RockMyAmadeus

This should come as no surprise to anyone watching closely over the last two years. These symptoms manifested themselves particularly through their message board. I wrote a short PM to a person "in customer service" with a user name of "Jake Ellis." I got no response. I wrote back, several days later, casually "wondering" (and, of course, already full well knowing the answer) if that account was an active account. At that point, this "Jake Ellis" person responded with a terse, clipped response, letting me know that the account was active, while completely failing to address the issue I was having. And remember: this is someone who works in their customer service dept. Ostensibly, someone who is trained to deal with customer concerns and resolve them to the customer's satisfaction, or at least to be able to point the customer to where they should go for followup. And, of course, their moderators are embarrassments to the hobby, moderating based on their personal feelings, rather than abiding by, and assuring that everyone else abided by, the same set of clear, unambiguous terms of service, which quite obviously was never the case. "But that's just their message board. What does that have to do with the company itself?" some may ask. Good question, and the answer is this: these things do not happen in a vacuum. You can easily tell the attitudes of the people in charge by the way the people who interact directly with the customers behave. They are a direct reflection of those people in charge. These people wouldn't have been able to get away with the things they were had the people in charge not allowed, and, in fact, encouraged them to behave in such a manner. These attitudes don't merely exist on their message board: it's their entire corporate attitude. So, when push came to shove where and when it counted, the integrity, the character, the dedication to customer service even in the face of complaints and criticism...it didn't exist, because it never existed in the first place. There was no foundation. You had a group of people who liked comics, some of whom were really good at grading comics, but who were completely unskilled and unproven in the jobs they were given, and were chosen solely because Borock liked them personally. That's no way to run a company. Then, sadly, when those people...from message board moderators on up to general managers...had to deal with criticism, they folded like cheap suits, and grew increasingly combative with their customer base. And the most amazing part of it all is that CBCS was started because someone had a bad customer experience with CGC...and they then turned around and did the exact same thing to their customers. That's irony for you. So, no, the problems they have experienced with this move to Beckett is not at all a surprise. Maybe Beckett can rescue them...but not with current management.

That's cool print run info. Where did you get it?

I used to have has bins. Then I got rid of what was inside them, and now they're "don't has bins."

CBCS is not a legitimate comic book grading company, and unless Beckett takes some serious steps, starting with a complete overhaul of whomever thinks they're in charge, they never will be. Which is a shame, because the industry desperately needs legitimate competition, and CBCS was in a perfect position to be that competition, but their serious missteps (the fiasco of the "self-witnessed" yellow label program, their "this case can be opened without anyone being able to tell" scandal, their "top pressers" spinning key books like Avengers #4 on table tops, their lack of basic programs like a registry and a census, etc.) and their petty, petulant, and hostile attitude towards criticism, with their willingness to openly lie about people to justify silencing said criticism, all just demonstrates that they weren't any better than CGC, and, in fact, far worse. For competition to succeed, they can't merely be equal...they must be, in all ways, superior. That was never true of CBCS, though they had an industry of hopes and good will sent their way to encourage them otherwise. It didn't work.

This SHOULD have been CGC's position from the beginning. "Sorry, sir/ma'am, we're just a grading service. We don't have anything to do with creators; we're a third party service that only grades and certifies comics. If there's an issue, you should probably take it up with your customers." That would have been the proper response. The "that's the free market, and people are free to do whatever they want with their own property" approach. And if they'd done that from the beginning, and stuck to it, we wouldn't have a significant portion of the mess we're in now, with creators angrily denouncing CGC and demanding that their signatures not be certified, despite the fact that most of them sign publicly, in plain view, on a regular basis. Again: who do these creators think they are, that they can place conditions on someone else's property? They act more entitled than actual movie stars, who could not care less what you do with your items after they've signed it, and none of whom, to my knowledge, charge a CGC punishment tax, and nearly all of whom charge significantly more for their signatures. Instead, CGC adopted a "try to please everyone" quasi-advocate position, which is a nice gesture, and CGC believes it leaves the door open for future cooperative ventures, but it really has only served to muddy the waters, and has cost them business. If a creator doesn't want their signature to be witnessed by someone, the answer is simple: don't sign. Otherwise...again...none of their business. It's none of their business what the owner of the property does with it, and it's none of their business who happens to be watching. If it bothers the creators, there's nothing whatsoever stopping the creators from obtaining and signing copies of their work and submitting to CGC themselves...a practice CGC actively encourages.

I think this ought to be highlighted, especially in light of JSC: there is nothing whatsoever preventing JSC, and anyone else, from cutting the middle man out entirely. They could sign and submit books themselves, and refuse to sign anyone else's books for grading (which is easily enforced, by the way.) They could be the exclusive source for CGC signed copies. You want a Signature Series copy? You'll have to buy it through my store. You know why NONE of them do that....? You guessed it: far too much effort, far too little return. It's much, much, MUCH easier to just charge a generic CGC punishment tax, justified or not, fair or not. They don't want to make whatever money there is...they just want to prevent everyone else from having even the chance to do so. And that's just naked greed right there.

He reacted that way because he doesn't care. It doesn't matter to him, because...for now...there are plenty of people standing in line. When and if that changes...then we might see a different attitude.

This particular "-script" has been flipped here many, many times before, and the answer is still the same: your argument is an emotional one, not an argument from reason. It does not matter what someone chooses to do with their property. It wouldn't matter if all comics were absolutely worthless until they were signed and slabbed, and then they all became worth tens of thousands of dollars, regardless of the book, regardless of its condition. A signature is a service. Nothing more, nothing less. If a creator "feels bad" (there's your first clue that you're on very thin logical ground right there) because someone is "making money off of their signature", the answer is incredibly simple: charge what you think (not feel) the market will bear. If the thought of someone else profiting off of your service makes you "feel bad", then either charge a fee that you think will make you NOT "feel bad"...or don't sign at all. The argument...that people really DON'T make "fat stacks of cash on SS"...while completely true...is still wholly and utterly irrelevant to the issue. That's just an addendum, an "oh, by the way..." so that creators don't feel "as bad." Ultimately, what I sell my property for is none of your business. You didn't buy it, you didn't preserve it, you didn't pay to have it slabbed, you didn't prepare it and cart it around, you took NONE (not even a little...NONE) of the risk involved, and thus deserve none of the reward, or, more aptly, "reward." Sign, don't sign, charge, don't charge. None of that is the issue. The issue is charging a different price for the exact same service, based on information that is absolutely none of your business. Do creators get their feelings hurt when a book, like NYX #3, or Walking Dead #1, or X-Men #94, is worth many, many, many times what its cover price was, when the creator got paid the same as for a book that isn't worth much more than cover? Sure, I bet some of them do. It's still not justified. There was nothing stopping those creators from betting on their own talent, and they were in a better position to do so than virtually anybody else. And some of them did. But if someone goes to the effort...and risk...of obtaining an individual copy of a comic, preserving it, perhaps improving it, getting it signed and getting it slabbed...creators don't deserve any of the reward for that. Why would they? It's not their property. And if a creator resents the chance that someone might have of making money off their signature, there is absolutely nothing in the world stopping them from obtaining their own books, signing them, getting them slabbed...in other words, taking ALL of the risk...themselves. Nothing at all. Cut out the "middle man" entirely. But very few of them do that. That's too much work, too much effort, you see. No, most of them charging different prices want all the "reward", and none of the risk. And if they tried those games with publishers, they'd be laughed out of the building.

That's the issue. No one (legitimately) resents creators charging whatever they want to charge. Charge what you want, and people can decide if it works for them or not. That's not the issue, and never has been the issue. It's the "oh, you want to do WHAT with your books...? Well, then, that'll be extra." "Wait, what...? You'll sign this guy's books...someone who intends to immediately list them on eBay, by the way...for $X, but if I want to slab them, I have to pay $X + $Y...? Even if I intend to keep the slabs for myself...?" It's greedy, selfish, short-sighted, foolish, and anti-capitalist. It does far more harm to creators than the good they think they're doing. And they're being enabled by certain "mega-facilitators", who openly complain here about people "lying to creators", when the creators are asking them questions they have no business asking in the first place. And it's all tolerated because we all behave like addicts.

This. This, this, a thousand times, THIS.

Nothing on the substance of the rest of the comment, then...? And you raise an interesting, although not intentional, question: are "comic book forums" somehow "less than" other places? Not to be taken seriously, because, well...it's "just comic books"..? Interesting idea...

He spells read as “red” as an affectation. I would take it with 2 tons of salt Please mind your own business. You are a known troublemaker, with a long and storied history of sticking your virtual fingers in people's faces and taunting "I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you!" Your motive is to start a fight, so don't. Thank you for your cooperation. " "

Except they're not, not always. In fact, there are more losers than winners. But creators are only shown the winners...or only want to SEE the winners. Run a quick GPA check on Claremont signed X-Men, and see how they compare with blue labels. In some cases, books are PUNISHED because they have Claremont's sig. Claremont charges a CGC punishment tax.

And yes, it very much makes fans feel like they're doing something wrong, when, in fact, it's the CREATORS who are doing something wrong: "Is this for CGC?" It's none of your damn business what my book is for, and how dare you ask? Who do you think you are? Why are you asking me what I intend to do with my property? Ex-Nihilo was ripped off, and that's a shame.

"If I can't make ALL the money on it, NO ONE can make ANY money on it." This is the mantra of far too many creators, enabled by less-than-reputable facilitators who have lied to these creators and convinced them that "everyone doing CGC is just in it for the money, and they're making fat stacks of cash off of your signature!", which is not true, never has been true, and never will be true. It's turned the whole SS program...which used to be filled with fun, interesting people with common interests...into a disgusting cash grab by creators and the facilitators who have "stabled" them. Now, you see signs everywhere that say "if you want to get books "CGC'd", you'll have to pay this additional fee to this additional party, and if you don't pay it, you won't get your books signed and you won't be able to submit them to CGC." And don't even get me started on "creator representatives" who are also facilitators. How is that built-in conflict of interest supposed to be resolved? By charging a CGC punishment tax, everyone loses. Creators lose. They create ill-will, assuming that anyone and everyone slabbing is doing it to sell, even though people have been selling raw signed books since a raw signed book was first signed. They insult fans by calling them "not fans" if they happen to want to CGC the books. Campbell told me, to my face, that he "had to take care of the fans first" before he'd sign my books at a signing in 2016. What the hell am I, chopped liver? They see far less revenue than they otherwise would have, and strangle a brand new revenue stream...a revenue stream that did not exist without the SS program, and would not exist without it. People who see SS slabs and are inspired by them to see creators they wouldn't normally see, because they like the package, and wouldn't do it any other way. Instead of creators saying "wonderful! More people interested in my work!" they become jealous and greedy, not understanding the program or how it works, and those people say "uh...yeah, no thanks." And, when those creators are gone, and their signature series set is complete, fans will have fewer chances than they otherwise would have to own something that a creator signed, that they personally handled. Fans lose. Obviously, they have to pay much higher prices for books they want, whether initially or on the aftermarket. Since very few people have infinite amounts of cash, hard decisions usually have to be made. CGC loses. They do not get, and will never get, those books which are destined to be slabbed, but never will be UNLESS they can be signed. I, personally, have 10 or more long boxes...yes, long boxes...filled with books that will never see the inside of CGC's offices UNLESS they are signed, and for some, that looks increasingly remote. Facilitators lose. They are intent, as were publishers in the early 90s, on killing the goose that is laying the golden egg, by fostering an unrealistic, inaccurate picture of what the SS program is about. For short term dollars, they are slitting the throat of the entire SS program, by making "exclusive" agreements with creators, that CGC honors because they believe it's the right thing to do to keep CGC in the good graces of these creators, resulting in people being forced to pay middle men that they didn't have to pay in the past. And yes, the economy loses. SS is a market which was created out of thin air, that did not exist before. Those who sell SS books see their justification for doing so getting smaller and smaller and smaller. Why waste so much effort and make nothing in return? The vast majority of the value of EVERY comic book is in its condition...not the signature. There are precious few signatures that add value to anything they appear on. For 99% of the rest, the value of the book is in its condition, and the signature merely amplifies that. Mike Zeck's signature on a 9.8 ASM #293? It adds maybe $50 to the value of the book. Mike Zeck's signature on that same book in 9.2? You would have lost less money throwing the book in the trash before starting. Those of you with the power better do something about this. This hostile situation cannot continue forever.

I agree completely, entirely, and wholeheartedly with this entire post.

Sad, but incredibly true. We are rapidly approaching the point, and have past it for many, where it is cheaper and makes far more sense to buy an already signed and graded book than it is to get it done yourself. I just saw a Rai #3 CGC 9.8 SS signed by Shooter end for $64 shipped. That's functionally cost for the seller, and it's already a 9.8. Zero risk for the buyer. Eventually, sellers will wise up (they already have to a great extent) and realize it's a waste of time to get a book signed, pay the CGC punishment tax, and hope for a good enough grade to justify the expense, only to sell it for what it cost to get it done. These creators make these popular creations, and then price all but the wealthiest, or most dedicated, entirely out of the market, There's nothing wrong with charging what the market will bear...but, again, the industry is now just a subsidiary of the Franklin Mint and QVC.

The guy that helped me was a tall, charming fellow with a baseball cap. I've found that most people consider the pickiness of buyers to be absurd UNTIL you show them the monetary difference between a 9.8 and a 9.6. THEN they figure it out realllllly quick.

Most wouldn't. We're talking about addicts, here. The biggest fear of an addict is being cut off.

I much prefer being direct, both in public and online. The truth is always offensive to many, but the temporary pain of truth is far preferable to the lifelong trauma of delusion, whether we inflict that delusion on others or ourselves. I don't speak for anyone but myself, but I'm pretty sure that anyone here with more than 100 posts is aware of how to talk to others, and doesn't need a primer on the matter. And the word is spelled "though." Far too many people worship the form over the substance, being offended at how someone says what they say...and usually without just cause...rather than trying to understand what someone is saying, and why they're saying it. And that's, in my opinion, a complete waste of time and energy.

You're kidding. That's insanity.

in their defense, i’ve also seen some pretty rude behavior from customers at the JSC booth and any other booth selling a limited or highly sought after item SDCC. The presence of rude customers is never justification for rude customer service people. Ever. For any reason. Ever. Someone working with customers never has the right to take his or her frustration out on other customers, just because some customer was rude. Not denying that there are rude customers. Of course there are. But the customer/retailer relationship is not equal, and never has been (nor should it be.) The retailer is trying to persuade customers to choose to spend their money with him/her. The retailer is the wooer, the customer is the one being wooed. The customer holds the upper hand, always has, and always should. Retailers who do not understand this do not succeed, unless they're dealing with addicts who are afraid to be cut off. But provide better service and the same product at the same price, and you'll destroy the competition. And the comics industry is filled with such opportunities. That's why all these mini-monopolies are bad for the industry.

That, and the fact that there's total cognitive dissonance when it comes to the idea that "raw books are $20 to sign, but CGC books are $30 to sign!", with no awareness of why that's a problem, is immensely off-putting. 1. It's none of your business what I intend to do with my books, and it's beyond rude, if not outright discriminatory, to even ask, and 2. What am I getting from you for my extra $10 that the other guy isn't? The answer, of course, is nothing. I'm getting nothing more than the guy next to me is getting, but I have to pay $10 more for the exact same thing...? Having watched Campbell sign hundreds, if not thousands, of books, it takes him the exact same time...about 2.5 seconds...and the exact same effort, with the exact same amount of ink, to sign one comic vs. another. But, I have to pay more, because of what you think I might do with the book...? And that's any of your business because....? Gotta take a stand, folks. Time to end this madness.

Dr. Evil range.

Insurrection what...?