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ThothAmon

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    Concerns Regarding the Price for Previously Authenticated Comics by JSA & Future Price Changes at Events by Creators

    in The Signature Room

    Posted

    On 5/10/2024 at 10:43 PM, Darth Yoda said:

    Hello all.

    I read and re-read the published article, "Signed. Sealed. Delivered. CGC and JSA Now Offering Combined Services for Comics!" that was posted on May 7, 2024. There were plenty of questions I had that were answered in this article, but it also left me with concerns regarding signed comic books that have already been authenticated by JSA at events and possible permanent price changes that could negatively affect fans who go to these events to get their comic books signed.

    Signed. Sealed. Delivered. CGC and JSA Now Offering Combined Services for Comics! | CGC (cgccomics.com)

    Below, I have copied and pasted a paragraph that stood out to me from this article: 

    "If your autographed collectible has a JSA WPP sticker on it, you should select “CGC Grading” as your submission type and “JSA Autograph Authentication” as an add-on service when filling out the CGC online submission form. JSA autograph authentication fees still apply because JSA must reverify the authenticity of the autograph and JSA WPP sticker. If the autograph and JSA WPP sticker are genuine, your comic will be automatically encapsulated with the CGC Signature Series label, which will identify the signer’s name and the date signed. This information, along with a notation that the signature was witnessed by JSA, will also be displayed in the grader notes on the CGC website."

    - One of my concerns regarding the paragraph above from the FAQ section is the pricing to get these already verified comics submitted to CGC for encapsulation. Last September, I attended a Comic-Con and had a number of comic books signed by artists and writers. Rather than have them witnessed by a CGC affiliate, I went and had them verified by JSA where they implanted the JSA WPP sticker on the inside cover of the comic book as well as providing a basic certification card that has a certification number for JSA's database. For each of those books I had verified, it cost me $10. That number may not seem like a lot, but if you had a number of signed books as I had on that day, it totaled out to a big amount to get authenticated. I understand as well that it was a personal choice to get these books authenticated by JSA, but at the time, it was feasible considering it was an affordable option versus using a CGC affiliate that charges $10-$20 per signature depending on the person(s) signing and an additional $10-$20 per book for their witnessed services. Let's not forget the $45 fee it costs to submit books to CGC for a signature series label and the $20 return shipping.

    So, let's get to the point of my concern regarding CGC's new policy when it comes to getting these authenticated books submitted for re-verification and grading. In my opinion, paying $25 to CGC to have JSA "re-verify" the authenticity of the autograph and their JSA WPP sticker is excessive because the customer already paid $10 for their services at the event it was originally authenticated. The certification number on the WPP sticker should be readily available in JSA's database to verify the authenticity (assuming that it is organized and logged) and the price should be much, much lower than $25. 

    A suggestion I have is that there should be two options in the "Add-On" section for JSA signatures. The first option, "JSA Autograph Authentication", should be for comic books that do not have the WPP sticker, and the fee would be $25 since the signature will be authenticated for the first time. Then a new category for comic books that have the WPP sticker inside the book should be called "JSA Authenticated Signature". The second option would inform CGC that JSA had previously verified the signature at a previous event since the WPP sticker is located inside the book. This particular tier should cost between $5-$10 since the customer already paid $10 for the authentication at the event. Now, this is just a suggestion, and in no way am I demanding this to be official, but it doesn't feel right to have to pay $25 for a service that has already been provided.

    - My other concern is this new feature that has been added to the grading process: JSA Autograph Grade. I'm not sure how exactly CGC and JSA are going to go about grading the signature whether it is by the neatness of the signature, the type of utensil used, etc., but my concern is if this new feature becomes paramount in terms of valuing graded comic books, I can imagine how it can negatively affect fans that go to these events to get their comic books signed by their favorite creators. Now, I am aware that this new feature is optional, but with the addition of JSA, it is my strong belief that creators and their teams will take advantage of this opportunity to increase prices on their signatures for capital gain (meaning that creators might take this as an opportunity to provide less favorable signatures for fans unless the fans are paying a premium with the intent for signature grading). I am all for supporting the creators of the comic industry, but fans should not have to suffer increased prices because of this new feature.

    Again, these are just concerns that have been floating around in my head since the release of this article and I wanted to voice it on here. I understand that my second concern is simply hypothetical, but history has proven time and time again that when companies and people can capitalize on making money, they will do so 100% of the time.

     

    Are prices still climbing or have they eased up a bit???

    in Comics General

    Posted

    On 5/4/2024 at 9:11 AM, jimjum12 said:

    people "game" GPA often in an effort to negotiate a lower price, sometimes scandalously so. I've yet to see it used to negotiate upwards when making that buying decision.

    Please explain how this is done?  To me it’s far more likely that any “gaming” of GPA is when shilled or otherwise manipulated sales occur that get reported setting higher GPA sales prices for that particular book not lower.
     

    No ease yet in all the pre Bat tecs, A-Man’s and Archie’s I’m looking for.