Accurate raw comic graders on Ebay?

[oakman29]

Instead of arguing over stupid semantics,you should just stare at HulkSmash's boobs sig. line.

[Logan510]

Instead of arguing over stupid semantics,you should just stare at HulkSmash's boobs sig. line.

 

 

I'd rather watch you backpeddle, just be sure not to get your pants caught in the chain

[oakman29]

Instead of arguing over stupid semantics,you should just stare at HulkSmash's boobs sig. line.

 

 

I'd rather watch you backpeddle, just be sure not to get your pants caught in the chain

No backpeddling going on here.

[Mmehdy]

This post has to be a JOKE, E-Bay= Flippers, Trimmers, Scammers( its my grandma's or I found it in a wall and I don't sell comic books, I am sending money to Russia and they are gonna send you the book,) Etc.

 

Folks, spend the extra 10 or 20% buy from a legit source like the major dealers( gator), Auction houses( Ha.com), or at major comic book coventions(SDCC).

[Ditch Fahrenheit]

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.

 

I've had very few problems buying raw comics on eBay. I ask questions, and I don't buy what I can't see.

 

The vast majority of all comic book sales are raw. I wouldn't jump to any conclusions about any seller just because a book he's selling isn't graded.

[Spiderphill]

This post has to be a JOKE, E-Bay= Flippers, Trimmers, Scammers( its my grandma's or I found it in a wall and I don't sell comic books, I am sending money to Russia and they are gonna send you the book,) Etc.

 

Folks, spend the extra 10 or 20% buy from a legit source like the major dealers( gator), Auction houses( Ha.com), or at major comic book coventions(SDCC).

mitch, really? You're stereotyping eBay? Some of our best boardies sell there.

[Logan510]

Instead of arguing over stupid semantics,you should just stare at HulkSmash's boobs sig. line.

 

 

I'd rather watch you backpeddle, just be sure not to get your pants caught in the chain

No backpeddling going on here.

 

 

 

 

[oakman29]

Instead of arguing over stupid semantics,you should just stare at HulkSmash's boobs sig. line.

 

 

I'd rather watch you backpeddle, just be sure not to get your pants caught in the chain

No backpeddling going on here.

 

 

 

 

I don't know why you are trying to bait me into something,but it isn't going to work.So go try it on someone who cares.

[NTHstars]

I had a lot to add to this, but it all left my brain after staring at hulk smashes sig. dang it. might come back.

 

yes, I did have the idea of buying cheaper comics to test their grading, but then if its too cheap its not really worth the grading costs at all, so its a game of sorts.

 

One seller is telling me the issue is that CGC has tightened its grading currently. I have heard that recently. Interesting note though: I turned in five comics in this batch, and only one came back the same grade as advertised...the one pgx graded a 8.5

 

Other four were raw graded as 9s or better, all came in below 8s. brutal

[Logan510]

Instead of arguing over stupid semantics,you should just stare at HulkSmash's boobs sig. line.

 

 

I'd rather watch you backpeddle, just be sure not to get your pants caught in the chain

No backpeddling going on here.

 

 

 

 

I don't know why you are trying to bait me into something,but it isn't going to work.So go try it on someone who cares.

 

Own what you say.

[youmechooz]

buy from me, i try my best to undergrade.

[Ditch Fahrenheit]

I had a lot to add to this, but it all left my brain after staring at hulk smashes sig. dang it. might come back.

 

yes, I did have the idea of buying cheaper comics to test their grading, but then if its too cheap its not really worth the grading costs at all, so its a game of sorts.

 

One seller is telling me the issue is that CGC has tightened its grading currently. I have heard that recently. Interesting note though: I turned in five comics in this batch, and only one came back the same grade as advertised...the one pgx graded a 8.5

 

Other four were raw graded as 9s or better, all came in below 8s. brutal

 

I want to hear more about the 9.6 that came back 6.0.

[Logan510]

I had a lot to add to this, but it all left my brain after staring at hulk smashes sig. dang it. might come back.

 

yes, I did have the idea of buying cheaper comics to test their grading, but then if its too cheap its not really worth the grading costs at all, so its a game of sorts.

 

One seller is telling me the issue is that CGC has tightened its grading currently. I have heard that recently. Interesting note though: I turned in five comics in this batch, and only one came back the same grade as advertised...the one pgx graded a 8.5

 

Other four were raw graded as 9s or better, all came in below 8s. brutal

 

 

Either the scans are krap or you need to learn how to grade or both. Don't take what someone writes on Ebay about the book they're selling at face value. Ask for bigger scans or scans of the back cover if they don't have them posted. The worst they can do is say no and then you move on.

[oakman29]

Instead of arguing over stupid semantics,you should just stare at HulkSmash's boobs sig. line.

 

 

I'd rather watch you backpeddle, just be sure not to get your pants caught in the chain

No backpeddling going on here.

 

 

 

 

I don't know why you are trying to bait me into something,but it isn't going to work.So go try it on someone who cares.

 

Own what you say.

Own what I say? I don't only own it,I live it! I don't buy from Ebay,check. I only buy from a few people here,check.Is there anything else you want me to own up to?

[fastballspecial]

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.

 

All sellers eventually make mistakes. Now what isn't discussed is the grade sometimes is in the eye of the beholder. One persons NM+ is another persons NM so and so on. This happens occasionally. Now when a buyer thinks it VF and the sellers advertises NM is when it becomes an issue because that's a pretty wide grading disparity. About once a year I run into a collector that is buying raw to slab later. Its at that point I suggest they buy slabbed comics, but they are actually buying to slab on ebay which is suicide in my opinion.

 

That being said I seller 95% raw and 5% slabbed. Why would you ask? Tricky question, but the easiest answers are time, cost, money and resources. Why go thru the time to slab a book that only 10% of the buying public is interested in. We live in some bubble here believing that everyone buys slabbed comics. This is so far from the truth its ridiculous. Slabbed comics are still just a small part of the overall hobby no matter what some tell you here.

 

The time and cost involved in slabbing comics is reserved for people who are full time sellers in the hobby or at least dedicated to providing that service in a professional manner. If you don't you wont have a buying pool long anyway. The time matter is a nightmare for someone trying to sell a book fast that doesn't travel the convention circuit or fast track their books. The turnover rate can kill some sellers or the demand for the book might have past.

 

The cost of slabbing continues to climb and the will push more sellers out eventually. Inventory management is a major concern for these sellers. Think about it you cant keep slabbed inventory around when each books costs you $25-50 a pop or higher.(Just estimating here.) Managing your inventory becomes key as a seller to pull it off. Just check the moderns sales thread you will see books dumped all the time for poor grades for next to nothing.

 

Lastly resources is the most pivotal part I think for slab sellers. You got to have an established network of buyers, retailers, sellers, partnerships with comic book companies and connections with convention organizers. Think about it. Most people would view this as insane to do repeatedly each month and try to make a profit. I believe most do it because they enjoy it and they get a satisifaction of providing a buyer with the book they want in the grade they want with no argument.

 

Me I sell raw not as scam, but because I like it too.

 

Its much convenient, a much larger buying pool, much less cost, I read comics, inventory is easier to manage and I am not looking to get rich doing it.

 

Lastly buying here will save you some grief. Not saying all grief because we have our Hall of Shame here too, but the odds go up you will get the book in the grade you want here first. The only difference is you will have to pay full market or close here which a lot of ebayers never want to do.

 

 

[slym2none]

This post has to be a JOKE, E-Bay= Flippers, Trimmers, Scammers( its my grandma's or I found it in a wall and I don't sell comic books, I am sending money to Russia and they are gonna send you the book,) Etc.

 

Folks, spend the extra 10 or 20% buy from a legit source like the major dealers( gator), Auction houses( Ha.com), or at major comic book coventions(SDCC).

 

Thanks for insulting me as I am trying to sell a few old X-Men on eBay, from my personal collection, to pay bills.

 

 

 

 

-slym

[Number 6]

But beyond that my question here is this: are there accurate raw graders selling on Ebay?

 

Yes, there are some sellers who grade accurately on eBay. You just have to do your due diligence to find them.

 

Many say "why would they not just CGC it themselves?" and that it must be a scam.

 

Just because a seller doesn't CGC some/all of their books doesn't automatically mean it's a scam. The prices realized for high-grade Bronze/Copper/Modern has dropped quite a bit from where it was 8+ years ago. Many sellers have found on these books that unless it's super-key or 9.8+ , certification is just added time and expense that really doesn't add anything to final sale price. They can get just as much raw without the hassle

 

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.

 

See above. The books they have CGC'd are the ones in which it's going to pay off to have them graded. Probably of as simple as that. The days of getting multiples of Guide simply because a comic's in a slab are over. If a seller's not selective about what he submits he could end up with a book that he would have to sell for less than it cost to slab.

 

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

 

So arm yourself with common sense.

 

I'm sure you'll be disappointed that you're not getting specific seller recommendations, but honestly that's about as much good as the 100% positive feedback. The best eBay seller's I've found are the one's I found on my own.

 

Here's some suggestions:

 

Look at the picture. No, really. Look at it. If I had a dollar for every time someone complains "they said it was grade X but I got grade Y" and then they post a link to the listing and one look at the picture and it's no surprise they got grade Y. And don't just look at the pic of the book your interested in. Search their listings for other books in a similar grade. Even if the pic for your book looks ok, if the pics on their other books in that grade looks like they've blown it, chances are the book you want isn't going to be that grade either. Lousy/unclear picture? Move on unless you're a gambling man.

 

Read the feedback. Is it bunch of "thank you"s, "A+"s and "fast shipping"s? Or does it mention accurate grading, secure packing, etc.? In other words, does their feedback actually tell you something about the quality of their merchandise and service? By the way, several of my favorite sellers don't have 100% positive feedback.

 

Ask questions. Larger scans, back cover scans, specific defects that are deal breakers for you, return policy, etc. If they don't respond or don't give you answers you like (or worse, get snotty/defensive), don't be afraid to move on. To proceed without all the info you want or need is just rolling the dice and asking for trouble.

 

Never EVER ignore red flags/ your gut. Photos instead of scans. Pics of books in poly bags. Pics of books in groups instead of individual scans. Based on items for sale/feedback/About Me page seller clearly doesn't specialize in comics. No grades listed or vague terms like "high grade". Negatives for inaccurate grading or sloppy packing. Stated "no returns" - even though there is no such thing on eBay. The more of these red flags there are the more you need to stay away don't let your desire for a book cloud you judgement.

 

Test a seller. Start with a small purchase first. Something that if it turns out over-graded you can just use as a reading copy or something. If that goes well, try something that's a little nicer. It's just a process.

[fastballspecial]

Instead of arguing over stupid semantics,you should just stare at HulkSmash's boobs sig. line.

 

Glad I am not the only one. We men are such pigs

 

[fastballspecial]

This post has to be a JOKE, E-Bay= Flippers, Trimmers, Scammers( its my grandma's or I found it in a wall and I don't sell comic books, I am sending money to Russia and they are gonna send you the book,) Etc.

 

Folks, spend the extra 10 or 20% buy from a legit source like the major dealers( gator), Auction houses( Ha.com), or at major comic book coventions(SDCC).

 

Please... if you cant tell the difference from a legit ebay auction and a fraud then feel free to spend your money as you see fit. Just don't lump it all together.

 

[Jiminy_Cricket-migration]

This post has to be a JOKE, E-Bay= Flippers, Trimmers, Scammers( its my grandma's or I found it in a wall and I don't sell comic books, I am sending money to Russia and they are gonna send you the book,) Etc.

 

Folks, spend the extra 10 or 20% buy from a legit source like the major dealers( gator), Auction houses( Ha.com), or at major comic book coventions(SDCC).

 

Please... if you cant tell the difference from a legit ebay auction and a fraud then feel free to spend your money as you see fit. Just don't lump it all together.