When is it prudent to buy non CGC graded comics?

Like probably everyone here my preferred comic would be a CGC graded comics but as my interest has turned to a few golden and silver age series, ?All Star Western? and ?All American Men of War?, the price disparity has pushed me hard away from CGC graded comics.

On EBAY right now I see issue 103 of ?All American Men of War? CGC graded 9.0 for $169.00, comicpriceguide.com lists it for $85.68, issue 102 CGC graded 8.5 is likewise selling for $169.00 and is guide listed at $56.16, issue 107 CGC graded 8.5 is selling for $89.00 and lists for $56.16. Comic Link has issue 93 CGC graded 7.5 with an asking price of $250 guide listed at $38.40 (this issue was hilariously posted in fall of 2009). Comic Connect has issue 71 CGC graded 8.0 with Buy Now price of $355 guide lists it at $109.20. My experience in the past has been that comicpriceguide.com is a pretty good gauge of current prices.

I bought issue 115 non CGC graded 8.5 for $16 and issue 106 non CGC graded 8.5 for $29.99. I did manage to get a very nice CGC graded 9.2 copy of issue 88 for a very reasonable price but by and large the CGC graded prices seem to be inflated through the roof. So is the guide woefully out of date or are these sellers just dreaming? It seems to me that what?s happening is people are pricing these at hugely inflated prices hoping that some day someone will be ignorant enough to buy them even if they sit on auction for years. When I first got into collecting CGC comics EBAY was the place for me but then I started drifting more towards Heritage, Comic Connect and Comic Link but now I?ve returned to EBAY. They have a much faster product turnover and I find their deliver service to be much more reliable (user feedback is an awesome motivator). Every issue of ?All American Men of War? I?ve purchased has been from EBAY because quite frankly the other auctions prices are insulting. It?s not that EBAY doesn?t have some jokes but at least it?s a mix of good and bad.

There have been times in the past where I?ve asked the seller on EBAY to lower their prices even when their product isn?t listed as ?or best offer? and some have complied but I would feel really weird asking someone who lists their comic at $169.00 to lower it to $57.00. My latest purchases won?t push me up the leader list in the CGC ranking but at least I don?t feel like a insufficiently_thoughtful_person for overspending. Boo to those sellers who price their CGC comics to target suckers.