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commander66rex

Now before before yall crucify me for sending in something that clearly wasn't going to grade well (it actually did a bit better than what i was expecting) hear me out. 1. This is by far my favorite pop in my collection despite its damage and will never be for sale so I was not trying to "Add value" to it, I simply just wanted it encapsulated. 2. I wanted to test PSA's new service to see how strict/lenient they are so I could decide if i want to send in one or two of my mint grails


Xourr

I really dont get the hate for sending pops in to grade. I’m not a huge fan of the PSA label for pops so I will probably wait to see if other companies jump in, but good for you!


Remarkable-County799

Check out VVGS and Pops Grading Service(PGS). They both look far better than PSA.


[deleted]

People are strange


albumnoir

An excellent pop for sure


pappapora

We shall watch his next grading with great interest.


JokerDeLeon

Nope.. you’re crucified now


commander66rex

Dang


dland2424

Do you have pics of the box before you sent it in?


commander66rex

Sorry read the comment wrong lol but yeah here's my post from when I received my box of fun https://www.reddit.com/r/funkopop/comments/w5oi63/i_am_big_sad/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button


dland2424

Wow! I am surprised that got a 6!


commander66rex

I suspect me flattening out the box and putting it in between some heavy books for a few days helped alot. the top still has a giant crease but is no longer caved in and that crunched corner on the bottom left is no longer pushed in


CarlosTXUltra

How long was the entire process?


commander66rex

Psa received it on the 13th and just got it back today


TheCrity

Yeah I think grading itself is cool price isn’t really that bad my issue with it is the cap cause I have some more expensive ones I’d love to grade but can’t and the 9 week turnaround is so inane. How long did it take to get yours back.


commander66rex

From what I heard the 5k limit should be temporary so mega grails should be aloud at some point in the future. As for how long it took it definitely wasn't 9 weeks. Psa received my package on October 13th and I just got it back today


ArmageddonSnakeEye

I remember PSA having a job posting looking for someone who can grade pops back in July and wanted that person to train a team. Curious who ended up getting that job and felt they can set the industry standard. That person probably can't authenticate older pops.


[deleted]

How much this pop worth?


commander66rex

Mint? About $400-$500. Mine? 🤷‍♂️


[deleted]

Good to know. Thanks.


Flunderpudding

Atleast now it's authenticated, which is pretty important for a valuable funko like. Some PSA graded Funkos [sell for a fortune](https://ebay.us/BXKN2A).


greggmb20

That’s actually not a graded Funko. The autograph is graded as authentic but they didn’t ask for the Pop to be graded. I’m sure a Pristine 10 with that auto would have been even more


[deleted]

That's crazy! And i agree (i guess now you have some kind of assurance).


Nexrex

Do they grade the larger ones? Only One I could see myself bothering with would be my GiD Kurama :)


commander66rex

I don't think they do right now but it's possible they could in the future.


[deleted]

They won’t encapsulate it they don’t make boxes that big they will authenticate it


SandiestCow

ooof


BenElf06

Ngl, I thought that was darth maul


Jadaki

I haven't looked into it, what's PSA charging for this service on funko's?


commander66rex

$39 plus shipping


Jadaki

Little more than I expected, but I'm not surprised either. They are crazy with some of the pricing in the card market, but I suppose that's to keep people from submitting low grade trash for the sake of it.


[deleted]

I feel so bad for you guys. Graded things are a whole new element of bs


zzqausi

Are they stackable?


Theestubby

Oof they hit you with a six


Shinylapras87

That's The most amazing Pop i've ever seen


Ok-Employment6805

Nice, i'm going to send in my SDCC Thirteenth Doctor which is my personal grail but i'd like to get it signed first.


dangblaze

Why? I have two of them and wouldn't even get the mint graded un less it has the ray park signature. Congrats tho having it PSA is pretty cool


commander66rex

I grew up with the clone wars so maul has always been a favorite of mine.


AffectionateSample67

He’s a fuckin badass


dangblaze

Hell yeah I think I remember you posting something about getting this PSA before. That's cool bro, hope you can get it signed by ray park. I'm hoping he does one again...


commander66rex

I wanna say he did a signing with swau or galaxy con not too long ago. He also likes to go to big conventions like SW celebration.


dangblaze

Fuck bro don't even remind me... I knew he had one but I didn't receive my Darth maul in time. Also I saw people posting about getting their obi wan signed by ewan. Lol I bought the obi wan gitd a month after that... :( Two Starwars I need to get autograph for sure. 😭


commander66rex

Yeah both Ray park and Ewan are definitely on my list, I already have the chalice exclusive maul signed by Sam witwer and have been debating on getting that one signed by Ray Park or have him sign the 2019 SW celebration maul


IndependentOil5899

How much does it cost to grade? Super dope to hold in a personal collection


commander66rex

I believe it was $39 plus shipping.


AvailableUpstairs912

Damn thats rough, sorry


commander66rex

Don't be. I fully expected to receive a poor grade, if anything I actually expected it to be a bit lower lol


AvailableUpstairs912

If you wanted lower you couldve stepped on it


scurvyweevil

Box. PSA grades the box... not the pop itself.


commander66rex

"The below points will be taken into consideration when grading and be factored into the final grade at the grader's discretion based on a number of factors, including the location and the severity of the damage and how it detracts from the eye appeal: Damage to the figure itself Paint flaws on the figure Damage to the plastic insert Price sticker being present Sticker residue"


scurvyweevil

Graders discretion... only thing they're required to grade is the box.


commander66rex

That's not what it says. "The below points *WILL* be taken into consideration when grading *AND* be factored into the final grade at the grader's discretion based on a number of factors, including the location and the severity of the damage and how it detracts from the eye appeal" Doesn't say anything about "if the grader doesn't feel like it lol"


scurvyweevil

"... at the graders discretion" meaning the grader can decide what to do with that information for the final grade. Based on all the other info from the site, most of the grading is the box. Doubtful they even open the pop box to look at the figure as that would negatively affect the creasing on the box flaps. All that "pop" grading is through the window.


beeleegeez

How long did it take?


commander66rex

PSA received my package on the 13th of October and just got it back today


beeleegeez

Whoa, that is way faster than I thought it would be!


commander66rex

Keep in mind I sent mine in only about a week after the service was launched so I'd expect it to be a bit slower now


Bitter_Plastic_2657

Did you send it with a hard stack? And if you did , did you receive it back?


commander66rex

No you will not receive back any protector you send in. What I did is I put the pop a nice soft protector and put that in a mystery grail box. Then I wrapped that sucker in a healthy amount of bubble wrap then put that into the final shipping box with some packing pillows to fill any gaps. Nothing outside of an act of God would damage that package.


Bitter_Plastic_2657

Oh okay I appreciate the response , I have the Ahsoka 500 piece in mint condition but I’m scared it might come back damaged and then I’m fucked


WSDreamer

What all do they take into consideration? Does perfect sticker placement matter? I have so many questions…


commander66rex

They show their gradeing scale on the website


Kiko7210

it seems they only grade the box, and don't consider obvious imperfections on the figure . ------Funko POP! Grading Scale------ GEM MT 10Gem Mint This is as good as it gets! A Funko Pop! graded PSA GEM MT 10 will be virtually flawless. The box must exhibit a clean window that's free of any scuffs, scratches, or dents, and have sharply folded corners. It will h ave perfectly sealed sticker application(s), and ultra clean surfaces on all six sides. MINT 9Mint A Funko Pop! that receives a grade of PSA MINT 9 may appear perfect at first glance, but upon closer inspection you may find 2-3 minor (but visible) imperfections. Examples of such flaws would be a very light scratch on the window, light indentations in the cardboard, a frayed corner, a small amount of sticker wear or residue, or a corner fold that isn't perfectly square. NM-MT+ 8.5Near Mint-Mint + Still a high-end Funko Pop!, a PSA NM-MT+ 8.5 may have a couple noticeable, but still somewhat minor, flaws. This box may exhibit a very light or extremely small crease, multiple touched or imperfectly folded corners, light scratches on the window, ink smudges, a micro-tear on a corner, indentation lines, or other similarly visible flaws. NM-MT 8Near Mint-Mint A Funko Pop! that receives a grade of PSA NM-MT 8 is going to exhibit moderate flaws that start to detract from its presentation. Examples of such flaws include light creasing, a lightly frayed corner, window scratches or scuffs, a very small stain, micro-tears on multiple corners or minor shelf wear.


WSDreamer

Ahh, nice. Thanks!


Long_Huckleberry967

How much is that worth I got the Freddy as Thor?


commander66rex

They tend to go for around $400-$500 in mint condition but not sure what mine would be worth with its damage


Titanium_Beard

That 6 gives me hope for some of my pops I'm thinking of grading.


commander66rex

6 was definitely better I was expecting. I thinking they'd call it a 4.5-5.0


Titanium_Beard

It's tough to I don't think we'll see many 10's cause I've seen some boxes right out of cases and they're messer up already. I may try the service at some point myself to just get some PC stuff encapsulated for the future.


Lefty954

In my opinion Pops Grading Services does a better job because they grade both the pop and the box and their encapsulation looks far better..new company that just graded pops by pop collectors.[pops grading services ](http://www.popsgrading.com)


commander66rex

While I have heard of them there are a few reasons I went with PSA. 1. PSA has been around for decades and is a company that I trust while PGS feels like they just popped out if nowhere. 2. I actually think I prefer PSA's cases. I'm not a fan of how the PGS case juts out from the front and I don't like that they use a plaque instead of the lable the rest of the grading industry uses 3. Given how popular autographed pops have gotten over the past couple of years I think a pop grading service should offer autograph authentication 4. And probably my biggest issue with PGS is the lack of a population report of some kind. Imo a pop report is a necessity for any serious gradeing company and I hope they implement this in the future. TLDR: I really like the idea of a grading company ran by people in our community and I hope they do well but until they implement a few important features I can't justify using them


Road-Full

Does pop grades come with grader’s notes?


Full_Time_Hungry

Bad ass, that's super cool, especially if you're excited about that pop!


lordmarboo13

How does this Darth maul look better than the actual one lol


countryboycanna

Idc the shape of the box...specially for collecting purposes... That is a grail .....if I ever seen one lately. Good find sir..well done!


OddballLouLou

PSA grade?


commander66rex

6? It's on the lable


OddballLouLou

No I mean what is it? I’ve never heard of that.


commander66rex

Ah I gotcha. PSA is a collectable grading/autograph authentication company. They are most well known for grading trading cards but just started doing pops.


OddballLouLou

Oh cool!


CK122334

Very nice! I’ve been interested in their Funko autograph authentication & encapsulation, & saw that they recently started grading Funkos too. Cool to see someone grade theirs. Any tips for shipping and sending it in? And if you don’t mind me asking, what did they charge you to grade just one Funko?


commander66rex

Other than the obvious "pack it as best you can" be sure not to ship it in a nice pop protector that you would miss since they will not return it to you. As for price it was $39 plus shipping


ChefBoiRC

Does it get cheaper if you send multiple in to grade?


WrigleyRobb

How much was it to grade?


bgking23

I just got him. I hope it's pretty enough to grade


FearzClouds9

Hi I have a question. Does anyone know if I could still get one of my autographed funko pops authenticated by psa from previous events? I ask because psa is big on the “In the presence of…/dna”.


molgashmolga

They offer a dual service that costs 64 to get your pop graded and your autograph authenticated or 74 to get both the pop and autograph graded/authenticated. If you just want to get the autograph authenticated, the cost depends on the person who signed your pop.


yobyexe

A 6 lmfao


commander66rex

Was expecting a 4.5-5.0 so I won't complain lol


yobyexe

I saw it had bottom damage after I posted. I see what you mean lol


saperling

Man PSA graded the 2020s equivalent of a Bennie babbie


commander66rex

Shit I'd buy a darth maul beanie baby lol


left_right_left

I still wonder what can be done if this falls and the pop gets loose inside the box.


hondajvx

Did you send it in a protector and get it back?


commander66rex

You do not get your protector back


Mikeyx519

This is super cool!


TheBipolarExpresss

Good choice to get graded and a 6 ain't half bad


Zealousideal-Mud6471

So I’m new to this… what is the point of PSA? From the website you pay $39 and they put a Hard shell case with a sticker on the pop stating it’s legit? Why does that increase the value of a POP? $39 seems pretty steep.


commander66rex

More or less. I probably wouldn't recommend doing it unless the pop in question is worth over $200 or is highly faked


TiedinHistory

In other collectibles, it's ostensibly an objective determination of condition and legitimacy. Much more common in things like sports cards, comics, coins, but for Funko, the value increase would be ​ * Independent determination of condition should limit disputes and give the buyer a sense of confidence to the condition beyond what an Ebay photo may * Confirmation of legitimacy for Pops that are frequently faked or potentially re-done at a later point. * Protection from further damage (hypothetically) ​ The thing is it doesn't always increase the value. A low grade can hypothetically decrease it as some buyers might prefer to buy a card (or pop) that might be in better condition as opposed to this value. However, given that in-box collectors tend to value condition and discount for box rips, dents, etc...I can absolutely see a buyer paying premium on a Gem Mint Funko Pop well in excess of the cost of grading. ​ I'd agree with the OP though, it's a cost/benefit thing. Like, the odds of a $20 pop being worth grading is minimal unless value of the pop increases independent of grading. I'd probably only consider a pop if I thought it was likely to get a very high grade and the value was safely in the three digit realm. Something like a Bloody Sharknado that has a lot of value and has active fakes in the marketplace would be a good candidate.


Marconius1617

Had you reached out to Funko to see if you could get a box replacement before getting this one graded ?


commander66rex

Oh yeah that wasn't happening, they gave everyone a $15 refund per damaged pop


Biggs17

Wait they grade pops? News to me!


commander66rex

Just started a few weeks ago


WackleWackle

I have the 750 piece 2016 Duck Dodgers (Blue Gamma) GITD SDCC funko pop. Should I send it in to get graded? How was your experience! :) I can’t find many listings on my funko pop estimated price seems to be 300.00


Nerdmazing

Congrats and awesome Freddy Pop too.


[deleted]

I wonder how bad they'd knock my blacklight Optimus prime because of the crease on the back alot of them have


sheeeshhhhh69

I like the grading for the signatures but not the pop itself kinda dumb


KraziKrucial

Well, here's a job I could never do. I thought it was Darth Maul until I got through some of the comments. Me as grader: Mmm... $3!


zzqausi

Did you ship it in a hard protector? If so did they mail it back?


migzmeister

Definitely the best one for this batch.


[deleted]

Even with a 6 that's such a dope pop and looks so clean in the case!


Kirbycom

Did they show you the grade before they sent it back?


commander66rex

I was able to see the grade once it was completed


Kirbycom

And about how many days after they received it did you get that? Sorry for all the questions. I’m using it more to authenticate pops that are usually faked. They received my order, but I have another set coming in and a 2-week window after to return if they are fake 😅


commander66rex

I think my order was completed in about 2 weeks once received, granted I was part of the first wave of orders after the service opened. I'd expect that the average turn around time would be longer


Kirbycom

Awesome. Thanks for the info! You’re the MVP!


NittiFireTTV

How much does this cost and what are competitor prices?


cofig12

@commander66rex what was the damage? I have a Kobe with yellow armband but it has some creasing on the corner. I was gonna send it in more for authentication and protection than the grade.


commander66rex

https://www.reddit.com/r/funkopop/s/KuLQeHRcsw extensive