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GPA Frustrations

Started by Shrevvy,

92 posts in this topic

gaz973

gaz973

Posted
Posted
Hey look at it this way at least none of you guys are trying to sell a FF #1 4.5 ow/w. GPA data is me off to no end. With in reason a 4.5 should be going for more than a 4.0 as long as it is did not fall out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.

 

Pages quality, upgrade gambling there is still a reason a 4.5 is graded higher than a 4.0 :frustrated:

You do know that there are cases of the same book going in for grading without any alteration to it and coming back with a different grade, don't you? 4.0's vary and 4.5's vary so you shouldn't assume that there aren't cases that a strictly graded 4.0 doesn't look better than a soft 4.5.

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valiantman

valiantman

Posted
Posted

I heard about a steakhouse that charges $30 for a 6.5 ounce filet mignon, and another steakhouse that charges $25 for an 8.0 ounce filet mignon.

These steaks are selling on the SAME DAY.

 

Clearly, the $30 steak is a rip-off, right?

 

No need to wait for the answer. It's yes...and it's George's fault.

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blazingbob

blazingbob

Posted
Posted

Thank you.

 

I have no problem with the Auction house results being public but frankly why I should give my business knowledge away for free is beyond me. Yup, I just want to raise the price of me having to replace the item I just sold.

 

And just so people know I have a ebay store that actually sells books and those numbers are reported to GPA. So it is even funnier when a buyer throws my Ebay sale out there as if I wouldn't know that.

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lizards2

lizards2

Posted
Posted

If only there was a $35 guide or $120 subscription service that could help me make that decision...., :think:

 

Which one is bacon wrapped?

 

I heard about a steakhouse that charges $30 for a 6.5 ounce filet mignon, and another steakhouse that charges $25 for an 8.0 ounce filet mignon.

These steaks are selling on the SAME DAY.

 

Clearly, the $30 steak is a rip-off, right?

 

No need to wait for the answer. It's yes...and it's George's fault.

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n2wdw

n2wdw

Posted
Posted
Look, I accept GPA for what it is. I know there are differences in quality of books in a given grade. Is it possible there is human error? Transposed numbers or a fat finger? It seems odd to me that the FF #1 4.0 has the highest 12 month and 90 day average between 3.0 and 5.0. Only the 5.0 last sale trumps the 4.0 last sale (6500 vs 6250 - within 7 days of each other). Maybe the last year's worth of 4.0s were off the charts and were really 6.0s mis-graded. I don't know. Of the 6 most recent sales I posted in my original post, only one can be verified by an outsider right now. The others can't. Yes, actual sales data is better than a "guide," but only if it is entered correctly. I am questioning if it is entered correctly. Nothing else.

 

No one else looks at these numbers and sees something out of place?

 

12 month ave

3.0 3085

3.5 3781

4.0 6100

4.5 4294

5.0 5762

 

90 day

3.0 3406

3.5 4098

4.0 6250

4.5 4183

5.0 6005

 

Does the market always have to make sense? Some of those higher sales could have been shill accounts. Or maybe someone had to buy the book for their kid and didn't care or know what the price was. Or there was a bidding war between two jerks who wouldn't back down just to prove a point. Or you're right, maybe someone entered a data point wrong. But you'll never know which one it was. Some buyers got lucky. Some sellers got lucky. The data set is just too small to be accurate. It is what it is.

 

Another big factor is who is shopping at the time. I recently lost out on a comic where I bid 175 max and lost out at 180 with intense bidding

 

Two weeks later the same issue was offered at a minimum bid of 100. I could not spend much as I'd spent a lot for Christmas but I thought what the heck and bid 100

 

Well I won as the only bidder

 

Comics is an inefficient market, sometimes you just get lucky

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BarryAllen

BarryAllen

Posted
Posted
Look, I accept GPA for what it is. I know there are differences in quality of books in a given grade. Is it possible there is human error? Transposed numbers or a fat finger? It seems odd to me that the FF #1 4.0 has the highest 12 month and 90 day average between 3.0 and 5.0. Only the 5.0 last sale trumps the 4.0 last sale (6500 vs 6250 - within 7 days of each other). Maybe the last year's worth of 4.0s were off the charts and were really 6.0s mis-graded. I don't know. Of the 6 most recent sales I posted in my original post, only one can be verified by an outsider right now. The others can't. Yes, actual sales data is better than a "guide," but only if it is entered correctly. I am questioning if it is entered correctly. Nothing else.

 

No one else looks at these numbers and sees something out of place?

 

12 month ave

3.0 3085

3.5 3781

4.0 6100

4.5 4294

5.0 5762

 

90 day

3.0 3406

3.5 4098

4.0 6250

4.5 4183

5.0 6005

 

Does the market always have to make sense? Some of those higher sales could have been shill accounts. Or maybe someone had to buy the book for their kid and didn't care or know what the price was. Or there was a bidding war between two jerks who wouldn't back down just to prove a point. Or you're right, maybe someone entered a data point wrong. But you'll never know which one it was. Some buyers got lucky. Some sellers got lucky. The data set is just too small to be accurate. It is what it is.

 

Another big factor is who is shopping at the time. I recently lost out on a comic where I bid 175 max and lost out at 180 with intense bidding

 

Two weeks later the same issue was offered at a minimum bid of 100. I could not spend much as I'd spent a lot for Christmas but I thought what the heck and bid 100

 

Well I won as the only bidder

 

Comics is an inefficient market, sometimes you just get lucky

 

People like getting lucky.

 

Problem is that once it happens they expect it all the time.

 

I mean who wouldn't want to get lucky all the time.

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sonicyouth

sonicyouth

Posted
Posted

great advice folks!

 

CGC has within the last few years started grading tape and chipping differently. There are official posts somewhere online here.

 

Years ago, CGC was more harsh towards chipping but now silver key books with heavy chipping on the right side have started grading higher!

 

so potentially those 4.5's maybe have been some newer slabbed copies with chipping that would have normally graded much lower.

 

I believe there is a X-men #1 on ebay right now that a perfect example. 6.0 cgc labbed recently (within last few years) that kind of chipping used to not grade so high if you examine the book closely (no disrespect to seller if you are here!, its still a beauty!)

 

there is also a cgc 9.2 Avengers 55 on ebay with date written in red pen on cover, its at a reduced bin, which would normally be a great deal but the red date near the title art diminishes the quality and presentation of the book.

 

also another manufacturing flaw to look out for is too much splash Overspray which occurs when the spray paint is low at the top of the comic. cgc doesn't ding overspray as much as dealers used to in the pre cgc days.

 

 

factoring in chipping, overspray, centering, page color quality,gloss, etc.. things which cgc is traditionally more lenient on, its very possible those 4.5's were just not as good looking as the 4.0's...

 

 

so buy the book! not the grade!

 

 

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