
Has to be sealed. The only other thing VGA will grade is a game that is opened, fully CIB, but completely unused (generally it's not even worth grading those unless it's like a console or something).
Thanks for the great video, hoping to send out 4 games soon!
Hopefully they grade well for you man!
@@GetTheGreg thanks, looking forward to the VGA video!
Just have to find access to a printer so I can make it haha. Do a mail in order like it's 1999!
This was very helpful.
Do I need to get light cleaning if I select the heavy cleaning? It lets me pick both.
If you're getting heavy cleaning for a specific sticker or whatever, I think you could also get light cleaning to go over the rest of the box. I would think they would cover it all in heavy, but it's one I'm not 100% sure on haha
Question: I’ve got a factory sealed Pokémon Silver I’m looking to send to WATA. I’ve gotten it looked at by someone with lots of experience and I know it’s legit. However, I noticed a little white spot of debris beneath the seal, it seems to be attached to the wrap and not the game. How bad would this hit the grade?
Assuming it's just small dust/cardboard flaking, it's will be very negligible. If it's large, multiple flakes/particles, it could be noted on the label - but this doesn't sound like the case.
At absolute worst I'd assume a .2 knock to the grade, but I don't think it would be enough on its own to swing the grade one way or another
@@GetTheGreg that is good to know, thank you!
Good info brotha!
Hi, What you think about Pal and Scandinavian games to grade in USA? In selling purpose or Should the games be USA versions?
Most USA collectors only collect NTSC. You'd know much more about the PAL market than me, but you might be able to submit to UKG in Europe if there is a big market for those graded games?
How does this work for people who don’t live in the US? For example me i am from the EU and would like to send my games to Wata. Can i just print the QR Code and put it in the box and send it from my own country (Netherlands) directly to Wata and let them ship my graded game to a US shipping forwarder afterwards? :D
I think you could do that? Or WATA will just ship back to you directly in the EU. Pretty sure you just leave the return shipping portion blank and they will then invoice you once the service is complete!
I’m still waiting for a Turbo order that I sent out 7/29/2020. It’s been stuck on scanned since early August. I don’t know what to think anymore honestly.
....damn. That's TERRIBLE haha...
what if Wata doesnt show my game in the list? go to VGA?
awesome video! quick question: for the insurance, if I buy something, let's say, for $40, that means i should insure it $0 - $99? what if i think the value is about $200?
It's whatever value you want to be able to claim if something happened to it (within reason). So if you paid $40, but you think it's closer to $200 FMV, go with the higher option
Do they provide the shipping address of where to ship it to for WATA?
Yup, it's on the website "contact us" I believe and the order confirmation screen once you finish your order.
Would you recommend I select the light cleaning even if I don't visually see anything on the game and it appears to be really clean overall?
Do you have any experience with grading any kind of items prior to this? If not, I'd probably just select it for the "just in case".
@@GetTheGreg Ive graded hundreds of TCG cards, but this will be my first game. It's a CIB copy of pokemon red... Is it only an option for sealed copies?
The only thing I can tell that has any sort of marks on it is the cartridge itself, from being ejected from the Gameboy, so it has some light scuffing. Otherwise everything else seems super clean
@@W0rstplayerNA ahhh, gotcha. You probably have a pretty good eye then for what you're doing.
With CIB, they wouldn't be able to do much more than give it a gentle wipe anyhow. There's no way that I know of to remove scratches/scuffs of that nature, so you probably could skip getting the light clean, actually.
@@GetTheGreg cheers! Thanks for the reply :)
Great video!!!!! Keep it up :)
🙌
If you send it in a $30 Acrylic case do you get the case back?
Yea they for sure do but make sure to write it in the notes section that you absolutely want it back haha. I know they have been known to not return the cheap cases in some instances, so just make sure to cover yourself!
'Karl Jobst has entered the chat'
Thanks a lot for this guide, really helped :)
I'm glad to hear it!🤓
@@GetTheGreg Is it even worth it to send sealed games to wata if they have like 2-3 very very tiny holes in the seal?
@@mai0h Yes, it most likely is. Since they separate the seal and the box rating, the small rips might mean you get an "A" seal, but you could still get a 9.8, for example!
@@GetTheGreg thanks, I actually got all my answers already now by watching your other videos, great information 😅
Where should I look for the shipping (WATA) address?
It should be there when you finish your order, but for reference:
WATA GAMES
1610 E St. Andrew Pl.
Suite 150
Santa Ana, CA
92705
@@GetTheGreg Thank you so much ！☺️
Looks good in a bun
If the game has a hangtab how do you put in protector?
If the hangtab is one of those hard plastic ones, you won't be able to without bending the hangtab pretty considerably. I'd skip the protector and just use a soft bag + some bubble wrap
awesome thanks so much @@GetTheGreg
2 boxes? 3 boxes.... 4 boxes!!!! 4! because I want some serious protection! In the video you showed a single game being sent in but what would be the mins and maxs of sending in, such as what's too few to be cost effective and what's too many to justify not making a second order?
Hahah ensure the people at WATA can't even get to the game. That's the only way to be confident you have enough protection!
Given that I'm from Canada and shipping is super expensive, I always want to send in at least a few at a time. Just have to gauge how much money you want to spend at once haha. Hard to tell people to send 5 at a time when that is going to be $300-$500!
@@GetTheGreg can't wait to see the real submission video where the gag is that you bought a safe to ship the games in haha
Did you see the recent news regarding game grading?
Have a full video uploaded of me watching it + reacting!
@@GetTheGreg Oh! My bad, I’ll watch it now
@@rottenapple9855 no problem! I don't have it cut into highlights so it's a bit long haha
Very helpful information and yes subscribing to a channel you're likely to revisit is the courteous thing to do. Lastly, your hair looks fine down. I'd keep it the way you're comfortable with.
Haha I don't plan on throwing it up in a bun again unless unless I have another gag for it😅
Thanks man!
that's strange I recently submitted a color dinosaur cart with no problems . It most likely is that they only grade loose carts for snes and nes
ahhhhh, you are most likely correct on that actually! I was assuming they would have N64 as well for specific NFR games or Sculptor's Cut, but must not be worth it.
Thanks just found 4 nes sealed games.
If you happen to go submit them, the website has now been updated with longer wait times and I think price increases, too, since I made this video haha. Just as a heads up!
@@GetTheGreg get this dude. My buddy emailed the Trade N Games guys to ask a couple questions to see what their best guess is to the value of these games we subbed. These guys no joke said that Paperboy NES with 9 could fetch 700 and the Jurassic park nes 3-400. The last raw JP did 5k and paperboy 8k are these guys that shady???? Unreal!
@@justifythis4375 how long ago was it that your buddy emailed them for the estimates!? Those are obviously quite low given the comparisons you have, but if it was awhile ago maybe there wasn't as much known info on these 2 title? Regardless, the estimate on JP was low haha.
They definitely seem like straight shooters so I don't think they were attempting to intentionally mislead👀
@@GetTheGreg last week
Where do you send? Do they give u shipping label
Hey Anthony!
They will NOT provide you a shipping label, it's up to you to ship your games to them via whatever method you desire. The shipping address for sending can be found on their website!
Hey man! got another question for ya, I just picked up a copy of yellow, and red, and they both still have the factory plastic on them, however the previous owner cut a slit around the top edge of the wrap to be able to access the contents ( they're all genuine)
do you know if I can submit them with the wrap still on?
obviously they are not "sealed" anymore, so my only option is submitting them under CIB games, but I was curious if they would allow the wrap to stay on the boxes, and get encapsulated with it as well. thought I'd ask if you had any idea 😅
Hey man! You absolutely can submit them and opt to have the cellophane left on! However, you can't send used games to VGA so your only option will be WATA and I believe they are still quoting $170 per game for CIB grading...😬
@@GetTheGreg Wata is who I much prefer anyway, and both games are really minty so I don't mind spending 170 per game tbh, just curious what their true turnaround times are currently lol
@@W0rstplayerNA oh sorry! For some reason I thought this was commented on the VGA Video haha.
Their turnaround times are actually great right now. The slowest tier is taking like 6-8 weeks and the speedrun tier is basically 1 month or so. The turnaround are actually really close to the estimates posted!
@@GetTheGreg they don't put the cellophane wrap into one of the grades categories with CIB games do they?
@@GetTheGreg essentially the cellophane wrap would just be there for aesthetics and would not affect the grade one way or another, right?
My main question which I hope you can answer because THEY WON"T. When submitting a ton of games (I have 40 plus) and I add 10 or so to one payment details am I able to seperate some of them when shipping or are they looking for one package per submission. How does this work and what should I do for more valuable games? Thanks
Separate them for shipping for sure. Put the entire order through and then print off the submission form. On the form, write a note regarding how many boxes total are shipped - you could even include the submission form in each box.
On the boxes themselves, you can out 1 of 4 in the corner, just like when long tweets let you know there is more coming haha. So long as they have the submission forms included, they can scan the QR code and quickly link them to your order!
@@GetTheGreg I guess including the form in each box is the only way since you likely run a huge risk of confusion or missing items without the form. Even then, you still have a slight risk of misplaced items.
@@GetTheGreg But I believe one per box would be a bit much since a lot of them are wii and wii u games and would constitute some slight protection on their own. I feel 8 or so dvd case based games shouldn't be a huge issue, but we'll see.
@@Jackie_Fhan yea for sure. Try to do as few overall boxes as possible while still ensuring proper care is taken for shipping👍 with my last VGA order, I did 25 games over 2 boxes, and they had no issue receiving them and attributing them all to my single order!
@@GetTheGreg Yeah I was hoping that would be ok, should be. About to send them in the next few days.
Lmfao the first time I’ve ever been guilt tripped into smash a subscribe button because the content creator told me to.
I can't use WATA because I want to grade a psp and a ps4 game. VGA's submission process is so darn convoluted
Don't worry, I got you covered! VGA submission guide will be up by the weekend!
hey greg i have an snes mario kart, original print, the no "game pak" variant. I want to put it in an acrylic, but it has an old hang tab, and there is a moderate sized tear in the side of the seal. so not a good idea. Box is great. I'd say maybe a 9.2(easy)-9.4 B+ with a chance at an A, since there isn't much damage outside of a slight corner just poking from the sharp edge of the box and no dings or scratching to the seal outside of that. Little worried about the process with this one. Anything special you'd recommend?
Dang, that's a very cool (and pricey) piece you have!
I wouldn't necessarily suggest anything special. The last thing you want to do is overthink or overpackage something which could inadvertently cause damage all the same.
You will be sending it for grading, I take it? Because of the hangtab, I personally wouldn't use a case for it. Wrap in bubble wrap, place in small box, wrap more bubble wrap, place in a bigger box.
@@GetTheGreg yeah u think I should leave the hang tab? They might fuck it up removing it. Also kind of cool I guess. Also, that tear, the wrap is still there, just lifted, if you will. If you go to reddit, and then game valuing, I posted it images of it. If you can u can give me an idea of what kind of grade I'm looking at (of course I know not everything is in pics, but it's pretty representative). I collected a loooong time ago, when everything was peanuts. This game I bought on eBay back in around 06, a dingy, likely 4mp image, and said it was sealed and selling it for a church charity. I took the chance. Won it for a $36 bid, free shipping haha. It's been sitting in a box surrounded by that same paper towel with other games under the box, in a large tupperware for like 15 years. I should've graded it n dumped it during the craze, but what can you do.
I found it on game valuing but there was only a single image I could see. It doesn't look like the hangtab has yellowing to it, so whether it's left on or removed shouldn't make an actual difference. I'd probably leave it be just to be safe.
What an insane story of a purchase haha, great grab on it! My own recommendation would be to consign to Heritage Auctions (they could assist you with grading it as well) but regardless of what you do with it, it's going to sell well even if the top of the market is past us.
@@GetTheGreg yeah not looking to get rid of it now. Little late haha. 1 image. Damn. Just reposted it to game collecting on reddit. There's 7 pics. You'll see there's yellowing where the adhesive is to the crooked hang tab.
@@GetTheGreg haha, I'm already getting downvoted on the sub.
Does anyone know the difference between the 3D and 2D label option?
The 3D label is what you see on basically every WATA game. It's the top portion of the case with all of the game info and grade very prominent.
The 2D label makes the label flush with the side of the case instead of standing upright. It's basically a "hidden label". Very few people ever used it.
"Turbo" 6 months plus.. lol. They need to rename it to "Turtle" speed.
This video shows how evolved Greg’s audience is; broken English complaining about his hair length.
😂
What is the mailing address to send your stuff off to? Does that come after you submit payment?
Yea they'll show the address again after you pay. It's in Denver but I don't have the exact address on hand
@@GetTheGreg what? They had me send it to California
Haha yup, they were bought by collector's Universe in late 2021 and relocated from Denver to the CU headquarters in California in like April 2022
Good job 👍🏼
Thank you!🙌
Maybe they were suggesting you put your hair into a hotdog bun.
Hahaha oh god, I've made a terrible mistake🤦
ありがとうございます！
Does the game have to be sealed?
WATA does also grade used, complete games
@@GetTheGreg thx for the info I’m gonna grade my resident evil 2 on Nintendo 64
@@torkil2639 awesome choice! It is currently pretty damn expensive for CIB grading though so you may reconsider once you begin the submission process haha😅