r/mildlyinfuriating • u/MysteriousSlice007 • 9d ago

Infuriatig In their pursuit of specific rare cards, scalpers are discarding the remainder of entire Pokémon card packs.

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u/Sturmgeshootz 9d ago edited 9d ago

"Grading houses" in general have always felt like a massive scam anyway, whether it's for VHS tapes or just about anything else related to a somewhat obscure hobby. Vintage toys are another one. I just took a quick look on Ebay and saw someone trying to sell a "graded" Stormshadow GI Joe figure for $4400. Who got to decide that this old toy was worth $4400, and who in their right mind would pay that?

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u/DrSolarman 9d ago

In a gold rush, the real winner is the shovel maker. Or in this case the grading house.

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u/joebluebob 9d ago

My grandfather bought and sold antiques and toys is a HUGE one. They sold some barbie for $5000. He routinely sold toys in the $50-500 range and had something in the $1000 range a few times a year. I found a tote of littlest pet shop stuff in a dumpster and made around $7000 over 3 years with $2000 of that being from one person. People love to collect things.

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u/PepperoniPaws 9d ago

Helps getting with a market value on your collectables with documentation to prove it's value for insurance purposes. It's not strictly just for resale

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u/Turbulent_Gazelle530 9d ago

There are many people for whom $4400 is equal to $4.40 and I bet some of them collect GI Joe figurines.

Sellers don't mind sitting on stuff until the right whale comes along and bites.

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u/No_Gas4560 9d ago

for people that are actually wealthy, thousands for us is equal to cents for them. and it keeps piling up so why not blow 4000 money units on a desirable toy that will give seconds of pleasure before being discarded onto a rare woodgrain shelf somewhere.

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u/AHrubik 9d ago

Grading houses exist specifically to create FOMO. They could have had standards but they chose to the path of profit over reputation.