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CGC Grading

Started by ascher45,

9 posts in this topic

ascher45

ascher45

Posted
Posted

I am thinking of coming around and having my books graded, however I have never done this before. How do I go about it? I have gone onto the CGC website and I found it a little confusing I am sure most of you have used this service so if I could get information as to procedure, cost, turnaround time etc. I would be most appreciative.

 

Thanks

 

A

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Doohickamabob

Doohickamabob

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Posted

(1) Figure out which comic books you really want to have graded. Make a list, then set all those comics aside in their own box.

 

(2) Figure out the CGC grading "tiers" and what they mean. You will need to divide your comics by what you believe to be their fair market values.

 

This is where it gets a little paradoxical, because part of the reason for sending in the books to begin with is to find out their grade and therefore their market value! Yet you're supposed to ballpark their value before doing this?! But that's the way it goes. One reason CGC wants you to determine value, and why it's helpful for you too, is that it sets a value for all of the insurance that will be used to cover your books during shipping, in CGC's possession, and during return shipping. So pin down a low-end value for each book -- keep it fairly low so that you end up in the cheaper tiers, but not so low that it's ridiculously dishonest. Also, in the event that something does happen to your comics (like if they're lost by USPS on the way to Sarasota, FL), you want to have a record of what you valued them at in case you need to make an insurance claim, and you won't want to lowball their value too much if you have to collect on that.

 

The tiers also affects how quickly and carefully CGC grades. A high-level tier (for a high-value comic will be given that much more restoration checking, etc.) which can be important when you're trying to determine the grade for, say, your copy of Detective Comics #27 (you do have one of those, don't you?). If you want your comics back fast, also, you need to select a higher tier no matter what the value. There are also "fast track" tiers where you pay more just to jump to the front of the line.

 

Also, be judicious about which comics you grade based on their condition. People have different reasons for submitting comics, but if your motivation is to profit when selling, then it is probably not worth it to submit most comics if they aren't 6.0 or higher. Key issues might be a little different though.

 

Really get to know the tiers/values divisions well, and then clearly divide your comics for CGC submission into their appropriate tiers.

 

You will have to separate comics from magazines too. If you're submitting 12 comics and 1 magazine, for example, you would be better off holding onto the magazine and then waiting until you have more magazines to grade in a group. That's because each tier submission has to be graded and shipped separately from the others. The fact that CGC won't combine shipping even for items graded at the same time is a complaint I have with them, but it helps keep everything organized, I suppose.

 

Granted, this is a pain in the ... But wait, there's more...

 

(3) Make a list of your comics' issue numbers, publishers, and years/months of publication. Make yourself a master list in text, and of course put the comics' "insurance purposes" values in there as well. Once you're all organized, now you can...

 

(4) Get a CGC membership. Depending on how much you'll be grading, choose the level of membership that will benefit you. If you have golden-age comics of a high value, or other high-value comics, one really good option is the $125 membership, because it comes with a coupon for 4 free submissions at the Standard tier ($60 per sub). That's a value of $240, which more than pays for the $125 membership, of course.

 

If you don't want to get a CGC membership, you can still submit via dealers, comic shops (if they submit regularly), or at a local convention if CGC attends, or something. But then you are dependent on somebody else, or on timing of conventions. Blah.

 

CGC will send your membership packet in the mail. Set aside the free-submissions coupon because you'll need to physically include it -- it's like "CGC cash."

 

(5) Use your CGC online account and find the online form to fill out your submission(s). The online form is pokey but it works, and it forces you to save your file after each comic is filled in, so you won't lose your work. The alternative is to download the paper forms and write them out by hand, but that isn't really any easier. One advantage to using the paper forms is that you can leave the value blank if you really don't know anything about the market value.

 

When you're done filling out the online forms, you can print it. Print it all out and staple together the papers for each tier/submission grouping. If you are using a coupon, the 4 coupon comics have to be submitted in their own separate group.

 

(6) Package everything. You need to pre-package the comics for each separate tier/group, and then attach the printed-out, stapled form to the top of the individual group. CGC has a page with guidelines for packaging. Basically you want to use solid bags/boards for each comic, then sandwich about 5 comics each between thick cardboard, and masking tape that shut. DO NOT USE CLEAR PACKING TAPE ON INTERNAL PACKAGING! Only use masking tape, blue painter's tape, etc.

 

Let's say you submit 15 comics all in the same tier. You should be packaging them as 3 groups of 5, with each 5 in its own cardboard sandwich. Then bubble wrap all 3 together and tape the submission form to the outside of the bubble wrap. You can do the same thing for each other submitted tier, and ship them all together that way.

 

Best way to ship is putting everything in a box, well wrapped inside with bubble wrap or packaging peanuts. Then put that box inside another box and seal it all up.

 

Use the BROWN/DULL packaging tape, not the clear tape, on the outside of the box you ship in. This is if you're using USPS, which is my preferred postal carrier. The brown packaging tape is REQUIRED for if you're sending a package that is going to have a lot of insurance value. I don't know why.... I didn't ask...

 

Insure your package for the full value that you declared on your CGC forms. I haven't heard any horror stories about packages lost on their way to CGC in Sarasota, FL, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It probably happened a lot more in the days before all the tracking was fully integrated in their computer system. Still, it's worth the expense for the peace-of-mind when you insure fully.

 

At that point, you're pretty much done. Check in to your CGC membership after 2 days and you should see your submission marked as "received." It will sit as "received" for a while, unless you are in a very fast-turnaround tier.

 

The time to submit is NOW if you want your comics back before the end of next spring. Once the convention season starts, the turnaround times are practically doubled.

 

I COULD BE WRONG about much of the above, and chances are, people will point out many ways in which I am -- which I hope they will.

 

As far as I'm concerned, you should feel 100% free to ask all the questions you like about the submission process, even if you think they're dumb questions. Trepidation over submitting to CGC kept me from subbing for a LONG time...

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MusterMark

MusterMark

Posted
Posted
(1) Figure out which comic books you really want to have graded. Make a list, then set all those comics aside in their own box.

 

(2) Figure out the CGC grading "tiers" and what they mean. You will need to divide your comics by what you believe to be their fair market values.

 

This is where it gets a little paradoxical, because part of the reason for sending in the books to begin with is to find out their grade and therefore their market value! Yet you're supposed to ballpark their value before doing this?! But that's the way it goes. One reason CGC wants you to determine value, and why it's helpful for you too, is that it sets a value for all of the insurance that will be used to cover your books during shipping, in CGC's possession, and during return shipping. So pin down a low-end value for each book -- keep it fairly low so that you end up in the cheaper tiers, but not so low that it's ridiculously dishonest. Also, in the event that something does happen to your comics (like if they're lost by USPS on the way to Sarasota, FL), you want to have a record of what you valued them at in case you need to make an insurance claim, and you won't want to lowball their value too much if you have to collect on that.

 

The tiers also affects how quickly and carefully CGC grades. A high-level tier (for a high-value comic will be given that much more restoration checking, etc.) which can be important when you're trying to determine the grade for, say, your copy of Detective Comics #27 (you do have one of those, don't you?). If you want your comics back fast, also, you need to select a higher tier no matter what the value. There are also "fast track" tiers where you pay more just to jump to the front of the line.

 

Also, be judicious about which comics you grade based on their condition. People have different reasons for submitting comics, but if your motivation is to profit when selling, then it is probably not worth it to submit most comics if they aren't 6.0 or higher. Key issues might be a little different though.

 

Really get to know the tiers/values divisions well, and then clearly divide your comics for CGC submission into their appropriate tiers.

 

You will have to separate comics from magazines too. If you're submitting 12 comics and 1 magazine, for example, you would be better off holding onto the magazine and then waiting until you have more magazines to grade in a group. That's because each tier submission has to be graded and shipped separately from the others. The fact that CGC won't combine shipping even for items graded at the same time is a complaint I have with them, but it helps keep everything organized, I suppose.

 

Granted, this is a pain in the ... But wait, there's more...

 

(3) Make a list of your comics' issue numbers, publishers, and years/months of publication. Make yourself a master list in text, and of course put the comics' "insurance purposes" values in there as well. Once you're all organized, now you can...

 

(4) Get a CGC membership. Depending on how much you'll be grading, choose the level of membership that will benefit you. If you have golden-age comics of a high value, or other high-value comics, one really good option is the $125 membership, because it comes with a coupon for 4 free submissions at the Standard tier ($60 per sub). That's a value of $240, which more than pays for the $125 membership, of course.

 

If you don't want to get a CGC membership, you can still submit via dealers, comic shops (if they submit regularly), or at a local convention if CGC attends, or something. But then you are dependent on somebody else, or on timing of conventions. Blah.

 

CGC will send your membership packet in the mail. Set aside the free-submissions coupon because you'll need to physically include it -- it's like "CGC cash."

 

(5) Use your CGC online account and find the online form to fill out your submission(s). The online form is pokey but it works, and it forces you to save your file after each comic is filled in, so you won't lose your work. The alternative is to download the paper forms and write them out by hand, but that isn't really any easier. One advantage to using the paper forms is that you can leave the value blank if you really don't know anything about the market value.

 

When you're done filling out the online forms, you can print it. Print it all out and staple together the papers for each tier/submission grouping. If you are using a coupon, the 4 coupon comics have to be submitted in their own separate group.

 

(6) Package everything. You need to pre-package the comics for each separate tier/group, and then attach the printed-out, stapled form to the top of the individual group. CGC has a page with guidelines for packaging. Basically you want to use solid bags/boards for each comic, then sandwich about 5 comics each between thick cardboard, and masking tape that shut. DO NOT USE CLEAR PACKING TAPE ON INTERNAL PACKAGING! Only use masking tape, blue painter's tape, etc.

 

Let's say you submit 15 comics all in the same tier. You should be packaging them as 3 groups of 5, with each 5 in its own cardboard sandwich. Then bubble wrap all 3 together and tape the submission form to the outside of the bubble wrap. You can do the same thing for each other submitted tier, and ship them all together that way.

 

Best way to ship is putting everything in a box, well wrapped inside with bubble wrap or packaging peanuts. Then put that box inside another box and seal it all up.

 

Use the BROWN/DULL packaging tape, not the clear tape, on the outside of the box you ship in. This is if you're using USPS, which is my preferred postal carrier. The brown packaging tape is REQUIRED for if you're sending a package that is going to have a lot of insurance value. I don't know why.... I didn't ask...

 

Insure your package for the full value that you declared on your CGC forms. I haven't heard any horror stories about packages lost on their way to CGC in Sarasota, FL, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It probably happened a lot more in the days before all the tracking was fully integrated in their computer system. Still, it's worth the expense for the peace-of-mind when you insure fully.

 

At that point, you're pretty much done. Check in to your CGC membership after 2 days and you should see your submission marked as "received." It will sit as "received" for a while, unless you are in a very fast-turnaround tier.

 

The time to submit is NOW if you want your comics back before the end of next spring. Once the convention season starts, the turnaround times are practically doubled.

 

I COULD BE WRONG about much of the above, and chances are, people will point out many ways in which I am -- which I hope they will.

 

As far as I'm concerned, you should feel 100% free to ask all the questions you like about the submission process, even if you think they're dumb questions. Trepidation over submitting to CGC kept me from subbing for a LONG time...

 

This is such a great post. Kudos to you for the patience, willingness, generosity and knowledge in writing such an informative and detailed response. :applause:

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