Every ReRack listing carries one of four grades. Sellers pick it; buyers hold them to it. The definitions below are binding — they are the standard a reported problem is judged against, word for word — and a seller's chosen grade is a representation, not an impression. A ball that arrives two tiers below what was listed is a full refund at the seller's cost, and a smaller gap is judged from the buyer's photos against the definitions below. When a ball sits between two grades, take the lower one and explain why in the description.
Indistinguishable from a new ball other than having been drilled.
≤ 15 games, no visible track wear, no oil rings, factory finish intact, no scratches deeper than a fingernail catch.
A ball that has barely been thrown. Hold it under a bright light and turn it: the cover should look uniform, with no dulled band where it rolls. No oil ring, no scuffs from the ball return, no gouges around the holes. Factory finish still intact, so it doesn't need a resurface to throw the way the manufacturer intended. If you can see a track at all, it's a B.
Light, honest use; performs as designed.
16–75 games, visible track but no oil saturation, minor surface scuffs, resurfaced or holding factory finish.
Used, honest, and sound. There's a visible track — a slightly dulled or shinier band around the ball where it contacts the lane — but no cracks, chips, or dents, and no soaked-in oil darkening the cover. The finish may have polished or dulled off spec with use. Sellers: say how many games are on it if you know, and whether it's ever been resurfaced.
Clearly used; may need surface work.
76–200 games, defined oil rings or track wear, scuffs and minor nicks, may need a resurface to perform at spec.
The wear is obvious. A pronounced track, oil absorption (a darker, greasier-looking ring that a rejuvenation bake or a fresh surface would help), scuffs, and a finish well off factory. It still rolls — this is not a damaged ball — but a buyer should budget for a resurface to get the reaction back. Mention any resurfaces already done and roughly when.
Functional but compromised, or cosmetically damaged.
> 200 games, heavy oil absorption, deep nicks, chips, plugged holes, disclosed repaired damage. Any ball with disclosed damage is D regardless of games.
Sold as-is, and the listing must say why. Cracks around the thumb or finger holes or through the cover, plugged and redrilled holes, chunks missing, or wear so deep the ball is out of round. Photograph every flaw close up. Buyers: assume you are buying a plug-and-redrill candidate or a shelf ball, and that there is no reaction promise attached to it.
A crack and a fissure are not the same thing, and the difference is whether the ball can ever be used in certified play again. USBC calls a split under 3" long and under 1/8" wide a crack: it only bars the ball if it's in your track area, and one between the gripping holes inside the span can be repaired with approved plug. Anything 3" or longer, or 1/8" or wider, is a fissure — it bars the ball wherever it is, and it may not be repaired. Plugging, by contrast, keeps a ball USBC-approved; it is normal, not damage. If you're selling one of these, measure the split and say which it is. If you're buying, ask.
Factory specs — RG, differential, coverstock, and core type — come from ReRack's curated, USBC-based ball database rather than from whoever typed the listing. They describe the model, not this particular ball.
Games thrown and resurface history appear on the listing when the seller provides them. They're the fastest way to sanity-check a grade: a “Like new” ball with 60 games on it is mislabelled.
The two photos every listing asks for are the pin and the finger and thumb holes. Two photos are the minimum to publish, and those are the two — they let a buyer check the layout and the fit for themselves. A CG / mass bias photo is optional. None of this says anything about whether the catalog specs are right, and nobody at ReRack has seen the ball.
Wear and damage go in the extras. Track wear, oil rings, scuffs, nicks, chips and plugs are what a grade is actually judged on, and a seller is asked to photograph them when the ball has them rather than to fill a fixed slot on a ball that doesn't.
Think a ball you received was graded wrong? Report a problem from the order page before the 48-hour inspection window closes — see the Help Center or email support@rerackbowling.com.