Is this Graded Game Price Explosion Natural? 

I feel like Pat and Ian are some of the only people on the net who are talking the truth about this gross practice.

Pat, if you sold your collection right now you might have enough seed money to create your own console

When a video game that was produced in the millions sells for more than a 1959 les paul, which is known about 1000 exist, something screwy is happening.

I actually did want to recapture the nostalgia of Bart vs the world recently … I saw it on eBay for five dollars, and thought, “Nah”

"Everything we love is manipulated in some way." That's a very depressing thought. I mean it's true but it's still a bummer that people can't enjoy something without someone eventually trying to monetize that hobby.

The market for sealed games will bust when the sellers realize they are their own customers

They are not collectors, they are collectionists!!

Sir it’s a sealed copy of Mario 64 in a small plastic case with a sticker attached. I think it’s easy worth 4 million 🤔 not only is it “sealed” just think of the “value”

Thanks again to Sheath for sponsoring! Go to sheathunderwear.com/CUPODCAST for 20% off your order today! --- What do you think about the current graded game market? I Ars Technica article @arstechnica.com/features/2021/07/collectors-are-as-confused-as-you-are-about-that-1-56m-super-mario-64-sale/

No. It's an inside job. Which is the polite way of saying "it's fraud"

8:50 Ian would never feel schmoozed unless he was offered a *free hoodie and a ride in the CEO’s Ferrari* 🚘

This is a great argument for why markets are trash for human societies, although it shouldn't have to take something so monstrously absurd to make people think that we have life backwards

I just can't see the point of grading a sealed game. They're not actually grading the game just the box art and the glue. Since it's sealed how do you really know what's even in the box? How do you know if the game even works? This is different than comic book grading where each page is looked at and comic book actually still functions as a comic book. For sealed games it shouldn't be called video game grading but rather video game BOX grading.

My unopened Mario 3D collection will be billions in years 😆😆😆

Natural or not, I hope whomever bought these actually used their own money, cause they will NEVER get it back.

17:00 Or why not put 1 million dollar on an unique item like the Super Nintendo CD-ROM Adapter that was just sold recently... Isn't that the best proof they are not interested in collecting? It's all about the number of copies of each items looming in the dark... Indeed...

The best way to recapture the nostalgia of your beloved childhood games is to recapture them inside a case, assign them numbers, catalog them, and add them to your investment portfolio. Of course. I'm glad I got most of what I wanted for my collection before this nonsense started with big money ruining the hobby. Even Mario 64 CIB prices have shot through the roof ever since this story hit.

This is as "organic" as $20,000 ebay sales of common Disney VHS's

WATA doesn't publish how many games are graded. That's enough to know there's a scam going on with these sales.

No these prices are unnatural.

I would be interested to know If this will affect (CIB) Video game prices as well...?

Why does WataGames benefit from higher game prices? Well, it's quite simple. They are collecting an extra 2% on declared value above $2500 for "liability." This is straight from their site, "** Liability is included in the base price for games valued below $1000. Games valued from $1000 to $2499 are gradually charged more on a sliding scale for liability. Games valued $2,500 and up are charged an additional 2% of their declared value. If we find games on an order are undervalued we may have to adjust pricing on the order for correct liability costs." You can take a look at this on their pricing page.

Yes. These graded sealed collectors aren't collectors like us. They're rich people who prove that there is too much money in the world. They should go back to comics and toys and stay the hell away from the rest of us. It's horrible. Every grandma with a Mario 64 thinks it's worth something now when it's not worth diddly dick.

Would you rather have a 5 car garage full of luxury and sports cars, orrrrrrrrrr.... hear me out... a Mario game that you can't play?

The fact that there's such a disparity between loose cart prices and sealed graded games is another huge red flag for me, further proving its not about the experience of playing the game.

Once more real, though still speculative, collectors get into this, then we'll see what the natural market does. There's got to be some cooler heads in the bunch that will stop and think before they bid.

Game grading is such a waste of money and serves no real purpose.

Wonder how long these game prices would go up for before it corrects.

These people are not collectors, collectionaires, or collectionists. They're aggregators. They aggregate money.

I can't say it with absolute certainty but the whole WATA/Heritage Auctions arrangement feels scammy....

Maybe there is a treasure map hidden inside that only a few people know about? 🤔

Let cgc join the party. They’ll show the records of who’s buying what, when and where. Show statistics. Take wada off their monopoly.

I'll sleep easy tonight knowing Pat is looking after my junk.

I know you’re always good for an ad you’d see on The Joe Rogan Podcast 😂😂😂 Where’s the lawnmower 8.0

lol on the note of vga grading mario 64s, pop numbers as recently as 2017 (I think?) show at least 5 mint or better copies graded. more than 10 if we count 90+ or better.

You should ask the n64guy on RU-vid about his sealed graded collection of n64 games from VGA if their is a double standard since his wasn't graded by WATA whats the price difference gonna be lol. That will clarify if WATA is blowing smoke......

Did anyone else think he said Jim Halpert? When he was talking about Heritage Auctions

We've all been Kahn'd.

The money is being made now. Current buyers are more and more likely to be left holding the bag.

This stinks of some kind of fraud or money laundering type BS.

Already seeing people on IG breaking open VGA cases and regrading at WATA. People are garbage. Sealed collecting isn’t game collecting.

Why is this video unlisted?

The inflated prices only affect those with more money than sense.

I’m gonna take a dump in a box and send it to WATA to be graded… I’m gonna be rich!!!!

Has the Better Business Bureau looked into this situation?

yeah its this kind of crap that makes me buy repros of games I want because the cost of the real deal has just gotten too damned high for me to buy. So yeah I will spend $25.00 to get a Gimmick or Duck Tsles 1 and 2 cart no problem there repro or not they play the same and in the end that is all care about is playing the games I love.

Most graded speculators only care about the grade. If it's not a 9.8 sealed they don't care. And it doesn't matter what game.

PSA? Aren’t t they the ones that are so far behind woth cards they told people to stop sending them in

when you start seeing shit like pinball and star voyager being sold for the outrageous prices being listed you have to think something suspicious is happening even if you know very little about the hobby

Be assured, WAD won't grade many or any more SMB 64's 9.8. Suddenly they hold the keys to millions of dollars for other people and I bet they take advantage of that.

You guys sponsor anything.

This is not on the irs/sec radar at all, the guys who bought the sm3 is caught holding the bag. This is the limit....they went too far.....

can't wait for the market to crash.

Non of what's going on has taken away my enjoyment of collecting video games. Am I surprised? Yes. Should a common game like Super Mario 64 be worth 1.5 mill? No. But who am I to tell someone how to spend their money? And if I could get 1.5mill for a sealed game your damn right I'd sell lol. In the end though all I see is a few ultra wealthy people overpaying for sealed games. So if you have any of this sealed stuff now is the time to sell boys and girls.....

Almost EVERTHYING 2nd hand is up right now. You should see the state of the used car market right now due to shortage of chips. The over printing of cash right now isnt helping either. Even the price of used game systems is up.

I have a sealed captain quazar for 3do. Am I rich now?

🎎

Showwwww Me The Moneyyyyyy!!!! Lol I love it and its exciting and interesting and when you can make alot of money off of it who wouldn't like it shit you only have 1 life to live so live it and enjoy it and stack cashola while you can and invest that cashola and do it all over again and again flipping is fun there's alot of money to be made out here why not just go for it and enjoy the wave while your on it thats what I say I know im surfing the waves no doubt about that everything in life is about making money everything you do its involved in pretty much if people want to spend there money so be it ill gladly except there payments dollar by dollar

man, ian gets upset at pat so often. lol cracks me p how he is all in his emotions.

It's artificial inflation that's ruining the retro game scene...i don't care how nice a game is,there's no game worth 1.5 million.the games aren't worth it because of they're age,and the high numbers of each title produced...

Too high prices Too quickly Not natural for collectibles

These people are purely about making money for themselves or their conflict of interests, just like buying and selling stocks. They have NO interest or knowledge of the game really. Normally this should not affect the actual gamers/us, but it has the effect of ANY sealed games suddenly rocketing up in price. I buy sealed games of my favourite childhood games to have on my shelf, as I play the actual opened/used game for nostalgic reasons. Just totally inflated prices to create a market for themselves.

No, but no expensive game even thats $500 has had a natural/normal price increase.

thank god i dont care about sealed game!

Do you guys not have phones?

Pretty soon Ian and Pat are gonna have WATA goons knocking on their door...

Emulation is taking over for most people.

They don't publish the units originally sold and they don't publish the qty graded or grade assigned. This is all crap. How many millions of units were produced for this game? Over 5 million? Old comics are a much different story (old being 1960's and prior). What was the print run on those? 50K-100K? Not 5 million. This is all crap and the big spenders now are going to be the losers in the end. I get having truly rare games (Air Raid VCS) graded and encased, but this common crap is a joke.

Make Ian wear those underwear on his head during an entire podcast.

No

Joe Biden: underwear ? Come on man!

Where are these cases of games dude? Are they held up by pirates ?

I don’t think this real. It’s probably a fake buy that made up the price. This is not rare at all.

Wata = Moon in hebrew. Nuff said

Graded karnov lol

Can't wait to see all the Disney Infinity stuff prices skyrocket ......... lol

Underwear

At this point if the average collector can sell one of his games for six or even seven figures who are we to complain rich people blow their money on dumber shit than video games lets just ride the wave

Not gonna lie, those underwear are hilarious.

Not collectable.

If it wasn't ruining our hobby I'd say them them steal money from these stupid rich.

These price increases are as organic as Michael Jackson's nose.

The word conspiracy theory is a very of most misleading term

Underwear commercial was not natural

I remember these guys shitting on sealed & graded games back in 2010.. but now that people are buying copies of breath of the wild off the shelves and having them graded...theres going to be a glut. And how do you grade a switch game, theres no cardboard, no barcode, no jewel case that can crack....

How do I get a game graded?? I've got Duck Hunt still sealed, pal version.

How many of your listed assets are video games pat? Collecting is always about value. You are 100 percent going to sell your games, I don’t blame you. So don’t be cruel to investor, don’t mean they don’t game...

Ok be honest has anyone brought one of these wata graded games?

Pat. Just sell your NWC carts. Honestly, can you really just sit on those useless collectibles when you know there’s suckers that’ll give you 100,000++++ for them? Just do it. Strike while the fomo is hot.

This is indeed for the betterment of the consumer. It’s speeding up the death of games on physical media, which in turn will increase the amount of digital only games, which will make the games even more accessible for the consumers and more profitable for the game makers. Why should I spend $1000 on a physical LRG edition when I can get the game for pennies? “You’ll need it when the storefront closes”, you say? Some hacking and a download solves the problem, especially with preservation being easier as the games are more accessible since you no longer have to go to store and hope to get one copy of a 50000 unit run. Ironic that the collectors market is killing itself by making physical media more and more unattainable.

Man his ass is where he speaks out of

What’s with all the sponsors having to do with genitalia? Cringe