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Posts posted by troydivision1
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OfficialPix announced a Mark Hamill presale starts tomorrow.
Was wondering if any facilitator works with them for CGC submissions.
Thank you in advance. -
Continued tracking of my 50 piece personal collection's value for insurance purposes.
I am utilizing eBay sold items (with auctions taking priority over buy-it-now) to determine FMV.
January to February 1.94% decrease
February to March 4.25% increase
March to April 0.82% increase
April to May 2.53% decrease
May to June 2.08% decrease
June to July 4.19% increase
July to August 1.63% increase
August to September 1.67% decrease -
On 9/14/2023 at 4:48 PM, musicmeta said:
About how long does it take for an ME submission to get processed and shipped back to you? I have an ME submission that was received on 8/15/23. I thought ME's were a higher priority.
It is four books were the labels were swapped. Seems like a long time to correct this but then again I don't know how many ME submission there are. Any insight would be much appreciated.
I guess I will call CGC tomorrow and find out what is going on.Just scrolled through my posts and my last ME that was label related took 42 business days total to return back to me.
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On 9/13/2023 at 10:10 AM, fantastic_four said:
Aldi's grocery stores specializes in this and has skirting trademark infringement down to a science. They carry cheap, rip-off versions of every major name brand. Different but similar names and different but similar box art. Here are a few:
As an outside contractor who worked projects for Aldi for a few months I can share that some of their private label products are actually produced by major companies.
Ones I can remember off the top of my head -
their free and clear laundry detergent was produced by Seventh Generation
some of their frozen burritos were produced by Amy's -
Very strong trailer.
Excited to see this on a premium screen. -
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On 9/10/2023 at 2:41 PM, VintageComics said:
I don't know if you'll remember this or not, but about 8 or 10 years ago we were discussing student loans and student loan forgiveness in the WC. This was WAAAAAAY before it become a central public talking point.
I never understood why someone should just "forgive" my loan because I couldn't pay it back. You signed up for it as an grown person, you agreed to take it on, you agreed to pay it back and it was all part of a plan you had in your head...then when you decided your plan didn't work, or you got lazy and didn't feel like doing it anymore, it all of a sudden the loan becomes everyone else's fault and now everyone has to chip in to pay for your lack of ability to make your degree work.
Those who argued FOR the forgiveness of student loans argued that the entire culture of student loans was PREDATORY.
Really? Someone is bending your arm to take on a loan for the next 4, 6, 8 years? They have a gun to your head?
No, you probably watched too many Tik Tok videos your friends made, got all excited and decided to "go for it".
Poor baby.
This sort of broken, immature logic is why the world is in so much trouble.
You can't bail everyone out of every bad decision THEY make. You can't shield people from simple consequences to decisions they made. It ruins the fabric of society which is founded on accountability. Without accountability you have nothing. You have anarchy and complete chaos.
The very fabric of our previously functioning society is built on the fact that rights will prevail and wrongs will be punished.
Why am I ranting about this? Because the parallels are similar.
Because I DO believe there is some predatory nature IN EVERY INDUSTRY. Big Wigs will look for ways to strip people of their rights to line their own pockets. Movie execs will ABSOLUTELY try to get away with EVERYTHING THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH TO LINE THEIR POCKETS.
But it's YOUR job to know what you should and shouldn't do, not anyone else's.
If someone is selling a raw book as a 9.6 and you think it's only a 9.4 but you buy that book simply because you hope they're right and it gets a 9.6, then THAT IS ON YOU. You went against your own beliefs for the sake of greed.
In much the same way, it is ON YOU to know what you're getting into, what you're signing, what you're giving away. If your greed and hope of being a star over rides your logic, that's ON YOU.
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I absolutely believe big money in EVERY industry is predatory.
I also absolutely believe you should take your consequences like a grown up, even if it hurts you. Consequences are the most valuable teacher you will every have. My greatest lessons, the ones that will NEVER leave and always be a teacher to me came from the worst consequences I've experienced. Had I avoided the consequences I'd never have learned those lessons and never have matured.
You remove that accountability to yourself and you remove the very glue that has held Western civilization together for the last 100s of years.
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I absolutely believe that if someone uses your likeness WITHOUT your consent as the studios have done that they should be punished with great consequences as well, because that's the ONLY way that corrupt, big money will back down. All they care about is protecting the money, so make it hurt where it hurts them most when they do wrong.
But to tie this all together, I believe that we live in a society of people who can't take consequences for their actions and the fallout is that you have an emotional mess to deal with between corrupt actions by the big studios and corrupt logic by the employees. This is an impossible mess to navigate.
Most of the general public lives in denial and sticking your head in the sand is only going to make sure your butt gets sun-burned.
Sorry if this sounds harsh but it's not meant to. I genuinely sympathize with starving artists as I know 100s of them. Some are my close and personal friends, but the reality is harsh if you try to go against it and it doesn't bend.
You can't change reality around you but you CAN change how you interact with it and your decisions that you CAN control are your way out of whatever situation you're in.
The thing is...the government finds the money to bail out banks...or to forgive $400 billion in PPP loans...
Whilst neither are good things, individuals see these acts as the government rescuing their 'friends'.
Forgiving the student loans will keep money in the economy rather than in big businesses and banks. -
July Reholder Shipment
Shipped to 07/20
Delivered 07/24
Scheduled for Grading 08/09 (12 business days later / 12 days so far)
Grading / Encapsulation 08/31 (13 business days later* / 25 days so far*)
Grading / Quality Control 09/05 (2 business days later / 27 days so far)
Shipped from 09/07 (2 business days later / 29 days total)
*subtracted the two days they were closed due to the hurricane -
Another request.
Is there a way to have the various artist / writer custom labels that have been created for signings to remain constants?
For example, Todd McFarlane scroll or Alex Ross logo.
This way if someone isn't a fan of Signature Series (I don't know why they wouldn't be) they can still submit for various books for custom labels regardless of signing timeframe. -
Great post.
I've asked this before in the modern threads and the consensus was -
List the item on eBay for a buy-it-now price 25% higher than you'd be happy to let the book go for.
Sky's the limit, it's your book.
(make sure to enable the best offer option)
Set your auto-decline for $1 less than the value you'd be happy letting it go for.
Sit back and wait until a buyer finds you. -
This episode in particular made me miss Ray Stevenson.
A lot.
I've never been so captivated by a new Star Wars character before.
Everything just clicks - from his wardrobe to his fighting style to his 'honest' line delivery. -
The major media conglomerates are beholden to their shareholders and Wall Street quarterly results.
Most of their (CEOs / C-Suite Executives / Owners) wealth is directly related to stock options, bonuses, and what the board dictates.
They have every reason to cling to every penny they can.
It's literally their job to do so.
That being said, as humans, they should absolutely do better by every single person that creates the media that makes them money.
This goes doubly for Amazon, Apple, Disney, and Universal.
(as each of these also own / operate / source labor from in and around the world to increase their market cap) -
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On 9/1/2023 at 7:16 PM, drotto said:
A lot of stuff is going to get cancelled, and the things being green lit are going to be drastically reduced. Force Majeure is coming in full and very soon. They are going to use this to can tons of stuff. I think the MCU is more of less done till 2025. Yes, I know stuff is scheduled, but at this rate, most of it is not going to happen.
Stuff being canceled.
Productions deals ended.
Filmed series shelved for tax credits.
Wall Street needs businesses to make more money every quarter. -
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My Neil Gaiman submission was delivered to CGC on Monday, just before they closed for the hurricane, and right on time to beat tomorrow's deadline.
Now, the wait begins for it's return home. -
On 8/28/2023 at 4:52 PM, Flanders82 said:
I'm all for finding deals, but not turning those deals into an even bigger deal by marrying the cover in hopes of getting a universal label, getting fmv of a complete ASM #1, for an incomplete book, after it was misplaced by someone trying to facilitate a Stan Lee signature, or even having the book encapsulated by CGC with incorrect infromation regarding the condition of the book and having no urge to send it back to them to correct the issue. It sounds like the owner of the ASM has been on the board for awhile and you're just refraining from any criticism because of this. Any other time restoration or things of this nature aren't disclosed it's a huge deal and everyone is on the same page. I know in this case, he's only revealed an intention to capitalize off of a married book rather than actually doing it, but looking at his post as a whole, he comes across as someone that I don't care to interact with or do business with. I don't consider being against these things to be on a high horse. It's a bit ridiculous that so many people here are getting on the case of those of us that are against the idea of profiting at someone else's expense by not disclosing substantial flaws with a book.
If somehow you bs your way through all of this and still think I'm on my high horse, how do you explain the fact that he still hasn't resubmitted the book to CGC to have the error of the missing wraps corrected? CGC would likely still do this at their expense.
I don't think anyone here is defending me because of how long I've been on the boards...
Neither are they defending me writing out my thought process on increasing the fair market value of the book.
What I gather is that some board members are calling bologna about how I should have paid monies back to a consignment shop. -
On 8/26/2023 at 9:31 AM, Robot Man said:
Great story and great score. Don’t let the jealous haters bother you. They didn’t care or bother or put in the work to find out what they had. You have worked hard to gain the knowledge. You paid them the price they wanted and they were happy. It finally found a home with someone who will treasure it. Sometimes, things end up where they should.
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I've shared this story before in a different thread and in my personal collection journal.
(shout out to all the fellow journal writers!)
Apologies in advance for the long post, but I think it fits perfectly within this thread...
One day in early 2011, I responded to a Craigslist ad about having comics for sale.
ONE MONTH LATER!
I received a reply apologizing for the delay as their internet was cut off, they had moved, and that they still had comics available.
They sent me the address.
Jumped in my red 1993 Ford Ranger with no A/C, manual transmission, and broken tape deck (this part comes back later) to head to the address they provided.
Upon arrival, I discovered it was a consignment shop.
I went inside and was directed to 4 short boxes of comics / magazines.
What I found in the first 2 boxes were complete garage sale drek.
Thinking the drive was a waste of time, I got to the third box and was taken aback by a very familiar cover.
I froze.
Sitting in a bag without backboard, with a handwritten $2 on a blue circle sticker in the upper right-hand corner was The Amazing Spider-Man #1.
My eyes widened and then I looked over both my shoulders to ensure I wasn't being Punk'd.
I slowly took the ASM #1 plus the books that were immediately before and after it out of the short box.
Then I placed the three comic stack directly in front of me.
At this point I should have stopped, but I proceeded to look through the rest of the 3rd box and then the 4th short box 'just in case' another key book was present.
During all this my mind was racing.
I began thinking every person entering or inside the store was there for comics and would take the book from me.
Suddenly, fear gripped me that they may even pull an Overstreet Guide or use their computer to check eBay once I bring the comics to them.
After finishing the last box I asked the clerk if the prices on the comics are the prices they'll charge.
The clerk confirmed that the price on the sticker was the cost of the comic.
I fanned the three issues (top book, ASM #1, bottom book) only showing the stickers in the top right-hand corners.
The total was $7 for the three comics.
I handed the clerk a $10 bill, said to keep the change, and quickly exited the store without another word.
My goal was to reach my truck, place the comics inside, and lock the door in order to prove ownership just in case the police were called.
BUT I don't remember walking to my truck.
It felt like a dream as I floated there.
The truck seemed to pull further from me as I got closer.
The entire time I expected the shop owner to come outside and yell and chase me down to return to the store.
Upon entering the truck I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement.
I wanted to scream and yell and cheer.
I 'had' to immediately share this joy with someone.
Quickly I called my best friend at work and told them about it.
They were excited for me and couldn't wait to see the book in person the next day.
After hanging up the phone it took me a minute to remember how to drive.
Suddenly, I realized that I didn't want to drive in silence as I felt a once-in-a-lifetime moment like this needed a soundtrack.
I racked my brain as to which song in my tiny music library stored on my Samsung Galaxy 1 would work best to be played through the phone's speaker.
(again, I was driving a 1993 Ford Ranger with no A/C, manual transmission, and broken tape deck at the time)
Somehow the only thing I thought would work best was Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance".
It wasn't the lyrics or the song itself...it was being able to drive home singing along loudly whilst it played from my phone.
Drove home quickly but safely.
Jumped on eBay for current values of 1.8s / 2.0s and was overjoyed.
Immediately opened the comic to check if it was a 'Golden Records'.
It wasn't.
It also wasn't missing any coupons.
Then it dawned on my that there may be missing pages.
Downloaded a cbr file to check.
That is when I noticed that the 1st and last wrap were missing whilst comparing the comic to the digital file.
(CGC lists the centerfold is missing. That is not correct at all. Trust me it is the first and last wrap.)
I hatched a plan to purchase a complete coverless copy and marry it with my $2 copy's cover BUT I figured I would get caught so I placed it in a mylar with fullback and put it away.
A few months later when Desert Wind Comics announced their next Stan Lee signing I realized I could plus up the value of the incomplete book by adding Stan's signature.
Got in contact with DWC.
Sent them my book.
They confirmed it was received.
And then they lost it for the signing I sent it in for.
Yep...lost it.
At one point they were going to send me a check for the value of the book if they couldn't find it before the next signing.
They didn't know it was incomplete so in hindsight it would have worked out better for me if they hadn't found it.
It was eventually found and got Stan to sign where I wanted and with a silver sharpie like I requested.
So that is the story of my Amazing Spider-Man #1 signed by Stan Lee.
postscript
I was always a little confused by the store / pricing.
Went back the following week as they had received more comics.
I didn't buy any comics, but I did pick up some Famous Monsters magazines.
Got to speaking with the clerk and they explained what the shop did.
They cleaned out residences of people who were recently deceased on behalf of family members that are not able to come in from out-of-state to handle such things.
Then the shop would determine what to donate and what to consign on behalf of the out-of-state family.
They charged the family 15% of the total sale price for doing this.
They list the high dollar items (purses, jewelry, vintage clothing, etc...) on eBay and the remainder in-store.
Learning this actually made me sad that someone had passed away with no one wanting to handle their comic collection.
That their ASM #1 ended up in my hands for only $2.
I began wondering if they had bought it for that price many moons before it reached me decades later.
The how of it is not something I reflect on often, but when I do it makes me realize that we all need to make a plan for our end of life because often the things we love die along with us.
Oh boy, that got way deeper than I expected...
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Any CGC facilitators work with OfficialPix?
in SigSeries Event Central
Posted
Thank you for letting me know.