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Comic Heaven: Big Sandy, TX

Started by sterlingcomics,

20 posts in this topic

sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

Posted
Posted

Anyone particpated in their auction? I received some info about their auctions--looks like you have to respond via mail (I'm talking about the snail kind--not e-mail)?

 

Also, can anyone respond in terms of their grading and customer service?

 

Thanks!

Sterling

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Zonker

Zonker

Posted
Posted

Yes, it is completely old-school-- US mail bids, and no concept of proxy bidding: if you win, you pay at your bidding price, no matter what the underbidder offered.

 

I've participated the last 5 years or so and picked up a number of low-to mid grade Golden Age books. Realizing I'm not using them to buy higher grade more recent stuff, I've been happy with their grading.

 

Regarding customer service, they have a 100% hassle-free return policy- thumbsup2.gif you can send any books back for any reason, no explanation required, for a full refund. No questions asked. I've occasionally sent GA books back, for instance VG books with tape on them (allowed by OS, but not something I want in my collection.)

 

This is the first year I'll be sitting the auction out though, simply because they didn't have any GA on my want list in my price range.

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sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

Posted
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Cool thanks---anyone have any experience with high grades grading?

 

Also, isn't this the husband/wife team I remember reading about in the OSG?

 

I can't imagine the amount of work to organize who bid on what and how much for a manual auction like this. foreheadslap.gif Bless them if they can tackle a gigantic task like that flowerred.gif

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rjpb

rjpb

Posted
Posted

This thread reminds me that I have to contact them for the auction catalog, I didn't get it at my new address last year. In the past I often won most of what I bid on, and I found their grading had gotten tighter as of two years ago, at least on GD to VF stuff. I think John has generally had a good reputation for grading higher grade items, but back when they were still based in Alhambra, I usually felt the stuff I won in FN or less was a bit overgraded - however, I used to pick my stuff up in person, and John was always willing to work out a deal, if I found the grade too far off.

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mr_highgrade

mr_highgrade

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Posted

I've bought books from their auctions in the past. They totally overgrade. 893frustrated.gif Their return policy is hassle free. The only book that I kept was a X-men # 2 that was graded NM back in the early 90's. It came back from CGC 7.5 VF- mad.gif

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greggy

greggy

Posted
Posted
I've bought books from their auctions in the past. They totally overgrade. 893frustrated.gif Their return policy is hassle free. The only book that I kept was a X-men # 2 that was graded NM back in the early 90's. It came back from CGC 7.5 VF- mad.gif
frown.gif
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goldust40

goldust40

Posted
Posted
I've bought books from their auctions in the past. They totally overgrade. 893frustrated.gif Their return policy is hassle free. The only book that I kept was a X-men # 2 that was graded NM back in the early 90's. It came back from CGC 7.5 VF- mad.gif

 

My experience: I bid on, and won, 40 lots from Comic Heaven 2 years ago - mostly high grade S.A. with a couple of Atom Age books. Sent 35 back due to unacceptable overgrading (some were two full grades out). The 5 I kept were passable for what I paid, but out of those only one was actually correctly graded.

 

To be fair, I have bought from them in SD, and their return policy is excellent - I received a full refund very quickly. I don't think I'll bid on one of their auctions again unless I hear that their quality control picks up, though. Plus sending off a deposit on your bids and waiting for ages to find out if you've won anything is too unwieldy and archaic in the ebay/Heritage Age.

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Rocketeer

Rocketeer

Posted
Posted
I've bought books from their auctions in the past. They totally over grade. 893frustrated.gif Their return policy is hassle free. The only book that I kept was a X-men # 2 that was graded NM back in the early 90's. It came back from CGC 7.5 VF- mad.gif

 

I concur,...grading off by two full points in some cases,...but returns are easy,...to me it's not worth the hassle,..i tossed the catalog in the trash the day it came in the mail...

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goldust40

goldust40

Posted
Posted
I've bought books from their auctions in the past. They totally over grade. 893frustrated.gif Their return policy is hassle free. The only book that I kept was a X-men # 2 that was graded NM back in the early 90's. It came back from CGC 7.5 VF- mad.gif

 

I concur,...grading off by two full points in some cases,...but returns are easy,...to me it's not worth the hassell,..i tossed the catalog in the trash the day it came in the mail...

 

See my above post.....I'll have a quick scan through it and then forget it.

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mrwoogieman

mrwoogieman

Posted
Posted

The entire catalog was included in the latest issue of CBG, about 25 pages worth, including tons of color pics. I can't believe they don't do online bidding too.

 

Let me get this straight, if you bid $500 on an item and someone else bids $300, you win it for $500, not $325? Is that what was meant by no proxy bidding? That would lead me to low ball lots of books in the hopes that a few slip through.... 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

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goldust40

goldust40

Posted
Posted
The entire catalog was included in the latest issue of CBG, about 25 pages worth, including tons of color pics. I can't believe they don't do online bidding too.

 

Let me get this straight, if you bid $500 on an item and someone else bids $300, you win it for $500, not $325? Is that what was meant by no proxy bidding? That would lead me to low ball lots of books in the hopes that a few slip through.... 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

 

You're on the money there - and yes, I'd be careful not to put any killer bids on anything, unless it's a grail book. You may end up paying significantly over the odds.

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Aces

Aces

Posted
Posted

I got their catalog.

They could upload scans of the $100 and up books somewhere and list the URL.

 

But they don't... frown.gif

 

I don't buy blind. 893naughty-thumb.gif

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rjpb

rjpb

Posted
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Most of what I've won in their auctions comes from bidding the minimum, or a couple bucks over, but with the knowledge that a FN is likely to be a VG/F and a VG a G/VG, etc. Although, as I posted earlier, the last auction I participated in, I was surprised to find their grading closer to my own estimate on the five books I won, all GA or pre-code in G- to F/VF( no more than one grade off, and dead on on a couple ). The only higher grade book I've won at auction from them was a circle 8 World of Fantasy I posted in the post-code thread, Comic Heaven graded it a VF/NM, which I felt to be accurate.

 

 

If you bid the maximum amount that you'd pay for a book two grades lower than their grade, you'll probably be okay, unfortunately that dollar amount is often higher than their minimum bid.

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batman_fan

batman_fan

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Posted

I only bid once about four years ago. I won a Batman 29 and a Detective 157 (I think). Both were so-so on the grading and the Detective had heavy foxing which wasn't mentioned in the description. I now avoid them just becasue I can't really rely on their grading, they don't provide reasonable scans so you can judge for yourself. Also, the whole bidding process really sucks!

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