Prevent Obscuring of high ranking sets

[Doc Joe]

Dear CGC,

 

The registry sets are fun, expensive to play in and a nice way to share comic collecting experience.

 

It seems counter intuitive that a system designed to allow people to voluntarily share in the hobby by presenting their sets (i.e. the CGC registry) then allows them to hide the contents.

 

Should the top 10 (or 15 or 20 registry sets) be prohibited from obscuring their books?

 

I have had obscured sets in the past, usually briefly, for various reasons.

 

Nevertheless these high ranking sets represent some of the best collections around. In the spirit of the board should they not be on display for all?

 

What could the consequences be of this?

 

Firstly people may decide not to play - there could be an exodus from the top sets. I suspect that is unlikely, there are several sets that are obscured but most of the big players are happy to show their hand.

 

People have said that they get upset when people message them wanting to buy books or offer to sell books etc. I now believe there is the option to prevent people sending you messages.

 

People have said that when they are working on a set they like to keep it hidden to prevent being highballed on books they want. I think in practice if you want a key book it will be priced high anyway, if someone is highballing you on a common book, wait a few months and you will be able to get it cheaper.

 

In practice I see people selling books and they would have done much better if they had checked an approached people in the registry, generally people do not take the time to do that.

 

I say, welcome to the registry, you want to be an elite top ranked collector? Thats great, show us what you have.

 

Comments welcome:

 

[Gotham Kid]

I hereby subscribe to Doc Joe's post

 

Obscuring sets kind of defeats the whole purpose of the CGC Registry I would think.

 

I can understand the reasons some choose not to publish their collections, but as a collecting community the whole idea would be to share experiences and interests. What good would the registry be if everyone obscured their sets ?

 

The CGC Registry serves many purposes, not only as a showcase for collections but among other things carries a wealth of comic related information.

 

There are certainly other ways to inventory your collection if that is all you use the registry for.

 

Keep the registry public.

 

2¢

[cheetah]

I'm pretty much satisfied that once you earn a reputation, your registry set becomes a magnet for folks looking to milk the most money possible out of you last few missing books. I've found that obscuring some of my sets has resulted in lower prices when I go after a missing book.

 

I think if I had no choice in the matter, I'd probably dump my registry and do it differently. (I've thought about doing this anyway.)

[Doc Joe]

Personally I do distinguish and understand the "I want to obscure this set for a while" , I have done it myself as I said. What I dont get is the "I will obscure every set I list" , as per Peter says, it seems to defeat the point of sharing and the registry becomes a fancy inventory system - which CGC could simply market and sell.

[DrWatson]

People should have a right to obscure their sets... for what ever reason.

[kuddy]

People should have a right to obscure their sets... for what ever reason.

 

I completely agree. It's their decision to do what they want with their collection. Though I'd love to see what awsome books some of the top obscured collections contain, I understand that it's their decision to keep it "on the downlow".

 

K.

[mysterio]

People should have a right to obscure their sets... for what ever reason.

 

I completely agree. It's their decision to do what they want with their collection. Though I'd love to see what awsome books some of the top obscured collections contain, I understand that it's their decision to keep it "on the downlow".

 

K.

 

While I would like to see these top ranked sets, I have to agree that it is up to the owners whether or not they would like to obscure their sets. I can also see this as a bit of a slippery slope. For example, if you require sets to be public when do you start requiring that people post scans or photos of these important books that everyone would like to see. People should have the flexibility to obscure or not, but I think that all the BSDs should be highly encouraged to not obscure their sets.

[Doc Joe]

I understand that and agree it could be a slippery slope; I just dont buy the argument that people who actively choose to list their sets in a public forum are looking for anonymity.

 

Plenty of collectors who just choose not to list their books or use the registry.Be nice to see Verzeys 9.8 MH Timleys but he chooses not to list and take first place.

 

Just seems counter intuitive and I was also wondering if it has always been this way from the start of the sets or , if not, when it was added as an option

 

 

 

[DrWatson]

Like you said earlier, some people only want a fancy checklist and a way to track their collection and prevent double buying. Plus, I've had Registry set collections that were stalked by other board members. It was an uneasy feeling.

 

Knowledge is power and some people are uncomfortable giving other people knowledge about their collection, yet they still want to use the Registry.

 

Your desire to know does not outweigh their desire to remain private.

[Gotham Kid]

Like you said earlier, some people only want a fancy checklist and a way to track their collection and prevent double buying. Plus, I've had Registry set collections that were stalked by other board members. It was an uneasy feeling.

 

Knowledge is power and some people are uncomfortable giving other people knowledge about their collection, yet they still want to use the Registry.

 

Your desire to know does not outweigh their desire to remain private.

 

So why partake in the registry? The idea behind its conception was for the collective mass to share as a community.

 

If it serves simply as a private checklist, there are certainly other means to inventory a collection.

[Doc Joe]

double buying

 

pull into the desire weigh station ahead and see who is heavier

 

Again I think it comes down to the point of the registry, some view it as a tool to track others as a way to show off or nose into others sets. Clearly it has dual uses that can appear inconsistent if one tends to fall more heavily onto one side of the fence or the other.

 

However, I feel that to push the point further would be to race rapidly down the road to douchery and upset people that I like.

 

Maybe CGC can offer a "pay to peek" feature? $50 for 5 minutes of unobscuring of the sets of your desire, allowable once a month.

 

I think they managed it pretty well with JRs sets, allowing a peak once he won but otherwise keeping them hidden

 

(I still agree with Pete though)

[Gotham Kid]

 

Maybe CGC can offer a "pay to peek" feature? $50 for 5 minutes of unobscuring of the sets of your desire, allowable once a month.

 

I think they managed it pretty well with JRs sets, allowing a peak once he won but otherwise keeping them hidden

 

 

Or maybe even, allow registry sets to be viewed on a per user basis at the discretion of each set's owner ...

 

 

[Gotham Kid]

 

However, I feel that to push the point further would be to race rapidly down the road to douchery and upset people that I like.

 

 

(thumbs u

[DrWatson]

Like you said earlier, some people only want a fancy checklist and a way to track their collection and prevent double buying. Plus, I've had Registry set collections that were stalked by other board members. It was an uneasy feeling.

 

Knowledge is power and some people are uncomfortable giving other people knowledge about their collection, yet they still want to use the Registry.

 

Your desire to know does not outweigh their desire to remain private.

 

So why partake in the registry? The idea behind its conception was for the collective mass to share as a community.

 

If it serves simply as a private checklist, there are certainly other means to inventory a collection.

The way I use the Registry is great. The way you use the Registry sucks.

[Doc Joe]

Like you said earlier, some people only want a fancy checklist and a way to track their collection and prevent double buying. Plus, I've had Registry set collections that were stalked by other board members. It was an uneasy feeling.

 

Knowledge is power and some people are uncomfortable giving other people knowledge about their collection, yet they still want to use the Registry.

 

Your desire to know does not outweigh their desire to remain private.

 

So why partake in the registry? The idea behind its conception was for the collective mass to share as a community.

 

If it serves simply as a private checklist, there are certainly other means to inventory a collection.

The way I use the Registry is great. The way you use the Registry sucks.

 

You give good registry

[N/A]

People should have a right to obscure their sets... for what ever reason.

 

+1

 

[IchigosSoul]

Naw, let them hide thier goods. But I do think you shouldn't be allowed to use stock cover photos, since it may or may not represent the book you have. And it's just lazy.

[Robert Doggett]

My innocent side comes out in me when I want to marvel at others achievements! I think that it would be nice to see what what the top dogs have in their collection. But it ends there. I never think people try to gauge others for the books they need to fill gaps in their collections. In fact, I don't buy books from people on here either. I never even thought about buying a book from someone on here. Most of my buying comes from online auctions, online stores and comicons.

 

If someone wanted to buy something from me from here, I probably wouldn't sell. That's not why I'm here. I'm really trying to climb the registry ladder, so to speak, as far up as I can without going too broke! I like being in the 300's now! I have 22 books that I'm waiting for CGC to send back to me!

 

I guess everyone has their reasons for being here. If some want to obscure their collections, that's their right. I don't like it much because my intentions require drool and a bib! I'm not out to rake someone over the coals or anything of that nature.

 

My 2¢

[pubmonkey]

It would be great to see all the sets purely as a voyeurist... I get why people want to make them obscure...but I think the top winning sets should have to be made public otherwise whats the point of holding a public contest with certificates and awards for something that nobody can see.

[DrWatson]

The point of having a contest is to spur interest in the Registry and "sell" the grading of books.