jas1vans

On 11/19/2021 at 10:22 AM, kimik said:

I have not seen any of the 7 packs in stores here. I hope they finally reach us here as it sounds like they have some nice gems.

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

On 11/18/2021 at 7:40 PM, wombat said:

Is this the thread where we act impressed that CGC figured out how to open up their mail?

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

On 11/16/2021 at 4:06 PM, Satanic Mechanic said:

Do you realize that CGC has been in business over 20 years, has slabbed over 4 million comics, and just had the busiest/most profitable year they've ever had? If things are so bad why do people keep sending in comics?

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.

On 11/16/2021 at 2:11 PM, thehumantorch said:

Clearly the 3 signings a month is about profit.  It's an insult to continue to prioritize these signings when we're waiting 6+ months to get our books graded.

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.

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.

On 8/18/2021 at 8:39 PM, Wolverinex said:

Nice pick up. Love the lenticulars.  Are any of those valuable like the new batch?  

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!

16 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

I guess that works if you ignore the prior appearances.

I was going on first full appearance.

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

28 minutes ago, comixry said:

Paying taxes is one thing, being fairly taxed is another. I'd like to  know the think tanks' thought process behind lowering the threshold to $600 from $20k (seems drastic). Could it be that the year-long pandemic brought record unemployment and with that more folks flocked to sites like eBay, craigslist, etsy, etc to make a few extra dollars from stuff in there attic or garage? Obviously in-person garage sales aren't popular (maybe in a few states). Now, maybe the government realized this and did the math. But taxing those you're trying to help as a way to possibly pay for some of this bill doesn't make sense. But...in the end, someone or somehow this bill has to be repaid.

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!