How would you feel about a slabbing only service?

[DrWatson]

Yes, and that's a valuable service. But many, and I would venture to say most, comic book collectors are only aware of CGC.

 

And you'll probably find a huge chunk of comic collectors don't give two about CGC.

I've worked a lot of shows over the past few years and raw books outsell graded books by a hefty margin. It's only a small segment of the comic collecting community that trades in graded books.

 

Bingo.

 

We exist in the rarefied strata to most of the comic collecting community.

You know, to some insects, being in the top layer of wildly_fanciful_statement (just below the crust) is considered to be the rarefied strata.

[Ditch Fahrenheit]

Yes, and that's a valuable service. But many, and I would venture to say most, comic book collectors are only aware of CGC.

 

And you'll probably find a huge chunk of comic collectors don't give two about CGC.

I've worked a lot of shows over the past few years and raw books outsell graded books by a hefty margin. It's only a small segment of the comic collecting community that trades in graded books.

 

Bingo.

 

We exist in the rarefied strata to most of the comic collecting community.

You know, to some insects, being in the top layer of wildly_fanciful_statement (just below the crust) is considered to to be the rarefied strata.

[DeliBebek]

All that's missing from the current encapsulation market is a sealable top-loader for raw books. The benefit of top-loaders are the fact that they provide protection where needed (spine, and to a lesser extent, front and back) while being light weight, flat (stackable) & space saving (about 1/2 the thickness of a CGC holder)

 

Apparently top-loaders don't contain volatile vinyl plasticizers that can be detrimental to pulp paper. So, in theory at least, they're archival, not to mention inexpensive. Used in conjunction with Mylar bags they provide cheap, secure and attractive storage for raw comics. What top-loaders don't provide is any sealing mechanism.

 

This isn't a serious oversight, but the addition of some kind of top locking mechanism could make an already useful product just that much better for long term storage of raw books. When used with Mylar envelopes top-loaders protect spines better than a backing board & bag system.

 

Currently the best way to use top-loaders is with flapped Mylar bags. Of course, removal and insertion of comics stored in thicker Mylar always poses a risk.

Any thoughts?

I had a lot of trouble reading that without serifs.

 

My thought. More protection requires more space. That's fine for those who have tamed their collection to manageable numbers. Not so much for those of us who haven't.

[oakman29]

All that's missing from the current encapsulation market is a sealable top-loader for raw books. The benefit of top-loaders are the fact that they provide protection where needed (spine, and to a lesser extent, front and back) while being light weight, flat (stackable) & space saving (about 1/2 the thickness of a CGC holder)

 

Apparently top-loaders don't contain volatile vinyl plasticizers that can be detrimental to pulp paper. So, in theory at least, they're archival, not to mention inexpensive. Used in conjunction with Mylar bags they provide cheap, secure and attractive storage for raw comics. What top-loaders don't provide is any sealing mechanism.

 

This isn't a serious oversight, but the addition of some kind of top locking mechanism could make an already useful product just that much better for long term storage of raw books. When used with Mylar envelopes top-loaders protect spines better than a backing board & bag system.

 

Currently the best way to use top-loaders is with flapped Mylar bags. Of course, removal and insertion of comics stored in thicker Mylar always poses a risk.

Any thoughts?

100% agree with you David. (thumbs u

[Cat-Man_America]

All that's missing from the current encapsulation market is a sealable top-loader for raw books. The benefit of top-loaders are the fact that they provide protection where needed (spine, and to a lesser extent, front and back) while being light weight, flat (stackable) & space saving (about 1/2 the thickness of a CGC holder)

 

Apparently top-loaders don't contain volatile vinyl plasticizers that can be detrimental to pulp paper. So, in theory at least, they're archival, not to mention inexpensive. Used in conjunction with Mylar bags they provide cheap, secure and attractive storage for raw comics. What top-loaders don't provide is any sealing mechanism.

 

This isn't a serious oversight, but the addition of some kind of top locking mechanism could make an already useful product just that much better for long term storage of raw books. When used with Mylar envelopes top-loaders protect spines better than a backing board & bag system.

 

Currently the best way to use top-loaders is with flapped Mylar bags. Of course, removal and insertion of comics stored in thicker Mylar always poses a risk.

Any thoughts?

I had a lot of trouble reading that without serifs.

 

My thought. More protection requires more space. That's fine for those who have tamed their collection to manageable numbers. Not so much for those of us who haven't.

Taming of the comic... [font:Times New Roman]Err... Taming of the comic shrew generates WAF[/font].

[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?

 

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.

What I mean is, if the cert or report or whatever from CGC is not in some sort of tamper-proof case with the comic, how will that be at all trust worthy? Someone would include a CGC resto pass with any old restored comic, know what I mean?

[Ditch Fahrenheit]

All that's missing from the current encapsulation market is a sealable top-loader for raw books. The benefit of top-loaders are the fact that they provide protection where needed (spine, and to a lesser extent, front and back) while being light weight, flat (stackable) & space saving (about 1/2 the thickness of a CGC holder)

 

Apparently top-loaders don't contain volatile vinyl plasticizers that can be detrimental to pulp paper. So, in theory at least, they're archival, not to mention inexpensive. Used in conjunction with Mylar bags they provide cheap, secure and attractive storage for raw comics. What top-loaders don't provide is any sealing mechanism.

 

This isn't a serious oversight, but the addition of some kind of top locking mechanism could make an already useful product just that much better for long term storage of raw books. When used with Mylar envelopes top-loaders protect spines better than a backing board & bag system.

 

Currently the best way to use top-loaders is with flapped Mylar bags. Of course, removal and insertion of comics stored in thicker Mylar always poses a risk.

Any thoughts?

100% agree with you David. (thumbs u

 

I think the mylar/top-loader is a great method to protect and display your collection.

 

The only concern I've heard is regarding the hypothetical situation where someone accidentally spills a glass of soda into a box of open top-loaders. Most people insert the flap side of the mylar down in order to make it easier to get the book in and out of the loader. So, theoretically, each of those loaders would turn into a little aquarium, and the books would be ruined. The theory is that flapped mylars without loaders would shed the majority of the flow. Sooooo....a flapped or top-locking loader might have some benefit.

[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?

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.

This seems risky for the seller. What's to stop the buyer from submitting a different, resto'd copy of the same comic, then demanding a full refund once CGC detects the resto?

[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.

This seems risky for the seller. What's to stop the buyer from submitting a different, resto'd copy of the same comic, then demanding a full refund once CGC detects the resto?

 

It's pretty easy to return a book and get a refund. A savvy buyer would find much easier ways to return an undesirable book than going through a restoration check.

[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?

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.

This seems risky for the seller. What's to stop the buyer from submitting a different, resto'd copy of the same comic, then demanding a full refund once CGC detects the resto?

 

It's pretty easy to return a book and get a refund. A savvy buyer would find much easier ways to return an undesirable book than going through a restoration check.

But the point is, you could keep the comic you bought, and force the seller to accept the return of another, restored copy. With expensive comics, this can be a pretty big deal.

[Flaming_Telepath]

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?

 

Considering that the slab is not the best form of preservation/protection available, but would be the most expensive...

 

Nah.

[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.

This seems risky for the seller. What's to stop the buyer from submitting a different, resto'd copy of the same comic, then demanding a full refund once CGC detects the resto?

 

It's pretty easy to return a book and get a refund. A savvy buyer would find much easier ways to return an undesirable book than going through a restoration check.

But the point is, you could keep the comic you bought, and force the seller to accept the return of another, restored copy. With expensive comics, this can be a pretty big deal.

 

I see.

 

But doesn't this risk currently exist with raws that are graded and encapsulated?

 

The solution to either would seem to be precautionary scans that the buyer seller uses to protect himself. If the scans don't fit, you must acquit.

[Lunchbox-migration]

Like Miraclemet said - I think the better solution is creating a comic book snap case that is the same dimensions, look and feel as a CGC slab (without infringing on their patents) but the case opens up to allow you access to the book for inspection, etc.

 

You build one of those, and I think you'll have something. It's very cottage-industry as well. You can create companies that inspect books in those special cases, then put a sticker on them that voids the grade if broken (like the ones on internal computer parts).

 

You could buy some clamshell slabs from these guys

 

http://comicgrading.com/cbgc/cbgc_grading.html

[The-Collector]

 

There is a huge "raw" market out there that doesn't want or need encapsulation or grading, but wants restoration check to verify that the book they are purchasing is indeed restoration free.

 

I question whether this is true or not.

 

+1

[Magneto]

 

There is a huge "raw" market out there that doesn't want or need encapsulation or grading, but wants restoration check to verify that the book they are purchasing is indeed restoration free.

 

I question whether this is true or not.

 

+1

 

I wouldn't say huge demand, but there definitely is some demand. The issue would be cost

[joecgcmaniac]

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?

If this business is going to have the books sent in to be "slabbed", then you had better factor in that you would have to have one heck of an insurance policy to cover all the books that would be in your possession. That cost alone would probably make the venture a no-go.

[ryanmadam]

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.

 

Let me know if a market opens up for empty slabs. I have some from books I "cracked out" only there was no cracking. Slabs opened up nicely and even snap back together on three corners.

[Dr Chaos]

Without the grade, slabbing seems pointless.