Was curious what everyone’s thoughts/opinions of AFA are? I know there was a previous topic on the subject, but that was a while back. Watching the AFA graded figures on EBay, here are a few things that stand out to me:
Wrong series on several figures Listed on the labels as 14-Back when they are clearly 8-Back.
One of their policies is to let the customer know if the wrong grading code is selected, and the price increases more than $20. This was not the case on my recent submission.
There have been other little things, but these are the ones that stand out. I do know that there does not always seem to be rhyme or reason to there overall grade. I know that the overall grade is independent of the three sub-grades (listed on their website).
I love the acrylic cases, but that’s about all I love about AFA. Ive seen far to many mistakes. The people are not actually experts in the toy collecting field but are people doing a job. It also seems that the people base there own judgement on the grades rather than a guideline. Ive heard stories and seen photos of people that didnt like the grade they got so they opened the case up and sent the same figure back to AFA and it came back with a different grade. I have a few things I want to get cased but dont necessarily want graded which is why I was so bummed when CSG went out of business. I think the custom acrylic cases are excellent for figures.
I’m not sure how I feel about AFA either. I have a bunch of stuff I’d like to get graded but I have been putting them off for well over 2 years now. I’m also pretty sure the items would not get anything under an 85 or 90… yeah, I’m that anal with condition and perfection lol!
It does however set your mind to ease as its in a protective case and investment wise, its sells for more than usual as well as give a buyer a better understanding of the quality. I’d like to think that eventually I’ll send in my items to get graded but I’m terrified it might get damaged in transit or the form just intimidates the hell out of me. But till then I’ll rely more and more on this thread to make a proper decision Good Luck!
AFA is good for mainly authentication of items in circulation that were otherwise rumored or unheard of. There is examples of this in other toy lines where an unheard of carded figure comes up for sale and gets graded for mainly getting the case and the verification.
I’ve had experiences with both sides of the grading, there are people out there that will look at a crazy rare figure and offer different amounts depending on what a grade is. If there is only 20 or so in existence of a figure the COA is more valuable then shooting for an 85 or 90.
For me I don’t care about the grade that much to pay a premium, I’d rather go for a MOC that is free to the air and get a case separately just to protect it but would buy an AFA one if the cost is just marginally more then a regular figure MOC.
I guess my primary issue has more to do with what is included at the different tiers of service. Example: I can pay $40 to $120 dollars to get a MOC Thundercats figure graded, the only difference is the amount of time it takes, for the top tier you would think that pictures, cleaning and a detailed grading report would be included…no, not at all actually, you still have to cough up more money if you want all the bells and whistles…
I have sent part of my “personnel collection” in for grading this last week, i could care less about the scores, i want the items protected for as long as i own them. my confusion comes in when i have to decide if i want to get duplicates of MOC figures graded. eventually these figures will be sold, none of them are super rare or in super great condition (AFA70-75 at best) and i realize that its only $40 to get these graded but there is already money tied up in the initial purchase of a lot. so now, i end up with 90-100 tied up in common figures that didn’t grade that high, and i have to re-coupe that…I don’t know if everyone is watching EBay but alot of the common figures keep getting listed and listed and listed because the collectors who want them, already have them…so unless its a rare variant or AFA85-90…no dice. I think that is why there are so few of the common figures graded, theres no profit in it.
I can’t remember, I’ll go back to Greece in two weeks and check. But I remember that they were very inaccurate, especially for Cheetara’s figure condition (it’s badly painted).
I dont plan on having anything graded, I get the point but… example:
The loose Lion-O I have had for 22 years now is worth more to me than my MOC CosmoCats Hammerhand or all my BenGali’s. Having something graded would make me feel like that item should be more important and more valuable to my collection than a non-graded item, and I just dont feel that way about my TC’s. I like the acrylic cases though
And can we all agree that the prices for (MOC) AFA-graded ThunderCats are INSANE?!
I agree that the asking prices for MOC graded Thundercats are insane, but trust me, they are not changing hands for the prices listed on eBay, those sellers are dreaming
My opinion is that AFA by grading and documenting the figures provides an idea of what does exist out there and also the acrylic case protects the cards and makes the display way better. However, just because a figure it is graded does not mean that the prices should skyrocket..I agree that the prices of graded figures on ebay are ridiculous.. You can find the moc figure and send it to afa for yourself without paying 1 and 2k for regular series moc…
In my opinion for what they offer they seem expensive. Not looking into it fully but to send a figure from the UK with shipping and grading I’m guessing I won’t get much change from £100. There submission form seems complicated and they have too many pricing tiers. There are sellers that see the grading process adds £1000+ to a figure and I understand the expense of grading and think that £200-£300 above the normal MOC figure price would be fair but people get carried away. That said even though a lot are relisted time and time again, I’ve seen some sell so there must be people out there that will pay the prices being asked. I’ll eventually give UKG a try with one or two pieces that I’m not too fussed about to see how they perform and to see if they have any hidden costs as there website states they charge £27.99 for a MOC figure and £17.99 for a loose figure.
Update: When i sent my 8 Back Variant Monkian in last week, i went ahead and paid for the picture, although i was irritated that this was not included in the high purchase price. I recieved an email from Fedex saying my Monkian would be delivered on Saturday the 2nd, still no picture, still no update on the AFA website…so i write them, and ask what happened to the picture? customer service responds and says that the picture will be emailed to me 1-2 weeks after the figure arrives…WTF:confused: why would i pay extra for a picture of something that i will have had in my posession for two weeks:eek: this has not been a fun experience for me at all:lionomad:
My biggest complaint has been that AFA grading is AWESOME for collectors that WANT to keep their original, MIB items looking as pristine as possible.
But the after-market that has been created is amazingly rough to see. Comic Book grading created this amazing after market where I have seen men in suits at SDCC trumping out WADS of cash for near-perfect grades.
But the toy side of things…not so much. My former employer does nothing BUT grade toys he buys, and they sit in a store, collecting dust, and are way too pricey.
Now sure, you can find a great deal at 4 in the morning on graded toys, sometimes getting pieces for insanely low amounts. But to try and make a living or some cash off of them in THIS economy is tough.
To be honest with you the last two or three months i have been watching ebay really close and it is a fact that the number of available thundercats afa or moc figures is getting lower and lower. The same items are being relisted over and over and no new items afa or moc are added. Maybe the number of available figures is reaching its limit?Maybe there are no any more figures available out there?
What do you guys think?
Just found this, although not Thundercats, it is AFA related and therefor applies to this topic. Below is a AFA85 Laserlight Skeletor, with the bubble cracked, there is no way it should have seen higher than a AFA60, yet its an AFA85!!! I even went to AFA to verify the serial number to make sure it was not a fake.
Good Luck!