palitoyjunky
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http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=251939340576
Are u kidding me, for an AFA 75!!
- Thread starter palitoyjunky
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Mr-shifter
Sith Lord
I think we might see a lot more of these yaks coming out now. They are achieving a price way over their true value and as such people seem to be cashing in.
Sign of the times I think
Sign of the times I think
Geez.. I slapped a bid on of just under £1k but was soon outbid...never did see it till the end.
There seems to be a ton of Yaks about lately, but I guess supply can't keep up with the demand so prices are going crazy.
There seems to be a ton of Yaks about lately, but I guess supply can't keep up with the demand so prices are going crazy.
sith-smith
Grand Master
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It certainly is a crazy collecting time we're living in!!
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Wander what a POTF Yak would go for at the moment. :roll:
In the lead up to my rant on prices last November, prices on Trilogo Yaks were getting out of hand (many were linked here). There was a glimmer of hope that normality had returned however and it happened just before Christmas when 3 ungraded Yak Face Trilogos ended at "decent" prices compared to what most graded ones seemed to be selling for around that time:
Sadly, I've not really seen any sell for those kinds of prices (or less) since then - which is a shame..(maybe I'm naive but I thought we were getting back on track after seeing those 3 above sell).
Nine times out of ten, the really silly money (£1k/£1.5k+) is being spent on graded examples though, regardless of the grade (which is kind of odd to me because a 75 Trilogo is pretty "meh" given the fact that even some 80's can look like dog ****) so I would still advise people look for ungraded figures if they aren't looking to overspend.
Not sure what the future holds for prices but patience will hopefully pay off and save people money. I really hope that anyone interested in buying a Yak Tri (one of the more plentiful POTF figure Trilogos out there) will wait their turn and get one for a decent price instead of jumping on the expensive AFA graded ones on eBay - I know you might want one but they aren't worth that kind of money and ultimately could prove to be a terrible investment in the long run.
Sadly, I've not really seen any sell for those kinds of prices (or less) since then - which is a shame..(maybe I'm naive but I thought we were getting back on track after seeing those 3 above sell).
Nine times out of ten, the really silly money (£1k/£1.5k+) is being spent on graded examples though, regardless of the grade (which is kind of odd to me because a 75 Trilogo is pretty "meh" given the fact that even some 80's can look like dog ****) so I would still advise people look for ungraded figures if they aren't looking to overspend.
Not sure what the future holds for prices but patience will hopefully pay off and save people money. I really hope that anyone interested in buying a Yak Tri (one of the more plentiful POTF figure Trilogos out there) will wait their turn and get one for a decent price instead of jumping on the expensive AFA graded ones on eBay - I know you might want one but they aren't worth that kind of money and ultimately could prove to be a terrible investment in the long run.
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I think perhaps a lot of collectors or some are buying Tri-logo Yaks as place fillers for POTF Yaks. Just a thought. Also a lot of high grade collectors consider 75 and 80 grades for Tri-logos when they normally woulden't as 85 Tri-logos are generally harder to come by. Whatever it is I think it's a shame that we end up discussing what grades items are and how the grade effects price all the time. I'm probably the worst for it as well. :?
Well, this is the thing, an AFA 75 grade on a Trilogo (and even an 80 sometimes) really doesn't guarantee a great looking figure, which is what most people expect when they buy graded stuff. This is a good example:
That Biker Scout looks like an ungraded C7 at best to me, 80 grade is supposed to be near mint! There is also an Ackbar AFA 80 on eBay that looks pretty bad too, I'm sure there are many more examples out there.
The impact that grading has had on the hobby & prices is truly incredible considering a graded piece is literally just an ungraded toy that's been given an opinion/assessment of condition by some random team of people (many who aren't collectors) and put in an acrylic box. It's laughable at best and it shows how easily people buy into a company and it's name once it's established itself as an "Authority".
It's easy to get carried away with AFA and the whole grading thing. I remember the feeling when I won my first AFA graded MOC on eBay and how I honestly believed it was "better" than anything else I had in my collection at the time because of that seal of approval/sticker..but as time went on I realised that it's just a money maker and actually, kind of pointless.
I think you only have to look at the people in this hobby that have some of the best collections in the world to work out how important Grading actually is. Gus Lopez, Duncan Jenkins, Steve Sansweet and even our very own Gary Smith..how many graded pieces do you think those guys own? That's when you realise what a bunch of bullshit grading really is and how it's just created a generation of people that believe they have a better collection than the next guy because the numbers on their stickers are slightly higher..
That Biker Scout looks like an ungraded C7 at best to me, 80 grade is supposed to be near mint! There is also an Ackbar AFA 80 on eBay that looks pretty bad too, I'm sure there are many more examples out there.
The impact that grading has had on the hobby & prices is truly incredible considering a graded piece is literally just an ungraded toy that's been given an opinion/assessment of condition by some random team of people (many who aren't collectors) and put in an acrylic box. It's laughable at best and it shows how easily people buy into a company and it's name once it's established itself as an "Authority".
It's easy to get carried away with AFA and the whole grading thing. I remember the feeling when I won my first AFA graded MOC on eBay and how I honestly believed it was "better" than anything else I had in my collection at the time because of that seal of approval/sticker..but as time went on I realised that it's just a money maker and actually, kind of pointless.
I think you only have to look at the people in this hobby that have some of the best collections in the world to work out how important Grading actually is. Gus Lopez, Duncan Jenkins, Steve Sansweet and even our very own Gary Smith..how many graded pieces do you think those guys own? That's when you realise what a bunch of bullshit grading really is and how it's just created a generation of people that believe they have a better collection than the next guy because the numbers on their stickers are slightly higher..
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:lol: :lol: :lol:
Well said. As I said I spend to much time talking about grading these day's and although I don't have a problem with it I would rather only talk about actual collecting which is what it has always been about for me, instead of going on about stuff like, that is never an AFA this and that should be a UKG whatever.
Well said. As I said I spend to much time talking about grading these day's and although I don't have a problem with it I would rather only talk about actual collecting which is what it has always been about for me, instead of going on about stuff like, that is never an AFA this and that should be a UKG whatever.
jedisearcher
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Not to get too hung up on the grading issue, I've read afew times that AFA tend to be more lenient with trilogo grades than they would be for other stuff. It makes no sense really, a grade is a grade whatever the card and it should be consistent, but perhaps this has something to do with it.
Even if they are more lenient, there's still very few AFA 85 trilogo cards around.
Even if they are more lenient, there's still very few AFA 85 trilogo cards around.
I've noticed a lot of people stating that AFA are less strict on Trilogo cards.. If that really is the case then why? They really shouldn't be! There is no special category for Trilogos on the website/submission form and the AFA grading scale for Vintage carded figures is supposed to be the same isn't it? It shouldn't matter if certain figures are more prone to damage or not, their job is to assess the condition of all toys equally and damage is damage.
AFA has never been impartial or fair though and you don't have to delve too deep into how they operate to work that out. Take a look at the prices they charge to see what I mean. The cheapest tier you can choose: "Standard" is only valid for items under $200 in value! Which means that the more valuable your item is the more they charge you to grade it (under the premise that you get it back quicker..which is a waste of money given the amount of turn around delays I've read about over the years). I also remember hearing that if you try to be cheeky and undervalue your item on the submission form to save yourself some £ and they notice, they will get in contact and request the "correct" fee amount before grading and returning it..
I get that it's a business and I also understand that their aim is to make money - I just wish AFA collectors and fan boys could take the blinders off for a minute and get wise to it all, I think I need to make a "buy ungraded" shirt... :lol:
AFA has never been impartial or fair though and you don't have to delve too deep into how they operate to work that out. Take a look at the prices they charge to see what I mean. The cheapest tier you can choose: "Standard" is only valid for items under $200 in value! Which means that the more valuable your item is the more they charge you to grade it (under the premise that you get it back quicker..which is a waste of money given the amount of turn around delays I've read about over the years). I also remember hearing that if you try to be cheeky and undervalue your item on the submission form to save yourself some £ and they notice, they will get in contact and request the "correct" fee amount before grading and returning it..
I get that it's a business and I also understand that their aim is to make money - I just wish AFA collectors and fan boys could take the blinders off for a minute and get wise to it all, I think I need to make a "buy ungraded" shirt... :lol:
Mr-shifter
Sith Lord
Joe,
I have found in my limited experience with graded items, not only are they softer on trilogos, they also seem to be softer on uber rare items. I have seen some graded loose vlix at 75 that would be lucky to scrape a 60 if they were rancor keepers or lograys.
If you make those t shirts, I am size xl and would happily wear one.
I have found in my limited experience with graded items, not only are they softer on trilogos, they also seem to be softer on uber rare items. I have seen some graded loose vlix at 75 that would be lucky to scrape a 60 if they were rancor keepers or lograys.
If you make those t shirts, I am size xl and would happily wear one.
I definitely think that AFA being more lenient on rarer pieces is a possibility yes and dare I say who submits them probably has an impact on the overall grade they get too..
:lol: I might just have to work on a logo for that idea then! :lol:
Mr-shifter said:
:lol: I might just have to work on a logo for that idea then! :lol:
Lee Gregory
Sith Lord
Defo agree with the WHO sends them in Joe, had a couple of pieces recently and they were lucky IMO to receive the grades they received, then I remembered who they were from. Don't know how they can say impartial, not on the evidence I have seen they aren't....
From personal experience I've noticed a difference in their grading for the foreign MOC's. My AFA 80 LL's are definitely not in as good condition as the SW/ESB/ROTJ/POTF MOC's. TBH I'm not even sure you would need to see them in person for a direct comparison of them (assuming broadly similar sub grades) to show the difference. I suspect it would be noticeable enough in pictures.
I've also heard long standing rumours about certain people getting higher grades from AFA. I've never seen any real proof beyond a few MOC's that do look to have got slightly inflated grades, but the rumours don't go away. It could be jealousy, it could just be a few got better grades than they should, or it could well be a bias, I just haven't seen enough evidence either way.
I've also heard long standing rumours about certain people getting higher grades from AFA. I've never seen any real proof beyond a few MOC's that do look to have got slightly inflated grades, but the rumours don't go away. It could be jealousy, it could just be a few got better grades than they should, or it could well be a bias, I just haven't seen enough evidence either way.
I think we've all heard rumblings and rumours and usually there's no smoke without fire but yeah it's perhaps unfair to state that as fact without proof. I'm more than sure there are a few "close relationships" between AFA and some of their more loyal customers though.
Another thing I heard about (not sure how true it was) was when a bunch of overstock baggies turned up that couldn't be properly identified or graded by UKG (they refused to) yet when the same baggies were sent to AFA they were opened up and U graded lol!
Another thing I heard about (not sure how true it was) was when a bunch of overstock baggies turned up that couldn't be properly identified or graded by UKG (they refused to) yet when the same baggies were sent to AFA they were opened up and U graded lol!
