Should U grades be banned!

plantman

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I know i brought up this discussion about the u90 VC Jawa, but i really wanted to start up a discussion on this.

I frigging hate inflated U-****ing grades......they are **** all different to a c-9 c-10 and they have been touched by human hands as someone has put them in the bloody case itself.

why do collectors pay so much for a loose figure with a u grade, its ruining the carded market as people buy carded and get them u graded.

i bought a c9.5 han solo with the fat head for about £3, yet this one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STAR-WARS-vintage-loose-Han-Solo-Large-Head-AFA-U90_W0QQitemZ110396517124QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_ActionFigures_ActionFigures_JN?hash=item19b4252b04&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

is up at £195....wtf....no offence to the seller as if you can get that sort of money then fair play, but lets stop being cocks and paying these amounts as its a ****ing waste of money.

its far more satisfying looking at a figure still encased on its card then one thats been put in an acrylic case.

U grades should be removed and more people would preserve the carded figures. I have some figures which i would get more money for if i ripped them off c8 cards and got then U graded, its ridiculous and is spoiling the preserved cards.

STOP IT!!
 

shawn_k

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I would have to agree, but not banned completely. In my opinion the U grade should have only been reserved for when an item is graded that came from a sealed shipping case. That would also put more of a premium on the U grade and in my opinion make graded figures with the U grade much more desirable, so instead of seeing a U grade loose vinyl Jawa you get a U graded carded vinyl Jawa that you know came from a factory sealed case of figures. That way the figure is still carded preserving an excellent piece of Star Wars history and keeping a premium on U graded stuff.
 

weasel

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I don't get the attraction in U grades, especially as you can't tell the difference between a U graded figure and a non U graded figure (assuming AFA have given them the same grade).
BUT, while people are prepared to pay premium for that letter, sellers will continue to take figures of beater cards and get them U graded to maximise their return, and while there is a market AFA will continue to grade U in the current way. If anything it's AFA's fault for getting gready and thinking up another way to entice people into buying their products.

It's definately a shame so many figures are being taken off their cards
 

lee gray

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more to the point should all these stickies be banned. nothing worse than having to sroll down to read a new post

as for U grades its dumbest grade ever
 

plantman

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And point proven that is a stupid price for a figure you could have picked up in the same condition for a few quid.

it makes people want to rip figures off cards...£200....you could get a carded 21 or maybe a rough 12 back for that.

more the fool that pays those prices, because that figure is still worth £20 max in my eyes, it makes no difference having a U in front of it.

more and more carded figures are being ruined for this stupid fetish that adds no value in my eyes.
 

Darth Wensleydale

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You have to blame obsessive collectors really. AFA are just looking to pay the bills. I'd imagine they've laid off some staff over the past year given the downturn in collecting anything. I certainly don't like the concept but its a very good idea in terms of being a cash cow. Some people are obsessed by numbers and for them getting $$$'s out of an otherwise dirt cheap figure has probably made a big difference to their current viability.

A real shame to lose all those cheap beaters but there isn't a thing that can be done about it :|
 

Rudyard

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Well I guess I can own up to purchasing quite a few 'U' graded figures. I have mixed feelings about the concept. I agree its ridiculous the premium that U90 figs especially, seem to generate these days - even more so it seems than a couple of years back. Its also very sad that there are becoming lesser conditioned cards out there. Hence I fully understand where you're coming from and in that respect I guess I'm a bit of a bad guy.

I myself refuse to overpay too much - I'd never buy a U90 that's marked up so much. I admit to liking the idea that a U figure has not been played with. When you look at him cased up you know he's pretty fresh - no kid or dog has drooled over him or whatever in days gone by. If that makes me a jerk then so be it. A couple of years back you could pick up U90s for reasonable money - I have about 10 or so I reckon (mostly SW / ESB) and I don't think I paid more than around £40 for any of them. These days I tend to go for U85s which IMO are still reasonably priced (sorry, but I confess that I'm prepared to pay 10-20% premium for a figure that I know has come from a (hopefully very poor conditioned card - or more ideally a baggie). I'm certainly not obsessed by the U grade though and I also own plenty of figs that are just graded 85 or 90. However, for those people with the money, and it seems there are plenty of them, I can understand the draw of a U90 figure. I guess the test is when you are just concerned about judging the grade itself, and not necessarily the figure. I'm sure there have been examples of lower grade figures that look better than one of higher grade.

With regards to the destruction of the beater card population, I can empathise. I guess I do feel some guilt. However, at the end of the day I reckon I get just as much satisfaction looking at my cased loose 'U' figs as someone who would have had the figure on a beater card.
 

plantman

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I myself have bought u90 loose figures, and i have no problem with them at all, what annoys me is the price people are willing to pay to get them, its beyond stupidity, if you sat two loose figures next to me, one being a 90 grade at £35 or one at U90 at £295 i know which one i would go for.

But its the prices only which i have a problem with, i have a droids c3po which no one is interested in because of a heavy yellow bubble, the card is mint. but a u90 c3po sells for £268. so what do you think will go through my mind...........

i laugh at the prices on u grades and would never pay that amount. but its not just beater cards that are going to suffer, its the mint ROTJ cards that are going as well.

i want to sell the 3po and do i sell it for £75 or ruin it and go for the £200+ gamble.

its an awful situation created but people willing to pay ridiculous prices. (not the overall collectors of u-grades)
 

Darth Wensleydale

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I think there are a fair number of people out there who collect 90's and U90's and the bidding is pretty intense where one of the tougher ones is concerned. Its over the top but there's a lot of people of our sort of age who will chuck money at it very aggressively to get the set completed.

I wonder if alcohol plays a part in late night listings as well :lol:

I remember selling a ESB figure case filled with 24 absolutely pristine ESB figures to match the inset card. I have no doubt many would have been 90's. Sold it for over £500 which was a lot, but when you think of the costs of 24 U90's it would seem a bargain.
 

lee gray

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Even though I hate the U grade and think its a dumb grade to invent especially for ppl sending in cut cards just so the figure gets the grade

no reflection on the people who do this practise as the markets out there. its just the fact that the U grade is being used for this... I personally think that the U grade should have just existed for something being pulled out of a sealed case
 

Rudyard

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Had my eye on this - at least until it passed the £40 mark!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&item=260418337079

Crazy money - surely you could almost buy two nice Palitoy carded examples for that?
 

plantman

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it makes my blood boil!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

it would have been cheaper to buy a rotj one and get it done yourself...and have £100 change
 

Jim1974

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Even that one has me confused. I have been buying and selling U90's for the last 2-3 years but even I agree that one is utter madness........I wouldn't expect any more than £45 for that. The last one sold last week £32.50 BIN.
 

jaymassive619

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****ing U grades man they are a serious plague in the hobby over the last year.

Its not just beaters that are getting used anymore U90 figures command more than the same figure carded at AFA 80 I've chatted with a few dealers recently and they are pulling figures off pristine cards left right and center now in an attempt to hit a U90.

Heres one for you i had a carded mint R2-D2 Pop up lightsaber FS (it ended up grading a 90! carded its now for sale in robbies ebay store after i traded with him) i couldn't shift it for £75 for ages yet a ****ing U90 went for £250 on the bay ????

Seriously guys U grades are damaging the MOC collecting market at an alarming rate.

As many know im putting together my first loose collection after collecting MOC for many years. The biggest thrill for me is actually holding the figures and posing / displaying them exactly how you want to. Plus having the ability to change the poses at will.

Plus the AFA cases dont protect loose figures as well as carded figures imo. I have seen a few AFA loose figures suffering paint chips etc because they have been rattling around in the acrylic case.

Where is the excitement at looking at a loose figure tombed in a chunk of thick plastic????

For me those people dont love the figure they love the grade!
 
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