What would you do?

[COI]

I would never feel like someone was greedy or dishonest, as long as they disclosed what the old CGC grade was and what their new grade was.

 

I dunno...I don't really see it as dishonest to disagree with a grade and sell it under your own assessment, without disclosing what CGC's opinion is because their opinion is just that, an opinion, and not set in stone as you demonstrated.

 

I really don't see it as a big deal because the market kinda corrects itself in this respect: without certification, most sellers wouldn't be able to get much higher than a slabbed 9.4 price for what they claim is a raw 9.6, without having a good reputation and a solid return policy in place, in which case the buyer can decide if the book they bought was worth the price they paid.

[jerome34]

My approach would be to list both grades with some commentary on why they differ.

Then I would calculate (privately) both prices and list the book at about the midpoint.

That way, the potential buyer can see where the seller is coming from. If he thinks getting

the book and re-submitting will get the higher grade, he can buy it recognizing the risk.

On the other hand, the dealer is not leaving all the gain on the table. This would be

fair to both the dealer and the buyer.

 

Also note that if the dealer does this for books that he grades below CGC, he can

also do this for books he grades higher than CGC without everyone thinking he

is trying to get extra money. (He just has to remind potential buyers to look

at more of his listings to see that he is both higher and lower than CGC.)

[Flaming_Telepath]

Devil's advocate here: why is it deceptive to not reveal that a raw book was once slabbed? Does certification mark a book for life?

It isn't and it doesn't.

 

It's not necessarily deceptive, but I'm not sure it's best practice.

 

Look at it this way, if you asked a pool of potential buyers whether they would want the information disclosed, the vast majority of them would say yes. As a seller, not to do so would be withholding information you know your customer base wants.

 

Now, whether your customers' obsession with one opinion is justified or not you can debate all night, but it's there.

[DrWatson]

Devil's advocate here: why is it deceptive to not reveal that a raw book was once slabbed? Does certification mark a book for life?

It isn't and it doesn't.

 

It's not necessarily deceptive, but I'm not sure it's best practice.

 

Look at it this way, if you asked a pool of potential buyers whether they would want the information disclosed, the vast majority of them would say yes. As a seller, not to do so would be withholding information you know your customer base wants.

 

Now, whether your customers' obsession with one opinion is justified or not you can debate all night, but it's there.

Well, I'm sure if you asked a pool of potential buyers whether they would want to know how much a seller paid for a specific book, the vast majority of them would say yes.

[seanfingh]

I would never feel like someone was greedy or dishonest, as long as they disclosed what the old CGC grade was and what their new grade was.

 

I dunno...I don't really see it as dishonest to disagree with a grade and sell it under your own assessment, without disclosing what CGC's opinion is because their opinion is just that, an opinion, and not set in stone as you demonstrated.

 

I really don't see it as a big deal because the market kinda corrects itself in this respect: without certification, most sellers wouldn't be able to get much higher than a slabbed 9.4 price for what they claim is a raw 9.6, without having a good reputation and a solid return policy in place, in which case the buyer can decide if the book they bought was worth the price they paid.

 

Well, you have to take my response in context. Someone brought up the Muscleshark sell on the Boards for a higher grade crack out scheme. My response was that as long as all the information was given I would never feel like the person was being dishonest. That doesn't mean that there couldn't be situations where I would be fine without all the information.

 

The bottom line is that no one bats a thousand. Not CGC and not the best graders wherever they may be. But there are plenty of folks that I trust completely, knowing that if they do miss something, they will make it right.

[Flaming_Telepath]

Devil's advocate here: why is it deceptive to not reveal that a raw book was once slabbed? Does certification mark a book for life?

It isn't and it doesn't.

 

It's not necessarily deceptive, but I'm not sure it's best practice.

 

Look at it this way, if you asked a pool of potential buyers whether they would want the information disclosed, the vast majority of them would say yes. As a seller, not to do so would be withholding information you know your customer base wants.

 

Now, whether your customers' obsession with one opinion is justified or not you can debate all night, but it's there.

Well, I'm sure if you asked a pool of potential buyers whether they would want to know how much a seller paid for a specific book, the vast majority of them would say yes.

 

 

True. However, that relates more to how a dealer runs his/her business and is not a material fact related to the condition/assessment of the product.

[DrWatson]

Basically, buyers are going to want to know anything and everything that can give them an upper hand when it comes to making a purchase and sellers are going to want to protect their investment and make a profit.

 

I don't believe not disclosing whether a book was previously graded by CGC one way or the other has any real bearing on a seller's honesty. What does have bearing is if he is asked and isn't forthcoming with the truth.

[Flaming_Telepath]

Basically, buyers are going to want to know anything and everything that can give them an upper hand when it comes to making a purchase and sellers are going to want to protect their investment and make a profit.

 

I don't believe not disclosing whether a book was previously graded by CGC one way or the other has any real bearing on a seller's honesty. What does have bearing is if he is asked and isn't forthcoming with the truth.

 

I don't think the simple act of not revealing a previous CGC grade is in itself dishonest...I just don't think it's best practice.

 

It's the same as pressing...not proactively disclosing that a book has been pressed is not dishonest. It's simply not best practice.

 

In both cases, you're knowingly withholding a piece of information that a proportion of your buying audience would like to know and that could impact on their buying decision.

[DrWatson]

No, it isn't the same as pressing. Pressing is not an opinion. It's a state. It is either pressed or it isn't pressed.

 

What if I had a book were I paid Metropolis, Heritage or even you to give me an opinion of the grade before I purchased the book form another party? Would I need to disclose those grades when I post the book for resale? What if it used to be PGX graded?

[Silver Surfer]

I would quickly sell them and once I was in the clear I would mock the buyer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Flaming_Telepath]

No, it isn't the same as pressing. Pressing is not an opinion. It's a state. It is either pressed or it isn't pressed.

 

What if I had a book were I paid Metropolis, Heritage or even you to give me an opinion of the grade before I purchased the book form another party? Would I need to disclose those grades when I post the book for resale? What if it used to be PGX graded?

 

Given how CGC is perceived in the marketplace...rightly or wrongly...that they have previously assessed the book becomes a material fact, just as whether a book has been pressed or not. They are the current 'standard', which sets them apart from other organisations, whether you personally agree with them or not.

 

However, the argument is a red herring as I'm referring to the disclosure being Best Practice, as you know that the majority of your buyers would want that information, allowing them to make an informed purchasing decision.

 

It's not about loophole jumping, it's about proactively disclosing information you know your customers would want.

[DrWatson]

It isn't as red herring. It's the valuation of an opinion and what that opinion is worth to someone else.