Accurate raw comic graders on Ebay?

[NTHstars]

Hi yall. It's been an interesting two months on Ebay for me, looking through tons of comics, researching trends and sellers, looking at Ebay feedback and the boards here for inside information.

 

But, so far, it's been a bloodbath.

 

In just two short months I've bought unrestored restored comics, comics with date stamps photoshopped out, reprints advertised as real prints (okay, that was a cheap impulse buy that was plain dumb on my part), and, most recently, a 9.6 raw comic that graded as a 6. That's nine degrees off.

 

What did all of these sellers have in common? Super high feedback ratings, usually a 100 percent.

 

I wont name anyone here for various reasons, including that some may have just goofed.

 

I know the obvious solution is to buy graded comics.

 

But beyond that my question here is this: are there accurate raw graders selling on Ebay? Many say "why would they not just CGC it themselves?" and that it must be a scam.

 

One observation: those same sellers often have many CGC comics, so maybe they either want to draw lookers in with a few raw auctions, or they just want to cater a few comics to that niche group looking for raw.

 

As one commenter said here recently, Ebay certainly is the Wild West.

[Flatliner1313]

I'm paranoid about someone not liking the package they get from me, so I've taken to doing a full grading sheet on the books I'm selling for the most part.

 

Looks something like this (basically the Overstreet Grading guide criteria filled out)

 

Issue: Superman #199

 

 

 

Cover Inks/Gloss: Some loss of reflectivity. Vibrant colours.

 

 

 

Cover Wear: Covers are not perfectly smooth, and have a number of indentations you can feel if you run your fingers over it, or see if you hold it at an angle under light.

 

 

 

Cover Creases: A number of colour breaking creases and stress lines. Top right corner has a 1.75 inch long crease, Bottom right corner has one about 5/8 of an inch. There are others as well, please see the scans for a good idea.

 

 

 

Soiling, Staining: Yes. You can see it most noticeable in the light blue colouring inside the title “SUPERMAN” on the front, or the whiteness of the back cover. General dust or dirt, all over the back cover. Back cover has some sort of stain that looks somewhat oily. Picture is attached.

 

 

 

Dates/Stamps/Initials: No

 

 

 

Spine Roll: Book Lays Flat

 

 

 

Spine Split: About a ¼ inch splitting of the spine at the top.

 

 

 

Staples: intact, and strongly attached

 

 

 

Staple Tears: Yes, they blend in with all the stress lines

 

 

 

Rust Migration: Some on the centrefold. See attached photos

 

 

 

Stress Lines: Many of them. See scans.

 

 

 

Corners: Spinal corners are quite rounded, and abraded. Outer corners show rounding as well, but not as severe as the spinal corners.

 

 

 

Centrefold: Firmly Attached

 

 

 

Interior Tears: Some pinhole tears

 

 

 

Paper Quality/Colour: Off White

 

 

 

Missing Pieces: No

 

 

 

Amateur Repairs: No

 

 

 

Coupon Cut: No

 

 

 

Readability: Preserved

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lizards2]

Yes there are, but to reveal them would be to invite competition.

[rjpb]

Most of the ebay purchases I've had to send back have been from better known dealers who manage to miss things like brittle pages or detached staples.

[oakman29]

There are some accurate graders on Ebay,but their all board members here.So why use Ebay when I can just buy my comics directly from the little group of sellers that I like here,and avoid the middle man.Bonus I don't get screwed this way either. (thumbs u

[goldust40]

I know of a couple of ebay sellers who genuinely grade accurately. That said even those who overgrade (or simply don't grade at all - a growing trend on ebay) can still be bought from once you've worked out what the actual grade is from experience.

 

And no, I'm not saying who the accurate graders are.

[NTHstars]

Yes, I see where its a bit odd to ask comic dealers to dish on who are good sellers. Right, I need to know what look for.

 

One of them went into exquisite detail and missed by nine grades. That's like drafting the wrong Canseco brother.

 

[Bills Comics]

Flatliner I like the depth of your description. Makes the book sound like . But if thats what the book is, thats what the book is That may not matter based on 2 things . The book in question and the price .

I look at what you have there from both sides .

From a buyers perspective without having the book and relying on the description I think of it as superb .

From a sellers perspective its alot of work . But If every seller did this there would be much fewer negative feedbacks and more happy buyers .

What grade does that Superman 199 get ? or do you not give your opinion of a grade, just the info above ?

[Flatliner1313]

Flatliner I like the depth of your description. Makes the book sound like . But if thats what the book is, thats what the book is That may not matter based on 2 things . The book in question and the price .

I look at what you have there from both sides .

From a buyers perspective without having the book and relying on the description I think of it as superb .

From a sellers perspective its alot of work . But If every seller did this there would be much fewer negative feedbacks and more happy buyers .

What grade does that Superman 199 get ? or do you not give your opinion of a grade, just the info above ?

 

If I feel confident in assigning a grade, I will.

My weak spot in grading is in the 4 - 6 range.

It blurs together a bit for me there.

 

[jsilverjanet]

But beyond that my question here is this: are there accurate raw graders selling on Ebay? Many say "why would they not just CGC it themselves?" and that it must be a scam.

 

One observation: those same sellers often have many CGC comics, so maybe they either want to draw lookers in with a few raw auctions, or they just want to cater a few comics to that niche group looking for raw.

 

As one commenter said here recently, Ebay certainly is the Wild West.

 

I can't speak for anyone but me. I sell both graded and raw. The reasons for some books being sold as raw is that getting them graded does cost time and money. Since I mainly deal with low/mid grade books it's not beneficial to me or the buyer to get them graded. I have to applaud Flatliner for his level of detail. While I try to grade to the best of my ability some things are missed. I am human and I am capable of making mistakes but when I do I try to own up to them. I try to stick to the old school grading as it's much easier for me to grade books vs the numbers grading system. When in doubt I ask the PGM boards for confirmation.

 

 

[Dr. Balls]

Hi yall. It's been an interesting two months on Ebay for me, looking through tons of comics, researching trends and sellers, looking at Ebay feedback and the boards here for inside information.

 

But, so far, it's been a bloodbath.

 

In just two short months I've bought unrestored restored comics, comics with date stamps photoshopped out, reprints advertised as real prints (okay, that was a cheap impulse buy that was plain dumb on my part), and, most recently, a 9.6 raw comic that graded as a 6. That's nine degrees off.

 

What did all of these sellers have in common? Super high feedback ratings, usually a 100 percent.

 

I wont name anyone here for various reasons, including that some may have just goofed.

 

I know the obvious solution is to buy graded comics.

 

But beyond that my question here is this: are there accurate raw graders selling on Ebay? Many say "why would they not just CGC it themselves?" and that it must be a scam.

 

One observation: those same sellers often have many CGC comics, so maybe they either want to draw lookers in with a few raw auctions, or they just want to cater a few comics to that niche group looking for raw.

 

As one commenter said here recently, Ebay certainly is the Wild West.

 

Take this with a grain of salt, but I've been bent over worse on grading here on the CGC boards than I have on Ebay. Buying stuff online is a krapshoot, not just Ebay - you are at least sniffing around for reputable sellers, I'll give you that. There are accurate graders everywhere, but finding them is tricky amongst everyone else. I look forward to reading this thread - I need some new saved sellers!

[Jiminy_Cricket-migration]

My weak spot in grading is in the 4 - 6 range.

It blurs together a bit for me there.

 

 

I hate the whole 1.8 - 4.0 range, myself. Between Overstreet guidelines, comparing CGC graded books, and comparing other sellers' listings in that range, the books faults are all over the place. It's like one big blur.

[Logan510]

Yes there are, but to reveal them would be to invite competition.

 

A-friggin-men.

 

To the OP: Do your research. You may have to buy comics from several sellers until you find a few that grade accurately. When I try out a seller I haven't used before, I buy a couple of cheaper books to get an idea of how they operate. Worse comes to worse, most dealers have a return policy.

[Jiminy_Cricket-migration]

Worse comes to worse, most dealers have a return policy.

 

(thumbs u

 

And that really is the best you can ask for.

[Logan510]

There are some accurate graders on Ebay,but their all board members here.So why use Ebay when I can just buy my comics directly from the little group of sellers that I like here,and avoid the middle man.Bonus I don't get screwed this way either. (thumbs u

 

That's absolutely not true. One of the raw dealers I buy from regularly, hates CGC and the idea of slabbed books.

 

And there are plenty of sellers here who don't grade all that well or ship properly.

[oakman29]

There are some accurate graders on Ebay,but their all board members here.So why use Ebay when I can just buy my comics directly from the little group of sellers that I like here,and avoid the middle man.Bonus I don't get screwed this way either. (thumbs u

 

That's absolutely not true. One of the raw dealers I buy from regularly, hates CGC and the idea of slabbed books.

 

And there are plenty of sellers here who don't grade all that well or ship properly.

Guess you didn't see the part in bold. Little group that "I like". (thumbs u

[oakman29]

There are some accurate graders on Ebay,but their all board members here.So why use Ebay when I can just buy my comics directly from the little group of sellers that I like here,and avoid the middle man.Bonus I don't get screwed this way either. (thumbs u

 

That's absolutely not true. One of the raw dealers I buy from regularly, hates CGC and the idea of slabbed books.

 

And there are plenty of sellers here who don't grade all that well or ship properly.

Guess you didn't see the part in bold. Little group that "I like". (thumbs u

Also I'm more than happy to say who I deal with,because let's face it.I would like to promote them to get more sales,their gracious ways should be rewarded. (thumbs u

[Logan510]

There are some accurate graders on Ebay,but their all board members here.So why use Ebay when I can just buy my comics directly from the little group of sellers that I like here,and avoid the middle man.Bonus I don't get screwed this way either. (thumbs u

 

That's absolutely not true. One of the raw dealers I buy from regularly, hates CGC and the idea of slabbed books.

 

And there are plenty of sellers here who don't grade all that well or ship properly.

Guess you didn't see the part in bold. Little group that "I like". (thumbs u

 

I did, but I also saw the bolded above. And let's not kid ourselves, this isn't the first time you've said this about Ebay.

 

There are no absolutes. Not every seller on Ebay is krap and not every seller on here is golden.

[oakman29]

There are some accurate graders on Ebay,but their all board members here.So why use Ebay when I can just buy my comics directly from the little group of sellers that I like here,and avoid the middle man.Bonus I don't get screwed this way either. (thumbs u

 

That's absolutely not true. One of the raw dealers I buy from regularly, hates CGC and the idea of slabbed books.

 

And there are plenty of sellers here who don't grade all that well or ship properly.

Guess you didn't see the part in bold. Little group that "I like". (thumbs u

 

I did, but I also saw the bolded above. And let's not kid ourselves, this isn't the first time you've said this about Ebay.

 

There are no absolutes. Not every seller on Ebay is krap and not every seller on here is golden.

I never said all Ebay sellers are krap! I just choose not to buy from there.The OP was asking our personal preferences,so I gave it.

[Logan510]