How would you feel about a slabbing only service?

[HarryRod]

I mentioned this in another thread, but figured i would throw it out to the bigger audience.

How would the community feel about either one of the existing or possibly a new third party offering a slabbing only service?

Basically they would slab a book for protection and display only....no grades, no certifications....strictly slabbing.

 

Thoughts?

Could this be a viable business opportunity or is it something that the community would even want?

[Hammerhead]

A expensive frame? Probaby not the best idea, I think I have seen it tossed around here a few times in the last coupleof years.

[Jeffro.]

I wouldn't pay for it. I'd rather just store the comic in a mylar with an acid free backing board. That option will be cheaper and will require much less space for storage

[Hado]

I just read this and was mulling the idea around in my head, as a knee jerk reaction I'd say no. If its strictly for protection many people aren't that fussy about the slabs CGC uses because they can damage books, they're bulky for storage and the price is so much higher in price than the tried and true bags n' boards. I'd also be very weary about buying a book that's in a slab already that's not graded, who knows what the slab is hiding that I can't open up the book to see. Just my opinion. :shrug:

I'm interested in what people with high value books would think though.

[Ditch Fahrenheit]

This is off-topic, but I know a lot of people that wish CGC would offer a restoration check (no grading or encapsulation) with quick turnaround. I think this is a huge tangential opportunity that wouldn't necessarily decrease grading sales.

[DeliBebek]

I think there is more likely to be a market for the empty slabs in lieu of mylar/board. Still, I think most people would prefer to have access to their comics, other than the graded ones.

[Speedy-D]

Would there be a spot where we could slip in our own grades?

[Speedy-D]

I just read this and was mulling the idea around in my head, as a knee jerk reaction I'd say no. If its strictly for protection many people aren't that fussy about the slabs CGC uses because they can damage books, they're bulky for storage and the price is so much higher in price than the tried and true bags n' boards. I'd also be very weary about buying a book that's in a slab already that's not graded, who knows what the slab is hiding that I can't open up the book to see. Just my opinion. :shrug:

I'm interested in what people with high value books would think though.

I didn't even think of that. That'd definitely be a non-starter for me.

[Transplant]

This is off-topic, but I know a lot of people that wish CGC would offer a restoration check (no grading or encapsulation) with quick turnaround. I think this is a huge tangential opportunity that wouldn't necessarily decrease grading sales.

There are people, like joeypost, who will do the same, cheaper and faster.

[Speedy-D]

This is off-topic, but I know a lot of people that wish CGC would offer a restoration check (no grading or encapsulation) with quick turnaround. I think this is a huge tangential opportunity that wouldn't necessarily decrease grading sales.

There's other places you can go for a resto check. Why wait for CGC to offer it?

[JazzMan]

Would there be a spot where we could slip in our own grades?

 

Well, you can always get those other guys that are slapping on hologram stickers on CGC books to put 'em on yours too.

[Ditch Fahrenheit]

This is off-topic, but I know a lot of people that wish CGC would offer a restoration check (no grading or encapsulation) with quick turnaround. I think this is a huge tangential opportunity that wouldn't necessarily decrease grading sales.

There's other places you can go for a resto check. Why wait for CGC to offer it?

 

Trust.

 

Most comic book collectors aren't as sophisticated as many here on the boards. Yet, CGC is a household name to most of them.

[Speedy-D]

This is off-topic, but I know a lot of people that wish CGC would offer a restoration check (no grading or encapsulation) with quick turnaround. I think this is a huge tangential opportunity that wouldn't necessarily decrease grading sales.

There's other places you can go for a resto check. Why wait for CGC to offer it?

 

Trust.

 

Most comic book collectors aren't as sophisticated as many here on the boards. Yet, CGC is a household name to most of them.

O, you mean you want the resto check and the case, without the grade? If you're just getting the check without the case, where's the trust?

[Ditch Fahrenheit]

This is off-topic, but I know a lot of people that wish CGC would offer a restoration check (no grading or encapsulation) with quick turnaround. I think this is a huge tangential opportunity that wouldn't necessarily decrease grading sales.

There's other places you can go for a resto check. Why wait for CGC to offer it?

 

Trust.

 

Most comic book collectors aren't as sophisticated as many here on the boards. Yet, CGC is a household name to most of them.

O, you mean you want the resto check and the case, without the grade? If you're just getting the check without the case, where's the trust?

 

No. Just restoration check. As stated originally, no grading or encapsulation.

 

There's a huge untapped "raw collector" market out there that, for whatever reason, doesn't want or need third-party grading or plastic cases, but sees value in CGC's restoration detection expertise. This is especially true for buyers making a significant purchase.

[miraclemet]

Here's a thought along these lines... On the rare occasion that those "Fortress" slabbs are offered up they seem to get snapped up faster than...umm Bedlam NYCC variants?

 

CGC already has a fabricator who constructs the parts of the current cases.

 

They could get a nice economy of scale price for the same materials, and even maybe use some of the same part molds to create something Fortress-ish.

 

It solves the "Im buying an encapsulated ungraded book and I dont know what Im getting" cause you can open it.

 

With the Fortresses being grabbed quickly there is obviously a market for the people who want to do more than bag and board their more expensive comics, but dont want them sealed up for all eternity... (or untill you crack them and have to put them back in mylars.)

[miraclemet]

This is off-topic, but I know a lot of people that wish CGC would offer a restoration check (no grading or encapsulation) with quick turnaround. I think this is a huge tangential opportunity that wouldn't necessarily decrease grading sales.

There's other places you can go for a resto check. Why wait for CGC to offer it?

This is off-topic, but I know a lot of people that wish CGC would offer a restoration check (no grading or encapsulation) with quick turnaround. I think this is a huge tangential opportunity that wouldn't necessarily decrease grading sales.

There are people, like joeypost, who will do the same, cheaper and faster.

 

I think there might be some people who like the "one stop shopping" appeal of being able to send in a stack of books for grading and encapsulation, and a second stack of books just for a restore check all to the same place.

 

Though, part of CGC's authenticity is that the book is resto checked and then encased, so no more monkey business (assuming it stays slabbed). Nothing saying a book couldnt get a resto check from CGC, get a clean bill of health, go back to the owner who then color touches it up a few grades and then tries to sell it at the touched up grade with a CGC resto free certificate. Definitely would kill the CGC brand.

 

[Cascaders27]

Would there be a spot where we could slip in our own grades?

 

I'd be far more interested in adding stickers

[comix4fun]

I mentioned this in another thread, but figured i would throw it out to the bigger audience.

How would the community feel about either one of the existing or possibly a new third party offering a slabbing only service?

Basically they would slab a book for protection and display only....no grades, no certifications....strictly slabbing.

 

Thoughts?

Could this be a viable business opportunity or is it something that the community would even want?

 

 

 

They already do it.

 

 

[comix4fun]

This is off-topic, but I know a lot of people that wish CGC would offer a restoration check (no grading or encapsulation) with quick turnaround. I think this is a huge tangential opportunity that wouldn't necessarily decrease grading sales.

There's other places you can go for a resto check. Why wait for CGC to offer it?

 

Trust.

 

Most comic book collectors aren't as sophisticated as many here on the boards. Yet, CGC is a household name to most of them.

O, you mean you want the resto check and the case, without the grade? If you're just getting the check without the case, where's the trust?

 

No. Just restoration check. As stated originally, no grading or encapsulation.

 

There's a huge untapped "raw collector" market out there that, for whatever reason, doesn't want or need third-party grading or plastic cases, but sees value in CGC's restoration detection expertise. This is especially true for buyers making a significant purchase.

 

The encapsulation is what makes the resto check "portable" and thus valuable.

 

Otherwise the resto-check is a service that only has limited and very ephemeral value.

 

As soon as the book leaves CGC's hands on a resto check the claims of "resto free" become worthless without some form of protection to keep the book from being restored subsequent to the resto check.

[Ditch Fahrenheit]

This is off-topic, but I know a lot of people that wish CGC would offer a restoration check (no grading or encapsulation) with quick turnaround. I think this is a huge tangential opportunity that wouldn't necessarily decrease grading sales.

There's other places you can go for a resto check. Why wait for CGC to offer it?

This is off-topic, but I know a lot of people that wish CGC would offer a restoration check (no grading or encapsulation) with quick turnaround. I think this is a huge tangential opportunity that wouldn't necessarily decrease grading sales.

There are people, like joeypost, who will do the same, cheaper and faster.

 

I think there might be some people who like the "one stop shopping" appeal of being able to send in a stack of books for grading and encapsulation, and a second stack of books just for a restore check all to the same place.

 

Though, part of CGC's authenticity is that the book is resto checked and then encased, so no more monkey business (assuming it stays slabbed). Nothing saying a book couldnt get a resto check from CGC, get a clean bill of health, go back to the owner who then color touches it up a few grades and then tries to sell it at the touched up grade with a CGC resto free certificate. Definitely would kill the CGC brand.

 

This would be for the buyer who purchases a high dollar "raw" comic book and wants to be sure that it has no restoration. A clean bill of health from CGC would give peace of mind. If restoration is detected, that same buyer would be able to return the book to the seller for a refund.

 

Since CGC is not currently serving this market, it would not be parasitic to sales. I disagree that it would hurt the CGC brand, in fact I think it would enhance it.