jas1vans

Seven comics for $10 makes them all gems to me!

...which they did NOT have to do...

Yes, I'm aware. What good is a "most profitable year" if their grading appears to be inconsistent, their slabs lack eye appeal, their customers' product is damaged in house, and the QC is so poor it drives people from just complaints on a chat board to not slabbing or choosing another company instead? Inconsistent grading, poor QC, and unsightly slabs don't seem like the proper mixture to keep bringing customers back, nor maintaining their place as the head of the class. I believe that people keep sending comics to CGC because they have been the gold standard for so long and the books sell for crazy money.

I get their need for profit, but prioritizing profit over providing for their customers (QC, TAT, etc.) isn't the best plan for long term success. I've been employed by a number of places who have put the executives' personal gain over the betterment of the business and in every instance, it didn't work out for them in the long term. Houses aren't built from the top, down; they are build from the foundation, up.

If the problem were supplies, wouldn't CGC have announced that instead of 3 signings a month? It seems that "Hey, we're low on the materials that we need to make the plastic tombs" would've given people waiting so long for books a valid reason for the wait. Instead we get (at least) three emails a month announcing signings and a 'How am I getting my books back so fast' thread.

I'm trying to make the move from accumulator to collector.

Sometimes you get to Wal-Mart and see that someone has already returned a 3 pack in a poly bag and cut open the remaining ones. I've had my fill and am ending my multi-pack bender. I'm not the biggest modern book fan, but I did get a few books that I plan to keep for a while. Good luck with your hunting all! I hope you all get the books you're searching for!

Here's a little bit of history (and it's even being brought to the present). There are a couple links in the more recent pages to even more history as well.

I agree with the sentiment that everything turns into an inside joke but during some of those back and fourths there is still a lot of good information being shared. My main reason for not posting a lot is that I just don't have a level of knowledge that would add much substance to any comic related discussion. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the collection I've put together thus far. I like reading and learning more than talking/typing. I'll start trying to contribute more than a few pics and likes going forward. (Also, a level of tech savvy that is bested by most 6 year olds makes sharing pics of books a daunting task: take pic, email pic to self, download pic to computer, upload pic to forums. I know there's probably a better way.)

I had some free time and took a little drive to the closest shop. Picked up a few books that I'd been looking for and a few that were just waiting for me to find them.

Got everything bagged and boarded from the last couple trips to Wally World. Those 7 for $10 are my kinds of books; less than cover price! (On the 7 packs, the top book is on the left, floater in the middle; for the 3 packs, the top book is on the left as well)

I went for a long drive yesterday and found some 3-packs and some of the 7 for $10. I'll be sharing once I get some bags and boards.

I wish I could answer that. Comic values aren't something that I look into too much. If I had to make a guess, it would be that they are worth less than their cover prices. I bought them hoping that whoever ends up with my collection in the future will use them as fuel for a debate about Walmart variants that rivals the shouting about Whitman variants.

If you're looking to press then sell your books, I'd go with a professional. (I haven't ever pressed or sold a book, so I may be incorrect.) Even if I magically had the knowledge and proper equipment I would feel like this trying to press my own books:

I think I'm more disturbed by the numerical order (and color coding) of the labels. X-Men 76, 77, 78, 79 : 390, 453, 454, 589. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?

Top book is on the left in all pics. Bagging and boarding was fun, getting them safely out of the shrink wrap was not.

Made some trips to Walmart over the last month. There are eight that are really close to each other so I cleaned the first couple out to see if they'd restock (they didn't). Ended up with a short box of the 3 packs. LOTS of lenticulars so far. I'll post some pics of the haul once I finish bagging and boarding. My only hope is that in 50 years these Walmart variants will bring about the lively debates that the Marvel Whitmans did!

I was going on first full appearance.

If you want his first appearance, just get ASM 299.

I'm interested in how this is going to play out as well. There's already been one thread relating to this topic shut down. In this thread, comments have been deleted and warnings issued. Let's not invite speculation relating to why's or discuss what's fair/unfair as that will likely lead to politically related posts which will shut this thread down.

I was negotiating a price on a collection recently. I am not an expert on values or grading, but I'm learning. I focused on finding comparable values for the books I was interested in or on books that I knew had some value. The seller told me that he was set on his price and had turned down offers that were not much lower than his ask. I saw that we differed on values for a number of the books. Instead of making an offer under the price that he said he'd already declined I thanked him for sharing his collection and for his time. Maybe the collection was worth 9-10X what he was asking (his estimate, not mine), maybe it wasn't (it likely wasn't). Do some homework. Get a comfort zone. Stay in that comfort zone until you're ready to step out of it. Wash, rinse, repeat.

I think you should double down on "no keys." Buy a nice bronze/copper age collection from someone. Load up on books. Once you've got all the books entered into your database, download the Key Collector app. You'll be excited to find out that you've actually got tons of key books!