There's a lot of turnaround time questions/complaints so I'd like to propose some better alternatives to twiddling thumbs!

What to do while waiting for books:

1) SCAN YOUR SLABS! I am very very bad in this area, but it is a great reference for others to use (I love comparing mid grade slabs of rare books) plus it adds some value. We can all google an issue to find out what the cover looks like, but I love having a one-stop shop here. I promise, I'm going to start.

2) PGX FUN: I am not advocating the "trashing" of a competing product, but I do own a few PGX that I got on the cheap and would like to send back to CGC to get them in my preferred slabs. So I'm going to put some patience to the test and crack one open. I'll transfer the book to another holder for resubmission to the CGC, and the PGX case is great for a cutting board, holding family photos, or a makeshift lap desk. You can dremel a slot so it's a transparent little trapper keeper for holding a couple of bills.

3) SAVE MONEY! I personally don't like to have too many orders out at once to the CGC, so for every day OVER the expected turnaround (40 days for my most recent order), I'll put one dollar into an envelope. My last "late" submission was around 2 calendar months late, so this is like saving up the cost of a couple slabs for my next order.

4) Stay positive. I am just as impatient as everyone else to get my books back, and I have no relatives or pets who are CGC employees, but let's remember that we've got a one-hand-washes the other situation here. The slippery slope is that if we all were to stop using CGC, and the comic division went out of business, well, that sure doesn't give much credence to the graded books we already have... for those who are old enough to remember, it's like selling a used car with a Rusty Jones guarantee.

5) And finally (like you need an excuse to do this), thumb through your collection. Maybe you want to reread that F/VF Silver Age book before sealing it up. Maybe you want to read your "worthless" books. Maybe you should troll through your boxes and remind yourself what you own. I did recently, and I completely forgot about my Vengance of Bane that I filed once upon a time under "V" and not "B".

In other words, stay positive or you will go Zsasz crazy.

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