Do you think it is unethical to....

[october]

Do you think it is unethical to crack a slab and sell the comic raw, representing it as a higher grade than the slab said? What if you have a good faith belief that the book was under-graded?

 

(NO, I have never done this and never will. I have only owned 1 graded book which I subsequently sold and don't plan on buying any more in the near future.)

[ComicSupply]

Yeah sure I do at least. I mean, if it wasn't then whats the point of CGC in the first place?

[Thegoldenage]

Do you think it is unethical to crack a slab and sell the comic raw, representing it as a higher grade than the slab said? What if you have a good faith belief that the book was under-graded?

 

(NO, I have never done this and never will. I have only owned 1 graded book which I subsequently sold and don't plan on buying any more in the near future.)

 

I don't. When CGC grades a book, it represents the professional opinion of the people who graded it. If you disagree and can justify the reason for the higher grade, then there is no eithical problem in my opinion.

[BradleyX2]

The ethical thing to do would be to say: "CGC graded this book ____, but *I* think this book grades a ______."

[Mushroom]

if CGC were the be all and end all then why do so many resubs get upgraded? Also, CGC don't publicise their grading criteria, so if you use OS then you can state the grading as per their scale.

[Ze-man]

The ethical thing to do would be to say: "CGC graded this book ____, but *I* think this book grades a ______."

 

Exactly..

I am sure we have all seen many an Ebay auction, where the seller states..

"This CGC comic is the perfect candidate for resubmittal to CGC.. it should have graded much higher."

 

And while it is only the opinion of the seller that they think the comic is undergraded , and that they feel the comic should recieve a higher grade then what CGC originally gave it, it is a stretch for a seller to make that claim.. seeing as how most Ebayers will pay a premium, over guide.. for a slabbed comic, while most raws sell for under guide... even if they are given a.. quote .. unquote.. "higher grade " by the seller.

 

At least that is how I see it.

 

Ze-

[Aman619]

The ethical thing to do would be to say: "CGC graded this book ____, but *I* think this book grades a ______."

 

i agree ...... and include the original label in the sale.

[Forbush-Man]

Do you think it is unethical to crack a slab and sell the comic raw, representing it as a higher grade than the slab said? What if you have a good faith belief that the book was under-graded?

 

(NO, I have never done this and never will. I have only owned 1 graded book which I subsequently sold and don't plan on buying any more in the near future.)

 

I don't. When CGC grades a book, it represents the professional opinion of the people who graded it. If you disagree and can justify the reason for the higher grade, then there is no eithical problem in my opinion.

 

I have down-graded CGC books because I felt the books did not merit the grade given.

 

But to up-grade the book beyond CGC's appraisal (and if you read the fine print on the back of the label, it is only thier oppinion of the grade,..?)

 

I've seen too many dealers who disagreed with the grade given and suggest the book to be of a higher grade. To those dealers I say "NO"!

 

Just keep it slabbed and sell it as is. Just MHO!

 

There's a point where you agree to disagree, and then there's the poit where you just take it a agree that the most fair thing to do, for the buyer/collecting community, is to accept what the cards have delt you.

 

If you are about to buy a CGC'd book, but feel it has been over-graded, pass!

 

Buy the book, not the label !!!

[blowout]

Do you think it is unethical to crack a slab and sell the comic raw, representing it as a higher grade than the slab said? What if you have a good faith belief that the book was under-graded?

 

(NO, I have never done this and never will. I have only owned 1 graded book which I subsequently sold and don't plan on buying any more in the near future.)

 

To cover yourself, just give your own opinion and also state the grade that CGC assigned. Post a super large scan, and let the buyer make an informed choice.

[sfilosa]

I've seen too many dealers who disagreed with the grade given and suggest the book to be of a higher grade. To those dealers I say "NO"!

 

Just keep it slabbed and sell it as is. Just MHO!

 

There's a point where you agree to disagree, and then there's the poit where you just take it a agree that the most fair thing to do, for the buyer/collecting community, is to accept what the cards have delt you.

 

That makes no sense.

 

You say Agree to Disagree but then you are suppose to accept the cards that you were delt.

 

In reality, you are saying your disagreement is valid so you MUST AGREE with the grade.

 

 

Is it wrong to crack a slab and sell the book for a higher grade?

NO.

Just don't mention that you think CGC would grade this book a X.X when you know they didn't.

[BassGMan]

Hmmm, good question. The way I see it, once that the slab is cracked, the book is once again raw. At that point it is up to the seller to represent the book however he may usually do it, correctly graded or as close as his skills allow. However, knowing what the book was in the slab the dealer should take that into consideration. But overall, when raw, it is raw and should be graded accordingly. Sure, if you have the old label you can include that or state what CGC graded it, but if it's raw, it's raw. Normal rules apply.

[sterlingcomics]

once the slab is cracked, the CGC label means nothing as the certification becomes invalid. The book could get damaged the second it is out of the slab anyway. Raw grading applies. Collectors will make up their own mind (as they always have) if your grade is reasonable.

 

In one case I did buy a raw book with a CGC label, and I made stipulations that if my CGC grade did not equal to the CGC label I could return it. (btw, it graded out fine).

[Forbush-Man]

Do you think it is unethical to crack a slab and sell the comic raw, representing it as a higher grade than the slab said? What if you have a good faith belief that the book was under-graded?

 

(NO, I have never done this and never will. I have only owned 1 graded book which I subsequently sold and don't plan on buying any more in the near future.)

 

I don't. When CGC grades a book, it represents the professional opinion of the people who graded it. If you disagree and can justify the reason for the higher grade, then there is no eithical problem in my opinion.

 

Here's a question for you:

 

You submit a book to CGC.

 

You get it back as restored.

 

You disagree with CGC.

 

Do you pop it out and sell it as unrestored?

 

It's the same argument. Restored or unrestored.

 

I believe the responsible thing to do is to sell the book as it was graded or sell it as less than graded, but never as better than graded.

 

*********************************************************************************************

 

Once submitted to a third party, you submit to decission of the third party!

 

*********************************************************************************************

 

You've gone outside to get an evaluation and now you can say less, but not more.

 

Sure they make mistakes, but are you so absolutely sure you will be able to insure the buyer of the book you are selling that it is in fact a higher grade than given by CGC?

 

Sometimes the covers look great, but the book is graded from the inside-out!

[blowout]

I believe the responsible thing to do is to sell the book as it was graded or sell it as less than graded, but never as better than graded.

 

I don't agree with this comment, as the CGC grade is just an opinion and not a fact. While an unbiased third party grade is helpful to determine the condition of the book, it shouldn't be considered definitive.

 

As for your restored vs. unrestored comparison, that is a whole different discussion.

[Illiterati-migration]

Not everyone agrees that CGC is the unequivocal source for comic book grading.

 

Thus, you are neither "ethically obligated" to acknowledge their previous grade, nor are you "ethically obligated" to adhere to their grading standard.

 

Any other opinion is CGC-centric and thus flawed.

[BradleyX2]

once the slab is cracked, the CGC label means nothing as the certification becomes invalid. The book could get damaged the second it is out of the slab anyway.

 

Yes, but in that case, the grade could only be *lower* than what the CGC grade was. October_fire was asking about the book being (in the owner's opinion) *higher* than the CGC grade.

 

Barring a .2 or so increase (pressing? ) a resubmitted book should never come back with a CGC grade higher than what CGC originally gave it, but it can certainly be much lower.

[blowout]

Any other opinion is CGC-centric and thus flawed.

 

[Forbush-Man]

I believe the responsible thing to do is to sell the book as it was graded or sell it as less than graded, but never as better than graded.

 

I don't agree with this comment, as the CGC grade is just an opinion and not a fact. While an unbiased third party grade is helpful to determine the condition of the book, it shouldn't be considered definitive.

 

As for your restored vs. unrestored comparison, that is a whole different discussion.

 

I noted that CGC is only "thier oppininon"

 

Restored Vs Unrestored is a seperate issue, but not so far removed from " they say it's a Fine- and I think it's a Fine".

 

My main problem is justifying a higher grade (dispite the fact that I too disagree with the grading on many occasions) It is more of a question of ethics.

[blowout]

My main problem is justifying a higher grade (dispite the fact that I too disagree with the grading on many occasions It is more of a question of ethics.

 

I don't think it is an issue as long as the buyer is presented with all the information they need to make an informed decision.

Ethics only realy come into play if certain information is being intentionally withheld.

[Illiterati-migration]

Any other opinion is CGC-centric and thus flawed.

 

 

I'm not CGC-bashing, I'm just saying that there is no definitive source for comic book grading OTHER than the standards which are essentially time-tested and "in-place" by Overstreet.

 

Not everyone uses CGC, whereas virtually all comic collectors/dealers adhere to what could at the very least be considered an "interpretation" of the Overstreet standards.