the exception might be "rare" books that aren't that expensive, but where the graded supply is limited or non-existent. I was in the middle of a similar search when Point Five posted. Here's a 9.4 for $130 with a BO option, and most sellers are going to take something off if you ask.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/354789217926
9.6s listed around $200-250. As long as you're not insistent on a 9.8, buying graded isn't too painful to get something you want. Especially since a lot of online sellers overgrade or simply don't know what they're doing. Even with buyer protection, you might waste a lot of time buying & returning books that look good in a listing and don't quite hold up in hand. MCS even has a couple of reasonably priced CBCS graded copies in the mid-NM range.