U Grade FAQ

[jambobbyb]

Hi Iain, I thought as long as the figure cant be removed from the bubble cracked and lifting bubbles were "ok" for a U grade.

[itfciain]

Hi Iain, I thought as long as the figure cant be removed from the bubble cracked and lifting bubbles were "ok" for a U grade.

To be honest I am not up with the in's and out's of UGrading - but presumed that if the lift or crack were big enough for the figure to be 'touched' then it could not get an untouched grade

Maybe someone could confirm this ?

[theslider]

While i disagree with U-bend grading, the figures do show why this may well be so popular
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Star-Wars-Vin ... true&rt=nc
And
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LOOSE-VINTAGE ... 3a7242f454

Nearly double the value after paying for the grade............

That's just fucking sickening! Though I think the price for the carded figure is low, this should not be happening! Especially as this example would've displayed fantastically.

[PGowdy]

Yeah, you notice that hasn't sold tho. He can ask what he wants but i'd be surprised if he got that much for it.
How much would grading and shipping cost? £20-£30?? So after ebay and paypal fees, taking into account the original shipping paid, you may end up with a £10 profit. If you're lucky. Not much of an incentive in my book.

[jambobbyb]

Dont worry Chaps this one wont be being u graded, I picked it up and will be keeping it for my cheap run of unloved 12 backs! Pete thats why this guy does these in bulk more cards = less shipping costs. I just thought it interesting to point out a decent ish 12 back beater costs less than people are asking for a U graded item.

[jambobbyb]

wow look at that it did sell for £99.99.......
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LOOSE-VINTAGE ... 7675.l2557

I would still have the brown belt 12 back beater though for % 60 less!

[starwarsdan]

I really don't understand the appeal of the U-grade to begin with. If you think about it, once you've sent it to afa, they open it, case it, and send it back to you, it IS circulated, isn't it? What is the point of this? You're swapping one plastic bubble for another, and the second bubble has nothing to do with the original manufacturer.

You've circulated it to a 3rd party company who opened it, and circulated it back to you with a label that says "uncirculated" when in reality you get it back fully circulated!! duh.

Just because you pay them to put it in a little plastic box doesn't mean that it's not an open toy. The whole thing seems like a fallacy to me.

I was asking a vendor on ebay recently about some baggie figures, and he said he had more and asked which ones I might be interested in. I said I was looking for a sealed baggie blue Snag, and he said he had 3 of them! And that two of them were on the way back from afa U-grading. I told him I was no longer interested in them. Why he even brought it up, knowing that I was looking for baggie figures. I didn't even know he had u grade up for sale until that moment. I asked him what the point was, and he said quite plainly "it's worth more that way". It's all about the $, and there's a sucker born every minute.

as far as I'm concerned:
U grade = ruined baggie in plastic coffin

[Grant_C]

Right.

Kind of like taking an antique picure out of its frame and putting it in an IKEA frame with a barcode on it.

I like the idea of normal grading though. It was a great idea to bring a fresh element to collecting.

[tiefighterboy]

Dan this is the reason most of us despise "U" grading...or better yet for myself...any AFA grading. They should have stuck with "Starting line up" figures and left the rest of it alone.

[Snake_eyes_82]

An interesting read for sure.

Just looking at the numbers done in 2009 compared to 2010, it's pretty convincing that this isn't going away anytime soon.

no it certainly isnt i keep seeing lots of u grade all the time on ebay and other boards.

[LAUGHITUPFUZZ]

Hi guys, This is my first post on the forum ... when you say mint on card, what about if you have a moc and the figure has started to develop mold/mildew due to moisture getting into the card, would you still consider this moc, and - if AFA graded it U would they take it out and clean it before putting it in to the acrylic case or would this be considered a health hazard

The reason I bring this up is because I stumbled across this video a few weeks ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7YRQgfOe2o

[itfciain]

Hi guys, This is my first post on the forum ... when you say mint on card, what about if you have a moc and the figure has started to develop mold/mildew due to moisture getting into the card, would you still consider this moc, and - if AFA graded it U would they take it out and clean it before putting it in to the acrylic case or would this be considered a health hazard

The reason I bring this up is because I stumbled across this video a few weeks ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7YRQgfOe2o

That is just frosting - a couple of hours in the sun and it will go away - am surprised someone like Brian's Toys doesn't know this. As for whether this would be a candidate for U-Grading ? God, its a 12 back chewie on an 85 graded card, who is their right mind would decide to U-Grade it ?

[Captainsolo1978]

U Grading I think is silly- just a way for people to make money from Newbie collectors.

If the figure is on the card, even what some describe as "beaters", it should be left there!

I see carded figures as a kind of modern work of art! The cards look amazing! I had some carded figures on my wall even after I stopped playing with them as a 12 year old!

The point is- why remove the figure from the bubble????

In my opinion grading is a waste of time. I know some think it provides a standard for the hobby, but I feel again it is a way for ebay sellers to inflate prices!

By the way GW Acrylic cases are ACE and I would recommend them for your figures!!!!

[x-pack]

I read articles like this and think it's all collecting at the extreme end and something i can't really comprehend. I personally don't give a crap if human hands have touched my figures, but i can understand people wanting mint examples. Not sure what i think about those who take figures off the cards. If the card was in really bad condition but the figure was ok then i don't see an issue. If that's what they want to do with their card then so be it.

I am into slice bubbles and reseals at the moment, it's a cheap way of collecting otherwise VERY expensive figures. The whys and wheres of how these cards came to be cut or resealed doesn't bother me too much, although one has to wonder. At least i guess you could look on it that the cards aren't completely lost.

[Palifan]

One thing that seems fine to me about U grading (possibly the only thing about the whole process), is if you have a mailer that's still sealed and then the baggies are taken out and graded. I don't mean open up the baggies, just leave them as they are. That way you get to see the figure on display, with the mailer and any paperwork and you're not just stuck with looking at a box telling you what's inside.

Here's an example -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Star-Wars-Emp ... 7675.l2557


I really can't see a problem with this and I'm sorry if this has already been mentioned earlier and I'm covering old ground.

One other thing is how do people feel about AFAing their unopened boxed items? I can see it's a way to keep the box in good condition and also would maybe help with displaying it (as you could stack them with no fear of damage), but I feel like I would always want to see the toy inside at some point (although that would mean breaking the seal).