How is CGC possibly this busy??

[lou_fine]

I also think that CGC's tight grading, again a good thing, gives them a competitive edge over the other Florida Grading company. IMO, the other company's product is a bit loose, not terribly loose but not as tight as CGC. The sellers may submit to the other company but eventually they will realize that the buyers will pay more for the CGC product. Eventually, the marketplace will win, CGC will win.

 

This is just so totally wrong and bad for the marketplace no matter how you look at it.

 

Instead of having a price war whereby the consumers are the winners, it looks like we are now having a grading war out there if your scenario is true. Let's tighten up our grading by one more increment as compared to the other company so that we will be seen as the one providing a better product. Now what happens if the other company decides to tighten up by 2 increments so that they will now be seen as providing the better product. I would certainly feel sorry for any customers submitting their books for grading in this kind of environment.

 

A much better and ideal situation would be to simply provide accurate and consistent grading so that both buyers and sellers can win out.

 

I'm not sure what the motivation is at CGC to have variable cycles of grading, nor if there is any motivation. I suspect it's largely personnel-driven. What I see is that CBCS is grading at the exact same standard as CGC was when West was the head guy. It's looser than I'd like, but it's consistent and predictable.

 

When West left, CGC was a mess for older books, especially when Mark wasn't around. I would imagine the staff is now getting comfortable with a standard of grading old books which would explain the perceived tightening.

 

TL;DR -- grading varies with staff. More turnover = less consistency.

 

So it sounds as though we should clearly be going with one of the companies if we want consistent and predictable grading. And we should go with the other company if we want roller coaster grading that goes all over the ball park, depending upon the phase that they happen to be in at the time.

 

That does not sound at all good long-term for one of the companies!

[Mark 1]

I also think that CGC's tight grading, again a good thing, gives them a competitive edge over the other Florida Grading company. IMO, the other company's product is a bit loose, not terribly loose but not as tight as CGC. The sellers may submit to the other company but eventually they will realize that the buyers will pay more for the CGC product. Eventually, the marketplace will win, CGC will win.

 

Just my recent experience with seeing two books go from a CGC slab to Voldemort....they came back the exact same grades. Just a sample of two but given the high profile both these books were in terms of grade and value...it's interesting it came back the same. I think the person subbing their CGC books was hoping for a better grade in a different company slab.

 

But you mileage may vary.

[Bomber-Bob]

I also think that CGC's tight grading, again a good thing, gives them a competitive edge over the other Florida Grading company. IMO, the other company's product is a bit loose, not terribly loose but not as tight as CGC. The sellers may submit to the other company but eventually they will realize that the buyers will pay more for the CGC product. Eventually, the marketplace will win, CGC will win.

 

This is just so totally wrong and bad for the marketplace no matter how you look at it.

 

Instead of having a price war whereby the consumers are the winners, it looks like we are now having a grading war out there if your scenario is true. Let's tighten up our grading by one more increment as compared to the other company so that we will be seen as the one providing a better product. Now what happens if the other company decides to tighten up by 2 increments so that they will now be seen as providing the better product. I would certainly feel sorry for any customers submitting their books for grading in this kind of environment.

 

A much better and ideal situation would be to simply provide accurate and consistent grading so that both buyers and sellers can win out.

 

Lou, I agree with your comments but I don't think CGC intentionally tightened up to go to war with the other company. I honestly don't think there is any competition between the 2 companies. They are both grading as they see fit. I don't see a grading war coming. I also agree with Jimjum's comment that the slab itself makes the books look better. In some cases it's an artificial 'press' .

[buttock]

I also think that CGC's tight grading, again a good thing, gives them a competitive edge over the other Florida Grading company. IMO, the other company's product is a bit loose, not terribly loose but not as tight as CGC. The sellers may submit to the other company but eventually they will realize that the buyers will pay more for the CGC product. Eventually, the marketplace will win, CGC will win.

 

This is just so totally wrong and bad for the marketplace no matter how you look at it.

 

Instead of having a price war whereby the consumers are the winners, it looks like we are now having a grading war out there if your scenario is true. Let's tighten up our grading by one more increment as compared to the other company so that we will be seen as the one providing a better product. Now what happens if the other company decides to tighten up by 2 increments so that they will now be seen as providing the better product. I would certainly feel sorry for any customers submitting their books for grading in this kind of environment.

 

A much better and ideal situation would be to simply provide accurate and consistent grading so that both buyers and sellers can win out.

 

I'm not sure what the motivation is at CGC to have variable cycles of grading, nor if there is any motivation. I suspect it's largely personnel-driven. What I see is that CBCS is grading at the exact same standard as CGC was when West was the head guy. It's looser than I'd like, but it's consistent and predictable.

 

When West left, CGC was a mess for older books, especially when Mark wasn't around. I would imagine the staff is now getting comfortable with a standard of grading old books which would explain the perceived tightening.

 

TL;DR -- grading varies with staff. More turnover = less consistency.

 

So it sounds as though we should clearly be going with one of the companies if we want consistent and predictable grading. And we should go with the other company if we want roller coaster grading that goes all over the ball park, depending upon the phase that they happen to be in at the time.

 

That does not sound at all good long-term for one of the companies!

 

Well, if history tells us anything, it's that turnover is to be expected at both. My point was more that grading criteria are to some degree a function of personnel, not necessarily as arbitrary -- or malicious -- as some seem to think.

[Bomber-Bob]

I also think that CGC's tight grading, again a good thing, gives them a competitive edge over the other Florida Grading company. IMO, the other company's product is a bit loose, not terribly loose but not as tight as CGC. The sellers may submit to the other company but eventually they will realize that the buyers will pay more for the CGC product. Eventually, the marketplace will win, CGC will win.

 

This is just so totally wrong and bad for the marketplace no matter how you look at it.

 

Instead of having a price war whereby the consumers are the winners, it looks like we are now having a grading war out there if your scenario is true. Let's tighten up our grading by one more increment as compared to the other company so that we will be seen as the one providing a better product. Now what happens if the other company decides to tighten up by 2 increments so that they will now be seen as providing the better product. I would certainly feel sorry for any customers submitting their books for grading in this kind of environment.

 

A much better and ideal situation would be to simply provide accurate and consistent grading so that both buyers and sellers can win out.

 

I'm not sure what the motivation is at CGC to have variable cycles of grading, nor if there is any motivation. I suspect it's largely personnel-driven. What I see is that CBCS is grading at the exact same standard as CGC was when West was the head guy. It's looser than I'd like, but it's consistent and predictable.

 

When West left, CGC was a mess for older books, especially when Mark wasn't around. I would imagine the staff is now getting comfortable with a standard of grading old books which would explain the perceived tightening.

 

TL;DR -- grading varies with staff. More turnover = less consistency.

 

So it sounds as though we should clearly be going with one of the companies if we want consistent and predictable grading. And we should go with the other company if we want roller coaster grading that goes all over the ball park, depending upon the phase that they happen to be in at the time.

 

That does not sound at all good long-term for one of the companies!

 

Well, if history tells us anything, it's that turnover is to be expected at both. My point was more that grading criteria are to some degree a function of personnel, not necessarily as arbitrary -- or malicious -- as some seem to think.

 

+1 You are absolutely correct.

[jimjum12]

I also think that CGC's tight grading, again a good thing, gives them a competitive edge over the other Florida Grading company. IMO, the other company's product is a bit loose, not terribly loose but not as tight as CGC. The sellers may submit to the other company but eventually they will realize that the buyers will pay more for the CGC product. Eventually, the marketplace will win, CGC will win.

 

This is just so totally wrong and bad for the marketplace no matter how you look at it.

 

Instead of having a price war whereby the consumers are the winners, it looks like we are now having a grading war out there if your scenario is true. Let's tighten up our grading by one more increment as compared to the other company so that we will be seen as the one providing a better product. Now what happens if the other company decides to tighten up by 2 increments so that they will now be seen as providing the better product. I would certainly feel sorry for any customers submitting their books for grading in this kind of environment.

 

A much better and ideal situation would be to simply provide accurate and consistent grading so that both buyers and sellers can win out.

 

Lou, I agree with your comments but I don't think CGC intentionally tightened up to go to war with the other company. I honestly don't think there is any competition between the 2 companies. They are both grading as they see fit. I don't see a grading war coming. I also agree with Jimjum's comment that the slab itself makes the books look better. In some cases it's an artificial 'press' .

 

... same way as they say "you can't grade a book from a scan", the same way with a slab. If you don't understand (..... not directed at you, Bob....) why it seems that a pedigree comic gets a bump, you need to deslab a Church or a White Mountain and see ALL the gloss...... and FEEL the slick suppleness with your own hands and then you'll "get" it. These things are not coins or cards. It's not all about edges and corners.... but unfortunately, the slab almost enforces that misconception. GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Sqeggs]

And from my last experience. CGC is in a tight phase.

They are in a very tight phase.

 

Wish they'd loosen it back up a bit.

 

But the last 6 months have been a GREAT time to be a buyer of new slabs.

 

Agreed 100%. Tough grading right now.

 

I hate loose graded slabs. But overly tight is wrong too.

 

After a few years of very loose grading, CGC is finally grading the way they used to in the Haspel days. I view it as they are back to where they should be. I view the loose period as an aberration.

Complaining about their tight grading is a very selfish, narrow point of view. Tight grading is good for the buyer, good for the hobby, and ultimately good for CGC = they are putting out a better product.

 

Maybe, but...

 

I'll take consistency over tight or loose grading any day....put together a standard and stick to it.

 

After 15 years you should be able to submit a book and have a pretty good idea what you're getting back.

 

 

What era are they grading "super tight"? I've been subbing mostly post 1975 books this past year and I've found them to be fairly consistent...with the occasional hiccup that can go either way.

 

.... I've got a submission somewhere in the pipeline.... so I'll get to judge for myself soon. I submitted to PGX once and the grades were so loose I was embarrassed to present them for sale or trade. That was my first and last submission there. On the other hand, receiving a 9.0 back in an 8.0 holder is equally as bad ... not to imply that's what's happening. Honestly, the last two books I deslabbed seemed over graded..... but both were from over a year ago. One thing many people don't factor in is that the slab itself will mask many defects..... so that "8.0" that looks "9.2" may actually seem more "7.5" if removed from the slab. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

Jimbo, I've made this point myself a number of times over the years -- which is why it strikes me as so perceptive! The "buy the book, not the slab" mantra that is endlessly repeated around here has never made sense to me because the book is in a slab.

 

The graders had the book in their hands raw. Once it's in a slab all we can do is look at it through the slab or -- more often -- look at a scan of it in a slab. That situation makes it hard to try to second guess the graders.

 

To really be able to gauge whether grading during a particular period is tight or loose, I think you have to be submitting a ton of books or deslabbing a ton of books. Otherwise, I don't see how you have the basis to judge.

[thecopperagekids]

I wonder if there have been talks of expanding, perhaps another location out west in CA or NV, or maybe one in the northeast like NY/NJ.

 

Expansion sounds great but how would it help TAT's ? The logistics of splitting up a business like this across the country would be tremendous. Where would they find the staff ? Two staffs, with two different head graders, would surely result in inconsistent grading. And what about Matt and his staff ? IMO, this would make everything worse. Sorry but it's a bad idea.

 

Agreed. Splitting up wouldn't work, but I think simply expanding the existing team would. Sure, maybe this started as a "boutique" service catering to a niche community, but it's now a corporate powerhouse that needs to act as such. Hire more graders (there are plenty who are more than qualified), hire quality administrative staff, and give them hours that make sense for the demand.

 

Anyone worth their salt in comics will want more $$$ than the grading companies would be willing to pay. lets see work part time selling books and make $40,000 or work full time for a starting salary of $35,000 and not be able to sell books on the side. That's the real dilemma facing them hiring qualified people.

 

The branch offices is an idea that will most likely never fly. Too much duplication of effort in facilities, CS people, etc.

 

Spot on assessment but that dilemma can be worked around.

 

The newly hired grader at CGC could still submit books to the other company and sell the graded books he received from the other company on eBay.

 

And, just the same:

 

The newly hired grader at the other company could still submit books to CGC for grading and he could sell the CGC graded book on eBay or on this forum.

 

Branch offices is not a good idea by any stretch for the forementioned reasons.CGC would be bleeding money out like a sieve by roughly doubling its operating/overhead costs with a second facility.

 

Hiring more grader(s) is what would be the most cost effective and practical solution for CGC.

 

A starting salary of 35K is actually not that bad in today's job market.

 

To put that into perspective, 35K a year to ***grade comic books for 40 hours a week*** is hardly a bad rate.We are not talking about back breaking work, this sort of work isn't comparable to laying block in the heat of the summer or in the cold of the winter.Then again, it also is not comparable to a "job holding all day", to quote Chris Rock.

 

Puns aside:

If you know the market just as intimately as you know how to grade comics and you have no qualms with putting in 60+ hour work weeks, being a grader would be a decent job.

 

If the newly hired grader has an ounce of ambition and wants to work harder to earn more money beyond 35K a year; 35K isn't adequate to start a family and so on.....

 

....then the newly hired grader should put 20+ hours a week of his free time towards buying collections/single books and subbing books to the other grading company.Sell the other company's graded books on eBay.

 

Rinse and repeat.

 

I am actually considering moving to Florida myself, for this very reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TheLiamSturgess]

I wonder if there have been talks of expanding, perhaps another location out west in CA or NV, or maybe one in the northeast like NY/NJ.

 

Expansion sounds great but how would it help TAT's ? The logistics of splitting up a business like this across the country would be tremendous. Where would they find the staff ? Two staffs, with two different head graders, would surely result in inconsistent grading. And what about Matt and his staff ? IMO, this would make everything worse. Sorry but it's a bad idea.

 

Agreed. Splitting up wouldn't work, but I think simply expanding the existing team would. Sure, maybe this started as a "boutique" service catering to a niche community, but it's now a corporate powerhouse that needs to act as such. Hire more graders (there are plenty who are more than qualified), hire quality administrative staff, and give them hours that make sense for the demand.

 

Anyone worth their salt in comics will want more $$$ than the grading companies would be willing to pay. lets see work part time selling books and make $40,000 or work full time for a starting salary of $35,000 and not be able to sell books on the side. That's the real dilemma facing them hiring qualified people.

 

The branch offices is an idea that will most likely never fly. Too much duplication of effort in facilities, CS people, etc.

 

Spot on assessment but that dilemma can be worked around.

 

The newly hired grader at CGC could still submit books to the other company and sell the graded books he received from the other company on eBay.

 

And, just the same:

 

The newly hired grader at the other company could still submit books to CGC for grading and he could sell the CGC graded book on eBay or on this forum.

 

Branch offices is not a good idea by any stretch for the forementioned reasons.CGC would be bleeding money out like a sieve by roughly doubling its operating/overhead costs with a second facility.

 

Hiring more grader(s) is what would be the most cost effective and practical solution for CGC.

 

A starting salary of 35K is actually not that bad in today's job market.

 

To put that into perspective, 35K a year to ***grade comic books for 40 hours a week*** is hardly a bad rate.We are not talking about back breaking work, this sort of work isn't comparable to laying block in the heat of the summer or in the cold of the winter.Then again, it also is not comparable to a "job holding all day", to quote Chris Rock.

 

Puns aside:

If you know the market just as intimately as you know how to grade comics and you have no qualms with putting in 60+ hour work weeks, being a grader would be a decent job.

 

If the newly hired grader has an ounce of ambition and wants to work harder to earn more money beyond 35K a year; 35K isn't adequate to start a family and so on.....

 

....then the newly hired grader should put 20+ hours a week of his free time towards buying collections/single books and subbing books to the other grading company.Sell the other company's graded books on eBay.

 

Rinse and repeat.

 

I am actually considering moving to Florida myself, for this very reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I see your logic, but I don't see how that's sustainable. I can't imagine graders who make a habit out of actively supporting the competition would be kept onboard for very long. :shrug:

[thecopperagekids]

I wonder if there have been talks of expanding, perhaps another location out west in CA or NV, or maybe one in the northeast like NY/NJ.

 

Expansion sounds great but how would it help TAT's ? The logistics of splitting up a business like this across the country would be tremendous. Where would they find the staff ? Two staffs, with two different head graders, would surely result in inconsistent grading. And what about Matt and his staff ? IMO, this would make everything worse. Sorry but it's a bad idea.

 

Agreed. Splitting up wouldn't work, but I think simply expanding the existing team would. Sure, maybe this started as a "boutique" service catering to a niche community, but it's now a corporate powerhouse that needs to act as such. Hire more graders (there are plenty who are more than qualified), hire quality administrative staff, and give them hours that make sense for the demand.

 

Anyone worth their salt in comics will want more $$$ than the grading companies would be willing to pay. lets see work part time selling books and make $40,000 or work full time for a starting salary of $35,000 and not be able to sell books on the side. That's the real dilemma facing them hiring qualified people.

 

The branch offices is an idea that will most likely never fly. Too much duplication of effort in facilities, CS people, etc.

 

Spot on assessment but that dilemma can be worked around.

 

The newly hired grader at CGC could still submit books to the other company and sell the graded books he received from the other company on eBay.

 

And, just the same:

 

The newly hired grader at the other company could still submit books to CGC for grading and he could sell the CGC graded book on eBay or on this forum.

 

Branch offices is not a good idea by any stretch for the forementioned reasons.CGC would be bleeding money out like a sieve by roughly doubling its operating/overhead costs with a second facility.

 

Hiring more grader(s) is what would be the most cost effective and practical solution for CGC.

 

A starting salary of 35K is actually not that bad in today's job market.

 

To put that into perspective, 35K a year to ***grade comic books for 40 hours a week*** is hardly a bad rate.We are not talking about back breaking work, this sort of work isn't comparable to laying block in the heat of the summer or in the cold of the winter.Then again, it also is not comparable to a "job holding all day", to quote Chris Rock.

 

Puns aside:

If you know the market just as intimately as you know how to grade comics and you have no qualms with putting in 60+ hour work weeks, being a grader would be a decent job.

 

If the newly hired grader has an ounce of ambition and wants to work harder to earn more money beyond 35K a year; 35K isn't adequate to start a family and so on.....

 

....then the newly hired grader should put 20+ hours a week of his free time towards buying collections/single books and subbing books to the other grading company.Sell the other company's graded books on eBay.

 

Rinse and repeat.

 

I am actually considering moving to Florida myself, for this very reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I see your logic, but I don't see how that's sustainable. I can't imagine graders who make a habit out of actively supporting the competition would be kept onboard for very long. :shrug:

 

If said grader blatantly made it a point to aggressively push the competitor's product at shows and thereby "support" the competition, you'd likely be right.

 

However, if a grader (who was competent and had years of experience in the field) were to be hired by CGC or the other company and said grader chose to use the 'competitor's services, I do not think the grading firm who hired him would perceive it as a slight towards the firm.

 

The issue is with perceived bias in the marketplace.Of course, CGC will not allow its' graders to have their personal books graded/slabbed by CGC.That would show a clear conflict of interest, to the public.

 

If the grader created the ebay user name like:

 

"IamaCGCgraderandIsellVoldemortgradedcomicshereoneBay"....then yeah, he wouldn't be around too long.

 

As long as the grader performed his job as expected, the firm who hired him would have no call to say what he were to do with his free time.

 

Nor do I think said firm would pay any regard to the grader they hired if he were "actively supporting the competition".

 

That makes sense to me, just my thoughts on how a business runs.Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

 

The bottom line , as I see it:

 

As long as you do consistently perform very well at your job and do not tarnish the reputation of your employer, well. then....you are making money for your company and as making money is the bottom line in every business........if you're not out there dropping your pants to pregnant women and/or on subways linking Nazi skinhead groups to your Facebook page....then, your bossman won't give a damn what you do in your free time.

 

These of course, are comical examples, I'm just using them to illustrate a point.

 

 

[BarryAllen]

I wonder if there have been talks of expanding, perhaps another location out west in CA or NV, or maybe one in the northeast like NY/NJ.

 

Expansion sounds great but how would it help TAT's ? The logistics of splitting up a business like this across the country would be tremendous. Where would they find the staff ? Two staffs, with two different head graders, would surely result in inconsistent grading. And what about Matt and his staff ? IMO, this would make everything worse. Sorry but it's a bad idea.

 

Agreed. Splitting up wouldn't work, but I think simply expanding the existing team would. Sure, maybe this started as a "boutique" service catering to a niche community, but it's now a corporate powerhouse that needs to act as such. Hire more graders (there are plenty who are more than qualified), hire quality administrative staff, and give them hours that make sense for the demand.

 

Anyone worth their salt in comics will want more $$$ than the grading companies would be willing to pay. lets see work part time selling books and make $40,000 or work full time for a starting salary of $35,000 and not be able to sell books on the side. That's the real dilemma facing them hiring qualified people.

 

The branch offices is an idea that will most likely never fly. Too much duplication of effort in facilities, CS people, etc.

 

Spot on assessment but that dilemma can be worked around.

 

The newly hired grader at CGC could still submit books to the other company and sell the graded books he received from the other company on eBay.

 

And, just the same:

 

The newly hired grader at the other company could still submit books to CGC for grading and he could sell the CGC graded book on eBay or on this forum.

 

Branch offices is not a good idea by any stretch for the forementioned reasons.CGC would be bleeding money out like a sieve by roughly doubling its operating/overhead costs with a second facility.

 

Hiring more grader(s) is what would be the most cost effective and practical solution for CGC.

 

A starting salary of 35K is actually not that bad in today's job market.

 

To put that into perspective, 35K a year to ***grade comic books for 40 hours a week*** is hardly a bad rate.We are not talking about back breaking work, this sort of work isn't comparable to laying block in the heat of the summer or in the cold of the winter.Then again, it also is not comparable to a "job holding all day", to quote Chris Rock.

 

Puns aside:

If you know the market just as intimately as you know how to grade comics and you have no qualms with putting in 60+ hour work weeks, being a grader would be a decent job.

 

If the newly hired grader has an ounce of ambition and wants to work harder to earn more money beyond 35K a year; 35K isn't adequate to start a family and so on.....

 

....then the newly hired grader should put 20+ hours a week of his free time towards buying collections/single books and subbing books to the other grading company.Sell the other company's graded books on eBay.

 

Rinse and repeat.

 

I am actually considering moving to Florida myself, for this very reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I see your logic, but I don't see how that's sustainable. I can't imagine graders who make a habit out of actively supporting the competition would be kept onboard for very long. :shrug:

 

If they have an ounce of intelligence, they could do the subs and selling anonymously.

 

However; I think there is a lot more time, money, effort and risk that goes into this type of plan than people give credit. Working a 9-5 and then still searching tirelessly for deals on books and to have them grade out higher to make a profit selling them... Not so easily done, especially without a decent amount of upfront capital to work with. You are easily talking about another 40 hours worth of work a week and unless you start with $50k to buy with, it will take you a few years to build up enough cash to actually make a profit (assuming you sell through eBay and auction houses that are expensive to do business with). It really is impractical, at best.

 

On the flip side, I am sure there are plenty of 20-35 year olds that would be happy to take a grading job at CGC or Voldemort Inc for $35-40k per year. That whole generation is underemployed and to many it would be a dream job to work with and see rare or popular comics everyday.

 

Too overthinking much in this thread imagine I. :shrug:

[Comicdey]

And from my last experience. CGC is in a tight phase.

They are in a very tight phase.

 

Wish they'd loosen it back up a bit.

 

But the last 6 months have been a GREAT time to be a buyer of new slabs.

 

Agreed 100%. Tough grading right now.

 

I hate loose graded slabs. But overly tight is wrong too.

 

After a few years of very loose grading, CGC is finally grading the way they used to in the Haspel days. I view it as they are back to where they should be. I view the loose period as an aberration.

Complaining about their tight grading is a very selfish, narrow point of view. Tight grading is good for the buyer, good for the hobby, and ultimately good for CGC = they are putting out a better product.

 

Are you calling me "very selfish and narrow minded"

 

Oh no you didn't

 

I'm not complaining so much as clearly identifying that CGC is in an inconsistent pattern of much tighter grading".

 

I'm pretty sure if they stay in this mode, all the older "overgraded" books will be less desirable which is what 95-99% of the books they've already graded? All those older label and later "bomber bob" and "comiclink" and "Heritage" and "Metropolis" and "others" offerings and all the books coming from long held CGC graded collections...will essentially be overgraded and in my opinion less desirable.

 

I look for consistency, not swings. I've won the nostalgic attic grading contest multiple times and I felt that I knew generally how CGC graded. I can easily re-gauge my expectations, but older slabs can't do anything to get nicer and my newer slabs that look nicer with lower numbers have all the sudden become worth less than previously "overgraded" higher number slabs.

 

"Just Sayin". Bob

 

Oh. I also agree that this appears to be an attempt to differentiate themselves from other grading companies to appear to have nicer books in their holders by the numbers.

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

And from my last experience. CGC is in a tight phase.

They are in a very tight phase.

 

Wish they'd loosen it back up a bit.

 

But the last 6 months have been a GREAT time to be a buyer of new slabs.

 

Agreed 100%. Tough grading right now.

 

I hate loose graded slabs. But overly tight is wrong too.

 

After a few years of very loose grading, CGC is finally grading the way they used to in the Haspel days. I view it as they are back to where they should be. I view the loose period as an aberration.

Complaining about their tight grading is a very selfish, narrow point of view. Tight grading is good for the buyer, good for the hobby, and ultimately good for CGC = they are putting out a better product.

 

The problem isn't tight grading.

 

The problem is inconsistent grading.

 

But, of course, tight grading isn't so good for the buyer, the hobby, or CGC in the long run, either. If "NM quality books" start being graded as 7.0s and 8.0s, people will simply stop submitting books.

 

Balance is the key. Those complaining about loose grading are being just as selfish and narrow-viewed.

[NewWorldOrder]

I wonder if there have been talks of expanding, perhaps another location out west in CA or NV, or maybe one in the northeast like NY/NJ.

 

Expansion sounds great but how would it help TAT's ? The logistics of splitting up a business like this across the country would be tremendous. Where would they find the staff ? Two staffs, with two different head graders, would surely result in inconsistent grading. And what about Matt and his staff ? IMO, this would make everything worse. Sorry but it's a bad idea.

 

Agreed. Splitting up wouldn't work, but I think simply expanding the existing team would. Sure, maybe this started as a "boutique" service catering to a niche community, but it's now a corporate powerhouse that needs to act as such. Hire more graders (there are plenty who are more than qualified), hire quality administrative staff, and give them hours that make sense for the demand.

 

Anyone worth their salt in comics will want more $$$ than the grading companies would be willing to pay. lets see work part time selling books and make $40,000 or work full time for a starting salary of $35,000 and not be able to sell books on the side. That's the real dilemma facing them hiring qualified people.

 

The branch offices is an idea that will most likely never fly. Too much duplication of effort in facilities, CS people, etc.

 

Spot on assessment but that dilemma can be worked around.

 

The newly hired grader at CGC could still submit books to the other company and sell the graded books he received from the other company on eBay.

 

And, just the same:

 

The newly hired grader at the other company could still submit books to CGC for grading and he could sell the CGC graded book on eBay or on this forum.

 

Branch offices is not a good idea by any stretch for the forementioned reasons.CGC would be bleeding money out like a sieve by roughly doubling its operating/overhead costs with a second facility.

 

Hiring more grader(s) is what would be the most cost effective and practical solution for CGC.

 

A starting salary of 35K is actually not that bad in today's job market.

 

To put that into perspective, 35K a year to ***grade comic books for 40 hours a week*** is hardly a bad rate.We are not talking about back breaking work, this sort of work isn't comparable to laying block in the heat of the summer or in the cold of the winter.Then again, it also is not comparable to a "job holding all day", to quote Chris Rock.

 

Puns aside:

If you know the market just as intimately as you know how to grade comics and you have no qualms with putting in 60+ hour work weeks, being a grader would be a decent job.

 

If the newly hired grader has an ounce of ambition and wants to work harder to earn more money beyond 35K a year; 35K isn't adequate to start a family and so on.....

 

....then the newly hired grader should put 20+ hours a week of his free time towards buying collections/single books and subbing books to the other grading company.Sell the other company's graded books on eBay.

 

Rinse and repeat.

 

I am actually considering moving to Florida myself, for this very reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I see your logic, but I don't see how that's sustainable. I can't imagine graders who make a habit out of actively supporting the competition would be kept onboard for very long. :shrug:

 

If they have an ounce of intelligence, they could do the subs and selling anonymously.

 

However; I think there is a lot more time, money, effort and risk that goes into this type of plan than people give credit. Working a 9-5 and then still searching tirelessly for deals on books and to have them grade out higher to make a profit selling them... Not so easily done, especially without a decent amount of upfront capital to work with. You are easily talking about another 40 hours worth of work a week and unless you start with $50k to buy with, it will take you a few years to build up enough cash to actually make a profit (assuming you sell through eBay and auction houses that are expensive to do business with). It really is impractical, at best.

 

On the flip side, I am sure there are plenty of 20-35 year olds that would be happy to take a grading job at CGC or Voldemort Inc for $35-40k per year. That whole generation is underemployed and to many it would be a dream job to work with and see rare or popular comics everyday.

 

Too overthinking much in this thread imagine I. :shrug:

 

No a dream job is to make 35-40k per month finding the books to be graded.

 

Grading other people's books is torture when you know how much money you just made them with your grade.

[BarryAllen]

I wonder if there have been talks of expanding, perhaps another location out west in CA or NV, or maybe one in the northeast like NY/NJ.

 

Expansion sounds great but how would it help TAT's ? The logistics of splitting up a business like this across the country would be tremendous. Where would they find the staff ? Two staffs, with two different head graders, would surely result in inconsistent grading. And what about Matt and his staff ? IMO, this would make everything worse. Sorry but it's a bad idea.

 

Agreed. Splitting up wouldn't work, but I think simply expanding the existing team would. Sure, maybe this started as a "boutique" service catering to a niche community, but it's now a corporate powerhouse that needs to act as such. Hire more graders (there are plenty who are more than qualified), hire quality administrative staff, and give them hours that make sense for the demand.

 

Anyone worth their salt in comics will want more $$$ than the grading companies would be willing to pay. lets see work part time selling books and make $40,000 or work full time for a starting salary of $35,000 and not be able to sell books on the side. That's the real dilemma facing them hiring qualified people.

 

The branch offices is an idea that will most likely never fly. Too much duplication of effort in facilities, CS people, etc.

 

Spot on assessment but that dilemma can be worked around.

 

The newly hired grader at CGC could still submit books to the other company and sell the graded books he received from the other company on eBay.

 

And, just the same:

 

The newly hired grader at the other company could still submit books to CGC for grading and he could sell the CGC graded book on eBay or on this forum.

 

Branch offices is not a good idea by any stretch for the forementioned reasons.CGC would be bleeding money out like a sieve by roughly doubling its operating/overhead costs with a second facility.

 

Hiring more grader(s) is what would be the most cost effective and practical solution for CGC.

 

A starting salary of 35K is actually not that bad in today's job market.

 

To put that into perspective, 35K a year to ***grade comic books for 40 hours a week*** is hardly a bad rate.We are not talking about back breaking work, this sort of work isn't comparable to laying block in the heat of the summer or in the cold of the winter.Then again, it also is not comparable to a "job holding all day", to quote Chris Rock.

 

Puns aside:

If you know the market just as intimately as you know how to grade comics and you have no qualms with putting in 60+ hour work weeks, being a grader would be a decent job.

 

If the newly hired grader has an ounce of ambition and wants to work harder to earn more money beyond 35K a year; 35K isn't adequate to start a family and so on.....

 

....then the newly hired grader should put 20+ hours a week of his free time towards buying collections/single books and subbing books to the other grading company.Sell the other company's graded books on eBay.

 

Rinse and repeat.

 

I am actually considering moving to Florida myself, for this very reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I see your logic, but I don't see how that's sustainable. I can't imagine graders who make a habit out of actively supporting the competition would be kept onboard for very long. :shrug:

 

If they have an ounce of intelligence, they could do the subs and selling anonymously.

 

However; I think there is a lot more time, money, effort and risk that goes into this type of plan than people give credit. Working a 9-5 and then still searching tirelessly for deals on books and to have them grade out higher to make a profit selling them... Not so easily done, especially without a decent amount of upfront capital to work with. You are easily talking about another 40 hours worth of work a week and unless you start with $50k to buy with, it will take you a few years to build up enough cash to actually make a profit (assuming you sell through eBay and auction houses that are expensive to do business with). It really is impractical, at best.

 

On the flip side, I am sure there are plenty of 20-35 year olds that would be happy to take a grading job at CGC or Voldemort Inc for $35-40k per year. That whole generation is underemployed and to many it would be a dream job to work with and see rare or popular comics everyday.

 

Too overthinking much in this thread imagine I. :shrug:

 

No a dream job is to make 35-40k per month finding the books to be graded.

 

Grading other people's books is torture when you know how much money you just made them with your grade.

 

That is like saying "everyone who works at a bank in unhappy because they can see how much money other people are making." Sure some people are frustrated, but every time I see a Ferrari on the street I don't lose my mind and go buy 200 under-graded raw books to slab and resell them. :shrug:

 

Working with comics is a very desirable job many people and $30-$40k is a very competitive salary for the vast majority of Americans (minimum wage is like $18K in FL). The national median income for a family is around $50k total, so scoffing at that amount of money is rather silly. My guess would be since this is a site dedicated to collectibles (a hobby largely supported by people with disposable income) the perception here is skewed versus what the majority of Americans are actually taking home each day.

 

Grading comics and the opportunity to touch, see and feel rare and key books IS something I am certain some people enjoy. People are tailors and take care of Gucci suits but don't own one themselves, Cobblers fix Jimmy Choo's but probably don't have a closet full of them, Plumbers fix toilets in mansions but may not own one and there are countless other jobs that are less desirable that people do everyday where strong comparisons in disparaging wealth can be seen. The situation is being overdramatized; grading comics is a low labor, decent paying job where one can be a direct part of a popular hobby. Not so bad.

 

No offense, but I also don't think a professional comic dealer can provide an unbiased opinion on this matter. Your job is to find the profit in the hobby, so I would surmise that you find potential situations where you are not the beneficiary of comic profit unsatisfactory (to say the least).

 

I stand by my comment: "too overthinking much in this thread imagine I."