[whiteknight]

I buy toys, I open them, I pose them, I play with them. If I enjoy them, they're of the highest grade for me.

[flash70]

well said everyone they are worthless...AFA means nothing and to tell you the truth people should should break all AFA plastic bins in big slam fest...we never needed AFA before and we should never need from now on.

[generic trooper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by whiteknight

I buy toys, I open them, I pose them, I play with them. If I enjoy them, they're of the highest grade for me.

I agree. I open and display everything.

[JoeMama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by C.I.A.D.

See, what kills me is that their name includes "Authority". With all due respect, who made them the Authority? I didn't get the memo....

Now listen to this nonsense. Let's just say "a buddy" of mine mailed something in to AFA to be graded. The figure, MINTY MINT and CASE FRESH came back with a grade of 75. He took it out of the case, sent it BACK to them under his girlfriends name...and it came back with a grade of 90! Whaaaaaa? How is that even possible?

Anyways, I wouldn't spend my money on any AFA graded product. People seem to think that AFA = three times the going price.

C'mon...look on eBay. There's CRYSTAL BALL figures that are AFA graded going for $250. Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. Let me grab my check book. :|

As always, you are the voice of reason.
I sh#t on AFA.
AFA my ass.

[BigD350Z]

It's simply a verification of condition for someone who can't buy the item seeing it up close (via eBay for example which is where the majority of the vintage MOC transactions take place). So, when you say you can look at an item yourself and tell it's condition, that's not always the case (bad picture in the listing). I'm speaking solely from a vintage standpoint. Like a previous poster, I like the cases they come in. But, like it or not, a high grade jacks up the price on the secondary market. If you're a dealer and can purchase a mint 1985 Snake Eyes from someone for $500, get it graded for $60-$80, and make $1,300, you're gonna do it! As long as people pay the insane prices for the high grades, AFA will stay in business.

[JoeMama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mandingo Rex

if you're a grown ass man on this board talking about other men buying toys and how their toy buying method is dumber than yours, stop and think about it for a minute.

damn you Rex... damn you and your logic + reason.
I did stop and think about it. And it made me want to re-evaluate my life.
Damn you.

[Mazinger]

Not sure why there's such hatred for AFA.

I personally don't like it, but at the same time it has not disrupted my enjoyment of GI Joe.

I guess if you looking for vintage stuff and all you can find are overpriced AFAs then it is a bit of a bummer.

[Jeffrozup]

I don't know if I would say AFA is "worthless" ...

MOTU Classics Wun-Dar AFA U9.0 = $300

2010 MOTU Classics Club Eternia WUN-DAR AFA U9.0 - eBay (item 300422370654 end time Apr-28-10 11:36:55 PDT)

MOTU Classics Wun-Dar AFA U9.5 = $600

2010 MOTU Classics Club Eternia WUN-DAR AFA U9.5 - eBay (item 380228807301 end time Apr-29-10 12:26:58 PDT)

I dunno about you people, but if you can turn a $20 figure into $300 and $600, I don't call that worthless. That's better than that the stock market.

[Derek2783]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazinger

Not sure why there's such hatred for AFA.
... it has not disrupted my enjoyment of GI Joe.

Exactly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazinger

I guess if you looking for vintage stuff and all you can find are overpriced AFAs then it is a bit of a bummer.

...and that is the crux of the issue. The only person someone else's graded figure affects is that guy who feels he's entitled to something at a lower price than what it's priced at, and needs someone to blame instead of just accepting that it's more than he can afford/wants to pay and moving on.

[Jeffrozup]

AFA is NOT for everybody just like collecting MOC isn't for everybody nor is loose collecting. We all have our preferences and nobody is right for criticizing how people choose to collect their toys.

There is a market for AFA (as several people have pointed out) and it can be a good investment because the value does seem to hold its weight and the buyer knows exactly what they are getting whether its a vintage or modern toy and to some people, that means a lot.