Grader Notes

[Transplant]

I've been hoping they would have done this a long time ago. Graders sitting on the phone all day talking to people wanting grader notes is not helping with the backlog in submission times.

Graders should be grading. The notes should have been given by someone in customer service from day one, but it is what it is.

Now the turnaround times have another chance to improve, and I can save money from using fast track on everything.

 

You must have celebrated early and hard for your birthday. 1) The idea of "lost" grader time is exaggerated. 2) TATs will not improve substantially as a result of this. If they do get better, it will be b/c of more labor or more slabbing machines.

[COI]

The idea that this will in any way improve turnaround times makes me giggle.

[comixcroz]

Is CGC trying to get rid of customers and business?

 

By charging for something that costs them time and, therefore, money? They are making it plainly clear that if you want this information, you will have to pay for it.

 

I think their prices are out of whack but they don't care what I think.

 

There are only a few options that will make them change their mind. Take your business elsewhere.

 

Start a new grading company and do things differently.

 

I can only speak for myself but CGC is not showing me that they put the customer first. Now they are showing a strong lack of regard for their core base of customers.

 

My comment is not just considering the new graders note fiasco.

 

Combine the graders notes policy change along with significant delays in turnaround times, increased fees and that's a recipe for customers to not do business with them.

 

My submissions have been reduced because of the crazy delays and price increases. Couple that with this notes thing and I can see how this will turn off some, if not many, customers.

 

They are making it harder for dealers to make money as well. Not smart business in my mind. I would guess a significant amount of their business comes from high volume dealers churning out collections and submitting books. They are just making it harder on the end customer when it should be the other way.

 

Make things easier for your customers and they will come back for more!

 

 

 

 

The customer will still come back for more as they have nowhere else to go. Comic book collectors for years upon years have proven that if you have what they "need", they will buy it regardless of almost anything.

 

After 10 years, no one else has stepped up and created competition for CGC. Why is that? Is it possible that grading comic books is not a profitable business?

 

There are a couple of card grading companies and coin grading companies out there. Why have they not, at the very least, dipped their toes into the water with comic book grading?

 

I think dealers are adjusting to the turnaround times by using different tiers or just waiting it out.

 

I think people need to look at comic book grading as 1) a niche business and 2) a niche business that has NO competition.

 

That completely changes the way the game is played regarding customer retention.

The timing could not be more prime for a second, legitimate grading company to pop up. In addition to being great for the individual, it would be great for the dealers and flippers (think crossover grading). Someone's going to grow a pair sooner than later and jump on this opportunity, IMO.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Make things easier for your customers and they will come back for more!

 

The problem is nobody is going anywhere. They are the only (legitimate) game in town.

 

 

Exactly. The only thing the slow down has done for me, is get me to pay the fast track upcharge on anything that is not going to be locked up in my long term collection. More bread for CGC.

 

I'm seriously wondering if paying the extra for FT on a large (several hundred) VT submission would be worth it if I can get it back in 4-6 weeks, as opposed to the likely 5 month wait if I don't.

 

Multiple that decision by just a couple of dozen folks, and not only do you have a huge uptick in revenue if you're CGC, but all those poor suckers waiting on regular VTs might now be waiting 6-7 months as CGC scrambles to keep up with the Fast Tracks.

 

From the vantage point of someone who worships at the alter of Capitalism, its pure genius. Monopoly at its unadulterated finest.

 

Pay those FT fees boys, otherwise its a long and sorry wait that ain't gonna get any better.

 

 

[seanfingh]

Make things easier for your customers and they will come back for more!

 

The problem is nobody is going anywhere. They are the only (legitimate) game in town.

 

 

Exactly. The only thing the slow down has done for me, is get me to pay the fast track upcharge on anything that is not going to be locked up in my long term collection. More bread for CGC.

 

I'm seriously wondering if paying the extra for FT on a large (several hundred) VT submission would be worth it if I can get it back in 4-6 weeks, as opposed to the likely 5 month wait if I don't.

 

Multiple that decision by just a couple of dozen folks, and not only do you have a huge uptick in revenue if you're CGC, but all those poor suckers waiting on regular VTs might now be waiting 6-7 months as CGC scrambles to keep up with the Fast Tracks.

 

From the vantage point of someone who worships at the alter of Capitalism, its pure genius. Monopoly at its unadulterated finest.

 

Pay those FT fees boys, otherwise its a long and sorry wait that ain't gonna get any better.

 

 

That is it exactly. You can rage against the dying of the night or you can strap on a pair and do what you need to do to get the job done. It's bad enough that I have to wait a month for those New X-Men 128s. The ice cream is about to melt off the cone.

[COI]

Make things easier for your customers and they will come back for more!

 

The problem is nobody is going anywhere. They are the only (legitimate) game in town.

 

 

Exactly. The only thing the slow down has done for me, is get me to pay the fast track upcharge on anything that is not going to be locked up in my long term collection. More bread for CGC.

 

I'm seriously wondering if paying the extra for FT on a large (several hundred) VT submission would be worth it if I can get it back in 4-6 weeks, as opposed to the likely 5 month wait if I don't.

 

Multiple that decision by just a couple of dozen folks, and not only do you have a huge uptick in revenue if you're CGC, but all those poor suckers waiting on regular VTs might now be waiting 6-7 months as CGC scrambles to keep up with the Fast Tracks.

 

From the vantage point of someone who worships at the alter of Capitalism, its pure genius. Monopoly at its unadulterated finest.

 

Pay those FT fees boys, otherwise its a long and sorry wait that ain't gonna get any better.

 

 

This is such a tiny market, that it's actually conceivable that customers can work together and, speaking with their wallets, get CGC to really address their turnaround times, something that would, in the long run, get everyone their books quicker, and for less.

 

What you've outlined is the complete opposite of that.

[Park]

Is CGC trying to get rid of customers and business?

 

By charging for something that costs them time and, therefore, money? They are making it plainly clear that if you want this information, you will have to pay for it.

 

I think their prices are out of whack but they don't care what I think.

 

There are only a few options that will make them change their mind. Take your business elsewhere.

 

Start a new grading company and do things differently.

 

I can only speak for myself but CGC is not showing me that they put the customer first. Now they are showing a strong lack of regard for their core base of customers.

 

My comment is not just considering the new graders note fiasco.

 

Combine the graders notes policy change along with significant delays in turnaround times, increased fees and that's a recipe for customers to not do business with them.

 

My submissions have been reduced because of the crazy delays and price increases. Couple that with this notes thing and I can see how this will turn off some, if not many, customers.

 

They are making it harder for dealers to make money as well. Not smart business in my mind. I would guess a significant amount of their business comes from high volume dealers churning out collections and submitting books. They are just making it harder on the end customer when it should be the other way.

 

Make things easier for your customers and they will come back for more!

 

 

 

 

The customer will still come back for more as they have nowhere else to go. Comic book collectors for years upon years have proven that if you have what they "need", they will buy it regardless of almost anything.

 

After 10 years, no one else has stepped up and created competition for CGC. Why is that? Is it possible that grading comic books is not a profitable business?

 

There are a couple of card grading companies and coin grading companies out there. Why have they not, at the very least, dipped their toes into the water with comic book grading?

 

I think dealers are adjusting to the turnaround times by using different tiers or just waiting it out.

 

I think people need to look at comic book grading as 1) a niche business and 2) a niche business that has NO competition.

 

That completely changes the way the game is played regarding customer retention.

The timing could not be more prime for a second, legitimate grading company to pop up. In addition to being great for the individual, it would be great for the dealers and flippers (think crossover grading). Someone's going to grow a pair sooner than later and jump on this opportunity, IMO.

 

If it hasn't happened in the last ten years, I doubt it will happen now.

 

It is a niche business with tons of overhead and a limited customer base. That is not the standard bearer for a money making business.

 

To take business away from your competitor, you need to do it cheaper, quicker and better. You also need to be able to take it in the shorts for a few years while that (hopefully) happens.

 

It's not about growing a pair. It's about making money.

 

[Ant-Man]

There are a couple of card grading companies and coin grading companies out there.

 

Do other branches of the Collectors Society have grading notes for their items? If so, does anyone know if they are provided at a charge? Just curious if this is a first in the world of slabbed collectables or if CGC is catching up to a practice that has been around for a while.

[COI]

Make things easier for your customers and they will come back for more!

 

The problem is nobody is going anywhere. They are the only (legitimate) game in town.

 

 

Exactly. The only thing the slow down has done for me, is get me to pay the fast track upcharge on anything that is not going to be locked up in my long term collection. More bread for CGC.

 

I'm seriously wondering if paying the extra for FT on a large (several hundred) VT submission would be worth it if I can get it back in 4-6 weeks, as opposed to the likely 5 month wait if I don't.

 

Multiple that decision by just a couple of dozen folks, and not only do you have a huge uptick in revenue if you're CGC, but all those poor suckers waiting on regular VTs might now be waiting 6-7 months as CGC scrambles to keep up with the Fast Tracks.

 

From the vantage point of someone who worships at the alter of Capitalism, its pure genius. Monopoly at its unadulterated finest.

 

Pay those FT fees boys, otherwise its a long and sorry wait that ain't gonna get any better.

 

 

That is it exactly. You can rage against the dying of the night or you can strap on a pair and do what you need to do to get the job done. It's bad enough that I have to wait a month for those New X-Men 128s. The ice cream is about to melt off the cone.

 

I have a different definition of "strap on a pair". Mine would entail curbing my fanboy desires temporarily to address the dude who's trying to sodomize me.

[seanfingh]

 

This is such a tiny market, that it's actually conceivable that customers can work together and, speaking with their wallets, get CGC to really address their turnaround times, something that would, in the long run, get everyone their books quicker, and for less.

 

What you've outlined is the complete opposite of that.

 

 

You have Low T today.

[COI]

 

This is such a tiny market, that it's actually conceivable that customers can work together and, speaking with their wallets, get CGC to really address their turnaround times, something that would, in the long run, get everyone their books quicker, and for less.

 

What you've outlined is the complete opposite of that.

 

 

You have Low T today.

 

You've got it backwards, my man. Low T is willingly rolling over and taking it up the culo.

[Park]

Make things easier for your customers and they will come back for more!

 

The problem is nobody is going anywhere. They are the only (legitimate) game in town.

 

 

Exactly. The only thing the slow down has done for me, is get me to pay the fast track upcharge on anything that is not going to be locked up in my long term collection. More bread for CGC.

 

I'm seriously wondering if paying the extra for FT on a large (several hundred) VT submission would be worth it if I can get it back in 4-6 weeks, as opposed to the likely 5 month wait if I don't.

 

Multiple that decision by just a couple of dozen folks, and not only do you have a huge uptick in revenue if you're CGC, but all those poor suckers waiting on regular VTs might now be waiting 6-7 months as CGC scrambles to keep up with the Fast Tracks.

 

From the vantage point of someone who worships at the alter of Capitalism, its pure genius. Monopoly at its unadulterated finest.

 

Pay those FT fees boys, otherwise its a long and sorry wait that ain't gonna get any better.

 

 

This is such a tiny market, that it's actually conceivable that customers can work together and, speaking with their wallets, get CGC to really address their turnaround times, something that would, in the long run, get everyone their books quicker, and for less.

 

What you've outlined is the complete opposite of that.

 

Yeah but if the bulk of their business is adjusting and moving to Fast Track and still making money, what change is a group of people that may only amount to a small percentage of their business going to affect?

[Park]

Make things easier for your customers and they will come back for more!

 

The problem is nobody is going anywhere. They are the only (legitimate) game in town.

 

 

Exactly. The only thing the slow down has done for me, is get me to pay the fast track upcharge on anything that is not going to be locked up in my long term collection. More bread for CGC.

 

I'm seriously wondering if paying the extra for FT on a large (several hundred) VT submission would be worth it if I can get it back in 4-6 weeks, as opposed to the likely 5 month wait if I don't.

 

Multiple that decision by just a couple of dozen folks, and not only do you have a huge uptick in revenue if you're CGC, but all those poor suckers waiting on regular VTs might now be waiting 6-7 months as CGC scrambles to keep up with the Fast Tracks.

 

From the vantage point of someone who worships at the alter of Capitalism, its pure genius. Monopoly at its unadulterated finest.

 

Pay those FT fees boys, otherwise its a long and sorry wait that ain't gonna get any better.

 

 

That is it exactly. You can rage against the dying of the night or you can strap on a pair and do what you need to do to get the job done. It's bad enough that I have to wait a month for those New X-Men 128s. The ice cream is about to melt off the cone.

 

I have a different definition of "strap on a pair". Mine would entail curbing my fanboy desires temporarily to address the dude who's trying to sodomize me.

 

[Transplant]

I have a different definition of "strap on a pair". Mine would entail curbing my fanboy desires temporarily to address the dude who's trying to sodomize me.

Thank you sir. May I have another?

[COI]

Make things easier for your customers and they will come back for more!

 

The problem is nobody is going anywhere. They are the only (legitimate) game in town.

 

 

Exactly. The only thing the slow down has done for me, is get me to pay the fast track upcharge on anything that is not going to be locked up in my long term collection. More bread for CGC.

 

I'm seriously wondering if paying the extra for FT on a large (several hundred) VT submission would be worth it if I can get it back in 4-6 weeks, as opposed to the likely 5 month wait if I don't.

 

Multiple that decision by just a couple of dozen folks, and not only do you have a huge uptick in revenue if you're CGC, but all those poor suckers waiting on regular VTs might now be waiting 6-7 months as CGC scrambles to keep up with the Fast Tracks.

 

From the vantage point of someone who worships at the alter of Capitalism, its pure genius. Monopoly at its unadulterated finest.

 

Pay those FT fees boys, otherwise its a long and sorry wait that ain't gonna get any better.

 

 

This is such a tiny market, that it's actually conceivable that customers can work together and, speaking with their wallets, get CGC to really address their turnaround times, something that would, in the long run, get everyone their books quicker, and for less.

 

What you've outlined is the complete opposite of that.

 

Yeah but if the bulk of their business is adjusting and moving to Fast Track and still making money, what change is a group of people that may only amount to a small percentage of their business going to affect?

 

That's my point. The sum total of their business is a small market. We're not talking about boycotting the iPhone here.

[Park]

There are a couple of card grading companies and coin grading companies out there.

 

Do other branches of the Collectors Society have grading notes for their items? If so, does anyone know if they are provided at a charge? Just curious if this is a first in the world of slabbed collectables or if CGC is catching up to a practice that has been around for a while.

 

I don't know.

 

I would guess that coins and cards are pretty easy to see exactly what is going on. Someone smarter than me can probably answer this better.

[seanfingh]

 

I have a different definition of "strap on a pair". Mine would entail curbing my fanboy desires temporarily to address the dude who's trying to sodomize me.

 

I am going to address this in a non-joking fashion because I think it is important for someone to talk about the 89000 pound gorilla in the room. A large percentage of people are CGCing books for resale and becasue they can get more bread for their books than they can raw.

 

I spent all last year, in addition to my regular collecting, buying up books that were (a) high grade and (b) books that I thought would appreciate, particularly if slabbed and 9.8

 

I bought a ton of New X-Men 128s for a dollar a piece. In CGC 9.8 I can get in excess of $300 for them. It is the absolute height of hypocrisy for me to complain about their pricing. My "product" (modest though it may be) is hot moderns. They are worth squat (20-40 bucks each) raw. Add CGC and I get $300. If it cuts into my margin, so be it. I don't get the bread without their blessing. So whether i make $250 after costs or $230 after costs, I am still cleaning up.

 

Multiply that by a huge factor for the big pimps that do it with Silver. October can pay for 20 years of price increases on the difference between the sale of a book (printed in 1962) raw vs. the same book in CGC 9.8.

 

Many disagree with me, and I I don't claim to be right, nor do i claim them to be wrong, but at some point, for me, the analysis becomes "I do what i need to do to leverage the comics."

[Transplant]

Valid points, dork. Maybe all fees should be a % of the book graded?

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Make things easier for your customers and they will come back for more!

 

The problem is nobody is going anywhere. They are the only (legitimate) game in town.

 

 

Exactly. The only thing the slow down has done for me, is get me to pay the fast track upcharge on anything that is not going to be locked up in my long term collection. More bread for CGC.

 

I'm seriously wondering if paying the extra for FT on a large (several hundred) VT submission would be worth it if I can get it back in 4-6 weeks, as opposed to the likely 5 month wait if I don't.

 

Multiple that decision by just a couple of dozen folks, and not only do you have a huge uptick in revenue if you're CGC, but all those poor suckers waiting on regular VTs might now be waiting 6-7 months as CGC scrambles to keep up with the Fast Tracks.

 

From the vantage point of someone who worships at the alter of Capitalism, its pure genius. Monopoly at its unadulterated finest.

 

Pay those FT fees boys, otherwise its a long and sorry wait that ain't gonna get any better.

 

 

This is such a tiny market, that it's actually conceivable that customers can work together and, speaking with their wallets, get CGC to really address their turnaround times, something that would, in the long run, get everyone their books quicker, and for less.

 

What you've outlined is the complete opposite of that.

 

With all respect, its not a "tiny market". I'm a tiny player, and even if I submit 200 books next month, its still a drop in the bucket. And what exactly do you propose would convince CGC to improve their turnaround times and "get everyone their books quicker, and for less?" Honestly, not trying to be an , I would love to know.

[seanfingh]

Valid points, dork. Maybe all fees should be a % of the book graded?

 

That would be mighty unwieldy.