CHodges

Thank you, GawkHawk. That gives me hope

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, but I can't seem to find anything on this topic. I was contemplating sending in some modern and economy books for grading/slabbing to be given as Christmas presents. C&P not necessary. If I sent them in this week (Nov. 6) would I have them back in time to gift them? Thank you for any advice.

On 1/2/2023 at 12:31 PM, g-man said:

i hear ya but this was a straight auction. 

OK, gotcha. Thought it was a BIN not an auction. Can't explain it, then.

You have to take people's pricing with a grain of salt. I saw a Daredevil #1, ungraded, listed for $100K. I'm toying with the idea of buying a low level 2.0-3.0 version of that book, and it looked like a 2.5-3.5 from the pictures. I contacted the seller thinking maybe he made a typo, but, no, that's the blue sky price he has on the book. You can get a 9.8-9.6 CGC of that book for $100K, give or take. You see that kind of stuff all the time, because people who aren't in a hurry to sell can hold out and hope someone will pay their price. 

On 12/2/2022 at 12:27 PM, ExNihilo said:

That's because the barrier to entry is high.  Not necessarily in the sense of creating a similar product, but the establishment of trust and goodwill.  No one wants to use anything else because there's zero history between consumers and competitors that equate to equivalent resale values between brands.  CGC is held in a higher regard and it doesn't look like anything will change the minds of consumers.  The last two years we've seen countless QC issues, acetate gate, and massive turnaround times, and customers continue to submit in droves.  Seriously, the QC issues should have been enough to reduce trust in their product, yet here we still are.

You make good points. It would take a lot of effort on the part of a viable competitor to build trust and goodwill, but I'm surprised no one, even the minor competitors, have been able to turn it to their advantage.. I'm sure CGC's issues in the last couple of years (at least) have eroded their standing in many customers' minds. Personally speaking, CGC has done nothing to establish trust or goodwill regarding the services I've paid them to deliver..

On 12/1/2022 at 10:06 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

CGC's Customer Service department is one of the better parts of their business... Their competitors (not a monopoly) have quite literally no customer service.

While there are others who try to provide a grading service, I still contend CGC can be classified as a monopoly, which is a market structure where a single seller OR a producer assumes a dominant position in an industry or a sector. I say that without actually knowing what percentage of the evaluation and grading market CGC controls, but I presume it is more than 50 percent. The Justice Department holds this position regarding monopoly positions: "As a practical matter, a market share of greater than fifty percent has been necessary for courts to find the existence of monopoly power. If a firm has maintained a market share in excess of two-thirds for a significant period and the firm's market share is unlikely to be eroded in the near future, the Department believes that such facts ordinarily should establish a rebuttable presumption that the firm possesses monopoly power.

On 12/2/2022 at 1:32 AM, Lightning55 said:

 

I believe by "customer service" he meant operational service, such as grading accurately and with reasonable speed, doing a good job.  Like getting good service at a restaurant or retail store.  Not referring to the Customer Service Dept.

Someone can be the greatest waiter in the world, but if the chefs in the kitchen can't get the food prepared and on the table in a reasonable amount of time, the great customer service by the waiter is a moot point.

I agree that this topic has been hashed and re-hashed countless times, and nothing has really changed. I submitted books to CGC under modern, standard and economy in the last year and a half just to test out the process. I got the standards back within a month. The moderns took a couple of months. The economy (four books) is now at 11 months. As someone who has worked for several Fortune 500 companies with consumer interfaces, I find it extraordinary that a company can actually stay in business and thrive with such a business model. I'm also amazed that so many of us put up with this spoon. What's even more surprising to me is that a viable competitor hasn't stepped up to make the business more competitive and put pressure on CGC to improve its customer service. That's what a monopoly can do. It's certainly made me rethink submitting the 100 or so Silver Age books I've set aside for possible CGC grading, because only a few of them would actually justify the financial cost of standard service, and I don't want to have the rest of them sitting in someone's warehouse for a year or more. Just my two cents.

I’m curious what you guys think about my Kingpin issue. Always loved that cover art. Thanks!

This is a very low grade with a bunch of problems, so an overall guess is not necessary. Instead, my question is about a printing/binding issue I’m curious about. There is no bottom staple, and there are no holes to indicate there ever was one. I’m guessing that is rare, and if it were on a higher grade book, what impact on value would it make? 

On 3/20/2022 at 9:11 PM, Grendel72 said:

Are u gonna press the book ? 

Yes, I do plan on pressing it. I think some of those minor ticks and waviness should could come out.

Thanks in advance. Before I ship this Incredible Hulk premier issue #102 off to CGC, I would love to hear some opinions.

Instead of extending the tracking time, how about reducing the grading time?

I’m curious as to how that cover will deflate the grade. Thank’s in advance!

I didn’t want to imply the only thing wrong was spine ticks. Not sure if that cover crease is just partial since it does not go across the entire page or maybe a scratch of some sort. Inside front/back covers are browning from age and not Sun fading, not that the how really matters. I’m learning that I also need to work on my picture lighting, because I can look at two photos of the same page taken from different depths and see one that almost looks white and the other tan. I try to compare the real thing with the pics to select the ones that are closest to reality. Maybe it’s just the iPad auto adjust, but I will keep learning.

The obvious things are cover spine ticks and color breaks, 1/8th inch spine roll. I’m thinking if the grade and value are there I might get a C&P and grading. What do you guys think?

Thank you in advance! 

Thanks in advance! One of the older books in my PC that I’ve had since the late ‘60s. 1/4” loose piece top left corner of cover. Looks like small water mark 2” up from right bottom cover. Slight staple pull on top back cover. Two cover creases on back cover that do not seem to break color? No writing or missing pieces. What do you think? 

Thanks in advance! Other than the cover not being bright white, what do you think? No tears, writing or missing pieces.

Thanks in advance! I’ve highlighted a few problems. There is one 3/16” tear on the top cover that looks like it was folded over at one time, but flattened out nicely. The most perplexing thing is the opaque oblong adhesive on SM’s arm. It is thin, flat and transparent, but the shape is odd. It was on there when I bought this book used from my neighborhood second-hand bookstore in the 1960s. I am afraid to mess with it fearing it will pull up the image. Next to that is a tiny white spot that I stupidly made maybe 20 years ago when my tape flap stuck there by accident when I was switching out the bag. Only time I’ve ever made that mistake. Some edge browning on the right side of the cover. Some back top corner water damage that somehow did not come through to the SM logo on the front cover. Staples are tight, cover pulling slightly away from bottom staple. No handwriting, interior tears or missing pieces. What do you think? And thoughts on that cover tape?

Thank you in advance. I highlighted a few things that factor in. The cover spot left of Spider-man was tiny glob of something (food, glue?) It mostly broke apart, and what you see is what was left. Color rub below Lizard’s hand and on his coat. Bottom right crease shown from front and back. Staples intact. No tears, no writing, no stains that I can see. What do you think?

My Hanger 9 pressing iron pooped out after only about six months of light usage, and I was unable to repair it. I believe I paid about $25 for it new. I replaced it with a mini Steamfast craft iron, which I don't like. I've been looking for another Hanger 9, but everyone has been showing sold out. There are a few listed for triple the price. I guess supply and demand at work. Does anyone know why the Hanger 9 irons are unavailable for purchase anywhere? I'm seeing some websites saying available in March, but those dates have been constantly shifting out. Supply chain issues?

I sold an ungraded coverless Amazing Spider-Man #6 on Ebay last fall for $153, so there is a market for some books. Fortunately, I still have an intact #6. The FMV for a graded #6 in .5 condition is $300, so you do lose quite a bit in the process.

On 1/1/2022 at 3:11 PM, MattTheDuck said:

Here are 4 pictures of the wrap you think you're missing, which is all ads, so the description of "doesn't impact story" is accurate.  Were the book to be submitted to CGC, it would come back with the notation this wrap is missing.

 

That's very helpful. Thank you so much!

I'm looking for some help with my Fantastic Four #50. I've searched everywhere for an answer, but have come up empty handed. Is there a centerfold that does not contain any story pages? My copy has only 32 pages, but all the story pages are intact. I've even seen some eBay listings with pictures of the centerfold that look like mine (page 13 left side, "save 1/2 on accordions" ad on the right side as seen in pic below), calling the book "complete" and "nothing missing. I did find one eBay listing saying their book was missing ad pages between pages 4-5 and 16-17 that does not affect storyline or art. My book does not have ad pages in those positions within the book. It sounds like that might be what's missing. If so, what do you think that does to the general value of my book? Thank you.