VGPOPREPORT

No CIB — sealed onlyULTIMATE SEALED VIDEO GAME DATABASEPSA + VGA + CGC + PIXELAdd games to your collection and watch the value growUnlock 4 years of sales data & every A++ toolFree account or unlock A++

CIB ISN'T CIB

In a recent blog post, PSA defined CIB as a game with "all of its original components" - while also stating:

"There might be a CIB where the box is from the 2nd edition, the manual is from the 5th edition and the cart is from the 3rd edition."

Does that still classify as coming with "its original components" to you?

When you buy a Graded CIB game, the parts inside are almost never the parts that shipped in that box. The cartridge, the manual, even the inserts get pulled from other copies and other editions - "married" together to sell you a manufactured product. They continue:

"Collectors and dealers 'marry' these two together to make a higher-grade game that will be more desirable to a collector."
- PSA, "CIB & IMP 101", 2025

They've also watered the rules down so far that the differences they can see - USA vs USA-1, ™ vs ®, 1985 vs no year - no longer disqualify anything.

They even coined a term for a game built from the wrong parts - an Incorrect Married Part (IMP).

CIB / IMP example
A Frankenstein of wrong parts: married together, sealed in plastic by PSA, stamped Complete In Box, and sold as "collectible."
CIB contradiction - box missing internal flap but graded Complete In Box
Another one - PSA's own notes admit this box is missing its internal flap, yet they still seal it in plastic, stamp it Complete In Box, and sell it as "collectible."

Do either of these sound original or complete? One's a mix of wrong parts; the other is missing a piece outright - and PSA stamped both "Complete In Box."

Many will admit CIB dwarfs sealed in supply, yet graded CIB is a mere ~8.5% of volume. That gap is the verdict: relative to sealed, graded CIB is a manufactured guess sold as "collectible," and the market has clearly chosen sealed. Drive it to 0% and kill it for good - the hobby loses nothing but a gimmick.

Keep CIB ungraded on the shelf for reference and playability. Only bid and buy what's clearly labeled SEALED.

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