What the reasoning behind using GPA pricing on raw books?

[VintageComics]

I never tire of this discussion. What difference does it make if you quote your Uncle Fred's opinion of value or GPA or OSPG? It's not misleading anyone, if the grading is in line with what CGC will assign or what Fred would grade it at. It's just another data point.

 

Like I said, if I think GPA is relevant to a raw book, I use it to set my price. I just don't quote it anymore b/c of all the butthurt it engenders here on the boards.

 

It's much easier to blame someone else than take responsibility.

 

[COI]

I never tire of this discussion. What difference does it make if you quote your Uncle Fred's opinion of value or GPA or OSPG? It's not misleading anyone, if the grading is in line with what CGC will assign or what Fred would grade it at. It's just another data point.

 

Like I said, if I think GPA is relevant to a raw book, I use it to set my price. I just don't quote it anymore b/c of all the butthurt it engenders here on the boards.

 

I never said it was misleading to anyone.

 

I enjoy these discussions because they're silly. I'd love it if someone just came out and said "I use whatever data point is convenient to maximize my profits".

 

 

[COI]

I never tire of this discussion. What difference does it make if you quote your Uncle Fred's opinion of value or GPA or OSPG? It's not misleading anyone, if the grading is in line with what CGC will assign or what Fred would grade it at. It's just another data point.

 

Like I said, if I think GPA is relevant to a raw book, I use it to set my price. I just don't quote it anymore b/c of all the butthurt it engenders here on the boards.

 

It's much easier to blame someone else than take responsibility.

 

 

Take responsibility for what? I didn't say anything about anyone being misled or victimized in any way.

 

It's much easier to not get a book graded than to get a book graded.

 

[VintageComics]

It's much easier to not get a book graded than to get a book graded.

 

 

Eazy money rulez, playa.

 

[COI]

So why do some of you reference GPA pricing when discussing raw books?

Because some of us know as much about grading as the CGC.

 

You may. You also may be a tighter, more consistent grader than the CGC. But that's besides the point. GPA is a body of data on sales of books that have been slabbed by the CGC. If your book hasn't been slabbed by the CGC, that data is not very relevant. The prices on GPA reflect the sequence of bidders or the one buyer's valuation of a specific book at a specific time that was given a specific grade by the CGC.

 

People pay CGC to get their books graded so that they can fetch the graded-by-CGC price. Using graded-by-CGC pricing without actually getting the book graded by the CGC ultimately amounts to taking a short cut to maximizing profit on a book by mitigating risk, and saving time and money on the grading process.

 

Do any dealers who know "as much about grading as the CGC" ever downgrade the slabs they sell because they disagree with CGC? Do any sellers ever sell their CGC 9.6 at a 'Flutie's Comics NM 9.4 price' because they, Flutie, know just as much about grading as 'the CGC' and disagree with their grade?

 

And finally, if you know as much about grading as the CGC, why refer to graded books at all? Implicit in quoting GPA prices for raw books is deference to CGC's grading, or at the very least, an acknowledgment that CGC's services often legitimate the price of a book. So the only real reason to do it is to add that "legitimacy" to your book without actually paying for it.

 

blah blah blah blah blah. whine whine whine whine whine. blah blah blah blah blah.

butthurt

 

blah blah blah deflection. blah blah blah using 'butthurt' like Wonder Woman's bracelets.

Waa waa waa. Pot stirring. Boo hoo hoo. non-issue. mumble mumble mumble. Head up .

 

I agree, it's a non-issue. Are we tackling real issues in CG now?

[MrBedrock]

Are we tackling real issues in CG now?

Nope. But we discuss them with equal fervor.

[DiceX]

So why do some of you reference GPA pricing when discussing raw books?

Because some of us know as much about grading as the CGC.

 

You may. You also may be a tighter, more consistent grader than the CGC. But that's besides the point. GPA is a body of data on sales of books that have been slabbed by the CGC. If your book hasn't been slabbed by the CGC, that data is not very relevant. The prices on GPA reflect the sequence of bidders or the one buyer's valuation of a specific book at a specific time that was given a specific grade by the CGC.

 

People pay CGC to get their books graded so that they can fetch the graded-by-CGC price. Using graded-by-CGC pricing without actually getting the book graded by the CGC ultimately amounts to taking a short cut to maximizing profit on a book by mitigating risk, and saving time and money on the grading process.

 

Do any dealers who know "as much about grading as the CGC" ever downgrade the slabs they sell because they disagree with CGC? Do any sellers ever sell their CGC 9.6 at a 'Flutie's Comics NM 9.4 price' because they, Flutie, know just as much about grading as 'the CGC' and disagree with their grade?

 

And finally, if you know as much about grading as the CGC, why refer to graded books at all? Implicit in quoting GPA prices for raw books is deference to CGC's grading, or at the very least, an acknowledgment that CGC's services often legitimate the price of a book. So the only real reason to do it is to add that "legitimacy" to your book without actually paying for it.

 

blah blah blah blah blah. whine whine whine whine whine. blah blah blah blah blah.

butthurt

 

blah blah blah deflection. blah blah blah using 'butthurt' like Wonder Woman's bracelets.

Waa waa waa. Pot stirring. Boo hoo hoo. non-issue. mumble mumble mumble. Head up .

 

Ironically that's exactly how my brain processes the comments in threads like this.

 

 

[BlowUpTheMoon]

What the reasoning behind starting a thread about a topic that's be discussed to death?

[Dr. Balls]

What the reasoning behind starting a thread about a topic that's be discussed to death?

 

We could always go back to posting threads about what the best scanner for scanning slabs is.

[rodan57]

I don't think that quoting GPA on a raw book is a vendor doing me a favour by providing as much information as possible.

 

I think it is used as a selling point. It's to convince me that either their book is worth that much or could be worth that much. In either case, it's misleading as the sale price is data that's related to the CGC grading process. The data is not related to their personal grading or restoration detecting skills.

 

 

[seanfingh]

So why do some of you reference GPA pricing when discussing raw books?

Because some of us know as much about grading as the CGC.

 

You may. You also may be a tighter, more consistent grader than the CGC. But that's besides the point. GPA is a body of data on sales of books that have been slabbed by the CGC. If your book hasn't been slabbed by the CGC, that data is not very relevant. The prices on GPA reflect the sequence of bidders or the one buyer's valuation of a specific book at a specific time that was given a specific grade by the CGC.

 

People pay CGC to get their books graded so that they can fetch the graded-by-CGC price. Using graded-by-CGC pricing without actually getting the book graded by the CGC ultimately amounts to taking a short cut to maximizing profit on a book by mitigating risk, and saving time and money on the grading process.

 

Do any dealers who know "as much about grading as the CGC" ever downgrade the slabs they sell because they disagree with CGC? Do any sellers ever sell their CGC 9.6 at a 'Flutie's Comics NM 9.4 price' because they, Flutie, know just as much about grading as 'the CGC' and disagree with their grade?

 

And finally, if you know as much about grading as the CGC, why refer to graded books at all? Implicit in quoting GPA prices for raw books is deference to CGC's grading, or at the very least, an acknowledgment that CGC's services often legitimate the price of a book. So the only real reason to do it is to add that "legitimacy" to your book without actually paying for it.

 

blah blah blah blah blah. whine whine whine whine whine. blah blah blah blah blah.

butthurt

 

blah blah blah deflection. blah blah blah using 'butthurt' like Wonder Woman's bracelets.

Waa waa waa. Pot stirring. Boo hoo hoo. non-issue. mumble mumble mumble. Head up .

 

Ironically that's exactly how my brain processes the comments in threads like this.

 

 

Sittin' here, eatin' my heart out, waitin'

Waitin' for some lover to call

Dialed about a thousand numbers lately

Almost rang the phone off the wall

 

Lookin' for some butthurt, baby, this evenin'

I need some butthurt, baby, tonight

I want some butthurt, baby, this evenin'

 

Gotta have some butthurt

Gotta have some hurt tonight

I need butthurt, I want some butthurt

I need butthurt

 

Lookin' for a lover who needs another

Don't want another night on my own

Wanna share my hurt with a warm blooded lover

Wanna bring some butthurt back home

 

Gotta have some butthurt, baby, this evenin'

I need some butthurt, baby, tonight

I want some butthurt, baby, this evenin'

 

Gonna have some hutin'

Got to have butthuhrt tonight

I need butthurt, butthurt

Lookin' for butthurt

 

[Dr. Balls]

 

Sittin' here, eatin' my heart out, waitin'

Waitin' for some lover to call

Dialed about a thousand numbers lately

Almost rang the phone off the wall

 

Lookin' for some butthurt, baby, this evenin'

I need some butthurt, baby, tonight

I want some butthurt, baby, this evenin'

 

Gotta have some butthurt

Gotta have some hurt tonight

I need butthurt, I want some butthurt

I need butthurt

 

Lookin' for a lover who needs another

Don't want another night on my own

Wanna share my hurt with a warm blooded lover

Wanna bring some butthurt back home

 

Gotta have some butthurt, baby, this evenin'

I need some butthurt, baby, tonight

I want some butthurt, baby, this evenin'

 

Gonna have some hutin'

Got to have butthuhrt tonight

I need butthurt, butthurt

Lookin' for butthurt

 

Adam Lambert?

[DiceX]

 

 

[seanfingh]

 

Donna Summer, knobjockey.

[Dr. Balls]

Donna Summer, knobjockey.

 

Funky.

[Bookery]

If I have a movie poster worth $100, and I pay $100 to have it linen-backed, that posted is now worth $200.

 

In actuality, you are farther out once you add that service - and that is what stinks about that scenario above. If you buy a $100 poster for $50, you have a $50 profit. When you add $100 mounting to it, you have to dip into your pocket, spend your own money and you're still only making $50, but you've spent more money.

 

This is the part that I always thought benefitted slabbing books. Currently, I have a really nice NYX #3 at CGC that I bought for $35. I could sell it for $60-$90 raw, or I could spend $25 for slabbing + shipping and sell it for $200 (presuming it comes back as a 9.8). My potential profit percentage increases with the amount I invest in the book. I'm all in favor of that.

 

That is a profit worth spending an additional cost. Slabs should be significantly valued more than slabs - I'm not exactly sure how this gets justified...

 

You're not comparing equal things here. Yes... If i sell the poster raw for $100, I double my money. If I back it and sell it for $200 I'm only making $33%. But I've protected the poster, and presumably I did it because I believe it will enhance its saleability, even if I make less money as a percentage.

 

The above CGC scenario you give is something different. The comic didn't magically change when you sent it to CGC. It was always a 9.8, it just wasn't graded that way, and you didn't pay accordingly for a 9.8 grade. If you had an 8.0 comic, and you know it's an 8.0, and it's worth $60-$90 raw, and you send it off and get a CGC grade of 8.0, it's still only worth $60-$90. Comic collectors won't pay you for your slabbing costs.

 

In the poster scenario I make less money, but I make money. In the comic scenario, I lose my shirt.

 

[Bookery]

What the reasoning behind starting a thread about a topic that's be discussed to death?

 

You've made 18,689 posts. You've never repeated yourself? You've presented us with 18,689 all-original always fresh noteworthy posts?

 

After a decade, what topic could possibly be created that wouldn't be a repeat of something discussed before?

 

People come and go. 2 years ago you didn't have my brilliant insights on all of these "repeated" topics, for one. That alone is worth the price of admission!

 

 

[Dr. Balls]

The above CGC scenario you give is something different. The comic didn't magically change when you sent it to CGC. It was always a 9.8, it just wasn't graded that way, and you didn't pay accordingly for a 9.8 grade. If you had an 8.0 comic, and you know it's an 8.0, and it's worth $60-$90 raw, and you send it off and get a CGC grade of 8.0, it's still only worth $60-$90. Comic collectors won't pay you for your slabbing costs.

 

In the poster scenario I make less money, but I make money. In the comic scenario, I lose my shirt.

 

They do magically change when they get to CGC - that's why I am curious about the topic. Why does the value of my NYX #3 increase exponentially when I slab it (just like in my example)? Or my Iron Man #55? Or my New X-Men 128? Or my Hulk 181? These are all books that are worth quite a bit more once they have been slabbed - according to sale data.

 

However, you are right in that my Luke Cage #3 is not worth much more in the slab than it is raw - so why are only the 'hot' books worth more in slabs than raw - while the regular books do not adhere to that rule?

[MrBedrock]

2 years ago you didn't have my brilliant insights on all of these "repeated" topics

Ah, the good old days

[Bookery]

It's not just risk that you get with a raw book. You also get potential upside that a book has been undergraded or can be pressed to a higher grade.

 

This is actually a factor in my being able to sell so many raw books. I'm a much tighter grader than CGC (that doesn't make me right or them wrong, it just is what it is... and I'm too set in my ways to change). Key books usually fly out of my shop as fast as I put them out. But the last couple of batches I sent to CGC sat around a lot longer. The reason?

 

Buyers can often send my books off and get back a higher grade. Or at least they've got a pretty good gamble that they will. But a CGC book is what it is. It's already been graded... no upside potential for them. Now eventually a true CGC collector will come in and appreciate the slabbed book, but in my case, which isn't typical I know, I often can sell a book more quickly raw.

 

Recent examples a customer just showed me... an Amazing Fantasy #15 I sold him I graded a 1.5. He had it signed by Stan Lee and got back a signature series grade of 3.0 !! My Amazing Sp-Man #1 I graded 1.0 (it was a mess as far as I'm concerned) came back a 2.0. Needless to say he's very happy and will likely buy many more books from me for many years.