Sealed copy of Pokemon Yellow graded A+ allegedly destroyed by US Customs

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Stephen Kick, who runs under the username of @pripyatbeast, posted on Twitter an image of a received package after being handled by customs. The package was supposed to be an encased sealed copy of Pokemon Yellow, graded A+ with a score of 9.2 by Wata Games with an alleged worth of around $3'800 dollars, but instead, the owner got a broken acrylic case, with a mangled seal and sliced box of Pokemon Yellow.

The highest rated Pokemon Yellow game is also an A+, but with a score of 9.4, which is currently going up for around $10'500 dollars in price.
While the morality and legality of sealed copies of widely available games as Pokemon Yellow is highly questionable and up for debate, and regardless of its alleged worth, it's always heartbreaking to see something you ordering getting destroyed in shipping or customs.

 

tabzer

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This isn't news. I'm with @AmandaRose on this one.

The source is tweet about something a *friend* said they experienced.

Not that I enjoy customs rummaging through my mail and my luggage, but that's their job. Not considering that is negligent. To me, it would be a lot easier to stage than it is to make such an investment and risk relying on mercy from customs.
 

raxadian

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This isn't news. I'm with @AmandaRose on this one.

The source is tweet about something a *friend* said they experienced.

Not that I enjoy customs rummaging through my mail and my luggage, but that's their job. Not considering that is negligent. To me, it would be a lot easier to stage than it is to make such an investment and risk relying on mercy from customs.

The problem is Customs in the USA LITERALLY HAS 3D IMAGING TECHNOLOGY, not joking they scan like a bag and see everything inside.And this is a Gameboy cart, there is no way you can confuse it with a bomb. Only way I can see doing this is that they thought it was drugs but a bit too small for that don't you think?

Then again it depends on how the thing crossed the border, big airports are the ones with the fancy scanners. If they send like in a bus with a guy who was going that way then yeah I can see it happening.😀
 

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From a gamer's perspective I am a bit heartbroken on how customs allegedly massacred that game. I'd take that info with a grain of salt, though. I know what people are capable of and I won't believe one-sided stories anymore.
From a collector's perspective I am quite a bit amused and I hope that this is not leading to any compensation. I get why sealed games are valuable after nearly 30 years. Having a game in the condition it was in when it released even though time moved on ever since is something to be proud of (more so if you preserved it like that yourself). Games have been manufactured in limited supply. The closing of DS, 3DS and Wii U eShops have proven that the only real deal is physical.
HOWEVER, if you let those scammers from WATA games and the likes grade your game, it becomes worth absolutely nothing to me as it is now part of a bubble waiting to burst one day. I'd always buy and sell ungraded copies rather than giving money to those greedy...

Only way I can see doing this is that they thought it was drugs but a bit too small for that don't you think?

Maybe they saw a price tag and thought "That's a bit expensive for a videogame, isn't it? Maybe they smuggle something in it. Drugs, gold, diamonds, secret technology... Let's take a look to be su... wow, there is really just a game in there. I'm either missing something or some idiot paid $4000 on an old kid's game."
 
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This isn't news. I'm with @AmandaRose on this one.

The source is tweet about something a *friend* said they experienced.

Not that I enjoy customs rummaging through my mail and my luggage, but that's their job. Not considering that is negligent. To me, it would be a lot easier to stage than it is to make such an investment and risk relying on mercy from customs.
that's what crossed my mind since I first saw this piece of news. It's just a regular person posting on a social network. I can break stuff in my house, post a picture on the internet and blame the Turkmenistani Secret Police. It would be a report as reliable as this one.

There was proper journalistic media covering this story, all stopped their coverage on the tweet. They didn't ask the customs about it, they didn't told the name of the involved people, they did nothing besides harvesting clicks.
 
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Foxi4

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Let's start our own grading system, based on cartridge/disc preservation state and based evaluation and make tons of money. Also with blackjack and hookers.
I suppose anyone could, realistically speaking. I personally think it’s snobbish as fuck, but if I were in charge of creating one, each “step” on the points ladder would have to be clear and concise.

1: Is it actually what the claimant says it is? (authentic/inauthentic - that’s the baseline)
2: Is it labelled? If yes, what’s the condition of the label between 2.1 to 2.9? If sealed, skip.
3: Does it come with original packaging? If yes, what’s the condition of it between 3.1 to 3.9? If sealed, skip.
4: Does it have a manual? If yes, what’s the condition of it between 4.1 to 4.9? If sealed, skip.
5: Does it come with all the additional gubbins like advertising material? If yes, what’s their condition between 5.1 and 5.9? If sealed, skip.
6: Is it still sealed? If it is, what’s the state of the seal between 6.1 and 6.9?
7: Perfectly preserved specimen, reserved for factory-sealed games in mint condition, as if they fell off the factory conveyor belt yesterday.

Easy points-by system that can be expanded upon/modified depending on the system. Call it Lucky 7’s, job done. Everyone understands what they’re being scored on *and* what those scores actually mean.
 

Marc_LFD

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This is another reason why I don't collect physical video game cartridges and discs as a hobby.
Some buy it as an investment. I'd rather just keep the money or invest in a savings account-type instead than go through this and if I have to move, I don't have to worry about packing it all up.

The most "retro" thing I've bought recently were GameCube controllers and that's it. I love the GCN controllers so I'll get to use them.
 
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Marc_LFD

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Why is anyone surprised at the shitshow that's the retro gaming market? Just look at DKOldies.





Yeah, they make some cutesy short videos and all, and that's partly how they get customers to moronically overpay for something that isn't worth what they're asking.
 
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Kioku

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Why is anyone surprised at the shitshow that's the retro gaming market? Just look at DKOldies.





Yeah, they make some cutesy short videos and all, and that's partly how they get customers to moronically overpay for something that isn't worth what they're asking.

I wish people would stop buying from them.
 
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I wish people would stop buying from them.
In all fairness, Rich himself doesn’t know what the fuck he’s talking about half the time. DKOldies comes across as a casual collector who doesn’t really know much, but is passionate about gaming, so he opened a store. A large portion of his videos feature him showing stuff everybody and their dog knows about and being absolutely befuddled by it. I don’t know if he’s malicious, it’s more likely that he’s incompetent, so the word “scam” seems a bit harsh. I wouldn’t know if he overcharges as I usually buy consoles in average to poor condition and refurbish them myself, that’s part of the fun for me. I’d never pay big bucks for a common piece of electronics, it’d have to be exceptionally rare to catch my attention.
 
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Marc_LFD

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In all fairness, Rich himself doesn’t know what the fuck he’s talking about half the time. DKOldies comes across as a casual collector who doesn’t really know much, but is passionate about gaming, so he opened a store. A large portion of his videos feature him showing stuff everybody and their dog knows about and being absolutely befuddled by it. I don’t know if he’s malicious, it’s more likely that he’s incompetent, so the word “scam” seems a bit harsh. I wouldn’t know if he overcharges as I usually buy consoles in average to poor condition and refurbish them myself, that’s part of the fun for me. I’d never pay big bucks for a common piece of electronics, it’d have to be exceptionally rare to catch my attention.
Sure, not a scam, but an obvious ripoff.
 

tabzer

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The problem is Customs in the USA LITERALLY HAS 3D IMAGING TECHNOLOGY, not joking they scan like a bag and see everything inside.And this is a Gameboy cart, there is no way you can confuse it with a bomb. Only way I can see doing this is that they thought it was drugs but a bit too small for that don't you think?

Then again it depends on how the thing crossed the border, big airports are the ones with the fancy scanners. If they send like in a bus with a guy who was going that way then yeah I can see it happening.😀

They might have been looking for cryptocurrency. :lol:
 

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