SilverSniper

On 5/14/2018 at 7:26 PM, Snyder.698 said:

I appreciate all the comments.

I understand now that the community accepts this level of quality without concern. It's just what you get it. 

Although the buyer of a CGC comic I sold on eBay DID not accept the quality. Had to eat both shipping to and return. 

 

Sounds like the buyer was just uninformed. I get that not everyone is going to know this stuff (I was a bit concerned the first time I saw rings on one of my books), but did you explain what it really is and how it can be (rather easily) resolved?

2 hours ago, ygogolak said:

http://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales/industrywide/2016-industrywide.html

What cannot be accounted for is piracy of digital formats. The same with other forms of digital media.

Cool! Thanks for that. It does appear that digital circulation has stalled over the past few years.  I suppose it's a bit tough to compare though; you can't get new comics on e.g. Marvel Unlimited, so for those interested in new issues you really have no (legal) choice but to buy hard copies. Seems like apples and oranges until there's a digital platform (from the big 2) which delivers new comics day 1. Completely different use cases.

16 minutes ago, MagicMan_2017 said:

We could turn drag this on ... but I can see you're not getting my point. Read CCS description ... it says it will it continue to treat, if defects remain. So by definition there is an element of human judgement to determine if any more pressing is needed. So going back to my question, if a CCS presser was to see that a book has no visible defects, I don't believe they will send it through press unnecessarily. And lastly, the fact that anyone thinks pressing can actually get them a 9.8 or higher is out to lunch. Pressing can improve grading, but likely never to a 9.8 or higher. Oh well, thanks for trying.

TLDR: Hi, I'm new and am not experienced, so I could use your help. I would appreciate it if everyone would agree with my preconceived notions as, though I am obviously inexperienced, I am certain I already know the correct answer. Thanks. P.S. I'm not using pre-screen, but I expect my books to be pre-screened. Makes sense, right?

1 hour ago, Philflound said:

Nope, doesn't work that way. Piece could fall off during the shipping getting banged around. If it's low enough grade, piece there or missing will probably do nothing. The book has to be handled to be graded. AF 15 will be handled by 5-6 people because it's a walkthru. You can put a post-it warning to be careful. If you don't care about a tape notation on the label, put an extremely tiny piece to hold it on, since such a small piece would also not affect the grade in that condition.

Sometimes it's a good idea to keep reading before posting. I specifically said "damaged during handling", so shipping is irrelevant. This is not black and white. CGC is liable for damage when the book is in their posession. The question is to what degree damage is considered reasonable as a result of handling. As to that, I don't know, and if you had ept on reading you would see that I and others said OP's best course of action would be to simply call CGC and talk it over before sending anything in.

8.0 - 8.5

23 hours ago, MagicMan_2017 said:

I thought their rule was to press until there's nothing more to press. So to use an extreme example and your response ... if I submit a 10.0 book to CCS, they will still mindlessly proceed with book pressing? Doesn't make sense to me.

It's not their job to determine whether or not the book should be pressed. I mean, you paid for it... so obviously you want it!  Are they really expected to make a determination on _every_ book, slow down the process, and call the customer if they don't feel it will get a 0.5 bump (subjective and not their job / area of expertise!)? Seems unreasonable.

4 hours ago, Anniloebig said:

...comic book fans and readers haven't migrated to digital platforms...

Is this statement true? Do you have subscription numbers from the digital platforms? I can't find them, which makes me think they're not sharing.

Collectors obviously want the real book. Readers may or may not use digital. Some people use both (I'm one of them.)  I feel as though your premise may be flawed. The questions also seem a bit leading / too narrow to me and don't allow for nuances in behavior (for example, I don't "prefer" one to the other; I do both for different reasons.)

I'll take the survey to help you out.

2 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

But the 'damage' has already been done and the corner is ready to fall off. While I would agree with you if CGC was negligent in their handling, in this case it may fall off with simply normal procedure. IMO, if that corner fell off, you cannot claim new 'damage'. I would also bet that somewhere in the submission form there is reference to liability. The submitter has to assume some responsibility for sending this in. It's a risk even taking it out of the bag and board.

Yeah, it's a bit gray. I could see both sides. Best to just talk to CGC and also examine their terms of service / liability policy.

11 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

I disagree. Even with gentle handling that top right corner is ready to fall off. CGC has to handle the book, count the pages, inspect for resto, etc. If the corner fell off during the normal procedure, it would neither be their fault nor their liability. Between shipping both ways, grading, and the encapsulation process this is a risk. One thing for sure is, don't press the book. I also think if the corner fell off, it would effect the grade.

I have to admit I'm a bit ignorant here, that was just my assumption. However, if CGC believes there's a good chance they're going to damage my book by grading it I would expect a call from them or a flat rejection. If they just proceed ahead and damage my book they would have one unhappy (and possibly litigious...) customer on their hands.  How could they possibly _not_ be responsible for accidental damage during grading? Whether or not it's an accident is (I would think) irrelevant; they must assume responsibility while handling your items, and they can't possibly expect each of their customers to be knowledgeable enough to make the decision before sending their book in.

Looking for something on their FAQ now...

Edit: I couldn't find anything official. @Stemocro, don't take what I say here as fact... I'm kind of thinking out loud, and there are plenty of people here with far more experience. Give CGC a call and just ask them directly. You don't want to have a court decide who is liable should something happen.

1 hour ago, Stemocro said:

Ok understood on the pressing, so let’s say the chip does come off during grading, how much of a drop in grade would occur?  

If CGC's handling of the book damages it then they should be held liable. So, take a lot of pictures pre-pack, pack it very well, take pictures post-pack, make sure to set the correct insurance amount, and cross your fingers.  If that comes back with a new tear I think one would be hard pressed to claim it was caused by shipping.

2 hours ago, Snyder.698 said:

Thanks for the reply. I just don't know why they don't re-do them when the book is a total mess (especially the front). I'm certain it's going to hurt the sell-ability. I'm intentionally putting close ups of the defects, I don't want to deal with returns and/or having the conversation with buyers about newton rings.

If I bought a high end book and it had this level of display flaws.  -- I am 100% certain I would want a refund. 

And you may not get that refund. The rings are common in CGC slabs and most collectors know this. We don't consider it a defect, just an annoyance, and you can often clear them out by simply snaking a piece of paper into the slab from the side and separating the mylar from the front of the slab.  It will not affect the value of the book, though I agree that it's annoying.

11 hours ago, Philflound said:

I think people whacked their copies around to cause problems on purpose back then like books shifting or staple tears.

Why in the world do you think someone would do that?

I imagine all tat it does is limit your pool of buyers. I wouldn't buy that book signed by Stan because he had nothing to do with it. If I have a sig on a book (not something I typically desire) I at least want it to be relevant to the book itself. That said, some won't care, and maybe they just want that book + Stan's sig, so it's a win-win for them and it doesn't detract from the value (increases it really.) It's just depends on who wants it, but I wouldn't have him sign a NM98.

On 4/17/2018 at 11:05 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

Hello HeemBeam!

If you love entombing your comics in plastic, never to be read again, then yes.

If you like to read them, then no.

If you want to make a bucket of money, then no again.

Have fun! 

...but look at the money OP could make on shipping!

On 4/12/2018 at 12:26 PM, shadroch said:

I think his question was about the label, not the slab. I can't answer your question. If nobody answers you here in a while, try the signature forum. Those guys eat, breathe and collect this stuff.

I assumed a label replacement would be a re-slab (new slabs have new label format), but yeah I don't actually know. Best to ask CGC +1

You're comparing your old model slab to the latest model. CGC will re-slab for you at a cost, but I'm not certain if that implies a re-grade (someone more knowledgeable will chime in.)

35 minutes ago, joeypost said:

The price difference between a 6.5 and 7.0 does not warrant taking the chance. You would need to get at least a 7.5 out of this book to make it financially feasible. I don’t see it getting that much of a bump. 

Right, which is exactly what I was targeting. Consensus here seems to think that's unlikely, and I was only going to do it if a bunch of people (with more experience than me) thought it was close to a sure thing.

Quote

I'd consider a full point increase "worth it"

Thanks everyone, I'll just keep as-is for now. Even if I felt confident in a bump, the whole ship -> crack slab -> ship -> press -> ship -> grade -> ship process scares the hell out of me.

I have a 181 which is affected by two non-color breaking creases at the top left/middle of the cover (pics 1 and 2). I've spent some time educating myself re grading, but I'm not very experienced, so I can't say how much these defects drag it down. It's sitting at a 6.5 and presents very well, but I'm wondering if a press and re-slab would be worth it. I'd consider a full point increase "worth it".  Pics are below. I did the best that I could with my cell phone and crappy lighting. I do have the grader's notes, which are posted below as well. Thanks in advance.

Grader's notes:

• Left Center Back Cover Small Tear with Crease
• Right Bottom Front Cover Crease Breaks Color
• Right Top Back Cover Lite Multiple Crease
• Spine Stress Lines Breaks Color
• Top Front Cover Large Lite Crease

On 4/1/2018 at 1:08 PM, MGsimba77 said:

I'd love to know what happened here? That was the op's only post & he hasn't visited the site since the day after. If the book was moving it's almost a certainty it was SCS. A moving book would be a great reason for a return.

Really? Nearly every slabbed book I own moves around in it's holder... is this more of a "if it moves around extremely easily" sort of thing?

I would agree with @STORMSHADOW_80; I don't think a press will help that book much if at all, not worth the risk.

Yeah I'm struggling to figure out what the point is here as well. If you know the books to be overpriced... don't buy them? I think calling this a "disgrace to the comic book community" is a bit dramatic.

3.5

I'm confused... that is a background of the issue itself, not a book you have, and there are no pictures. What's the issue with the book you have in your possession (or are going to buy?)  It says in the first paragraph that stickers _were_ going to be affixed to the book, but never were. What's your concern? 

Yeah those are not near mint. I just yanked my copy of that book which has been kicked around since I bought it in a comic shop as a kid (ok I was careful as a kid, but still) and it doesn't have nearly as much spine wear as yours does. It does have some scuffing, black book, tough to prevent, but mind is nicer. I'd return it.  Him calling them mint in the description is... ignorant at best.