Tedsaid

Hi, all. Nine comics in this week's MyComicShop auction, and this one is already well underway. Black, by Black Mask, is the first set in the highly rated series, and this is the first issue. Hard to find in high grade, this example is a CGC 9.6 and looks fantastic. Black is now under development at Warner Brothers as a "cinematic universe," and so this one will only get more expensive from here. There is also a BEAUTIFUL cover on offer for Guardians of the Galaxy #1; one of my favorites by the talented Shannon Maer. And of course the ever-popular Mattina cover of Harley Quinn, for Heroes in Crisis #1 1:100. Also, an homage to the late, great Doctor Seuss for Ice Cream Man #20 2nd print, and a FANTASTIC rendering of Immortal Hulk #19 by Mike Deodato. Speaking of Deodato, he has also created a Comic Mint exclusive for Hunt for Wolverine #1. This is the "B" cover, the sketch virgin variant, and it is also a 9.8. We have the new Shang-Chi #1, with the first appearance of the Five Weapons Society. Apparently Marvel wanted to flesh out the legend of Shang-Chi in advance of the MCU movie to be released late(?) in 2021. And finally there is a pair of Spider-Woman variants by Peach Momoko ... a 1:25 for issue #1, and an AMAZING variant cover for Spider-Woman #5. Peach is hit or miss for me, but this one is definitely a hit. Here are the current bids: Black #1 CGC 9.6. Current bid: $76 Guardians of the Galaxy #1 Maer variant 9.6. Current bid: $35 Heroes In Crisis #1 Mattina 1:100 variant 9.8. Current bid: $56 Hunt For Wolverine #1 Deodato virgin sketch variant 9.8. Current bid: $76 Ice Cream Man #20 2nd printing variant 9.8. Current bid: $24 Immortal Hulk #19 Deodato variant 9.8. Current bid: $21 Shang-Chi #1 Ruan variant 9.6. Current bid: $3 Spider-Woman #1 Peach Momoko 1:25 variant 9.8. Current bid: $23 Spider-Woman #5 Peach Momoko variant 9.6. Current bid: $4

FLASH AUCTION! I've just started a 3-DAY AUCTION on eBay for FOUR GREAT COMICS. Check it out! These end on Sunday Night around 11:00 pm EST. First up we have NO HEROINE #1 CGC Signature Series 9.8. This is signed by the series creator FRANK GOGOL. It is the Callahan Variant, created for Emerald City Comic Con and limited to an edition of just 1 of 25! This is a great independent title that has been selling tremendously well, and is a helluva good read, too. Starting bid: $0.99 Now here's a good one: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #95 RI CGC Signature Series 9.6. Signed and Remarked by KEVIN EASTMAN himself! This of course is the first appearance of JENNIKA as a Ninja Turtle and a key book to have. It is also the 1:10 limited Retailer Incentive cover. Starting bid: $0.99 Finally, SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #1 CGC 9.6, Main cover. This series, by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell'Edera, is a fantastic story and art, and it is HOT. I can't keep these in stock. A month ago I sold a copy of this issue in a 9.8 for $350, and then another one two days later for $400. Then someone else sold two within the next two weeks for $550 each, and then a different seller sold one last week for $620. I have one now at MyComicShop, just listed for $649.99, and I'm just amazing at how strong this series is. And not just issue #1! The first 8-10 issues have been selling like hotcakes, too, with multiple printings and some with variant covers. But this is the first! First printing, first (main) cover, first issue. Starting bid: $0.99 Good luck bidding!

WOW ... still some great deals to be had. Auction ends tonight! Here are the current bids: Joker Year of the Villain #1 Forbidden Planet exclusive cover 9.8. Current bid: $44 Justice League Odyssey #10 Parrillo variant 9.8. Current bid: $46 Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #1 Fried Pie variant 9.8. Current bid: $38 Legion of Super Heroes #7 1:25 variant 9.8. Current bid: $23 Mage: The Hero Discovered #1 9.0. Current bid: $17 Mercy #1 Stephanie Hans virgin variant 9.8. Current bid: $34 New Mutants #1 Adi Granov variant 9.8. Current bid: $46 New Teen Titans #61 SS 9.8. TRIPLE signed by Perez, Wolfman, McLeod. Current bid: $86 Powers of X #3 9.8. GREAT cover by RB Silva. Current bid: $24 Powers of X #3 "Secret" variant 9.8. Current bid: $24 Red Hood Outlaw #47 error cover 9.8. ("Wonder Woman" title ghost image visible.) Current bid: $31 Strange Academy #1 2nd printing variant 9.8. Current bid: $52 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #99 Kael Ngu variant 9.6. Current bid: $41 Thor #6 Peach virgin variant 9.8. Current bid: $53 Thor #6 Miguel Mercado variant 9.8. Current bid: $24 Venom #27 Skan virgin variant 9.8. Current bid: $68 Venom First Host #1 Mayhew variant 9.8. Current bid: $32

Hi, all. Some GREAT books in this week's auction, and quite a few that aren't seen in auction very often. Some of these will go for a LOT less than they should. Some are even still priced for less than the cost of grading! I'm not yet sure how well Signature Series books go in auction at MyComicShop ... but here is a BIG one: New Teen Titans #61 TRIPLE SIGNED by Marv Wolfman, George Perez, and Bob McLeod! And this wonderful Jock cover of Joker has gone largely under the radar. Get it early, while it's still cheap! Very cool, reminiscent of the famous Detective Comics #880. (Which is now an $800 comic!) Also, a comic you don't see very often: Mage The Hero Discovered #1, in 9.0. GREAT series, if you've never read it. Oh, and here's a real beauty ... a fantastic 1:25 cover appearance for the Gold Lantern, Kala Lour. Also, the hard-to-find Fried Pie virgin cover by Francis Manapul, for Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #1. There is also the Skan homage cover (after Clayton Crain) for Venom #27; and the virgin Peach Momoko homage cover (after Walt Simonson) for Thor #6; as well as the Mercado variant for Thor #6; and the Mayhew variant for Venom: First Host; Strange Academy #1 2nd print variant with NUMEROUS first appearances; the Red Hood Outlaw #47 error cover (you can see a ghost image of the Wonder Woman title along the top); a beautiful Stephanie Hans variant for Mercy #1; and the "secret" variant for Powers of X #3. Plenty else to see this week. Check 'em out below! Here are the current bids: Joker Year of the Villain #1 Forbidden Planet exclusive cover 9.8. Current bid: $36 Justice League Odyssey #10 Parrillo variant 9.8. Current bid: $39 Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #1 Fried Pie variant 9.8. Current bid: $34 Legion of Super Heroes #7 1:25 variant 9.8. Current bid: $21 Mage: The Hero Discovered #1 9.0. Current bid: $16 Mercy #1 Stephanie Hans virgin variant 9.8. Current bid: $34 New Mutants #1 Adi Granov variant 9.8. Current bid: $41 New Teen Titans #61 SS 9.8. TRIPLE signed by Perez, Wolfman, McLeod. Current bid: $69 Powers of X #3 9.8. GREAT cover by RB Silva. Current bid: $16 Powers of X #3 "Secret" variant 9.8. Current bid: $21 Red Hood Outlaw #47 error cover 9.8. ("Wonder Woman" title ghost image visible.) Current bid: $31 Strange Academy #1 2nd printing variant 9.8. Current bid: $52 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #99 Kael Ngu variant 9.6. Current bid: $41 Thor #6 Peach virgin variant 9.8. Current bid: $53 Thor #6 Miguel Mercado variant 9.8. Current bid: $19 Venom #27 Skan virgin variant 9.8. Current bid: $61 Venom First Host #1 Mayhew variant 9.8. Current bid: $31

Hi, all. Just five ending MONDAY NIGHT in this week's auction, and another sixteen in next week's auction, over at MyComicShop. We have a trio of the Jorge Jimenez variant covers for BATMAN #98, #99, and #100, all 9.8 beauties. Also, Strange Academy #1 2nd printing (9.8) and X-Men #1 with the Frankie's variant cover by JeeHyung Lee (9.8). Here are the current bids: Batman #98 Jimenez variant 9.8. Current bid: $45 Batman #99 Jimenez variant 9.8. Current bid: $36 Batman #100 Jimenez variant 9.8. Current bid: $46 Strange Academy #1 2nd print variant 9.8. Current bid: $105 X-Men #1 Frankie's Lee variant 9.8. Current bid: $42

Hi, all. Another last-minute post, but still PLENTY of time to get your bids in on this one. Seven comics this week, ending tomorrow (Monday) night ... six 9.8 and one 9.6 and some BEAUTIFUL art. Just look at that Wonder Woman #56 with that stunning Yasmine Putri cover! Also this week: Venom #25; Strange Academy #1; Batman #92 First Punchline cover with the Jimenez 1:25; and the very last issue of The Walking Dead (1st print). Also, TWO striking covers for the new We Only Find Them When They're Dead #1 from Boom! Studios. Some great bargains here! Here are the current bids: Batman #92 1:25 Jimenez variant 9.8. Current bid: $91 Strange Academy #1 Peach Momoko variant 9.6. Current bid: $165 Venom #25 9.8. Current bid: $38 The Walking Dead #193 9.8. Current bid: $32 We Only Find Them When They're Dead #1 9.8. Current bid: $40 We Only Find Them When They're Dead Infante variant 9.8. Current bid: $31 Wonder Woman #56 9.8. Current bid: $26

Hi, all. Just six comics in this week's auction, but all are fantastic. There are FIVE Marvel 9.8 beauties, and one 9.2 Batman classic from the Bronze Age ... the first meeting between Batman and The Shadow! (And this one was never read! It came from a Super-Pac, and the only flaw is the tiny c.b. bend in the top-right corner, done when the machine put it in the Pac. It's a shame, isn't it? I had FOUR copies with the exact same flaw.) The week also has the beautiful Alex Ross Timeless One-Per-Store "Thank You" collage variant of Empyre Aftermath Avengers #1. And then there is one of my FAVORITE Captain American covers ever, by Marko Djurdjevic - just a beauty. (And that one looks to be going CHEAP.) And the first Immortal Hulk, and Dell'Otto Doctor Doom, and a Mike Mayhew Carnage homage cover. What a great set of covers! Here are the current bids: Absolute Carnage Symbiote Spider-Man #1 Mayhew variant 9.8. Current bid: $51 Amazing Spider-Man Dell'Otto variant #11 9.8. Current bid: $29 Avengers #684 9.8. First appearance of Immortal Hulk. Current bid: $58 Batman #253 9.2. First team-up between Batman and The Shadow. Current bid: $30 Captain America #1 Djurdjevic variant 9.8. Current bid: $15 Empyre Aftermath Avengers #1 Ross Virgin Variant 9.8. Current bid: $105

Final update! Auction ends tonight! Looks like that Gem Mint Signed Batman Damned is gonna go cheap. And the TICK! Beautiful copy, that one. Here are the current bids: Batman #404 9.2. Current bid: $31 Batman #405 9.6. Current bid: $37 Batman #406 9.6. Current bid: $26 Batman #407 9.4. Current bid: $22 Batman #89 9.8. First cameo appearance of Punchline. Current bid: $105 Batman #89B 9.8. First cameo appearance of Punchline, variant by Francesco Mattina. Current bid: $75 Batman #92 Jimenez 1:25 variant 9.8. First cover appearance of Punchline. Current bid: $81 Batman #100 Jimenez 1:25 variant 9.8. Current bid: $70 Batman Beyond #37 9.8. First Batwoman Beyond. Current bid: $61 Batman Damned #1 10.0 SS. Signed by Lee Bermejo, Gem Mint. Current bid: $216 Batman Damned #1 variant cover 9.9 MINT. Jim Lee variant cover. Current bid: $105 Batman Damned #2 variant cover 9.9 MINT. Jim Lee variant cover. Current bid: $72 Dark Nights Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1 9.6. Current bid: $19 Something is Killing the Children #7 2nd print variant 9.6. Current bid: $27 Tick #1 9.6. First appearance and first issue for The Tick. Current bid: $135 Venom #3 9.8. First appearance of Knull. Current bid: $260 Venom #4 9.6. Origin of Knull. Current bid: $31 Venom #5 Frankie's Comics variant 9.8. First cover appearance of Knull; limited to 3000. Current bid: $89 Venom #25 9.8. Current bid: $30 Venom #26 9.8. First appearance of Virus. Current bid: $22

Hi! What about a magazine that has the dimensions of a comic book? I'm thinking about Amazing Heroes #16. Do we send this in as a comic book, or as a magazine?

Hey! I have one of these to send in. Do you know, should we submit this as a comic? Or as a magazine? (It is comic size in height and width, but more like a magazine in thickness.)

Friday night update. Bids are dribbling in at a fairly steady pace. Still some excellent deals to be had (which is usual ... we can't have all the perfect bidders.) Here are the current bids: Batman #404 9.2. Current bid: $24 Batman #405 9.6. Current bid: $22 Batman #406 9.6. Current bid: $16 Batman #407 9.4. Current bid: $16 Batman #89 9.8. First cameo appearance of Punchline. Current bid: $86 Batman #89B 9.8. First cameo appearance of Punchline, variant by Francesco Mattina. Current bid: $75 Batman #92 Jimenez 1:25 variant 9.8. First cover appearance of Punchline. Current bid: $81 Batman #100 Jimenez 1:25 variant 9.8. Current bid: $42 Batman Beyond #37 9.8. First Batwoman Beyond. Current bid: $45 Batman Damned #1 10.0 SS. Signed by Lee Bermejo, Gem Mint. Current bid: $205 Batman Damned #1 variant cover 9.9 MINT. Jim Lee variant cover. Current bid: $52 Batman Damned #2 variant cover 9.9 MINT. Jim Lee variant cover. Current bid: $51 Dark Nights Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1 9.6. Current bid: $14 Something is Killing the Children #7 2nd print variant 9.6. Current bid: $25 Tick #1 9.6. First appearance and first issue for The Tick. Current bid: $117 Venom #3 9.8. First appearance of Knull. Current bid: $250 Venom #4 9.6. Origin of Knull. Current bid: $30 Venom #5 Frankie's Comics variant 9.8. First cover appearance of Knull; limited to 3000. Current bid: $56 Venom #25 9.8. Current bid: $16 Venom #26 9.8. First appearance of Virus. Current bid: $15

Hi, everyone. I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas break, with lots of food and presents. And maybe a little socially distant fellowship? It was just a few of us in my family. We all quarantined before we got together, and we didn't visit any of the cousins this year. But it was a good time, and mailing presents via USPS worked out pretty well! There are 20 up for auction this week, including a BEAUTIFUL Batman Damned GEM MINT 10.0 Signature Series. This one is signed by Lee Bermejo from back in October 2018. Also, a FANTASTIC copy of The Tick #1! Seriously, folks, I hated to get this one graded because the black on this cover just POPS. It's amazing. Even the slight smudges on the slab show up against that sharp color. (I wish I could wipe those prints off the slab and take a new picture. But, alas, I'm not in Texas.) If you buy this for your PC, I would advise busting it out of the slab just to look at it. We also have a LOT of Batman comics, including the entire Year One story. This is the best Batman story ever done. If you disagree I will sue you. Also, I'm selling my LAST copy of Venom #3 9.8. I've graded and sold 19 (!) 9.8's over the last two years. This comic has been good to me. But now I'm out of copies. This comic will continue to get more rare, I believe. Here are the current bids: Batman #404 9.2. Current bid: $22 Batman #405 9.6. Current bid: $22 Batman #406 9.6. Current bid: $13 Batman #407 9.4. Current bid: $13 Batman #89 9.8. First cameo appearance of Punchline. Current bid: $56 Batman #89B 9.8. First cameo appearance of Punchline, variant by Francesco Mattina. Current bid: $75 Batman #92 Jimenez 1:25 variant 9.8. First cover appearance of Punchline. Current bid: $81 Batman #100 Jimenez 1:25 variant 9.8. Current bid: $33 Batman Beyond #37 9.8. First Batwoman Beyond. Current bid: $16 Batman Damned #1 10.0 SS. Signed by Lee Bermejo, Gem Mint. Current bid: $205 Batman Damned #1 variant cover 9.9 MINT. Jim Lee variant cover. Current bid: $51 Batman Damned #2 variant cover 9.9 MINT. Jim Lee variant cover. Current bid: $51 Dark Nights Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1 9.6. Current bid: $12 Something is Killing the Children #7 2nd print variant 9.6. Current bid: $17 Tick #1 9.6. First appearance and first issue for The Tick. Current bid: $86 Venom #3 9.8. First appearance of Knull. Current bid: $111 Venom #4 9.6. Origin of Knull. Current bid: $21 Venom #5 Frankie's Comics variant 9.8. First cover appearance of Knull; limited to 3000. Current bid: $51 Venom #25 9.8. Current bid: $15 Venom #26 9.8. First appearance of Virus. Current bid: $1

Saturday night update! The auction ends in two days on MONDAY NIGHT. Still a lot of great bargains in this bunch! Here are the current bids: Convergence Superman #2 9.6. First appearance of Jon Kent as a baby. Current bid: $25 Justice League of America #15 6.5. Current bid: $45 Justice League of America #17 5.0. Current bid: $23 Justice League of America #25 6.0. Current bid: $32 Justice League of America #74 7.5. Neal Adams cover. Current bid: $33 Justice League of America #84 8.0. Only Curt Swan cover in title. Current bid: $20 Justice League of America #139 94. Neal Adams cover. Current bid: $18 Lois Lane #8 9.8. First appearance of Kiss of Death. Current bid: $24 Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #109 8.0. Current bid: $23 Swamp Thing #9 8.5. Berni Wrightson cover. Current bid: $27 Thor #2 Klein variant 9.8. Strange Academy preview issue. Current bid: $46 Thor #3 9.6. Current bid: $19 Thor #4 9.6. Current bid: $17 Thor #5 9.6. First Black Winter. Current bid: $23 Thor #6 2nd print variant 9.8. Current bid: $13 Thor #6 Mercado Virgin variant 9.8. Current bid: $21 Venom #3 9.8. First Appearance of Knull. Current bid: $260 Venom #7 9.8. First appearance, cameo, of Dylan Brock. Current bid: $45 Venom #9 Sienkiewicz variant 9.8. First full appearance of Dylan Brock. Current bid: $23

Hi, all, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone. There are 19 comics in this week's auction (Christmas week!), and 21 in next week's BATMAN-FOCUSED auction. After these two it is time for the JANUARY PRIME AUCTION. I only have one in that so far, but will likely add some more. This week it is a nice selection of Silver and Bronze Age Justice League of America; a BEAUTIFUL Bronze Age Swamp Thing cover; the Cates first run of Thor (#2-#6); Venom #3, #7, and #9; two Lois Lane comics (one Bronze Age and one Modern); and the first (?) appearance of Jon Kent! Here are the current bids: Convergence Superman #2 9.6. First appearance of Jon Kent as a baby. Current bid: $7 Justice League of America #15 6.5. Current bid: $42 Justice League of America #17 5.0. Current bid: $22 Justice League of America #25 6.0. Current bid: $32 Justice League of America #74 7.5. Neal Adams cover. Current bid: $18 Justice League of America #84 8.0. Only Curt Swan cover in title. Current bid: $16 Justice League of America #139 94. Neal Adams cover. Current bid: $18 Lois Lane #8 9.8. First appearance of Kiss of Death. Current bid: $18 Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #109 8.0. Current bid: $23 Swamp Thing #9 8.5. Berni Wrightson cover. Current bid: $24 Thor #2 Klein variant 9.8. Strange Academy preview issue. Current bid: $46 Thor #3 9.6. Current bid: $8 Thor #4 9.6. Current bid: $5 Thor #5 9.6. First Black Winter. Current bid: $12 Thor #6 2nd print variant 9.8. Current bid: $6 Thor #6 Mercado Virgin variant 9.8. Current bid: $21 Venom #3 9.8. First Appearance of Knull. Current bid: $211 Venom #7 9.8. First appearance, cameo, of Dylan Brock. Current bid: $45 Venom #9 Sienkiewicz variant 9.8. First full appearance of Dylan Brock. Current bid: $18

LOL ... no, not just over grades. Haven't you read the thread? He over grades a LOT, books that he cracked out of slabs and knows the true grade. He hides or fails to disclose key defects, such as stains or rust or restoration. And again, he knows about these things from the previous grade/label. He manipulates the images, including bleaching out the whites and scrubbing some of the defects. And he lies about these things when asked directly. You are right though, he doesn't actually manufacture fake comics. The common thread is "scam" and "fake," not counterfeit.

I told my presser he said that. He was NOT amused, not even a little bit.

There are scammers out there, but it actually helps a surprising amount, to find one and drill down and push back on the scams. It seems hopeless, but with persistent effort, even just a small amount, it makes a real difference. Let me give an example in another domain. I collect Lego sets, as well as comics, and sometimes I sell them on eBay, too. I had a couple sets that I wanted to sell, three or four copies of each, all hard to find in the US. But with Lego, there are a LOT of posts with fake Lego sets. A lot of websites, too. Some companies, especially in Asia, manufacture fake Lego bricks and copy expensive sets exactly, offering them for sale for about 1/3 the price (hundreds of dollars cheaper). Some of these sellers on eBay are more honest - stating up front that their wares are "Lego-compatible" instead of true Lego. Others are much less honest, even using pictures of Lego in their scams. FYI, the patent on Lego bricks has expired, so making "fake" Lego is actually legal. What is NOT legal is advertising them on eBay to make them look like Lego; or using Lego pictures; or even copying Lego designs and sets, which are new copyrights/patents. Also, many sets - like Harry Potter or Star Wars - are not licensed to the fake-brick companies, so it is illegal twice over. Anyway, these fake sets were making it hard for me to sell the real ones. So, I spent a couple days reporting every instance I saw, for the fly-by-night sellers and their ads. I didn't think it would help, in the sea of fake Lego on eBay, but I tried it anyway. And it worked! Within a week I noticed most, if not all, of the fake sets advertised for the two sets I concentrated on were gone. And they stayed gone! Weeks later I looked again, thinking they would re-appear, and they had not. In fact, I just looked again now, months later, and the fake sellers are still gone. (They still come up on Google searches, and they advertise on Facebook, but that's another problem. On eBay, they are gone.) So it does help, even if it sometimes seems hopeless, and that these scam artists have endless resources. They don't. It REALLY cuts into their bottom line to get called out, found out, reported to eBay, etc. The bad sellers just slowly lose buyers, and slowly see their auctions with fewer and fewer bidders. And returns increase, and patterns emerge. eBay notes these patterns, too, and they will act when enough evidence accumulates. One doesn't know what will tip the scales, but the scales will tip eventually. And doesn't it feel good, knowing that people like Beatlebluecat have to work harder and harder to pull the same old scams?

I noticed that, too. You can only see the posts that other people quoted. When he got mad, he gave his user name from eBay, said to go check out his rating there and purchase history. Can you do that on eBay? I thought you could only look up sellers, or people who bid on an item you are selling. Is there a way to look up a person just based on their user name?

Ah, ... I just realized, it wasn't eBay I made the complaint to. Their window is much too small. I had to go through my credit card company, make the complaint with them. They were the ones who reimbursed me for the disputed amount. Looking back at the letter they sent me, it seems the seller had the option to provide documentation, to dispute their findings, and chose not to do that. FYI, did y'all see the other thread about beatlebluecat? It seems that is the one that prompted JJJ to investigate, and find that Iron Man 55 example. It ALSO seems like he (and others) called out a newbie board member as being a fake account for the actual person behind beatlebluecat. If correct, beatlebluecat created a fake profile in order to comment about what a great seller beatlebluecat is. Hmmm.... Great work, @James J Johnson!

I would also have an exception for novices, as we all were at some time. If you aren't used to grading, and don't know what to look for, then you send it to the experts. And if you want the grade (and quality) to be as good as possible, then you send it to a presser first. That takes time. I can only imagine that is part of the reason eBay's policy is 6 months, not 30 days.

You know what really makes me mad, though? It's not that I got screwed, and only partially compensated for it. It's that - as you said - he did it on purpose, AND he is still doing it! And getting away with it! What scum.

Doesn't have to be "unlimited." But someone who is a dealer, who sells tens of thousands of dollars worth of comics every week? I expect them to grade better than that, and stand by it when they don't. And that is BEFORE we knew he was cracking and "up grading" comics to sell fraudulently.

The listing has ended ... $1,212.01. That SOB made $500 bucks off his lies.

Oh, it was worse than that. After I brought up the issue with the X-Men #101 grade, I said, "Obviously, a 7.0 is a large discrepancy from the 9.2 advertised. How would you like to handle this?" The subsequent conversation: beatlebluecat: "Hi, I can't guarantee grades from CGC." Me: "Sure, but you can get close, right? I mean, what else are you talking about, when you advertise a comic as a 9.2?" beatlebluecat: "It looked better than a 7.0 when I had it." Me: "Well, it did to me, too, certainly. It sounds like the stain and the rusty staples - which weren't disclosed in the ad - are what really brought down the grade. Did I already send you the grader's notes? I think I did. I'm sorry this happened. I know it's a real bummer - it sure is for me. [..edited for brevity..] Let's call it $300, okay? How does that sound?" beatlebluecat: "I think the guy you sent to get it pressed and cleaned switched the book." Me: "I will ask. The book will arrive tomorrow also, and I will be able to compare to the pictures. If it isn't the same book it will be pretty obvious. And if it is the same book?" beatlebluecat: "It matters not. You had it altered and you bought it six months ago. It didn’t look like it needed to be pressed or cleaned when I had it." [Note: it was less than five months, not six] Me: "I didn't have it altered. Cleaning and pressing is a standard - very standard - procedure to improve the structure and quality of a comic, using non-restorative techniques. There is no way cleaning and pressing could introduce rust in the staples, or stains to the cover. Are you disputing this? Cleaning and pressing also can not remove rust or stains. Which is why they were still on the comic, according to CGC. I will also check with CGC, once I have the comic back and can examine it. It is possible they made an input / labeling error. If everything checks out, and it turns out you accidentally sold me a 7.0 comic that you thought was a 9.2, will you try to make it right?" beatlebluecat: "No, I would have refunded within 30 days not 6 months later after you altered the merchandise" And obviously the conversation ended there, with a hard "no" on any attempt to make it right. It was at this point that I opened a case with eBay.

I will provide more details, as I'm looking for old pictures now. But here is the shorter version: I bought four books from this guy a year and a half ago. The big one was X-Men 101, listed as a 9.2. I sent to a reputable presser, then to CGC. It came back a 7.0. Grader notes: "light spine stress lines to cover light staining to cover small staple tear top of spine very light rusted staples to cover" I complained to the seller, who replied "I am not responsible for CGC grades" and "You altered the comic by sending it to a presser." So then I opened a case with eBay. I was VERY fair, bending over backwards to assume he sold it in good faith, and only missed the rust on the staples and the stains. (I didn't look carefully myself. I hardly knew what to look for then.) But I was adamant - he should not be selling a 7.0 comic at a 9.2 grade. I can see being a difference of opinion by one or perhaps two grade points ... but five? That's too much. Ultimately, eBay agreed with me and gave me the partial refund I asked for. Not enough to cover my costs, especially given the same story on the other three books. And certainly not enough to cover the lost value. I think I ended up being a couple hundred down. But I got some of it back. But now I'm really pissed, because it seems like he did it on purpose. If he cracked this one out, too, then he KNEW about the stains and did not disclose them. It is one thing to hold a dealer responsible for "missing" a stain or rust that brings a grade down from a 9.2 to a 7.0; but it is a whole 'nother matter to lie about these things.