Stefan_W

On 5/4/2024 at 11:01 AM, MAR1979 said:

not to mention all those who have exited the hobby to the point that less collectors now than in late 2019. Typical of any bust. Comic hobby as whole is now in an attrition state, in what is likley a permanent paradigm expect the few new collectors entering the hobby to be greatly exceeded by those leaving (regardless of reason for doing so).  The bleeding will not stop only question is; for how long it can be impeded.

Dealers yer salad daze of 2020-2022 ain't a never comin' back in yer lifetime. Now we get to see who actually has business acumen by those who remain standing. Hint those who do have true business acumen are likley not spending time here whining about lower FMV's they are doing whatever it take to adapt, like the dreaded, to many here, lowering prices, to keep inbound cash flow steady...

 

Well, this is the second boom and bust in the comic market of my lifetime so never say never. But yeah, adaptation is the key to survival. 

On 5/4/2024 at 9:45 AM, jimjum12 said:

It's not a quick explanation but a simple one. Last 7.5 sold three years ago at $ 1000, while three 7.0s sold in the last three sales for an average of 1350, and two 8.0s averaged at 2500. Buyer insists 900 is the FMV even though both grade increments, above and below, suggest something entirely different. This also applies when the outlier is higher and the seller insists FMV reflects that. People have been manipulating data since it was created. Like I said, I still have GPA, but only use it to see if a GPA quote is accurate when I still occasionally buy. It is distorted all the time. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

This type of thing happens a lot in GPA in the middle grades. Sales of a book at a 7.0 may be higher than at 7.5 or 8.0. 

My favourite part of this is some sellers who deal in raw books use this to their advantage because they know some potential buyers will check GPA (even though the book is not slabbed) as a reference point for value. So a raw book will be listed as FN/VF rather than VF because the price on FN/VF is higher in GPA. It is a mild form of manipulation that I have seen many times. 

On 5/4/2024 at 9:11 AM, jimjum12 said:

The charts in this thread seem to suggest otherwise. It was certainly fun while it lasted. A little more responsibility with the release of product, kind of like the diamond industry, would have gone a long way. GOD BLESS ... 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

...people "game" GPA often in an effort to negotiate a lower price, sometimes scandalously so. I've yet to see it used to negotiate upwards when making that buying decision. 

Prior to the pandemic prices were pretty stable with small yearly gains for bigger key books. The trends you mention show massive upward spikes during the comic boom followed by an equally massive drop in price after things largely returned to normal. We are still standing in sand to a degree where new foundations for most books (especially new ones) are not yet set. Having said this, it appears as though the biggest drops for most books are behind us. 

The most troubling part of all of this is buyers are more reluctant to open their wallets and make purchases while there is still instability in the particular segment of the market they are interested in. The way this plays out is people often just sit on their wallets expecting an even better deal on a book to come along down the road. There is less of this now than in 2023, but it is still very much a factor.  

On 5/4/2024 at 9:24 AM, ThothAmon said:

Please explain how this is done?  To me it’s far more likely that any “gaming” of GPA is when shilled or otherwise manipulated sales occur that get reported setting higher GPA sales prices for that particular book not lower.
 

No ease yet in all the pre Bat tecs, A-Man’s and Archie’s I’m looking for. 

It is not "gaming" per se, but I have had loads of people try to negotiate a low price based on a single recent low sale on a book that is recorded in GPA. I've also seen sellers set prices based on one-off high prices. But those things are just a misuse of the tool rather than any type of gaming. 

I am a part of the main demographic of these boards. 

When I think about it this certainly does explain a lot. 

On 5/3/2024 at 4:01 PM, Rodey said:

Haha. My wife and I were watching it, and I said "Hey, that's the guy from 'Super Store'! We both looked at each, and in unison, shouted the noise "Bern Bern Bernnnnnn!"  Only people who watched Super Store will understand this reference. I miss that show.

Funny you should mention that. I am making my way through Superstore right now with my daughter and about half way through watching Fallout with my wife, and every time he comes on screen it messes with my brain. 

On 5/2/2024 at 8:52 PM, zach1900 said:

I sent my very first submission and which was unlimited value, very disappointed in the turnaround times given versus what actually happened. 

Apparently the turnaround time doesn't include the time it just sits at their facility, in fact according to them they didn't get it for a week after it was signed for , actually it sat for 12 days because Cgc didn't Even acknowledge it was there, I have many UV books to send in and I'm reconsidering, thinking about just getting high quality holders for them and bypass Cgc.

The clock on the official TAT starts when the box is opened and the books enter SFG. Most times of the year boxes are opened quickly so this difference in counting time is negligible, but when Con season hits there is often a slowdown for opening boxes. 

One of the things that is really useful about this particular thread is people sometimes include when the books arrived at CGC. Looking back through a few pages you can sometimes see how long it is taking for boxes to be opened. The waiting for grading is mostly irrelevant to me outside of getting super curious about how the books did, but if it really bothers you then it is better to submit in the winter and away from when large comic conventions are scheduled. 

Best of luck with the grades!

On 5/2/2024 at 8:20 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

Speaking of which, how do you get the newsstand notation that aren't editions but just newsstand in name only?

I filled out a Batman submission form today #563 & 570, which I typed in newsstand but the choice didn't come up. It's a near 2000 age newsstand and we'll after this asm #316?

When I submit news stand copies I typically just click the "can't find your book" option and fill out the form directly. You can put "news stand" into the variant part on the bottom left of the form. 

On 5/2/2024 at 6:37 PM, jimjum12 said:

Many, many record highs occur at Clink, especially in SA areas. GOD BLESS ... 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

They certainly do.

As a for instance, I had this ASM 316 go for what was a record price at the time. One sale landed above this in GPA at around the same time, but I believe that one was a news stand that was not recognized as such on the slab or in the notes. 

It is a lot of fun to be on the right side of these sales. 

On 5/2/2024 at 8:48 AM, Stefan_W said:

3 book ME submission

Apr 1 - Arrived at CGC
Apr 8 - SFG
May 1 - G/E/I

May 2 - Q/C

Looks as though all maintain their grades  For those who do not know, you can tell because it just says MODERN with the grade section blank. 

Apr 1 - Arrived at CGC
Apr 8 - SFG
May 1 - G/E/I

May 2 - Q/C

May 2 - Shipped!

Very happy with the speed at which this moved through. Kudos to the CGC staff  

On 5/2/2024 at 11:55 AM, blazingbob said:

But Jim,  the comic masses cry for "real time" pricing,  they want the person standing in front of them to be a Gucci dealer selling at Dollar Tree prices.  

Youtubers need the clicks,  streamers need the eyes and followers.  

Where is the RallyD stock market quotes on my shares of New Mutants #98 in 9.9?

AI is coming to the comic dealer convention and no reporting market.

Dealers will be implanted with chips that directly sync with a sales gathering application,  It will see us count the cash,  accepting the check or watching the venmo etc transaction take place.

You type a comic into a search engine on any device that you are looking for and the AI chip implanted in the dealer will send a signal to the brain that this guy needs this book.  

The comic community will be turned into the Comic Borg,  you will be assimilated.

Instant gratification for all

That is a long way of saying that comic books are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them, so recent sales are the best indicator of present value. 

Ug, got an unofficial 7 points this round to balloon up to 16 overall. Had 1 for each except for the SW 8 where I was way too harsh on the rusted staples. 

On 5/2/2024 at 11:17 AM, jimjum12 said:

It wasn't so much GPA, which was a new thing then, but the realization by CLink, that the data represented many hours of hard work, and should not be free. That's what I heard... plus the selective option. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Yup, that was my understanding as well. We don't know all of the back story, or the behind the scenes decision-making process, so I think it is best to just say they declined allowing GPA to scrape their data and call it a day at that. 

On 5/1/2024 at 5:01 PM, Stefan_W said:

3 book ME submission

Apr 1 - Arrived at CGC
Apr 8 - SFG
May 1 - G/E/I

I am happy with this early movement into GEI - was expecting it to take a lot longer. 

3 book ME submission

Apr 1 - Arrived at CGC
Apr 8 - SFG
May 1 - G/E/I

May 2 - Q/C

Looks as though all maintain their grades  For those who do not know, you can tell because it just says MODERN with the grade section blank. 

On 5/1/2024 at 5:15 PM, Still Only 20¢ said:

I have a 1 book ME submission a week and a day behind you, so hopefully my book will hit GEI late next week...  

Fingers crossed! 

On 4/8/2024 at 2:29 PM, Stefan_W said:

My ME submission of three books was opened and hit SFG today, Apr 8th. 

3 book ME submission

Apr 1 - Arrived at CGC
Apr 8 - SFG
May 1 - G/E/I

I am happy with this early movement into GEI - was expecting it to take a lot longer. 

Hello,

Just curious as to how CGC would handle a Superman 75 Platinum that is not numbered (see pictures). I know this is not the only one since another person on these boards showed a photo of his that was the same. Will it still be a Platinum Edition? Is it an Error? Or maybe something else? Just trying to make an informed decision regarding whether to send it in for grading since I have never seen a graded copy like this. 

On 4/30/2024 at 8:38 PM, greggy said:

Not even the 30 cent price variant. 

Only 11 copies in 9.8, but maybe not the most sought after book in the comic universe. 

Still playing along unofficially (cant finish it so did not sign up this time).

First round I landed on 5. This time I had 4 with two bullseyes, so grand unofficial total of 9 through two rounds. Toughest one for me this round was the Ghost where I picked up 2 points. 

On 4/30/2024 at 12:11 PM, CGC Mike said:

Is this still a problem?

No longer an issue for me. 

On 4/30/2024 at 10:17 AM, captainzombie said:

Is it down for anyone else, just keeps spinning as its trying to load the submissions?

@CGC Mike

It is for me.

Also, the Cert lookup has also been funky since last night. I was trying to check grader notes etc for books ending on CL and was not able to do so. 

On 4/29/2024 at 11:56 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

I only know it from Facebook, and I'm not sensible enough to post videos from there to here, sorry.  I could post it's link but unless you have or use Facebook then idk vid wouldn't work, otherwise you can look there for yourself.

The only thing I found cringe by the video (not trying to be hip myself but the only way I know to describe it) is that she seemed to try to be hip, and was humble enough to pull it off just too nervous wasn't natural 

Which imo is where the YouTuber tries to make something out of nothing 

 

Ah ok, Facebook - I guess that is why it did not turn up when I was searching You Tube. 

So I just finished watching the video and I really enjoyed it. Not sure what people are beefing about but I guess it will always be something for a chunk of the message board crowd. I loved being able to put a face to a grader and to learn more about her, and I hope they do more videos like this in the future. 

On 4/29/2024 at 11:28 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

I agree not good PR. I get cgc's sentiment. I think maybe the writing of the "answers" was a little too personable compared to a corporate attitude. I do think it was genuine, but not the hype machine we're used too, and a bit plain.

I get it. Might not be the best but CGC 's vid was way less stale than the YouTuber, and I don't think it'll matter much. Imo or to my sensibility

I don't feel the need to please as a YouTuber either, and that's probably why

Can you please post a link to CGC's video? I prefer to watch it without "commentary" from one of the more nauseating You Tubers.