AFA wants to change grading while doing a recase

[Tobi_Wan]

Hi,

i have sent an Imperial Shuttle AFA 85 with a cracked case to AFA. I wanted them to do a recase. Now they contacted me saying they have to give the Shuttle a lower grading due to color fading.

Is this a normal procedure?

Tobi

 

[DarthMickeyMoose]

Jesus what a crock! The are really something.....Bad! Sorry to hear about this.

 

[BTD2]

yes it is- because when they recase it, the grade gets a new date: whenever I buy a graded piece I always look at the graded date, if its old then there is a chance for a loss (i.e. color fading)

 

[Kenner76]

If it is no longer in AFA85 condition then the grade really should be changed. Sucks for you, but if you ever sell it the buyer won't actually be getting an "afa85" anymore due to the fading.

 

[morrison2951]

I've not sent anything back to AFA to be recased for just this reason- they can change the grade.

 

[KeepFrozen]

Makes sense they would change it. It would be like getting a new case for a yellow bubble moc that was graded when it was clear, it has changed and so should the grading.

 

[Bonsai_Tree_Ent]

Tobi, I really feel for you - damn, the shipping cost to send a cased Imperial Shuttle to the USA and only then to receive it back devalued at a lower grade. Double whammy. Is it a loose shuttle or has the colour faded on the box?

 

[Kenner76]

It does really suck, but how can they keep it at afa85 if it is no longer in afa85 condition?

 

[eightball]

You have the option to not recase it. AFA can return it to you as-is. However, if you are planning to sell the piece you will need to disclose to the buyer that the grade is not valid.

 

[DarthMickeyMoose]

Yeah it's about AFA Making more Money Period!

 

[Michael_Ritter]

It sucks but perfectly reasonable. The condition is not the same as when it was originally submitted and the grade should reflect that. If you had an AFA 95 SW Fett and you dropped it, and Fett popped out the bubble, would you expect AFA to grade it again as a 95 if you sent it back to get a new case? Of course not. Bubbles yellow and colors fade. That's all normal aging of these 30-40 year old toys. That's one of the dangers of collecting graded.

Mike

 

[amanamanman]

I sent in my afa yak face to get re-cased archival last year. I've had it since 2007. The serial number still says it was graded in 2006. So they don't re-grade them every time. They probably review it and decide if it needs re-graded or if it still meets the 85 standard. Just a guess though...

 

[IoN_Cannon]

Yeah, if there is something obvious they will definitely change the grade. I had this happen to me once on a Joe. They noticed some rubber band in the bubble and said it probably had a broken O-ring. I respected the change because a grade is simply a snapshot. As soon as it is cased and leaves the facility, things can happen to it and time passes. It is what it is...

 

[osufan]

Yeah it's about AFA Making more Money Period!

No its about putting an accurate grade on the piece. Not regradeing it would be bad for collectors

 

[bigbarada]

I agree that's it's completely reasonable. Since the AFA case is not going to stop the toy from continuing to rot away, I actually think they should put a "regrade date" (sort of like an expiration date for the current grade) on every item. Of course, it would mean more money for AFA from those collectors who seem to be inexplicably obsessed with grades, but in reality it would drive collectors away from professionally graded toys in general. If I have to pay AFA to grade a toy and that grade will only be good for 5 years after which I will have to pay to have it graded again, then I will be much less likely to have the toy graded in the first place.

 

[1BadMotivator]

I completely and utterly agree with bigbarada. I think AFA and grading is a scam and makes no sense for action figures. Comics, maybe, action figures, no. I am not paying a premium for anything graded, nor will I waste money to have it graded. As several of you have pointed out, grades change, it's inevitable. It's perfectly acceptable for AFA to re-grade something that they are re-casing; frankly, they would be negligent if they didn't. But the expiration date is an absolutely brilliant idea. I was thinking this same thing a month or so ago. If you buy an AFA 85 figure, there is no guarantee that is what you are actually getting, so what's the point? Like someone said, it's a snapshot, so do you really want to pay premium for a figure that was one time an 85 for sure, but now, who knows? Makes no sense to me. Once that graded figure changes, in the slightest way, the grade is meaningless. So, again, to answer the question of the thread, yes AFA should re-grade if they re-case, but in addendum, it's all a waste of time and money in my opinion.

 

[IoN_Cannon]

I completely and utterly agree with bigbarada. I think AFA and grading is a scam and makes no sense for action figures. Comics, maybe, action figures, no. I am not paying a premium for anything graded, nor will I waste money to have it graded. As several of you have pointed out, grades change, it's inevitable. It's perfectly acceptable for AFA to re-grade something that they are re-casing; frankly, they would be negligent if they didn't. But the expiration date is an absolutely brilliant idea. I was thinking this same thing a month or so ago. If you buy an AFA 85 figure, there is no guarantee that is what you are actually getting, so what's the point? Like someone said, it's a snapshot, so do you really want to pay premium for a figure that was one time an 85 for sure, but now, who knows? Makes no sense to me. Once that graded figure changes, in the slightest way, the grade is meaningless. So, again, to answer the question of the thread, yes AFA should re-grade if they re-case, but in addendum, it's all a waste of time and money in my opinion.

I agree with a lot you said but I don't think you can just blanket state that it is a total waste of time. There are certainly SOME benefits to having items graded especially should something happen to you and your family inherit the items. Sometimes you have to think about others beside yourself and that's why I have had a large majority of my collection graded. I agree that the grades sometimes are not consistent and often times after a few years they don't matter but they are a baseline and can be used by others to judge the quality. The cases also offer quite a bit of protection compared to not storing them in hard cases. (I know you can buy those) In all grading is a slippery slope. The problem for me was, once I started I had to keep going with it. My OCD self couldn't have half graded and half not. I like standardization. LOL

 

[1BadMotivator]

Ha! Ok, you got me there. My OCD would probably cause the same problem! I just bought 10 acrylic cases for some POTF figures and couldn't help but think....Man...I need 10 more! I see your point in regards to valuation for estate purposes. That sort of makes sense. But with information on completed sales off of ebay and other sources like that, couldn't value be determined graded or ungraded? Well, but you are right, the grade is uniform. Random ungraded carded figures would be subject to scrutiny. Is this the $500 version or the $50 version. I suppose grading would sort of take the guess work out of that, as long as no one looked to deep into the details; I mean, as long as no one said, "well, it's an 85, but is it really an 85 because it was graded 10 years ago?" Ion Cannon, what do you think about having an expiration date for graded items?

 

[IoN_Cannon]

Ion Cannon, what do you think about having an expiration date for graded items?

I would never send any of my stuff back in for regrades. Especially those that haven't changed in any way. If something turns yellow or breaks I would fully disclose it before selling it obviously. I hate sellers who sell graded items with obvious new issues and don't disclose it but at the same time, buyers can't be that dumb not to notice the major things (or at least I hope not)... I don't even like shipping things to them the first time to tell you the truth, because I am always fearful of damage by USPS/UPS/etc. I am not going to put my items through that again once it is done. That's just the way I feel about it. I think buyers who look at AFA pieces and see serial #'s that were graded over 10 years ago might want to look over the item a little more as best practice. This is just common sense to me anyways..

 

[Hoth_My_Fav]

I would never send any of my stuff back in for regrades. Especially those that haven't changed in any way. If something turns yellow or breaks I would fully disclose it before selling it obviously. I hate sellers who sell graded items with obvious new issues and don't disclose it but at the same time, buyers can't be that dumb not to notice the major things (or at least I hope not)... I don't even like shipping things to them the first time to tell you the truth, because I am always fearful of damage by USPS/UPS/etc. I am not going to put my items through that again once it is done. That's just the way I feel about it. I think buyers who look at AFA pieces and see serial #'s that were graded over 10 years ago might want to look over the item a little more as best practice. This is just common sense to me anyways..

Agree with the above 100%.

I believe collectors who buy graded pieces are very savvy and know how to value these items in auctions, knowing that a piece might/will degrade after its grade and yes, its common sense.