Metropolis Comics

[zosocane]

I've been a 12-year Metro customer. I highly recommend them. Observations:

 

1. The People. Based solely on my dealings with Frank Cwiklik, Rob Reynolds and Vince Zurzolo, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate their people a 10. These guys are stand-up guys, easy to deal with, and easy to communicate with. You are never made to feel like you're wasting their time if you're not buying Tec 27.

 

2. The Service. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate service an 8. They are very responsive to calls and generally to emails, although I have noticed the last year or so that they don't respond as quickly as they did to requests for back cover scans, which tells me that they continue to grow and are incredibly busy. Their website is outstanding -- easy to find stuff.

 

3. The Pricing. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate their pricing a 7. On the Metro side, they are a dealer; on the Comicconnect side, they are a broker. Remember that they have offices and employees in lower mid-town Manhattan. That equals high overhead, so that overhead has to be paid for somehow. On the prices, if it isn't a new arrival, you can typically get 5% to, maybe, 10% off. Generally, pricing correlates with GPA (even for raw), and if it's an in-demand book, you will see about 10% above GPA as they try to push the envelope for their customer (many of their items are on consignment).

 

4. The Grading. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate grading a 7.5. They generally get it right. I've maybe submitted some 15 books to CGC that I've purchased raw from Metro, and about half are correct, and the remaining half are a mix of over-grade by a full point or under-grade by a half point. Remember that grading is subjective, not scientific. Also, when you buy raw, you have a post-purchase inspection period. If you don't agree with their grade, send the book back!

 

5. The Inventory. A rating of 9. Hands-down the best comic book dealer inventory on the planet for Golden and Silver Age.

[c-mack]

I will agree they have the stuff , which makes my dealings so disappointing . With me just getting to buy some of the Timelys I want finally, this makes the pool of books that much smaller..

[thehumantorch]

Well this thread gives me more confidence. If I ever go to New York, I'm going to buy something from them just so I can look around haha.

 

I was just talking to my local "guy" about them and he said they usually add a grade to stuff in his opinion, but still really liked them.

 

Now just need to find something worth buying on there.

 

Visiting Metro's office is a treat. Amazing posters and art on the walls. Just remember it's not a retail store and you will need to make an appointment. They'll ask what you're interested in and pull it from their storage.

[NewWorldOrder]

I will agree they have the stuff , which makes my dealings so disappointing . With me just getting to buy some of the Timelys I want finally, this makes the pool of books that much smaller..

 

I have to say honestly that even before I started dealing in comic books I never felt a dealer was supposed to refund me the CGC grading costs if a book came back restored. I felt they were only liable for the original price of the book when they sold it me as a unrestored.

 

Logically that hold no water.

 

Any reputable A+ dealer which Metropolis very much is has a life-long return policy on restored books accidentally sold to a customer as unrestored.

 

So it seems to me they did what a professional comic book dealer does when this happens. They refund you your money for the purchase of the book.

 

Look I am sure CGC did catch the right restoration, and with many big time dealers with thousands of books this stuff will happen from time to time to them all.

 

You also have to keep in mind CGC gading is an opinion, and while most restoration they catch is 100% correct in their detection I have seen sometimes where it can go either way. Meaning other knowledgable comic scholars would disagree. So when I see a customer bring a book back to a reputable dealer for a return the dealer takes the book back on the trust we have that CGC is correct in their evaluation no questions asked.

 

In short no one at that company told you to get the book graded. Unfortunately for you instead of finding out for free the book was restored it cost you money. Listen I bought an AF 15 from a comic book store a year ago and it came back restored. I got my money back, but I was out $100+ in CGC fees. Its all a part of the game my friend, sorry.

 

I have seen customers state before they bought a really big raw book that the stipulation was if the book came back restored from CGC that the dealer would split the difference with the customer on the CGC fees. Try something like that next time.

 

It sounds again like Metropolis did their job and refunded your money so while it sucks it came back restored I think you were fully made whole on their end.

 

I mean the ladder is no refund from someone from eBay or a small time dealer that works one comic show a year. At least with dealers such as Metro you know they will be there for you to talk and deal with every day.

 

I have dealers like Metropolis on the very top of my list of comic book dealers to do business with. Never a problem what so ever.

 

If you somehow still feel unsatisfied call them up and talk to Vincent. He is very nice and I know cause I see it all the time he is readily available to work with anyone to make a customer happy and want to come back. (thumbs u

[jimjum12]

There are cases where a book is erroneously attributed as having been trimmed. Most resto experts will affirm that trimming can be the most difficult process to detect.CGC could be mistaken and Metro may know enough about the book's background to honestly refute the verdict. It may not be nefarious or oppurtunistic at all. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[joecgcmaniac]

I will agree they have the stuff , which makes my dealings so disappointing . With me just getting to buy some of the Timelys I want finally, this makes the pool of books that much smaller..

 

I have to say honestly that even before I started dealing in comic books I never felt a dealer was supposed to refund me the CGC grading costs if a book came back restored. I felt they were only liable for the original price of the book when they sold it me as a unrestored.

 

Logically that hold no water.

 

Any reputable A+ dealer which Metropolis very much is has a life-long return policy on restored books accidentally sold to a customer as unrestored.

 

So it seems to me they did what a professional comic book dealer does when this happens. They refund you your money for the purchase of the book.

 

Look I am sure CGC did catch the right restoration, and with many big time dealers with thousands of books this stuff will happen from time to time to them all.

 

You also have to keep in mind CGC gading is an opinion, and while most restoration they catch is 100% correct in their detection I have seen sometimes where it can go either way. Meaning other knowledgable comic scholars would disagree. So when I see a customer bring a book back to a reputable dealer for a return the dealer takes the book back on the trust we have that CGC is correct in their evaluation no questions asked.

 

In short no one at that company told you to get the book graded. Unfortunately for you instead of finding out for free the book was restored it cost you money. Listen I bought an AF 15 from a comic book store a year ago and it came back restored. I got my money back, but I was out $100+ in CGC fees. Its all a part of the game my friend, sorry.

 

I have seen customers state before they bought a really big raw book that the stipulation was if the book came back restored from CGC that the dealer would split the difference with the customer on the CGC fees. Try something like that next time.

 

It sounds again like Metropolis did their job and refunded your money so while it sucks it came back restored I think you were fully made whole on their end.

 

I mean the ladder is no refund from someone from eBay or a small time dealer that works one comic show a year. At least with dealers such as Metro you know they will be there for you to talk and deal with every day.

 

I have dealers like Metropolis on the very top of my list of comic book dealers to do business with. Never a problem what so ever.

 

If you somehow still feel unsatisfied call them up and talk to Vincent. He is very nice and I know cause I see it all the time he is readily available to work with anyone to make a customer happy and want to come back. (thumbs u

 

This is what separates the good sellers from the great sellers. I good seller will only refund the cost of the book if restoration is found. A great seller will not only refund the cost of the book, but will also refund the costs of the CGC grading.

 

The great sellers are also those who don't have the love/hate threads written about them when it comes to whether or not a collector should buy books from them. Thankfully there are great sellers out there.

[stroszek]

 

 

3. The Pricing. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate their pricing a 7. On the Metro side, they are a dealer; on the Comicconnect side, they are a broker. Remember that they have offices and employees in lower mid-town Manhattan. That equals high overhead, so that overhead has to be paid for somehow. On the prices, if it isn't a new arrival, you can typically get 5% to, maybe, 10% off. Generally, pricing correlates with GPA (even for raw), and if it's an in-demand book, you will see about 10% above GPA as they try to push the envelope for their customer (many of their items are on consignment).

 

I don't see them within 10% of GPA too often on higher value books. 30-50% is not uncommon.(just went tothe home page and looked at three books - all were between 60% and 300%+ over most recent GPA though the justification was pedigree on two - asking $9500 on an ASM 129 in 9.8? I guess because of white pages...) And that's their right and their advantage as such a powerhouse in acquiring great books; they must also be representing a consigner who says "I don't want to sell, unless I get this crazy price."

 

But when you just look at one price after another like that where sometimes you could offer two-thirds the asking price and still be bidding well over GPA,, you stop thinking about buying altogether, but you'll darn sure give them a ring when it's time to sell. And always keep looking at the wonderful books you'll never be able to buy from them.

 

 

 

 

[NewWorldOrder]

I will agree they have the stuff , which makes my dealings so disappointing . With me just getting to buy some of the Timelys I want finally, this makes the pool of books that much smaller..

 

I have to say honestly that even before I started dealing in comic books I never felt a dealer was supposed to refund me the CGC grading costs if a book came back restored. I felt they were only liable for the original price of the book when they sold it me as a unrestored.

 

Logically that hold no water.

 

Any reputable A+ dealer which Metropolis very much is has a life-long return policy on restored books accidentally sold to a customer as unrestored.

 

So it seems to me they did what a professional comic book dealer does when this happens. They refund you your money for the purchase of the book.

 

Look I am sure CGC did catch the right restoration, and with many big time dealers with thousands of books this stuff will happen from time to time to them all.

 

You also have to keep in mind CGC gading is an opinion, and while most restoration they catch is 100% correct in their detection I have seen sometimes where it can go either way. Meaning other knowledgable comic scholars would disagree. So when I see a customer bring a book back to a reputable dealer for a return the dealer takes the book back on the trust we have that CGC is correct in their evaluation no questions asked.

 

In short no one at that company told you to get the book graded. Unfortunately for you instead of finding out for free the book was restored it cost you money. Listen I bought an AF 15 from a comic book store a year ago and it came back restored. I got my money back, but I was out $100+ in CGC fees. Its all a part of the game my friend, sorry.

 

I have seen customers state before they bought a really big raw book that the stipulation was if the book came back restored from CGC that the dealer would split the difference with the customer on the CGC fees. Try something like that next time.

 

It sounds again like Metropolis did their job and refunded your money so while it sucks it came back restored I think you were fully made whole on their end.

 

I mean the ladder is no refund from someone from eBay or a small time dealer that works one comic show a year. At least with dealers such as Metro you know they will be there for you to talk and deal with every day.

 

I have dealers like Metropolis on the very top of my list of comic book dealers to do business with. Never a problem what so ever.

 

If you somehow still feel unsatisfied call them up and talk to Vincent. He is very nice and I know cause I see it all the time he is readily available to work with anyone to make a customer happy and want to come back. (thumbs u

 

This is what separates the good sellers from the great sellers. I good seller will only refund the cost of the book if restoration is found. A great seller will not only refund the cost of the book, but will also refund the costs of the CGC grading.

 

The great sellers are also those who don't have the love/hate threads written about them when it comes to whether or not a collector should buy books from them. Thankfully there are great sellers out there.

 

So by that sound logic ( ) then.....

 

What separates a good buyer from a great buyer when a book they buy comes back a grade or two higher from CGC the good buyer gives the dealer positive feedback while a great buyer gives the dealer the extra money for the upgrade then correct?

 

I do not know of any major dealer that gives CGC grading costs back as refund in their company guidelines on restored books. If they do great that is a nice gesture, but not giving back CGC fees that you the BUYER incurred after the fact isn't even on the radar as far as the right thing they have to do because that is completely absurd.

 

Hey, your right I mean I am assuming your the type of guy that would without hesitation call the seller you bought a book from and kick him back the money you owe them when that book came back a 9.4 instead of a 9.0 which you bought it as.

[c-mack]

I will agree they have the stuff , which makes my dealings so disappointing . With me just getting to buy some of the Timelys I want finally, this makes the pool of books that much smaller..

 

I have to say honestly that even before I started dealing in comic books I never felt a dealer was supposed to refund me the CGC grading costs if a book came back restored. I felt they were only liable for the original price of the book when they sold it me as a unrestored.

 

Logically that hold no water.

 

Any reputable A+ dealer which Metropolis very much is has a life-long return policy on restored books accidentally sold to a customer as unrestored.

 

So it seems to me they did what a professional comic book dealer does when this happens. They refund you your money for the purchase of the book.

 

Look I am sure CGC did catch the right restoration, and with many big time dealers with thousands of books this stuff will happen from time to time to them all.

 

You also have to keep in mind CGC gading is an opinion, and while most restoration they catch is 100% correct in their detection I have seen sometimes where it can go either way. Meaning other knowledgable comic scholars would disagree. So when I see a customer bring a book back to a reputable dealer for a return the dealer takes the book back on the trust we have that CGC is correct in their evaluation no questions asked.

 

In short no one at that company told you to get the book graded. Unfortunately for you instead of finding out for free the book was restored it cost you money. Listen I bought an AF 15 from a comic book store a year ago and it came back restored. I got my money back, but I was out $100+ in CGC fees. Its all a part of the game my friend, sorry.

 

I have seen customers state before they bought a really big raw book that the stipulation was if the book came back restored from CGC that the dealer would split the difference with the customer on the CGC fees. Try something like that next time.

 

It sounds again like Metropolis did their job and refunded your money so while it sucks it came back restored I think you were fully made whole on their end.

 

I mean the ladder is no refund from someone from eBay or a small time dealer that works one comic show a year. At least with dealers such as Metro you know they will be there for you to talk and deal with every day.

 

I have dealers like Metropolis on the very top of my list of comic book dealers to do business with. Never a problem what so ever.

 

If you somehow still feel unsatisfied call them up and talk to Vincent. He is very nice and I know cause I see it all the time he is readily available to work with anyone to make a customer happy and want to come back. (thumbs u

 

 

at the end of the day they did the right thing to a basic degree,they refunded me for the book ( which i still haven't gotten ) but when I call to ask about the book in the 1st place and ask how sure they are about the work done on it and flat out ask if the book been trim and they tell me " dont worry" and you will be ok with it" then I think they should of given me ALL my money back or atleast a im SORRY for wasting my time and money. I mean if anyone understands how "things happen" thing, it would be me since I sell comics everyday to people and I know how I would of handled it if the shoe was on the other foot and lets just say Sorry would of been the 1st thing out of my mouth and refund of all the loot...but again it was just a lesson learned and ive moved on to other books! =)

 

but no matter what I still think its wrong for them to relist the book without noting its trimmed

[jaxcomics]

My own experience with them was l that they happened to have a fairly scarce, albeit obscure book that I was looking for. It wasn't priced highly at all (around $50), but they still sent me front and back cover scans, were very friendly, and had the book out to me immediately upon payment, which was impressive for such a small order and given some of the other things I'd heard. The book ended up being a bit over-graded, but I didn't mind as it was for my pc and priced very reasonably to begin with. I'm sure if it had been a highly-priced key or something, I would have felt much differently.

[zosocane]

 

 

3. The Pricing. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate their pricing a 7. On the Metro side, they are a dealer; on the Comicconnect side, they are a broker. Remember that they have offices and employees in lower mid-town Manhattan. That equals high overhead, so that overhead has to be paid for somehow. On the prices, if it isn't a new arrival, you can typically get 5% to, maybe, 10% off. Generally, pricing correlates with GPA (even for raw), and if it's an in-demand book, you will see about 10% above GPA as they try to push the envelope for their customer (many of their items are on consignment).

 

I don't see them within 10% of GPA too often on higher value books. 30-50% is not uncommon.(just went tothe home page and looked at three books - all were between 60% and 300%+ over most recent GPA though the justification was pedigree on two - asking $9500 on an ASM 129 in 9.8? I guess because of white pages...) And that's their right and their advantage as such a powerhouse in acquiring great books; they must also be representing a consigner who says "I don't want to sell, unless I get this crazy price."

 

But when you just look at one price after another like that where sometimes you could offer two-thirds the asking price and still be bidding well over GPA,, you stop thinking about buying altogether, but you'll darn sure give them a ring when it's time to sell. And always keep looking at the wonderful books you'll never be able to buy from them.

 

 

 

 

Once you start to get to keys, "hot books" or pedigrees or white pages or something else that separates a book from run-of-the-mill, yes, they go well above GPA. So a key book such as an ASM 129 in crazy-high grade (9.8) with white pages ... that price does not surprise me. Also bear in mind that a lot of their keys, semi-keys, etc. are consignment books. It's their client that wants the ultra high price, and Metro is simply brokering the price. So that ASM 129 could very well be a consignment copy, who knows.

[Jeffro.]

Over the years I've heard a lot of back and forth about Metro. There has been the good and the bad (as well as the really good and unfortunately, the really bad).

 

Comments that trend towards bad about any dealer always give me pause and when those bad comments keep rearing their ugly head, it causes concern.

 

The one thing that keeps popping up over the years is their hit or miss grading. When dealing with comic sellers, that's a big deal for me.

 

That doesn't mean that I would never deal with Metro, only that I would probably start small and if pleased by the results, would increase my business.

[Dr Chaos]

If Metro always priced at or below GPA they would not have set the record with the Action # 1 sale at $2.4 million. Just because the GPA for a book is at a certain level does not mean that the book isn't worth more or that someone else isn't willing to pay a higher price. If the buyers willing to pay a premium weren't out there the books would be priced lower.

 

The fact is that Metro sells a very high volume of books to a great number of customers. Anyone that has had the experience of selling books on ebay or elsewhere would know that you can't please everyone. No one is perfect but my experience with them has been very positive. In addition to having a great selection of books they do provide a high level of service.

[blazingbob]

Everybody should sell CGC books for below GPA. Eventually the books will be selling for cover price. I just do not understand the Toilet bowl flush pricing mentality. "Can't pay GPA, Can't pay GPA, OMG prices are going down again". If no one pays over GPA prices continue to go down.

[VintageComics]

Everybody should sell CGC books for below GPA. Eventually the books will be selling for cover price. I just do not understand the Toilet bowl flush pricing mentality. "Can't pay GPA, Can't pay GPA, OMG prices are going down again". If no one pays over GPA prices continue to go down.

 

I've been saying that for years.

 

Buyers are so mindful of GPA and not wanting to pay more than the last person that they are actually causing the market to drop - and yet when it's time to sell, everyone wants their books to keep appreciating.

 

GPA, while keeping terrific track of sales has actually done the unexpected. It gives such quick feedback into price variations that not using it with a grain of salt causes a very large pendulum affect with buyers.

 

 

[gregreece]

Everybody should sell CGC books for below GPA. Eventually the books will be selling for cover price. I just do not understand the Toilet bowl flush pricing mentality. "Can't pay GPA, Can't pay GPA, OMG prices are going down again". If no one pays over GPA prices continue to go down.

 

Had this happen this past weekend. Buyer was quoting GPA for an ugly miswrapped CR/OW copy (I saw it sell at auction). I had a white pager with perfect registration. He wanted to buy mine at a 25% discount (to the CR/OW copy) because "everyone knows all bronze age books are falling". Not gonna lie, it was sweet when he came back the next day to up his lowball offer and I could tell him the book sold yesterday. .

 

 

[Webhead1981]

Everybody should sell CGC books for below GPA. Eventually the books will be selling for cover price. I just do not understand the Toilet bowl flush pricing mentality. "Can't pay GPA, Can't pay GPA, OMG prices are going down again". If no one pays over GPA prices continue to go down.

 

Had this happen this past weekend. Buyer was quoting GPA for an ugly miswrapped CR/OW copy (I saw it sell at auction). I had a white pager with perfect registration. He wanted to buy mine at a 25% discount (to the CR/OW copy) because "everyone knows all bronze age books are falling". Not gonna lie, it was sweet when he came back the next day to up his lowball offer and I could tell him the book sold yesterday. .

 

 

Nice to get a perspective from someone who actively sells books. I'm sure you've seen a lot more than most of us when it comes to selling and buying comics.

[thehumantorch]

Everybody should sell CGC books for below GPA. Eventually the books will be selling for cover price. I just do not understand the Toilet bowl flush pricing mentality. "Can't pay GPA, Can't pay GPA, OMG prices are going down again". If no one pays over GPA prices continue to go down.

 

Had this happen this past weekend. Buyer was quoting GPA for an ugly miswrapped CR/OW copy (I saw it sell at auction). I had a white pager with perfect registration. He wanted to buy mine at a 25% discount (to the CR/OW copy) because "everyone knows all bronze age books are falling". Not gonna lie, it was sweet when he came back the next day to up his lowball offer and I could tell him the book sold yesterday. .

 

 

Capitalist

[romanheart]

Over the years I've heard a lot of back and forth about Metro. There has been the good and the bad (as well as the really good and unfortunately, the really bad).

 

Comments that trend towards bad about any dealer always give me pause and when those bad comments keep rearing their ugly head, it causes concern.

 

The one thing that keeps popping up over the years is their hit or miss grading. When dealing with comic sellers, that's a big deal for me.

 

That doesn't mean that I would never deal with Metro, only that I would probably start small and if pleased by the results, would increase my business.

 

My feeling exactly. Reputation matters.

[chrisco37]

I will agree they have the stuff , which makes my dealings so disappointing . With me just getting to buy some of the Timelys I want finally, this makes the pool of books that much smaller..

 

I have to say honestly that even before I started dealing in comic books I never felt a dealer was supposed to refund me the CGC grading costs if a book came back restored. I felt they were only liable for the original price of the book when they sold it me as a unrestored.

 

Logically that hold no water.

 

Any reputable A+ dealer which Metropolis very much is has a life-long return policy on restored books accidentally sold to a customer as unrestored.

 

So it seems to me they did what a professional comic book dealer does when this happens. They refund you your money for the purchase of the book.

 

Look I am sure CGC did catch the right restoration, and with many big time dealers with thousands of books this stuff will happen from time to time to them all.

 

You also have to keep in mind CGC gading is an opinion, and while most restoration they catch is 100% correct in their detection I have seen sometimes where it can go either way. Meaning other knowledgable comic scholars would disagree. So when I see a customer bring a book back to a reputable dealer for a return the dealer takes the book back on the trust we have that CGC is correct in their evaluation no questions asked.

 

In short no one at that company told you to get the book graded. Unfortunately for you instead of finding out for free the book was restored it cost you money. Listen I bought an AF 15 from a comic book store a year ago and it came back restored. I got my money back, but I was out $100+ in CGC fees. Its all a part of the game my friend, sorry.

 

I have seen customers state before they bought a really big raw book that the stipulation was if the book came back restored from CGC that the dealer would split the difference with the customer on the CGC fees. Try something like that next time.

 

It sounds again like Metropolis did their job and refunded your money so while it sucks it came back restored I think you were fully made whole on their end.

 

I mean the ladder is no refund from someone from eBay or a small time dealer that works one comic show a year. At least with dealers such as Metro you know they will be there for you to talk and deal with every day.

 

I have dealers like Metropolis on the very top of my list of comic book dealers to do business with. Never a problem what so ever.

 

If you somehow still feel unsatisfied call them up and talk to Vincent. He is very nice and I know cause I see it all the time he is readily available to work with anyone to make a customer happy and want to come back. (thumbs u

 

This is what separates the good sellers from the great sellers. I good seller will only refund the cost of the book if restoration is found. A great seller will not only refund the cost of the book, but will also refund the costs of the CGC grading.

 

The great sellers are also those who don't have the love/hate threads written about them when it comes to whether or not a collector should buy books from them. Thankfully there are great sellers out there.

 

So by that sound logic ( ) then.....

 

What separates a good buyer from a great buyer when a book they buy comes back a grade or two higher from CGC the good buyer gives the dealer positive feedback while a great buyer gives the dealer the extra money for the upgrade then correct?

 

I do not know of any major dealer that gives CGC grading costs back as refund in their company guidelines on restored books. If they do great that is a nice gesture, but not giving back CGC fees that you the BUYER incurred after the fact isn't even on the radar as far as the right thing they have to do because that is completely absurd.

 

Hey, your right I mean I am assuming your the type of guy that would without hesitation call the seller you bought a book from and kick him back the money you owe them when that book came back a 9.4 instead of a 9.0 which you bought it as.

 

 

Ahhh...but there is a dealer out there that does just that!!!

 

Each unrestored raw comic offered is painstakingly examined for any signs of restoration and repair so that we can make a restoration guarantee that is absolutely unique among sellers of unrestored raw comics.

 

If one of our unrestored listings is returned from a grading service with

anything but a blue label, that is, returned restored or qualified, without

being disclosed as such, we assume all financial liability for the buyer's

purchase:

 

A full refund of the price

 

The Postage for the purchase

 

The buyer's Postal fees to and from CGC or PGX

 

The full amount of the grading fees for that comic

 

The buyer's postage for the return for refund

 

In short, if we are wrong, and a comic listed as unrestored is graded

restored or qualified, the entire amount of out of pocket expense incurred by our buyer for that item is reimbursed