Another batch of Overgraded books from a major dealer... RANT!!!

[LordRahl]

WARNING: RANT coming... read at your own risk

 

So I just picked up a batch of 7 high grade books from a major dealer who deals almost exclusively in raw books. He's been discussed on this forum quite a bit in the "how do these dealers grade?" type threads. The consensus has been that he's hit and miss, sometimes a grade or so too high and sometimes right on. So I decide to give it a try with some books I need, expecting to get something relatively close to the grades advertised and maybe a book or two that is spot on. Well was I in for a huge disappointment. Of the 7 books, not one is graded spot on IMO. The biggest problem, a NM Avengers 100 which I paid well over guide for is a straight up VF with all kinds of non color breaking creases on the spine and back cover. Through the mylar it looks great, take it out and you're in for a big shock. The grade/price difference between a VF and NM are HUGE. The rest are all 2-3 grade levels off. I'm going to end up keeping 1 book out of 7 and that's only because the price point between VF/NM(what it was advertised as) and VF(what I think the real grade is) is not that big and it's a book I need.

 

I'm kind of shocked that people here are willing to be as forgiving of his grading as they have been. Everyone is saying that accurate grading is of utmost importance in Nick's thread about online retailers yet it seems that most here are either a) overgrading/unable to grade or b) willing to give dealers a pass for overgrading because said delaer is a "nice guy". Being a "nice guy" does nothing for me when money is effectively being taken out of my pocket. Dealers with this type of shoddy grading should not be able to stay in business for as long as some have IF their customers would call them on it. Anyway, I'm just ticked that now I have to waste more time on these supposed high grade books by returning them and the hassle involved in that.

 

End of RANT. Now back to your regularly scheduled pressing threads... I'm sure there is one somewhere.

 

[MutantKeys]

Spill the beans

[gernblanston]

who is it?

[Point Five]

I think the "nice guy" references are a major tell.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Spill the beans

 

Nice edit

[OldGuy]

I'm going to skip the post and just assume that you didn't name the dealer.

[djpinkpanther67]

I feel your pain man!

I've been there before which is why I quit buying raw off of eBay and other sites. I usually stick to the forumites whom I know grade (or slightly undergrade) their books well when buying raw books...

[drbanner]

Hmmm...Chuckie graded the MH collection pretty well back in the day.

 

Then again, I guess it's pretty easy to choose between "NM", or "NM+"!

[Mac Man]

Well, I'm not certain who he's referring to, but don't need to know. I'm soft on accurate grading PROVIDING I'm buying the book for well under guide (therefore a good chance I'm still paying a little under or straight guide for the actual grade). All the same, I do think accurate grading for long-term success is a must or else bust. :shrug:

[JohnT]

What dealer is this? What's the point of a post that criticizes buyers for not taking overgraders to task...but then doesn't name the overgrader in question?

 

If we really are talking about "2 or 3" grades off, that's highway robbery, and no "nice guy" is a highway robber...

[moloch]

I think the "nice guy" references are a major tell.

 

 

Ditto. And while he is nice and returns are no problem it's still too annoying to have to do it every order. I'd visit his table at a Con, but no more mail orders from me.

[esquirecomics]

There will never be any reason for any dealer to change his/her ways if their conduct is not openly identified and others can rely upon your views as a means by which to arrive at their own decisions.

 

If you are not willing to name the person at this time, perhaps you should first approach the dealer and register your complaint to see if they will accept returns or give you a credit. You can then let us know the response and who the dealer is, and we can use that additional information to weigh our own opinions for future transactions.

[moloch]

If we're taking bets my money's on Ted at Superworld.

[Scrooge]

If it is who I think it is ... I never order online from him and only buy from him at cons ... Hopefully we'll get to know who it is.

 

Also, have you considered that in such threads that some people don't buy HG books like you do and while one dealer can be spot on in lower grades, he might be so good at uber-grades ... for example, my comments generally concern lower grade books and I can't vouch for any dealer when it comes to HG.

[gernblanston]

There is a man with courage

I thought it might be Mile High Comics, but everybody knows about their grading, I think

[jools&jim]

Well, this sucks...for the first time in over 30 years of collecting, I was actually going to place an order for some higher grade books from an on-line dealer this week. Now, I'm not so sure...

[burntboy]

What dealer is this? What's the point of a post that criticizes buyers for not taking overgraders to task...but then doesn't name the overgrader in question?

 

If we really are talking about "2 or 3" grades off, that's highway robbery, and no "nice guy" is a highway robber...

 

I have to say that this hits the nail on the head. LordRahl; you are effectively doing what many others were accused of. you're giving the guy a pass and it will serve no worthwhile future purpose.

 

personally, i could care less if you out him, but you are not "walking the walk"...........

 

having said that, i would not have started this thread before discussing with the seller........it seems as if he is using an older approach to grading and being forgiving of NCB creases, dents, etc. i'm aware of how CGC treats these, but am still not sure that i agree............

[Scrooge]

Well, this sucks...for the first time in over 30 years of collecting, I was actually going to place an order for some higher grade books from an on-line dealer this week. Now, I'm not so sure...

 

This shouldn't stop you. If they have a strong and clear return policy, at times being out shipping costs isn't a bad thing. I'll give this to Metro ... their return policy / procedure is efficient.

[jools&jim]

Well, this sucks...for the first time in over 30 years of collecting, I was actually going to place an order for some higher grade books from an on-line dealer this week. Now, I'm not so sure...

 

This shouldn't stop you. If they have a strong and clear return policy, at times being out shipping costs isn't a bad thing. I'll give this to Metro ... their return policy / procedure is efficient.

 

Yeah, but I've bought lower and mid grade books many times before on-line, and have still had to deal with lots of returns (missing pages, coupons clipped and not noted, etc., etc.). If I'm planning to spend bigger bucks (for me at least) on supposedly choice material, it would be cool (though perhaps unrealistic) for the dealer to do their best to get it VERY right the first time...

[Aces]

I'm going to skip the post and just assume that you didn't name the dealer.

He's got to wait until he gets his refund.

Then it's fisting time!