Boboset

I think your Bats 6 is a really great offer by itself. If you want to provide additional options, maybe the Action, that's also a nice idea.

Just the first trade. He appears in some of the War of Kings TPBs and maybe others. No hats. We're left with a meager selection of comics, the one Marvel Universe action figure, OA and a handful of trading cards for our Darkhawk fix. Am I missing anything? I seem to remember a t-shirt, back in the day... Yep, there was one that I know of. Is this it? It recently sold on ebay. I seem to remember one that had the style where the whole shirt had a graphic on it; Darkhawk was in color, and the rest was in black and white. Could be a false memory, though. With a little digging I found out that 2 additional t-shirts were released. One featured the cover to issue #7 and another had issue #22 (with Ghost Rider) . I don't have images for either. It was probably one of those that you remember.

Chip nicely covered his bases with his response. I said mine and I still believe in the information I posted. That was good enough for me. For fear of being labeled as sheepish or dejected, I will post my additional doubts and a question. I thought the response looked coached. In addition, the day+ discussion provided detailed hypothetical explanations, he watched all of it unfold, read every response and engaged others via PM long before responding here. That provided him with all the information to select the most favorable defense. That's what I think happened. I still don't understand why Chip would continue posting PGM thread after PGM thread if he so strongly disagreed with all of the grades/graders. I looked at the last 28 examples but his PGM thread start count was likely closer to 100+. Out of the 28 examples I looked at, Chip deemed all but one of them undergraded with an ebay overall 1.0 grade bump, and a 1.57 bump when you exclude .2 grade increment examples. That's a sizable disagreement through many examples. Why continue creating PGM threads?

Do it. You can increase the value of my 9.9. Seriously, $89 is a lot to spend on a 9.8 #4.

Just the first trade. He appears in some of the War of Kings TPBs and maybe others. No hats. We're left with a meager selection of comics, the one Marvel Universe action figure, OA and a handful of trading cards for our Darkhawk fix. Am I missing anything? I seem to remember a t-shirt, back in the day... Yep, there was one that I know of. Is this it? It recently sold on ebay.

Some are also delusional paranoids. Yes - there is at least one delusional paranoid following me around these boards. It's interesting to watch, and kind of creepy. I rarely read modern threads, but when I do there is a 50% that you post and things get weird.

Very nice post Chip. I'm glad you decided to respond. There's always two sides to every story and your side is finally heard.

Thank you for the compliments Sharon. It was a lot of work.

I know you don't like me CC, I've given you enough reasons to feel that way. Much like my admiration of your recent MPS benefit thread (that was wonderful, great work), I hope you can see past the dislike and look at the issue at hand here.

What was the book? Wasn't it a ST 115? Yes. It's the first point in my first post on this subject. Come on man. Did you read what I wrote or are you just going after me based on what you deem as "malicious practices"?

I agree with this statement. It's easy to undergrade here to be "safe" and not set expectations too high. Also, there's a hidden pressure to not overgrade in the PGM because you can look bad if you're wrong. I don't post PGMs often. The last one I did got a lot of 8.0s and 8.5s and only one 9.0 assessment. CGC came back with a 9.0. This example illustrates the above. Another thing to consider is that scans are overly critical of a books condition. What I mean by that is that scans reveal issues that really don't stand out in hand. So a book could look much better in hand than on a scan. Just my And for the record I have bought books from Chip once (I think) and had no issues. One final thought: I think this issue would be much worse if Chip was selling a book here as a 4.0 and then listing it on eBay as a 5.5 (in the previous example). Getting the opinions of others and then making a decision "on the ground" is a different thing in my mind. Almost always in the same direction, though? Isn't it a bit telling that he's not attempting to make any of these points in his own behalf? Coming into this thread and commenting will do nothing but toss fuel on the fire. It's just what the big trolls want, right Boboset?? No. What I want is honesty and transparency when it comes to selling the funny books that I love so much. I'm disappointed, but not at all surprised, that you don't see that. You think dealing the same book here as a 4.0 but on ebay as a 5.5 is ok? As Chips biggest defender, it's safe to assume you are ok with that. Correct? I'm not so much defending Chip as I am attacking your malicious practices. You're the first person to jump all over someone based on unfounded allegations. I hate to break it to you...but the people offering up grades in the PGM thread aren't very good...and its probably no fault of their own as I've said, and WILL SAY IT AGAIN, you cannot grade a comic based on a two dimensional image. You need the book in hand. Honestly and transparency you say? So if he posts a book in the PGM thread...and let's say the avg is a 4.5...yet he feels it's a 5.0 to 5.5, should he post both opinions? Something like: CGC boards grade it a 4.5 (but they're usually low (and sometimes REAL low). I give it a 5.5....so maybe it falls in the middle? transparency would be saying an ad page has been removed or a MVS has been cut out. I don't believe he's flat out trying to deceive. How the hell can you deceive when you're offering up an opinion based on a flawed system?? And mind you, who's grading standards are we applying? B/c OSPG and CGC aren't N'Sync If you have a problem, just don't buy. Or make your own judgments instead of relying on a seller's assessment. And if you're unhappy, return the book. Its pretty simple. Yet you continue to cause a big stink....krap in the TGT thread and cause headache after headache...but I guess since its for the "funny books that you love" its all ok. Correct?? What are the other headaches that I'm causing? I know that I was instrumental in exposing Hustrucks shilling. Was that a headache for you? Yes, there is definitely some undergrading in the PGM threads. There's overgrading too but probably more undergrading. This is nothing new and I understand how to grade, you know that. You still did not answer the question. Is it ok to list the same book here as a 4.0 but on ebay as a 5.5?

Everybody knows that ebay is filthy with overgrading. I believe that most of it is due to grading ignorance. I don't have a problem with that. They don't know what they're doing. I do have a problem with overgrading on purpose. As we are a more knowledgeable set of collectors it is our responsibility to represent this hobby and our wares honestly on ebay. No overgrading on purpose, no shilling, no undisclosed restoration, no shipping comics in an unprotected mailer, no shipping profiteering. None of it. We know better.

I agree with this statement. It's easy to undergrade here to be "safe" and not set expectations too high. Also, there's a hidden pressure to not overgrade in the PGM because you can look bad if you're wrong. I don't post PGMs often. The last one I did got a lot of 8.0s and 8.5s and only one 9.0 assessment. CGC came back with a 9.0. This example illustrates the above. Another thing to consider is that scans are overly critical of a books condition. What I mean by that is that scans reveal issues that really don't stand out in hand. So a book could look much better in hand than on a scan. Just my And for the record I have bought books from Chip once (I think) and had no issues. One final thought: I think this issue would be much worse if Chip was selling a book here as a 4.0 and then listing it on eBay as a 5.5 (in the previous example). Getting the opinions of others and then making a decision "on the ground" is a different thing in my mind. Almost always in the same direction, though? Isn't it a bit telling that he's not attempting to make any of these points in his own behalf? Coming into this thread and commenting will do nothing but toss fuel on the fire. It's just what the big trolls want, right Boboset?? No. What I want is honesty and transparency when it comes to selling the funny books that I love so much. I'm disappointed, but not at all surprised, that you don't see that. You think dealing the same book here as a 4.0 but on ebay as a 5.5 is ok? As Chips biggest defender, it's safe to assume you are ok with that. Correct?

No, I think its my reading comprehension that needs fine tuning.

Thanks Caludio. However, I did know that they were both the same book and both were from Chip when I originally posted the ebay 5.5 link against his board advertised 4.0. This is not butthurt or malice, although some may think it is. I just think it’s fair if Chip explains the reason of the inconsistency. Some may see slight overgrading and pricing lower as a selling strategy, and it might be as long as you provide scans, although to me it’s always shady terrain. Above all, I expect the grade to be consistent if you sell here and there – at least as a buyer. A VG can be a rag for some graders, while a tightly graded FN- can be a nice FN. I hate to continue this before Chip chimes in, but I do want to restate an earlier point with a touch of elaboration because it seems to be lost here. Grading is an opinion. The PGM threads are a collection of opinions. One persons 5.0 can look like another persons 6.5 and it's not necessarily because either are doing anything unethical. Again, grading is subjective. What is not subjective is simultaneously listing the same Strange Tales 115 here as a 4.0 and on ebay as a 5.5. Or agreeing with a 3.5 average on the DD7 here and listing it on ebay as a 5.0. That same 1.5 grade bump is coincidentally the average for all 19 sub 9.0 examples (more accurately a 1.57 average) .

Thanks Caludio. However, I did know that they were both the same book and both were from Chip when I originally posted the ebay 5.5 link against his board advertised 4.0. This is not butthurt or malice, although some may think it is.

Thank you Sharon. I should have sent him a PM after my posts here.

I almost don't know what to say to this. I guess it will be the same justification as in the Garage Sale Find Thread. Nine examples out of how many? Are we talking 9/10 or 9/500? Good point. Those were examples, looking at post history tells the whole story. Allow me to elaborate. I went back and looked at his last 28 PGM threads, after that point there were image resizing issues that skewed the grades. 28 is a good sample size anyways. Out of those 28 only 24 had more than 2 grades, so I will throw out those 4 examples as they don't prove anything without a semblance of a consensus. 23/24 were ebay overgraded based on the PGM average grade. The exception book was a Preacher # 2 with a 9.7 average from 3 graders that was sold as a 9.6. The average rate of overgrading on all 24 books was a full +1.0. Remove the .2 grade differential books and we are left with19/24 with an overgrade avg of +1.57. Out of all 28 PGM threads, only 5 times did anyone guess a grade at the ebay grade, with one over on a 9.8 on the Preacher #2 Messy individual PGM/ebay grades in spoiler

Even when he advertises these sales through this board? That means he's telling us to go bid/buy these books...

In the Giving Tree thread, Chip Cataldo posted a Strange Tales #115 that he graded 4.0. Another boardie pointed out to me that he had this same book listed on ebay as a 5.5. So I did a little bit of digging. Huge grade bumps from PGM to eBay and there are a LOT of examples. Here are some: PGM: DD 7 3.5 and he said "that's about what I had it pegged at". --------------------- ebay 5.0 PGM: Avengers 55 5.5/6.0 ------------------- ebay 7.5 PGM: Captain Marvel 1 4.0 ------------------ ebay 5.0 PGM: Captain Marvel 26 8.5 --------------- ebay 9.2 PGM: Iron Man 30 6.0 ------------------- ebay 8.0 PGM: Iron Man 76 8.0 ------------------- ebay 9.2 PGM: TOS 31 4.5 ----------------- ebay 6.0 PGM: FF 74 4.5 ------------------ ebay 7.0 PGM: ASM 33 4.5 ------------------- ebay 6.0 Look at any of his other PGM and you'll almost certainly see a hefty grade bump when placed on ebay. To me, it looks like purposefully overgrading for a higher wining bid. What makes it worse is that's he advertises directly through this site. I had a thought that maybe the grade disparity was due to undergrading in the PGM sub-forum. Not so. Why list the ST115 here as a 4.0 and on ebay as a 5.5? Or the DD 7, where he agrees with the 3.5 average but posts it on ebay as a 5.0? It reeks of serial overgrading. Thoughts?

Don't. (thumbs u I have an opened one I can send you.

Or just call it an ebay 5.5

You guys are out of your mind if you think Daniel Day Lewis will play Dr. Strange. Never ever happening. Never. It would be sweet though.

Excluding #27, I feel that this is the toughest Ant-Man issue to find in grade. This copy will keep me happy until I can upgrade. Nice colors and white pages. I'll most likely press/sub it at a later date.

Congratulations. I spent 5 minutes earlier today researching that book because you mentioned it. Nearly bought one too. Damn you RMA. Damn you. You wanna know the best part...? I literally pulled that issue out of thin air. Had no clue what was in it. But watch... Surprise Ant-Man movie villain to compliment Crossfire? As if "Yellowjacket" wasn't bad enough.