Or Please Don't Delete Me

CGC began doing business amongst massive scrutiny. In the beginning, it was a rare occurrence to have a retailer or collector accept them as a beneficial commodity to the industry, rather than a bane. I once discredited CGC myself on heresy alone. I felt comic books were meant to be read, not slabbed.

CGC was initially started for the sole purpose of protecting the consumer. How many people have purchased a pristine looking comic book at a premium price only to discover that the book had been professionally altered to increase it's value, and in the process destroying it's worth. Most of the time, this was done without any sort of disclosure. Would an Action Comics #1 in 9.0 with a restored label ever reach the most recently recorded amount? The real test would be if a restored 9.2 copy was found and placed on eBay.

CBCS entered the marketplace without the uphill battle that CGC had to fight tooth and nail through. The only thing that is the same is Steve Borock. His love for the hobby makes him an incredibly likable guy and without him, CGC wouldn't be the giant it is today. So my question to CGC themselves is, "how will you react?".

As many know, I applied for a job at CGC in January. Paul Litch found me a place to stay, so I only had to buy the plane ticket. When I got there, we discussed comic books and afterwards, I had to answer one question. If I didn't answer to his liking, I might have been on the plane back home sooner than I planned. I answered correctly and the ensuing experience was great, but it was the wait afterwards that was gut wrenching.

At the end of the day, I didn't get the job. I have no animosity against the company that helped me love collecting comic books again and I still turn over my comic books for grading and wait patiently for them. The length of the waiting however, is what's helping CBCS gain a stronger foothold. I put my money where my mouth was by applying for the job. Now I ask CGC to do the same.

CGC has been deleting any posts praising CBCS. I hope they don't feel that this journal is one of those, but this is how I feel. CGC is hiding. PGX has always been mentioned in the past, but never feared. PGX always seemed to be content and happy with the overflow. I just hope CGC will listen to us, because soon they may be competing in a marketplace they primarily created.

They need to create a new price point. Anything from 2000 and up should be easy to grade. Those books are also what I believe is slowing down the process, but people want the best possible copies. The "need" to have a 9.8 is increasingly desirable. If the copper age ends (arguably) around the beginning of Image comics, create a $14 price point for them. Then create a second price point beginning in '75, which is originally what CGC dubbed as Modern Age. This too should be lowered, if only going back to $17 apiece.

CGC should also continue it's social media plan...if they even had a plan to begin with. I joined the Facebook page as soon as I found it. It was never utilized. In less than a few months, Steve Borock has surpassed CGC in the social media realm. Why is that? CGC should be so far ahead, even fan pages dedicated to CGC surpass CGC's own page.

CGC should continue to be approachable. At conventions Mike Balent and his crew are always helpful and courteous. At times, when the booth becomes hectic, some answers might be short, but they more than make up for it by the end of the show. I am always offering to get them something, which they always decline. This might be considered as a gift, something I normally don't think about, something they are not allowed to accept.

CGC also needs to hire more graders. I understand it isn't easy to do this, day in and day out. You have to have a love for it, dare I say an obsession. But they have to get back to getting the books graded in a timely manner. I am patient, but four months is a bit long.

One of my invoices was changed without me being notified. I understand why they change an invoice but not why they wouldn't contact us about it. As a waiter I come back and check on your food. How easy would it be to hire five employees dedicated to emailing those with invoices, keeping us apprised of our comic books.

CGC please listen to us. We are your main contributors. Not necessarily the retailers, but the collectors, because if we didn't collect these graded comic books, there would be no use of this service. CBCS is growing strong and if you delete any and all posts about them, it makes you look fearful or ignorant at best. I will continue to collect CGC graded comic books, although I might slow down since I will now be mainly searching for books from April of 1972 to bring to you. Not to mention I have to give Steve Borock a chance.

The industry is large enough for all these third party grading companies, but how many can say they have the reputation you have. Please don't tarnish it. We love you so.

Thanks for Reading

Tnerb

PS. I am not adding this to the chat boards since I do not want this to spiral out if control. If you have issues, message me and I'll write about it if I can.