isiTrue

On 9/7/2023 at 4:45 PM, joeypost said:

All depends on the type of marker used. 

PM sent.

I assume that it's much easier than if it were on paper, but is it something that anyone can do themselves without affecting the underling inks in/on the metal?  It would be great if the marker could just be wiped off somehow.

Or, could the removal be part of a clean-and-press?

The original cover art is available on Comiclink for a hefty sum:

Comiclink

On 8/5/2022 at 6:38 PM, mtracy64 said:

The practice does seem borderline indefensible, but it's also become commonplace over the past 20 years. Some places prattle on about inventory control methods, items held at different warehouses, or whatever, but for whatever reason many businesses will not combine orders placed at different times. I don't like it, but I've also never been caught unaware by the practice and would be pissed if I was. I generally try to find enough to qualify for free shipping on each order, and if I can't I decide on a case-by-case basis whether I need the item enough to pay the shipping.

Yes, I've run into that as well, and it would be a completely different scenario if they'd mention this upfront on the website or, at the very least, communicated this differently when I asked about it.  Like you, I usually try to qualify for free shipping, but I didn't think it would be an issue in this case. 

They do have it written that they reserve the right to combine free shipping orders with preorders or other free shipping orders, so they do it when it benefits them (I don't think different locations are involved).  And to top it all off, they didn't even give me the opportunity to add another book to qualify for free shipping as some sort of resolution - just silence and a tracking number. 

The more I think about it, the more it looks like they packed the book up before checking their messages and didn't feel like unpacking it so they gave a BS excuse - customer be damned.  It's a shame because this place always had great customer service up until recently.

On 8/5/2022 at 5:37 PM, The Lions Den said:

Personally, I'd go ahead with the orders this time around, but once all your orders come in it's certainly your prerogative whether you want to do business with them again (although I must admit, this incident doesn't strike me as completely outrageous on their part).

And I wouldn't interpret this as an insult to your intelligence, I'd interpret it as the cost of doing business...

Your answer surprises me.  How is this even remotely a cost of doing business?  Their reasoning doesn't hold any water and their answer is to not respond.  Bad business, perhaps, just because they didn't want to unpack the book or, to squeeze a few extra dollars out of me. 

I'd understand if the preorder books came in and the previous orders were packaged and about to be picked up/shipped.  Bad timing, it happens (although personally, I'd open up the box and combine the orders if there was time, especially for a repeat customer.  I sell books, too.).  But if all they have to do is add one raw book to my pile that is just sitting there, which already had free shipping, and instead choose to charge me an extra $8 for First Class Mail, then I don't see how anyone can reasonably side with that type of business practice.

If I'm wrong, I'd like to know how.  This is why I created the thread - to see if there's a piece of information that would change my perspective before I make a final decision about how to proceed.

Thanks.

Long story (sort of) short:

I have two separate pending orders from an online store that qualified for free shipping.

They weren't shipped yet because one of the orders is a preorder.  They will ship together. 

I purchased another book from their store the other night (only one copy was available, so I grabbed it). 

They offer free shipping for orders over $100.  My order was under that amount, so $8 was charged.

I sent this email immediately afterwards (they don't have a "note" section at checkout):

The next day, I received this response:

Most likely, they didn't read my original email, packed the book up, then saw my message and gave me the BS answer about not being able to combine shipping because of cost.  It's difficult for me to interpret this as anything other than an insult to my intelligence because it obviously makes no difference if I purchased another raw book alongside the previous larger order, or now - the weight would be the same.  What matters is whether the package was shipped or not.  Also, one raw book being added to a few others and a slab likely won't make a difference in Priority Mail shipping cost.  Keep in mind that this "rule" of theirs isn't mentioned anywhere on their website.

Yes, it's only $8 and yes, they offer free shipping to begin with.  However, this stings on principle alone, never mind that I've spent thousands of dollars in purchases from them.  And then not even bothering to reply?  I certainly wouldn't treat a customer this way.  I'm considering cancelling the previous two orders since they haven't shipped yet, and the thought of making another purchase there leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

So, I'm curious: what would you do if presented with this situation?

19 hours ago, lostboys said:

WTF

How?

17 hours ago, Lightning55 said:

If you are the original submitter and have some type of problem with the slab you receive, you just contact customer service.  If it's a cracked slab, a corner affected by encapsulation, a comic slipping in position in the slab, plastic particle floating in the case etc., they will usually help you out.

You have to report it within a certain amount of business days - I can't remember if it's 10 or 14.  They will approve the return called a Mechanical Error (or NOT approve it, depending on circumstances), and provide a shipping label for you to return it.  Then they correct the problem, if possible, and return it to you at no charge.

Your comics are insured while they are at CGC, so if something goes wrong that causes damage, or if they are stolen, you are covered.  It's included in the grading fee.  The comics are not insured by CGC on their way to the facility.  That is up to you through the carrier or private insurance.

If you get them back by Registered Mail, they will have coverage through USPS for the Declared Value that you assigned on the submission form.  FedEx or UPS has only $100 coverage for the trip back to you.

I have sent back quite a few comics due to some of the aforementioned reasons - but I get a lot graded.  It's like 1 out of every 25 that has a problem, which would be 4%.  Stuff happens.

 

Good info, thanks.

14 hours ago, Hulksdaddy1 said:

Most people pack slabs completely wrong. They pack them like they would pack raw books, nice and tight, so the slab doesn't move. 

If the slab doesn't move a bit, the book does. That's how SCS happens. Like a concussion, where your skull stops, but your brain doesn't.

Packing a slab needs "soft wall" technology (see auto racing). The packing material must give a bit, let the slab move, and slow the slab down as the material compresses, taking away the momentum from the book inside.

This makes sense, finding the right balance is key.  Snug, but not "too" snug. 

And one should never use paper as padding for heavy packages.  I received a few international packages that had ruined books because the seller didn't realize the paper padding will compress and let the books slide around, slamming into the sides.

20 minutes ago, divad said:

Didn't you see this in the pics from the sellers? 

The pics looked fine and didn't show any of this shifting or damage.

17 minutes ago, divad said:

I personally, don't think this is acceptable. The problem should be dealt with when first recognized - these shouldn't be going out the door like this.

Agreed.  1 in 25 is too high of an error rate to not be addressed, especially for valuable collectibles that are limited in number.  Then there's the hassle of dealing with something like this on a regular basis.

I recall reading years ago that PGX doesn't have these problems.  Is this true? 

If they have a different inner well design that is patented, CGC should just buy them out and use it themselves.

27 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

I don't know if you get credit or something, it never happened to me. 

Maybe it's insured.  Hopefully we never need find out first hand.

9 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

Thanks, my bad for not reading properly.

Ok this changes things, what confused me is the OP said there was no damage but that's not true. There has been damage, the product recieved is not as it was portrayed, no matter where the damage happened.

 

So @isiTrue, ignore what I wrote previously, what you must do now is contact the seller and return the product. You do not want this slab in your collection.

Agreed

5 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

CGC will only offer a fee reholder service if the purchased slab has the wrong label. For damage done to books by CGC, it's up to the original submitter to inform CGC of the damage done within 10 days (or more, I forget) of reception.

Good to know, thanks. 

And if I am the original submitter?  Do they cover the value of the book?  How does that work?

20 hours ago, lostboys said:

These sellers know what they're doing. Return it and be aggressive about it. It's gonna hurt because you probably got a great deal but it was all part of the plan. These slabs should have been returned to CGC by the original owner but they probably didn't wanna wait another 3 months for a reholder. Instead they sell em to us.

 

Return them...no mercy!

 

 

That's what adds to the frustration; that I found these books for a GREAT price.

I don't blame the sellers because pictures of the books on their websites looked fine.  They have been easy to deal with regarding accepting the return as well.  I requested a prepaid return label for the Spawn book since I paid to have it shipped to me, and he sent me one.  The WofS book had free shipping, so I'll pay for the return as it's only fair. 

So, at least there's no hassle with the return process.

20 hours ago, BabyAteMyDingo said:

What is your recourse if CGC damages your book? They must offer replacement value?

These books were bought online from different stores.  I'm not sure what CGC's policy is if a book arrives damaged directly from them; I (thankfully) haven't had to deal with that.

1 hour ago, Kevin76 said:

I see this all the time, All you have to do is hit the opposite side of the slab in the palm of you hand, it'll move back into where it's supposed to be. Don't worry, it won't damage the book inside. 

I tried that, too.  It didn't move at all and is quite stuck between the plastic.  I don't want to add too much force because even if it were to come loose, it could very well slam into the opposite side as a result.  Not to mention that the top staple and cover looks a bit shifted compared to the "before" image of the Spawn book.

Web of Spider-Man is a lost cause; too much corner damage to be a 9.8 anymore.

Thanks for the responses.  I was leaning towards returning the book, and now it's confirmed.  Disappointing, I was looking forward to this book.

A new development:

I just received another order, another 9.8 in the new style case.  IT'S ALSO WEDGED IN BETWEEN THE PLASTIC WALLS. 

I am so pissed off right now.  It's even worse than the Spawn book.  How does this even happen?

This is looking more and more like a defect with some of the slabs to me.  Granted, I don't have a large sample size to base this off of, but I've never had this happen... and now two in one week?

The Spawn book arrived with two other slabs and a raw book.  The other books are fine.

Web of Spider-Man was a single purchase.

Both were well-packed with bubble wrap.  Boxes weren't destroyed or had any gouges.

So pissed.

Hello everyone,

I recently received a CGC 9.8 Spawn #70 that has the upper left corner area stuck inside the case.  I presume that this happened while in transit to me.

I tried tapping it back into place, but it didn't move one bit. 

I read about a potential fix that involves sticking a piece of cardboard from the top of the case to relieve some pressure, but didn't want to risk cracking the slab in case I need to return it.  Therefore, I only applied some force using my fingers.  No effect.

What would you do?  Return it to the seller? (They said that they'd take it back.)  Or, is there a fix?  I'm not sure if it's worth pressing and having it reholdered.

I'm concerned that the cover may be coming loose when comparing it to photos of the book as listed online.  The top staple looks a bit impacted as well.  And then there's the pressure/indent mark from being stuck between two pieces of plastic.

Please let me know what you think.  The first two pictures are what the book looked like online.  Thank you.

On 1/31/2020 at 10:53 AM, Callaway29 said:

Vampirella #1 6.0 Qualified OW/W; 14th page missing doesn’t affect story; Frazetta cover with Neal Adams and company art inside, $300.

Missing page is an ad, what’s missing can be seen below. Tough to price...$600 book otherwise, some might consider this a good opportunity, some will avoid like the plague due to aversion to the color green.

30 minutes ago, Drbearsec said:

Good call... this book is on fire

Awesome cover.

On 5/27/2017 at 9:36 AM, BeachBum said:

Jean Grey 1 J. Scott Campbell Roadshow Exclusive

I have some extra books that I'm subbing over that which was pre-ordered a few weeks ago. I these are already subbed to CGC and all I have left.

Only two hundred copies are to be released this weekend at the show - fifty per day. When the books are released at the booth there is a scrum to get them. Selling for over $100 raw on eBay now.

CGC 9.8 Fast Tracked $225 (3 available) SOLD OUT!

CGC 9.8 SS Fast Tracked $300 (5 available) 1 LEFT!

These are all I have left - If for some reason the book doesn't grade 9.8 you will get your money back.

Limit one per person.

I'll take the last SS 9.8.

36 minutes ago, telerites said:

Who knows but at least you were refunded and left whole.  

 

I do wonder sometimes what a customer would do if they were sent a higher priced item by mistake and how readily they would contact the seller to let them know, not implying anything or trying to twist the thread.  

I just worry more about being scammed and losing my payment or having payment data compromised in some way.  Neither are hassles I relish. Being told an item is not available, while it may be disappointing, is not something I fret over as long as my payment is refunded.  

If I receive something I didn't order, I contact the seller.  In the case of it being more valuable, not letting them know is the same as theft in my book.  Especially if it's a fellow collector or small business.  

However, even if it were the biggest comic shop franchise in the world, it's still theft.  Rationalizing it away is a slippery slope for one's integrity.  That's how I see it.

As for the item not being available, if that's all there was to it, I wouldn't have made this post.   Their responses didn't make sense.

20 minutes ago, rjrjr said:

Sounds like they didn't get enough orders to cover the copy you wanted.  This happens all the time at DCBService, another online comic book retailer.  These retailers cannot produce these books out of thin air and the only way this will stop frustrating collectors such as your self is if Marvel quits offering these ridiculous ratio'd variants.  I'm sure these retailers don't like this anymore than you do.

As for the response, my guess is the employee sending the email didn't know.

Then why have it listed and available for purchase on the site to begin with?  Clearly they knew that they'd have to purchase 500 copies for this one variant.

The employee didn't know, yet stated that it turned into a 1:1000 variant...?  That's what's so strange.

I agree about the current ratio variant practice.  They're really overdoing it at this point and need to slow down.  Making a 1:500+ incentive once in a while to mix things up is okay, but not like this.

16 hours ago, SquareChaos said:

Face always looked like Sabretooth to me.

Huh, you're right.  What an uncanny resemblance.

I placed a pre-order at nycollectorcave.com for a 1:500 variant of "All-New Wolverine #19 Mattina Venomized B&W variant" for a very good price.  Order was accepted.  A few weeks later, I received a refund from Paypal with a note from them included, stating "Unfortunately this has been turned into a 1/1000 variant for the next issue of wolverine and we will not be receiving it. Sorry for the inconvenience."   

I checked online and couldn't find any reference to it being a 1:1000 variant.  Odd, I thought.  Did they cancel my order because they just realized that they could get more for the book?  

So, I contacted them about it being turned into a 1:1000 variant and asked for a link to the info.

Their response:  "It's actually a 1/500 variant not 1/1000. I've attached a picture showing you that it's 1/500 from my order form."

What?  Obviously something doesn't add up, but I responded with:  "Then I'm confused.  So my order was cancelled by mistake?"

Their response: "Yes, your order was canceled because we won't be able to get this book in.  The refund was sent.  Sorry."

Looks fishy to me.  I mean, if you made a pricing error, just be upfront about it and tell me.  Don't make up BS while insulting my intelligence.

What do you guys think?

On 3/24/2017 at 8:37 PM, obsidian00 said:

Just added this to the Dell'Otto pile...only one on the census so far.  

Great artwork, and yet... from the expression on his face and look of anguish in his eyes, I get the impression that Wolverine is screaming "She doesn't wash her hair!  The SMELL!"  (Also, it's not like he's attacking, otherwise his fists would be closed.)

12 hours ago, Anfield Fox said:

I called him out on it on twitter and he just said "feel free to cancel your order".

Yup, thanks JSC but you lost me as a loyal customer.

11 hours ago, isiTrue said:

What a tool.  It's amazing how quickly some people can burn their image and reputation with a few choice decisions.

Not having followed any of this, I must now withdraw my comment after reading his replies.  He didn't "just say" to cancel your order, Anfield.  Clearly, he tried to explain the situation to you before that.  

Could the whole mess have been handled differently?  Probably.

2 hours ago, Okeydoke said:

A comic book itself isn't art...it just isn't. They are printed publications. I love them. I've collected them for decades and have over 10 thousand, but a floppy isn't a piece of art. I don't care how much you bought or sold one with a really cool "limited edition" cover for. The craft of creating a comic is an art. The --script of a comic is piece of art. An original page of pencils, inks or colors is art. The comic book itself is a collectible, like a beanie baby. Heck, creating the designs for beanie babies is an art too. The result is a collectible.

So, posters are not art?  Lithographs?  Prints?  Only original works are considered art?  I think not.  Many people frame comic books and display them on a shelf or wall.  Once it reached that stage, they became pieces of art too.  Hulk #181 on a wall?  How about Amazing Fantasy #15?  And if those are considered art, then by extension a modern book with a fantastic cover could as well.

Regarding the beanie baby analogy, I said much the same in a post further up; perhaps you missed it.  My argument was in response to SquareChaos; the Transformers book (aka "really cool limited edition cover") was a separate discussion.

What it really comes down to is this: there's a very fine line separating all the aspects considered works of art.

1 hour ago, Anfield Fox said:

I called him out on it on twitter and he just said "feel free to cancel your order".

Yup, thanks JSC but you lost me as a loyal customer.

What a tool.  It's amazing how quickly some people can burn their image and reputation with a few choice decisions.