Grading question - Do you feel comfortable listing raw books as 9.4. 9.6, 9.8?

[minutekev@50]

Grading is, after all, a subjective art. And unless you're getting a paycheck from CGC, you're not a professional grader.

But does it seem on E-Bay, that people who list comics with 'old school style grading' (you know, F, VG, NM, etc.) don't see as much action on their books as people who put 9.4, 9.6, etc. in there auctions?

Interested in a lot of views.

 

[Foolkiller]

Good post. Grading is subjective... and it still is. Although CGC is certainly a notable service and provides a very good one, it doesn't mean that there aren't others with equal skill in grading books to CGC. Although I think (on the whole) CGC does a very good job grading their books, we've seen enough evidence that they make a number of mistakes as well. That's only human.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to put up a raw book graded properly because I have confidence in my ability to grade. I think what you have to do is get to know someone's raw grading first with smaller purchases, get a feel for how you think they do with their grading, and it will inspire trust in larger purchases.

 

For instance, i wouldn't hesitate to buy from blazingbob raw on ebay because his raw grading is fantastic. I like John Hauser's grading. I think Comgeek's is good as well. These are just examples.

 

However, listing a book as a raw 9.8 is foolish because you might think it's a 9.8... and it might be to you. I just wouldn't expect a ton of money or at least comparable to CGC, because few people will take that gamble, even from a reputable dealer. 9.6 is the highest I would grade a book online, and even that seems to be pushing it.

[FFB]

CGC does not "own" the 9.4 or 9.8 designations. Those numbers are also used in Overstreet's Grading Guide, which is supposed to be the industry standard for grading books. If I were to sell comics on ebay, which I don't (I only buy), I would have no problem posting my opinion about a numerical grade score, along with a massive scan of the front and back cover and a complete description of any hidden defects not apparent (or even somewhat masked) in the scans and the page quality. Likewise, it does not bother me one bit to have a seller do the same. I can form my own opinions about the grade by looking at the scans, and if the seller is way off, that's ok too -- I just view it as a huge red flag that tells me not to bid, because the seller is probably not someone I want to do business with.

 

Grading is, after all, a subjective art. And unless you're getting a paycheck from CGC, you're not a professional grader.

But does it seem on E-Bay, that people who list comics with 'old school style grading' (you know, F, VG, NM, etc.) don't see as much action on their books as people who put 9.4, 9.6, etc. in there auctions?

Interested in a lot of views.

[minutekev@50]

Yeah, they don't 'own' it, but we've all seen these listings on E-Bay stating:'CGC standards! Send this one to CGC! A sure 9.6 by CGC's grading!'

It seems that by stating this, these sellers hope to persuade buyers to bid and most of the time it works. People see those numbers: '9.6' and dollar signs go off in their heads.

Which brings me to the second question I asked: Does listing books with numerical figures attached to their grade bring in more bids?

 

[FFB]

Well, that's a far cry from my grading the book a 9.4 or 9.6 though, which was your original question. If the question is whether it's ok to say "CGC is sure to grade this at a 9.6," then no, I don't think that's right. It's less egregious if the seller says "CGC will give this a 9.6 or I'll refund all your money, your grading fee, all the shipping costs, and still leave positive feedback," but even then I think there's something slimy about a seller claiming to know what CGC would grade a book.

 

As for your second question, the obvious answer is yes. But what brings even more money is when a seller couples that numerical score with a huge scan of front and back covers to prove that his grading is accurate.

 

Yeah, they don't 'own' it, but we've all seen these listings on E-Bay stating:'CGC standards! Send this one to CGC! A sure 9.6 by CGC's grading!'

It seems that by stating this, these sellers hope to persuade buyers to bid and most of the time it works. People see those numbers: '9.6' and dollar signs go off in their heads.

Which brings me to the second question I asked: Does listing books with numerical figures attached to their grade bring in more bids?

[drbanner]

Grading is, after all, a subjective art. And unless you're getting a paycheck from CGC, you're not a professional grader.

But does it seem on E-Bay, that people who list comics with 'old school style grading' (you know, F, VG, NM, etc.) don't see as much action on their books as people who put 9.4, 9.6, etc. in there auctions?

Interested in a lot of views.

 

Good thread...I don't hesitate to grade books as NM or NM+, but I've never listed a book as "NM/MT" although I frequently get 9.8's back from CGC.

 

I've not previously used the numerical grade designations in my listings, but you raise a good point and it's something I've been considering. I believe it probably does lend a bit of credibility to those that haven't purchased from me before since it would indicate I'm hip to the latest grading terminology and standards. And I'm hip man, real hip!

 

In fact, because of this thread I just revised this listing to use the numerical terminology to sell my "What If? 1 NM 9.4"!

 

 

[minutekev@50]

I was waiting for you to chime in Doc - Simply because I noticed that you listed most of your books with old school grading!

 

 

[minutekev@50]

So are you hoping to catch more attention with a 9.4 in the What If title?

 

It seems that with CGC fazing out the NM, VF off of their labels, the numbers have started to rule on E-Bay. It may be getting to a point when no one even cares about the letter grades. Even in my LCS, we talk about '9.6's and 9.2's'!

 

Once again, CGC has proven its influence on the hobby.

[FFB]

MINE MINE MINE MINE!!!!

 

I feel like one of the seagulls from Finding Nemo. Thanks for the heads up. I've been looking for a nice copy of this one.

 

Grading is, after all, a subjective art. And unless you're getting a paycheck from CGC, you're not a professional grader.

But does it seem on E-Bay, that people who list comics with 'old school style grading' (you know, F, VG, NM, etc.) don't see as much action on their books as people who put 9.4, 9.6, etc. in there auctions?

Interested in a lot of views.

 

Good thread...I don't hesitate to grade books as NM or NM+, but I've never listed a book as "NM/MT" although I frequently get 9.8's back from CGC.

 

I've not previously used the numerical grade designations in my listings, but you raise a good point and it's something I've been considering. I believe it probably does lend a bit of credibility to those that haven't purchased from me before since it would indicate I'm hip to the latest grading terminology and standards. And I'm hip man, real hip!

 

In fact, because of this thread I just revised this listing to use the numerical terminology to sell my "What If? 1 NM 9.4"!

 

 

[Timely]

When I list on ebay I put both: "NM+ 9.6" that way both the newbie and oldie can easily identify my damn nice books!

 

Timely

[supapimp]

doesn't anybody close their scanner lids anymore?

[drbanner]

doesn't anybody close their scanner lids anymore?

 

Of course...my scanner lid is black!!

 

And with that, I've tied the infamous Comicinvestor with 3,171 posts!

[OldGuy]

unless you're getting a paycheck from CGC, you're not a professional grader.

 

I understand your point, but disagree. I think that someone like Dr. B, or anyone else that deals comics, is a professional grader. He's getting paid to do it isn't he? That makes him a pro in my book. I've always defined "pro" as someone getting paid to do something (in most cases). I get paid to do my job and I consider my self a professional. I'm sure there are guys that get paid more then me to do the same thing and they are professionals also, but they are not more professional then me are they? I also don't think that pro = good in every case. There are some "pros" that have no business doing whatever it is they do. Anyway, just my take on it.

[thecomicsheet]

I plan on testing the waters on eBay with some 'raw' books soon. I've only sold CGC graded books up to this point. I've actually been a bit afraid to list raw books until I had a solid feedback record already built up. I think you take considerably more chances of getting grading disagreements and resulting negative feedback with raw books.

 

I intend to use the numeric grade plus the alpha grade like: 9.6 NM+

 

I like the numeric scale myself. I think the alpha scale can lead to some confusion when you see something like: VF/NM. If you go on the Mile High site for example, I interpret their VF/NM to mean that the book may be anywhere from VF (8.0) to NM (9.4) condition - not that it is a VF/NM (9.0) condition book.

 

 

Slightly OT: Regarding a black background cover on a scanner. My scanner lid is black too. I found that using a black background on CGC books made the edges of the slab look dusty and scratched even with pristine slabs. I now put a 14x17 piece of white copy paper over the book to give it a white background. That seems to change the reflectivity so the edges of the slab look more like it actually looks when you are holding it.

[ninanina]

I don't list comics on e-bay, but if I did...I wouldn't have a problem calling a comic a 9.4 if and only if it was perfect with maybe one or two very minor flaws. I just couldn't see me grading anything a 9.6 or a 9.8 - I admit I can't really tell the difference between them.

[Rickdogg]

I feel comfortable using number designations, since I am very confident in my grading in the 8.0 and up range. I rarely ever list a raw book as being anything higher than a 9.6 and have never till this day listed anything as being 9.8 or NM/MT. It is truly sad how happy and excited some people get when they post feedback stating "undergraded...." just because they were shafted so many times on ebay and do not know any better.

[Aces]

On modern cheap comics I would.

After all it's only $2/$5/$10 if raw 9.4/9.6/9.8 on most moderns anyway isn't it?

 

On more expensive books I wouldn't do 9.8.

If I thought I had a 9.8 that was worth something I'd get it CGCed.

 

 

[wrcomics]

Really nice thread here! I've stuck to using the alpha scale for raw books, mostly because I've been afraid that using a numeric might mislead buyers into thinking that it's been CGCd. But I may try a few here in the coming week to see if combining the two notations at least draws more traffic if not more sales. Regarding what kinds of books in the 9.4+ grades I list, I go along with Aces listing modern stuff of that caliber. Some of the late bronze stuff too as long as they are not key issues. Rest assured anything better than NM from Silver Age is going to CGC in a rocket sled!

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

Figure this one out...if you can:

 

I sold a Crisis #3 and listed it as a "9.6 minimum" a couple of months ago. Sold to a buyer who was trying to complete her CGC set and really,really,really wanted a 9.6 to finish things off. She paid quick, I shipped quick.

 

Upon receipt, she contacts me stating that she doesn't feel the book was worthy of the claimed staus...do I have another? Sure, I'll replace it...but the only other one I had was only a 9.4 (I thought) -but it was border-line, so I sent it to her on a hunch. And sure enough, she was ecstatic with the replacement copy. I assume it made it to 9.6 with CGC, since I could tell by her emails that I would hear from her if it didn't make the cut.

 

• Lessons learned
  
• My grading can rock/suck depending on the direction of the wind
  
• Sometimes, picky buyers just need a selection to choose from (to appease their skeptical nature)
  
• When it comes to moderns, "9.4 and above" can be believed/accepted by the masses

 

Rick

 

[Calamerica]

I grade raw comics and sell on eBay - never had one complaint (yet and knock on wood). Feel pretty comfortable with 9.4 - 9.8, even 9.9 if I feel it is that close to Gem Mint. I never give any comic a 10.0. The 10.0 makes me a bit uncomfortable. But any raw comic I grade and sell had better be darn close to perfection for 9.6 and above. I use Overstreet Grading Guide as strictly as possible.