Grader Notes

[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?

 

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

 

 

I think the bulk of their business doesn't care as they are still making money by moving to fast track.

 

I am guessing that they have a group of submitters that submit a huge amount of CGCs business. I am guessing they don't care at this point about the higher fees.

[Spider-Dan]

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

 

That wont work...

 

I just sent in a book walk through I thought was a sure 9.2 valued at $8000 (which is the value I put on the invoice) It came back a 9.0. FMV is $3500. I had to call and get the difference in credit. They wouldnt refund it back to my CC.

[Park]

There is a reason I don't participate in the serious discussions anymore.

 

I am slow and redundant.

 

I need to find another thread to carpet bomb into oblivion with stupidity.

 

[seanfingh]

There is a reason I don't participate in the serious discussions anymore.

 

I am slow and redundant.

 

I need to find another thread to carpet bomb into oblivion with stupidity.

 

 

You just stand there and look tall. I'll do all the difficult thinking for you.

[Transplant]

Kind of my point to the rouge haired one. Should CGC make more $ on a book b/c the submitter is going to flip it? Should we pay less if we agree to hold it for 6 months or more? Note, I am not making any snide comments about how currently CGC gets paid to hold books for 6 months or more. Not gonna do it.

[Park]

There is a reason I don't participate in the serious discussions anymore.

 

I am slow and redundant.

 

I need to find another thread to carpet bomb into oblivion with stupidity.

 

 

You just stand there and look tall. I'll do all the difficult thinking for you.

 

Tall and beautiful.

 

Have fun with that "thinking" BS.

 

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

 

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."

 

Its scary how much Finghy and I are on the same page today.

 

I bought a collection not too long ago that has several hundred books going to CGC. Since many of these books are Bronze (let's say a 9.6 goes for $100, and a 9.8 goes for $250), there is a very good possibility that the longer I wait, the less my return will be as the census inflates and the supply meets up with demand.

 

So, if I have $5 into a bronze book that's worth $50 raw, $125 certified in 9.6, or $250 certified in 9.8 today, is it worth an extra $8 to fast track it and get it back four months sooner? If its all but certain that more copies will be in the census by the time I get back my normal VT submission, and I might lose that $8 (or more) to the fact that the market is creeping lower on the book anyway, then the answer is "Hell Yeah!"

 

That's why the FT is so genius....because it really isn't for the collector who is sending in books for himself. It's for the dealer/flipper who understands that the market is fickle and that it changes quickly, and that $8 extra upfront can easily pay for itself by just having CGC drag out the submission process.

 

Time is money gents. Let's not lose sight of the fact we aren't all looking at this from a collector's point of view.

 

CGC is counting on that fact.

 

[COI]

 

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."

 

Your rationale is flawless, and I would probably adopt a similar stance if I were selling books.

 

That being said, I think it's important to recognize the danger on both sides in trying to squeeze every last dime out of a transaction. I think it's possible for business to be conducted in a mutually beneficial way, but the current paradigm, which extends way beyond this little hobby, seems to be take everyone for every cent you can get and run. And the near economic collapse that was caused by this kind of 'capitalism', instead of shifting that paradigm, seems to have exacerbated it.

 

Do what you gotta do guys, I ain't hatin'. Enjoy it while it lasts.

[thirdgreenham]

One point though. It's not a cost of doing business. They already develop it internally. I'm guessing for the final grader to review. Therefore the creation doesn't cost money. The time spent giving out the notes costs money. They should've made it almost a negligible cost. That way they make some money but more importantly, save $$ by not answering calls on it.

 

The way I see it is the cost of doing business on CGC's side = the time spent on the phone because, ultimately, CGC makes money on CPR practices anyway.

 

On the presser's side, weigh this new "cost of doing business" against the easy money said presser has been making over the years, tying up CGC's phone lines.

 

Have you ever called and not gotten through because there was a presser tying up the phone lines?

 

"Thank you for calling CGC, your business is important to us. We currently have an above-average volume of pressers calling right now. Please be patient and the next available representative will be happy to assist you. "

I hope your kids inherited your wife's sense of humor instead of yours.

 

I hope so too.

[chrisco37]

That being said, I think it's important to recognize the danger on both sides in trying to squeeze every last dime out of a transaction. I think it's possible for business to be conducted in a mutually beneficial way, but the current paradigm, which extends way beyond this little hobby, seems to be take everyone for every cent you can get and run. And the near economic collapse that was caused by this kind of 'capitalism', instead of shifting that paradigm, seems to have exacerbated it.

 

Do what you gotta do guys, I ain't hatin'. Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

You're right.

 

But, if you cut the goose open we get all the eggs now instead of having to wait.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Do what you gotta do guys, I ain't hatin'. Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

Probably won't be much longer.

[thirdgreenham]

One point though. It's not a cost of doing business. They already develop it internally. I'm guessing for the final grader to review. Therefore the creation doesn't cost money. The time spent giving out the notes costs money. They should've made it almost a negligible cost. That way they make some money but more importantly, save $$ by not answering calls on it.

 

The way I see it is the cost of doing business on CGC's side = the time spent on the phone because, ultimately, CGC makes money on CPR practices anyway.

 

On the presser's side, weigh this new "cost of doing business" against the easy money said presser has been making over the years, tying up CGC's phone lines.

 

Have you ever called and not gotten through because there was a presser tying up the phone lines?

 

"Thank you for calling CGC, your business is important to us. We currently have an above-average volume of pressers calling right now. Please be patient and the next available representative will be happy to assist you. "

 

Nice.

 

[GACollectibles]

someone should create a poll. I'm curious to see how many collectors/dealers would either pay a flat fee or a monthly fee for unlimited access to graders notes.

 

Nothing is stopping you from creating a poll.

true - I'll give it a shot.

 

Nicely done.

 

Almost. Polls require a crack option.

[joeypost]

One point though. It's not a cost of doing business. They already develop it internally. I'm guessing for the final grader to review. Therefore the creation doesn't cost money. The time spent giving out the notes costs money. They should've made it almost a negligible cost. That way they make some money but more importantly, save $$ by not answering calls on it.

 

The way I see it is the cost of doing business on CGC's side = the time spent on the phone because, ultimately, CGC makes money on CPR practices anyway.

 

On the presser's side, weigh this new "cost of doing business" against the easy money said presser has been making over the years, tying up CGC's phone lines.

 

Have you ever called and not gotten through because there was a presser tying up the phone lines?

 

"Thank you for calling CGC, your business is important to us. We currently have an above-average volume of pressers calling right now. Please be patient and the next available representative will be happy to assist you. "

 

Nice.

 

 

Nice.

[october]

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.

 

Bit of a prisoner's dilemma though. While submitters as a group might be motivated to organize some sort of protest, think of the incentive for the individual seller to break ranks and still submit. Not only would the turnaround times drop like a stone during that period, there would be fewer books to contend with on resale. CGC would have to put the screws to the dealer population a LOT harder to get that sort of organized action to happen and stick.

[thirdgreenham]

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!

 

 

 

 

Would you say they`re acting `shady`.....

[paperheart]

Increased submission fees coupled w/ decreased realized prices led me to forgo submitting my measly annual 100 book submission. $5 for a scan, whatever they're charging for graders notes are two outrageous fees i'll never pay. love the boards tho.

[seanfingh]

Increased submission fees coupled w/ decreased realized prices led me to forgo submitting my measly annual 100 book submission. $5 for a scan, whatever they're charging for graders notes are two outrageous fees i'll never pay. love the boards tho.

 

If you are moving any 9.4 Silver raw, please let me know.

[Transplant]

Increased submission fees coupled w/ decreased realized prices led me to forgo submitting my measly annual 100 book submission. $5 for a scan, whatever they're charging for graders notes are two outrageous fees i'll never pay. love the boards tho.

 

Duly noted. Effective immediately, all board members must either be a Premium Member of the Collectors Society or provide billing information. Posts will be free for Premium Members and $0.12/post for non-members.

[chrisco37]

Looks like I'd owe $2688.75

 

That's almost as much as 4 solid years of Caltopia (at $700/yr).