Become a Factory Sealed Nintendo Game Expert in 8 Minutes!

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

Great video Greg! I have a few more tips to add: Not every sealed game released in North America had obvious vent holes are some are well hidden. It's common for unlicensed games not to have vent holes. Vent holes can be faked but it's usually obvious as they look sloppy and not done by the factory. Most games only have one or two rows of evenly spaced vent holes. If you find a game and it looks like it has too many vent holes, that's a red flag. If the shrinkwrap looks like it just came out of the factory and looks flawless, that's a red flag. Even games that have been in a sealed carton for 30+ years have some wear to them from age. The shrinkwrap should be scrunched up near the corners of the box where the seam ends. If it's perfectly smooth all the way around, that's a red flag. Be sure to look for chipped paint spots on the hinge that have been filled in with black marker on black boxes. If it looks suspicious, that's a red flag. Some Gameboy games had a vertical seam but I'm pretty sure it was a factory error and I've never seen anyone fake this. If it sounds like the game is freely moving around inside and is not secure, that's a red flag although it's possible with SNES, GB, and VB games that the tray broke inside. Still, take caution. If the game has a plastic hangtab and it looks dirty or discolored, that's a good sign the shrinkwrap is real although it's easy to lift them from other games so take caution. NES, SNES, and GB games all used the same hangtabs and they should have a frosted look to them. Defunct store price tags that are dirty or faded is a good sign the shrinkwrap is real although those can be faked. Be sure to carefully examine the sticker for any signs of tampering and if it's been lifted off another box. If the price tag is generic looking, looks brand new, and the price seems way off, that's a red flag. Hope this helps other collectors :)

[@GetTheGreg]

Pinned this message. All great additional information that it would take me hours to cover in proper nuance haha. Hopefully I can make a bunch of small videos over time to cover most of these other things mentioned!👌

[@M2THE49sGamingZone]

Great points! I was just gonna comment about a couple of these as I used to do unboxing videos for old SNES/N64 games! Also, Greg mentioned briefly about N64 where I was going to comment too about some of the v-seams having an overlapping flap rather than a full on seam (can't wait for that video). Either way, it's incredible how much variation there can be just to verify authenticity and credit for all the information that's being passed along here.

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

@@M2THE49sGamingZone Believe it or not, your channel as well as a few others is what inspired me to open sealed NES games and post the videos to KZbin. I open games for other systems as well but I think it's obvious NES is what I have the most passion for. I hope to get back to opening more soon :)

[@M2THE49sGamingZone]

@@GoodVibeCollecting Man that's AWESOME! I'm glad our paths crossed!! :)

[@happyb6443]

Awesome vid, and awesome comments here!

[@kaox44]

Greg, you should do an updated version of this. There has been a lot of resealed games lately with different techniques with different boxes. This is very helpful.

[@lilvenusaur3861]

Fun fact about a year ago I passed on mint cheap copies of pokemon snap and pinball because I saw the vent holes and thought they were damage to the seal. Great guide man wish I had this back then! XD

[@peepocozy8594]

lol

[@Franchise2930]

After watching this video I immediately ordered business cards with my name and "Factory Seal Expert" on them. Thank you Greg!

[@GetTheGreg]

I'll send you your 5c printed diploma in the mail!

[@Franchise2930]

@@GetTheGreg lol

[@OwenMorganTelltale]

I like your sense of humor. Great video

[@BotWatts]

the cut to the deadpan "8 mins and 1 second" killed me hahaha great video greg

[@albertboyer6701]

Wata is hiring,i received an e-mail on Monday Was told they have a staffing shortage, that's why my order is taking so long. after watching Greg's " teaching video" that covers about 75% of the job the other 25% is gluing the game inside there case. by the time you've glued 100 cases together you should have it down to a science. When applying for job with Wata let them know you took Greg's grading course,and received 4 gold star stickers with those credentials they should start you off as master grader. Great job Greg hey if this gaming thing doesn't work out for you, i would look in to being a hand model lol

[@dropfiend5549]

I look forward to the next video where you cover varying patterns of n64. I just realized about five months ago that sealed n64 games exist and I've been obsessed ever since. it was only after I bought three of them did I find out they could be faked. I was so disappointed that I bought as many cheap ones as I could and opened some to see if they were fake (dumb I know) but I learned a lot so far. I can tell you that every South Park game has the horizontal h seam but it is a fatter strip down the back the looks rippled. and other games can come with an H seam but also non h seams of the same exact game

[@GetTheGreg]

Oh yea, I'll do a very deep dive into N64 haha. That's a console I did A LOT of sealed collecting for, and there is a ton of seal variance depending on publisher. Hell, I'm pretty positive South Park even has a seam variant for both prints of the game (minor box revision)

[@ParallelUniversity]

"Wow thanks, Madden '99, it's exactly what I wanted for my birthday!" "Whoa whoa whoa... before you open that, consider the possibility that in 20 years, people will be studying the plastic wrapper in microscopic detail."

[@GetTheGreg]

Madden 99 introduced "franchise mode" to the series. *GRAIL ALERT!*

[@2Stronkk4U]

3 viewers did not become factory sealed Nintendo game experts in 8 minutes.

[@777superlightwater]

😂

[@777superlightwater]

Greg’s ratio go crazy

[@michaeldearby3945]

Dude you deserve so many more subs. Hope your channel blows up ! I’m not even in the sealed video game scene and I still watch !

[@GetTheGreg]

Aha much appreciated dude!

[@jadenmaertens267]

0:22 was too good 🤣 Greg definitely got some good inspiration from the Wayne's world local eats ads 🍔

[@Blader777]

You are the man my friend, one of the best channels in retro games. period! i have learned a lot with you

[@GetTheGreg]

Greatly appreciate it dude!

[@Johnny_Ultimate]

EXCELLENT video. Absolutely required viewing for anyone getting started.....and for guys like me that have been re-selling for a few years but are now starting to dabble in higher tier games. I thought I had a pretty good handle on things but I didn't even know that those little holes are supposed to be there! I literally thought that was an imperfection! Man.... You just don't even know what you don't know, sometimes.

[@nintendogal9143]

Appreciate the quick primer on seals!

[@RekordmeisterG]

Great Video Greg. Thanks for sharing all these important details! I love your vids and im looking forward to your coming ones :) Greetz from Germany

[@jayz6706]

Was wondering if a few of the games I got were resealed but they’ve passed all of your tests laid out in this video. Love your videos Greg they’ve helped me lots. Thanks man

[@GetTheGreg]

No problem, Hov!

[@jayz6706]

@@GetTheGreg wow so awesome that you’ve responded. I’ve got a quick question if you don’t mind. My games are for gameboy advance and was wondering if they need to have vent holes on the back and front? I see vent holes on the front but don’t spot any on the back

[@GetTheGreg]

Not necessarily, no, but it will be common that you'll see them on both the front and back in most cases. GBA has MANY games that also don't use the H-seam on the back, so just keep that in mind if you're collecting sealed GBA. Many will look like reseals but actually be authentic!

[@jayz6706]

@@GetTheGreg okay thanks so much! I think these seem to check out. Keep making this great content, loved your most recent video as well!

[@dman8324]

I've been wanting something like this! thanks!

[@psbforever1]

Jesus dude showing pure fire with sealed Balloon ht and Chrono!! ❤️❤️ I'm impressed!!

[@screaminpotato]

Awesome video! I only subbed a few weeks ago but I’ve been binge watching your content. Here’s to hoping your channel blows up!

[@GetTheGreg]

Really appreciate it man!🤝

[@screaminpotato]

@@GetTheGreg coming from a fellow Canuck who is one province over… I think.

[@YOUNGVERSE918]

Wow thank you so much dude. I haven’t sent any of my sealed 64 games in to be graded yet and I thought the vent holes were going to affect my grade. But I’m new to this as well.

[@jakobh6257]

Always great info, thanks Greg 👊

[@MrBRAUNSBREWCREW]

Nice video! Learned some stuff. 👍

[@Xearrik]

Do you have anything like this for Nintendo Switch? I just got a game and the bottom of the seal is weird. It's like it's melted. I can't find anything about this on the internet. I guess I got to go to the store and look at a bunch of games.

[@jasonscalling8714]

Nice job Greg. One more thing to note that I haven't seen mentioned yet in the comments. Roller marks are present along the seam on an authentic seal. Light almost scuffing marks that run parallel with h or v seam. I've never seen that faked and if you look close enough, its there on every factory seal. Also, its good to point out that the earlier NES games vent holes aren't nearly as uniform or consistent in my experience. Those really tight rows are more common on GBA and beyond.

[@GetTheGreg]

Both excellent points as well!

[@pandapatrick1337]

Awesome :-) love your tutorials

[@mattdubovik3082]

yooo that’s my Minish cap🤣 the seller agreed to a full refund btw. Great vid!

[@GetTheGreg]

Ahah I took screenshots back when you had posted it on Facebook I believe? It was such a "good" fake that I knew it would make for good learning material. I'm really glad that it all got resolved positively for you!

[@mattdubovik3082]

@@GetTheGreg yeah man even the seller himself was pretty amazed by the quality of that reseal. Wouldn’t have known better without the help of experienced folks in the community like yourself. Cheers!

[@MondayHopscotch]

Quick, concise, useful. Nice little video! Thanks!

[@bmaga123]

Awesome video as always!

[@GetTheGreg]

Thanks dude!

[@MusicmanUY]

Super informative, thank you Greg!!

[@stevecraigretrogames]

Great video brother! Fantastic info

[@GetTheGreg]

Thanks dude!👍

[@TheKnowledgeIsOutThere]

Hey Greg, do the vent holes have to be in a straight line? Can some games have a more random placement of holes?

[@GetTheGreg]

Some games will be more of a random placement, yea. Usually V seam and H seam games are pretty straight lines but other seal patterns will be more sporadic

[@Groove_Gamer]

Good tips, you said NA but collecting in Canada I've seen a fair amount of games that had a French manual packed on the outside of the box and it raises all sorts of questions from people who think they're reseals.

[@GetTheGreg]

I'm Canadian too and I considered that after saying "NA", but then figures ahhhh, I'll talk about those in a different video since they are the exception to the norm haha.

[@KevinCarlino]

Short, sweet, and to the point... great content Greg! Question -- what causes the vent holes? *Why* are they expected to exist?

[@blakasmurf]

perforated at the factory so the games don't sweat

[@dinabraganca9659]

When the box goes through the oven, trapped air will puff the wrap around the box like a balloon and it wont shrink completely, it can also cause burn through on the wrap.

[@joshwhiteboypettry]

Really enjoyed this video.

[@GoR-lm2dn]

nice video:) Do have Advanced games have ventholes too? I dont find them?

[@GetTheGreg]

If it's a north american GBA game, it should, yes. Very few games "won't" have them

[@GoR-lm2dn]

@@GetTheGreg Ok i found them but on Advanced games there are very difficulty to find! On my graded NES Classics Series there are only 3 in one line;)

[@GetTheGreg]

@@GoR-lm2dn haha yup, it will vary game to game! I showed examples where it was very blatant🙂

[@shaqirseferi3463]

Nice and concise video. Appreciate the cut to "8 minutes and 01 second" hahah. Very informative

[@randallbro6749]

was there a follow up video with nintendo 64?

[@GetTheGreg]

There wasn't actually. i really need to make that...

[@Satiator123]

I'm fairly certain the Sunsoft GB releases of the Final Fantasy Legend games did not have an H seam. I recall being disappointed that the store I purchased them from had taken them out of their seals and put the sticker directly on the box. When I asked why, they said it was because no one would buy them without the H seam, so they started removing the wrap and putting the games behind the counter and told customers it was to prevent theft.

[@GetTheGreg]

They did have normal H-seam. A quick eBay search for sealed copies will show all 3 games Sunsofts releases having the standard seal patterns. Not sure what might've happened with your store there, but they came with H seams. It's possible there was a seam variant perhaps? Albeit I'm not sure I've ever see a non H-seam sealed copy of them.

[@Satiator123]

@GetTheGreg It's hard to say because it was 25 years ago now. I saw one someone had posted asking for information. Looking back, I remember saying I didn't care about the wrap because I was going to play it but didn't want the sticker on the box. Now I wish I still had the messages we sent about it so I could get a closer look at his box to see if there are any signs of it being opened.

[@aaronf4201]

How does the game get put in the box in the Nintendo factory without the opening hinge being opened at least once and cracking the paint?

[@biohybrid_396]

Can you do this for modern games up to the xbox 360??

[@Sedifet]

I have a sealed OOT CE that does not have a H or V seam. It does have vent holes though and no signs on the cardboard of being opened, so I am confident it is genuine.

[@GetTheGreg]

Yup, that's an N64 game that has multiple seal variants, one of which is a 3 sided seam pattern. I did warn that N64 is messy haha!

[@Sedifet]

@@GetTheGreg Yeah, thanks for the info. Great stuff as usual

[@matthewreed04]

Does anyone know if the Y seam overlap applies to a Pokémon Red 1st edition?

[@herogreene4224]

Can you do one for gameboy advance trying to figure out if this one i got is fake you said that one has alot of seam patterns......I have the holes to the front but not the back and the it has that str8 line at seam but box is mint

[@blakasmurf]

As a developer I honestly don't know how to feel about all of the crazy valuation being put on single ply cardboard and cheap plastic shrinkwrap. What if the game inside is faulty? 🥴

[@justsayin4632]

Shhhhh, you’re not supposed to ask logical questions about an emotional hobby lol

[@blakasmurf]

@@justsayin4632 lol sorry forgot you're not suppose to burst the BUBBLE! 😂🤣😂🤣

[@GetTheGreg]

Please keep all pins and needles away from the bubble please. Thank you.

[@natureandchill7843]

Is there any difference in SNK games ? I have a sealed copy of Athena that is unpunched and does not appear along the back of the cardboard to have ever been opened , it does not have an h seam however it seems to have some weird U-seam along the front and back , I always assumed it was re-sealed but it's in really good shape so I'm not 100% sure now, I'm looking to sell it but don't want to misrepresent it.

[@GetTheGreg]

Athena would have to be an H seam. You could send it off to WATA and see if you can get some other kind of weird designation or potentially a NS grade if it is indeed unopened, but on eBay it will just be treated as a reseal when you go to sell, unfortunately, and it very likely is 😢

[@chrisben4694]

Does all snes game have vent hole ? I got a zelda snes canadian version but no vent hole

[@GetTheGreg]

Are you positive on that? I only ask because yes, 99.99% will have vent holes. They will be in a vertical row on super Nintendo boxes. If yours is the one recently on Facebook, it looks like your vent holes might be on the right-hand side of the front of the box...?

[@Silv3rShadow1]

I actually went back to find this of vid of yours, are you able to do one with PAL and JAP releases (also compare to US) pretty please

[@GetTheGreg]

Hey! Japan is easy actually because all Nintendo stuff prior to GameCube doesn't have any seals at all. NES, SNES, N64, gameboy, etc.. no factory seals on them! GameCube was the first one to do factory seals and they have a V seam down the back. PAL, unfortunately I'm just not at all versed enough with sealed PAL games to make a video like this. I don't look for them and I've only ever owned a handful.

[@Silv3rShadow1]

@@GetTheGreg Awesome! thanks for the reply, very handy to know

[@psidebsmash]

Extremely helpful thank you

[@GetTheGreg]

🤝🤝

[@psidebsmash]

You should definitely do some other content like this maybe covering some gamecube games or something with Y seams I did pick up some tips from some of your shorts but all the same thanks for the knowledge !

[@jacknye6761]

Did some games like Batman Beyond for Nintendo 64 comes without a H-Seam or V-seam seal ?

[@GetTheGreg]

Yup, lots of N64 has 3 side seams, vertical overlaps, and other weird seal patterns. Same with GBA.

[@RoniiBoi]

I recently got into sealed/graded games collecting, but I've always been into the idea for quite some time. I'm terribly sorry if this is the wrong question to ask, but if a GameBoy Advance game has no H or V seam on the box and is sealed completely, I only find results of seams on the sides, unless the seam across the top to bottom or left to right are incredibly hard to notice?

[@GetTheGreg]

GBA is a bit of a mess. There are lottss of games releases on that console that won't have a V or H seam on it and will instead just have seams going around the 3 sides of the game. When you see a game like that, the best thing you can do is check eBay for other copies of the game and see if the seal pattern is the same across all of them. Always check for vent holes if you can see them in photos. If you happen to see other copies with H seam and a copy without it, it's almost always going to be a reseal.

[@dinabraganca9659]

the boxes go through automated wrapping machines in the same direction, so NES games don't have a horizontal seam, its a vertical just like the SNES/N64 boxes, but the boxes are fed into the wrapping machine in the same orientation. Like displaying NES games sideways. If you seal it the same way the machine does, its actually easier to the the little overlap than the straight seam like in the GB game shown. I reseal all my boxed doubles and they're indistinguishable from factory.

[@danielblodgett1]

Hello. I came across a Spider-man 64 at I believe is factory sealed, but it doesn't have the seal down the back. The seal is only around the top, bottom and right hand side (as if I was looking at the game directly). Does this game fit within the 10% of games not sealed the 'normal' way? I didn't see this topic discussed in another video. Thank you!

[@GetTheGreg]

I actually think Spiderman *might*. N64 has many different seals depending on who published the game. I checked other WATA copies on eBay and yea, it appears this one does come with the 3 side seam as you explained it. If you also see rows of vent holes, you should be good!

[@danielblodgett1]

@@GetTheGreg Awesome! Yes there are small vent holes. Thanks for the confirmation!

[@undamned]

Excellent! One thing that would be ultra confusing for a lot of people are the "third party" seals that can look pretty terrible even though they are legit.

[@GetTheGreg]

Yuuup. That's where N64 and GBA are going to need their own videos haha

[@SVR2010REELS]

I need your advice because now im confused, I got my games day 1 sealed from actual retailers. I have Bugs Bunny crazy castle on gameboy sealed & Mario bro classic GBA sealed. They do have the triangle shape on the seam which is good but there are no vent holes on either of them. I also notice alot of sealed GBA/GB games have and dont have vent holes. So if theres no vent holes anywhere its guaranteed fake? because it does have the other things correct just no vent holes & i did buy retail day 1

[@GetTheGreg]

Naw, there are instances where you won't find ANY vent holes, so it's not a cause for alarm (albeit they are much more common than uncommon)

[@SVR2010REELS]

@@GetTheGreg okay would that triangle deem be the only thing to look for on gba gb game seals? is there anything else? thanks subscribed for the help and content also do u have one for ps2 games? i know some games have the silver seal at the top but ive seen some without that

[@GetTheGreg]

@@SVR2010REELS well vent holes as well are going to be super common too haha, but yea, just the 3 things I explained in this video. GBA has A LOT of 3 side seals though (no H-seam). Don't have one for PS2 yet but hopefully in the future! It's basically ALL y folds though. If the game was released mid 2005 or earlier, it has to have the security strip on top, too

[@SVR2010REELS]

@@GetTheGreg gotcha thank u. I got a Gb & GBA game no vents but has the triangle thing u talked about so i guess they’re real. I have a sealed Sly Cooper 3 no silver at the top but was released sept 26 2005 so now im curious lol

[@GetTheGreg]

@@SVR2010REELS are the games PAL by chance haha? I just need to check. And you'd have to check eBay to compare against other copies of Sly Cooper to know for sure haha

[@mattspowergarrison]

8 minutes....and one second to become a master.

[@JerryTNF]

Learned so much from this

[@leeartlee915]

Greg, I want your sealed CHRONO Trigger. That’s the only game I’ve ever coveted. On the other hand, I can’t believe anyone ever left that game sealed. Would love to know the story behind that copy. Edit: ohhhhhh, it just had the cellophane left on. That makes way more sense.

[@GetTheGreg]

Haha unfortunately, as you get deeper into the vid, you'll be disappointed Sadge

[@leeartlee915]

@@GetTheGreg jealousy gone. And thank goodness. I thought I had lost my mind lusting after a sealed game. You’ve contributed to this problem. Shame on you.

[@GetTheGreg]

A nice CIB is the best I could muster on Chrono haha. It was *always* very expensive sealed (relatively speaking, of course).

[@leeartlee915]

@@GetTheGreg that’s still a cool copy to have. I’m trying to remember how many were sold in the US. Like 500k? No more than a million. And the people who bought it, they intended to play that shit. I bought my copy from Toys R Us after renting it from the video store. The time travel mechanic plus the cool tech system was mind blowing to me. And if memory serves, it was my first proper RPG. I felt like I knew something none of my other friends understood.

[@bizhop2]

I have a sealed N64 Zelda Ocarina Collectors Edition with only 3 consecutive seam lines and none in the back. I did spotted the vent holes too. I didn't buy this from eBay or from another person. I personally bought this from a retail store(Bestbuy or EB, forgot which) and it came with a shirt. Is it normal not to have the seam in the back??

[@GetTheGreg]

Hey! Yup, on Ocarina of Time there are actually 3 different legitimate seam patterns. Yours sounds like it's fine!

[@bizhop2]

Thanks for a quick reply over a 9 months old video. I posted few pictures of my sealed copy on Reddit games I found in my black hole closet, say 4-5 months ago, and somebody msged me saying it’s a rewrapped. I didn’t think much about it because it can’t be. I bought the thing new from either BB(most likely bestbuy)or EB. Since I had the drv64, I didn’t bother to open the thing. Then recently I saw a Reddit post and someone brought it up again about the seam in the back. And then that curiosity brought me here after not finding the seam line in the back.

[@GetTheGreg]

@@bizhop2 ha, I understand completely. Unfortunately, finding the nuanced information on seal variants isn't very widespread yet but it's getting better. Reddit is unfortunately one of the worst places for advice on sealed video games (and most people on there actively despise them😅) It's an awesome game to have factory sealed! If you type this into Google: "ocarina of time n64 3 side seal", the first result should be a Reddit thread where I assisted another person with this exact seal variant. He has an Imgur album uploaded where you can compare yours against his.

[@kaiserstiglitz6735]

Thanks for sharing your expertise👍🇮🇪

[@greatalexxandro]

How can you tell if it's a first print? For an N64 game

[@GetTheGreg]

For most N64 games, it's as easy as it *not* being the player's choice release.

[@deeboleeds]

And herein lies a big problem, when the people “valuing” the games and grading them have a vested interest in getting people to give a shit about these details, yet there are literally no absolutes in shrink wrap and sealed games. Bizarre.

[@jaimersholden8686]

In my days we played games and invested in firms that did work for people.

[@mrtree1368]

Does anyone know if any gameboy games came shrink wrapped with the manual and inserts inside the box ? I just got a donkey kong 1994 and the game with the inserts are shrink wrapped together. I don't ever remember gettin a gameboy game like that is it factory or did somone do that on their own ?

[@GetTheGreg]

No, that would be a game store or something. The cart itself would never have any "sealing" done to it.

[@mrtree1368]

@@GetTheGreg yup that's what I figured but they must of been sealed by somone a long time ago cause when I opened it everything looked mint .

[@jasonalexander7089]

Good video but is that monish cap really not real? Who you think makenit😢

[@viridionwaves]

Thank you Greg!

[@retrocollectormx]

All the gameboy games have ventholes?

[@GetTheGreg]

Yessir. I don't believe any original game Boy is sealed without H seam, and if it's H seam, it will have vent holes. There might be some very rare instances where they do not (think end of the roll of cellophane or something else weird), but 99.99% will follow the pattern

[@retrocollectormx]

@@GetTheGreg Cool i was able to find ventholes in my gameboy games. I have a double dragon NES without ventholes should i be worried? or that game has no ventholes?

[@GetTheGreg]

@@retrocollectormx it's using a H seam seal, I take it? Looks closely front and back, they came be quite small sometimes on NES games. Without them, I'd have to see much more detailed photos of the game in question to advise either way.

[@retrocollectormx]

@@GetTheGreg Yes it has H-seam but straight line on the sides. No irregular lines like you showed on the video. I used magnifying glass and no ventholes

[@dropfiend5549]

YES NEEDED THIS MONTHS AGOOO

[@randallbro6749]

Double angle? The channel views are really showing the investments into it 👍

[@GetTheGreg]

Ahah thanks man!👌 Gotta get the audio cleaner on this setup and then I'll be pretty happy with it!

[@Mitjitsu]

0:22 - Best part of the video ;-)

[@Alma-B]

Damn... I didn't hear a word you said because I couldn't stop starring at that chrono trigger 😍 send it to WATA, they'll probably give it a B+ seal rating 🤣

[@GetTheGreg]

Hahah isn't that the truth 🥴

[@PokePOPJPX]

How have you not graded that Chrono Trigger game yet?!

[@PokePOPJPX]

Oh, never mind... Didn't finish the video yet haha

[@GetTheGreg]

Hahah I WILL still grade it eventually, actually. Its contents have been upgraded multiple times over the years. A nice CIB is the best I could ever muster on Chrono Sadge

[@PokePOPJPX]

@@GetTheGreg that’s still dope. One of my personal grails I have yet to find and will probably go with CIB also along with FF3 snes

[@jlfrady]

Thank you so much!

[@ajflink]

If it is truly factory sealed, the plastic wrapping should fit almost perfectly and being practically the minimum to fit around the case/box. For most video game cases, there should be a seam symmetrically around the side of case/box on the side you open it. There should be X-square folds on four sides of it. Unless placed in an environment where it is exposed to direct sunlight over the years, there should be little to no fading of colors. Lastly, if you can, ask the seller about the product further. You should not be leaving to chance that he or she is being honest.

[@maclira7469]

Are they different sealed for ds

[@GetTheGreg]

Yes, this is only for cardboard based Nintendo consoles.

[@PokeTiti]

Man you are the best thank you very much

[@derekmarshall2907]

I heard that some n64 games don’t necessarily have a line of vent holes. Some are sporadic. Is this true?

[@GetTheGreg]

Vent holes, not really, no. H seam, yea, MANY won't have H seam. But the vent holes are still present 99% of the time. This is only in regards to NTSC copies. PAL will have their own rules.

[@derekmarshall2907]

@@GetTheGreg thanks for the fast response. I have a sealed n64 Smash Bros (I think lol) the seal/seam looks legit, with all the indicators you mentioned, but there isn’t a row of vent holes. I read on a forum that sometimes the vent holes are randomly placed on the front. I do see one on the front. I’m not sure what to do…

[@GetTheGreg]

@@derekmarshall2907 front and back could have rows, either vertical or horizontal. If you see one, follow it's direction across. Ahhh, you're the 8K one on eBay haha. I do think it looks legitimate, FWIW. It's a nice copy of the game. That one hole you highlighted is absolutely a vent hole. I take it you're receiving a bunch of messages?

[@derekmarshall2907]

@@GetTheGreg ironically someone told me I was a scammer and told me to watch your video!!!! lol you don’t realize how much your response means to me lol. I’m super nervous selling this. I make my living on eBay and have perfect feedback/top rated status. I don’t like WATA but should I get it slabbed? HELP lol

[@GetTheGreg]

@@derekmarshall2907 yea, I get you fully. For complete peace of mind and ease of transaction, especially since this isn't your wheelhouse, I'd recommend you just fire it to WATA. You could do warpzone and have it back in your hands in about 3 weeks and it will make the selling process so much smoother. Yea, it'll cost you like $400 or so I assume, but it's better than having eBay returns/other BS happen. Make sure to pay for cleaning - it looks like it needs it. Also, on the odd chance it does get rejected/is deemed a reseal, at least you'll have that answer as well.

[@rolp9818]

So what happens if the game has a perfectly replicated v seam, vent holes and managed to have no hinge damage but is fake?

[@GetTheGreg]

So we are perfectly replicating the seal on a box that has never been opened? Good luck finding one, I guess haha? Unless you're implying they are doing a perfect fake seal (with matching plastic type), *and* a perfect repro box? At that point, I'd assume they'd just stick to counterfeiting cards which are more valuable and less complicated 😅 (and still not perfectly replicated)

[@rolp9818]

@@GetTheGreg But just what IF, someone was able to do that ? 😂

[@CarlosCruz-kj3ph]

I hope you guys enjoyed this "eight minutes and one second" video, thanks.

[@8bitgoonies]

I worked at Babbages/Gamestop from 1998 to 2002, we used to offer 100% satisfaction guarantee, meaning even if you didnt like the game you bought, you could bring it back for a full refund/different game. Then we had a shrink wrapper in the back, I resealed thousands of games myself over that period, everything from n64, gamecube and Dreamcast to big box PC games... Then we would would pop the games back in inventory as new product.... Just FYI, so even if you bought the game new yourself, it may not be factory sealed!

[@GetTheGreg]

Yuuuuuuuuuup, that's why info about spotting authenticity is so important haha. It gets much harder on those Y fold consoles that don't utilize any kind of security strips, etc.

[@8bitgoonies]

@@GetTheGreg One more thing I forgot to mention above, we also had a program where employees could "check" out games overnight to gain product knowledge so every night I would take home a different game, open it, play it, then shrink it back up in the morning and put it back into new stock, and every employee nation-wide had access to this system. a little know fact about the golden years of game store employment!

[@dagreenshiz]

Nice Pelvis!

[@extremegamercollector425]

🐐 great video

[@glorbojibbins2485]

0:21 Seamless editing

[@OlegAltukhov]

Thank you!!!

[@Therealgearupsurvival]

Psp version please?

[@GetTheGreg]

PSP is quite difficult, unfortunately. Of course you're going to have Y fold seals on like.. 95% of games (some will have shrink-wrap going around the sides) but there are hardly any manufacturer marks otherwise. You just kind of have to handle a bunch of them until you get a good eye for what authentic Y fold seals look and feel like. They are extremely similar to PS2, if that helps at all. On the bright side, PSP hasn't been (and still isn't) that valuable over the years so the incentive for people to reseal the games is far lower than other consoles!

[@Ahov29]

Vent Holes are in every single DS game?

[@GetTheGreg]

Nothing is this video applies to DS games haha. This is just for vintage/cardboard. DS will have Y fold seals 99% of the time and that's it.

[@mrmojorisin8752]

I’m sure you know this, but many nes third party games did not have horizontal seals. My Secret Scout is one example. And I think all of my nes sealed Camerica games lack a horizontal seal. Vent holes….I’m thinking I have nes sealed games without them, and games I opened but left the cellophane on. I’ll check. The flap wear is a good hint for a resealed game. Your viewers should be informed that many games were not resealed to be sold as counterfeit collectibles. Rather, way back when, some stores resealed games that had been returned in order to resell them as new. As as I buyer back then, it didn’t bother me at all when stores did this, so long as the game played fine, had its instructions etc.

[@GetTheGreg]

Absolutely, it's why I only focused on licensed for the purposes of this video (and there's like... ~15 licensed NES games that don't use the typical H seam? Something like that). SNES Majesco, some other crap... But yea, this one is just a quick primer to the most common seal pattern everyone will come across!

[@mrmojorisin8752]

@@GetTheGreg And a very good primer at that. I’m thinking about the know-it-alls who’ve told me, “That Secret Scout isn’t a genuine seal. No horizontal seam.” Sometimes a little knowledge is dangerous!

[@GetTheGreg]

@@mrmojorisin8752 There's nothing that can be done about people like that until this hobby has like "professional" information and videos about seals and stuff (which may never happen). I was watching a thread on Reddit gamecollecting not long ago where everyone was calling Tony Hawk 1 on N64 resealed because it didn't have a V seam. The game never came with a V seam haha 😅 Which reminds me, I really need to make an N64 video like this covering the 6 (?) different seal types people will find haha.

[@mrmojorisin8752]

@@GetTheGreg And in the wild it’s even worse. Someone hears that a Megaman (mint boxed) sold for $150, they think their beat to shit copy is worth that. And try to convince them otherwise without provoking a fistfight!

[@18may6]

Thank god that chrono is cib. Was straight up having anxiety attack.

[@GetTheGreg]

Ahaha i wouldn't dare risk it otherwise!

[@chaosdimension6433]

grwat guide!

[@DDDhorus]

What if a gba game has one vent hole lol my gba does... It's the adventure of mana game

[@cyrex6519]

Another thing i notice is how do you know if its actually sealed people are just taking chances for grading games. People can say this or that but that's why i just stop because so many that are not suppose to exist pop up on other sites which is weird. But that's why im starting to buy reproductions.

[@Pballer03]

This was super valuable, I’m going to go and demand a refund for my venausaur

[@GetTheGreg]

Ahaha uhhhhhhh👀

[@ryanlenaghan5313]

how much that ballon fight worth

[@GetTheGreg]

Really tough to say, few hundred probably? It's a really nice CIB HT print, but a later HT print.

[@D0S81]

I just found out about heritage auctions inflating the prices of games aswell. The grading company they use is owned by them. The owner was already fined in the 80s for making an inflation bubble in coin collecting. And they are at it again with games so watch out. He put up for auction, a sealed copy of super mario, it got bought for just over a million....by himself. He bought his own game to make it look worth more so people would start getting their games graded. Theyve even went so far as to go on pawn stars as professional game graders, when the prices have nothing to with the actual market, but prices they have and are manipulating it to be. Its messed up.

[@jandycromer9139]

thanks

[@leeartlee915]

I want to know why a sealed copy of super Mario Galaxy wasn’t featured in this video. I thought you were in the club man.

[@GetTheGreg]

Haha I'll line up an army of them in the "Wii guide" video 👌

[@handrewmillan4293]

u should do a series where u out people posting and attempting to selld fakes

[@CarlosCruz-kj3ph]

I thought I was the only one holding a factory sealed Ronaldo v-soccer; game is pretty uncommon even to find it in cib form.

[@GetTheGreg]

Hahah yea I picked it up pretty cheap. Bought it because I never see it, so figured why not!

[@CarlosCruz-kj3ph]

People is unaware of it's rarity I can see it selling for next to nothing; got mine for pretty cheap as well and in a very gradable state. Awesome and very informative video thank you.

[@mariotaz]

At least on Europe we have the Nintendo seal strip on our games.

[@GetTheGreg]

I agree. I wish NA would have used a similar approach. Would make life much easier in general!

[@mariotaz]

@@GetTheGreg Yeah. Even up until today in 2021 do we still get that Nintendo strip on across the case. I prefer the 2000's era Nintendo strip because it was read but still, and as you said, so much more easier to collect for.

[@danrichards9516]

Not bad for a Canadian

[@GetTheGreg]

🇨🇦

[@aussieexpat]

Interesting but... hilarious s at the same time. We're talking about the value of something worth a fraction of a penny.

[@GetTheGreg]

Oh yea haha. Smallest differences can make ALL the difference in the wild world of collectables!

[@aussieexpat]

@@GetTheGreg thankfully i collect luxury watches. The condition of the box thankfully means nothing.

[@GetTheGreg]

Seriously? You can't pull a solid premium if you have an original box/contents in great shape?

[@aussieexpat]

@@GetTheGreg not really. There is a premium for the box and papers being present which is maybe.. 5%, but the condition of the box and papers is near meaningless as long as its all legible / reasonable. What really matters is the watch 80%, then the condition 15% (and the spread is relatively narrow from reasonably worn to mint is about 15%), box and paper 5-10% depending on era (newer expects it more, vintage almost never). Like a mint sealed g shock wont fetch a multiple more than a worn one, similar for super high end watches. Like a Patek 5711 would go for $115k (worn) but missing is box and papers would maybe knock off $7k, $100 - $105k. Not because watch collectors care about the box, none of my rolex have ever even touched the box they were sold with, but the absence raises suspicion about wether the watch is stolen. The issue of authenticity may come into question more easily without box and papers but ultimately it doesn't matter because it's easy to buy real box and papers on eBay so ultimately authenticity really comes down to the watch itself.

[@franzbinett9416]

Now iam even more convinced to never buy a sealed game 😄. Like the video anyway 👍

[@GetTheGreg]

Haha this is supposed to give you more *confidence*, not the other way around😅