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Slab it or keep it raw? That is the question?

Started by 1Cool,

Slab it or sell it raw??  

177 members have voted

  1. 1. Slab it or sell it raw??

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31 posts in this topic

1Cool

1Cool

Posted
Posted

If you had a book like Preacher 15 or a Harley Quinn 12 in 9.6/9.8 grade would you get it graded? For example sake - lets say there is a 50/50 shot of the book getting a 9.8 which price out to be $80 or the book getting a 9.6 which will barely cover fast track slabbing cost would you send it in? This example is strictly for a re-sale perspective and selling it raw will probably net you $10 and will take a bit of time to find a buyer not nearly as long as waiting to get it slabbed.

 

It's fairly easy to pull the trigger and send in a 9.6/9.8 contender when the book is a Saga 1 or a Preacher 1 but the "lesser" books are always an internal debate. I've heard the "less then $100 in 9.8 just isn't worth the time" statement and wonder how many people live by this rule. So lets have a unscientific poll:

 

 

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Davenport

Davenport

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Posted

At what point is it just easier to buy already graded and bump a few percentage points for profit?

 

or... Just how king is cash flow?

 

It's going to be different for each individual business model, right? Some can invest and wait, work a long game. While others need to keep moving quickly. (Just guessing)

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1Cool

1Cool

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Maybe send it in with a stack of other books as pre-screens at 9.8?

 

That is an option I've not used yet and I see it being a good one as long as you have 40 - 50 books you want to get slabbed at once and don't mind the wait time being extended by 50% or so.

 

But if you are breaking even on a slabbed 9.6 book and you break even if the book gets sent back via a failed pre-screening does it make sense to do the prescreening (assuming you are 99% sure the book will get a 9.6/9.8).

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jaeldubyoo

jaeldubyoo

Posted
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Depends on whether you need the money and when you need it. I'm not dependent on selling comics so my needs may be different than a full-time dealer. But the way I see it is why bother for just a small profit when the time and money could be better spent for better opportunities. Is the risk worth the reward for you?

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Bird

Bird

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Posted

what makes sense is different for each person. I would not send in a BA12 (Is that what you meant in the OP with Harley Quinn 12?) if I paid so much that 9.6 was breaking even. But a cheap modern book that was bought to flip? I might do that on a case by case basis...throw away a sure profit, probably high percentage but low dollar amount, (you switched from $10 in the original post to $40 later, which would have different outcomes for me) for a chance at a $75-$125 bump. Once in while I would do that. Just got grades in and I did that on the first Red Hulk issue, now I will be breaking even or losing a little on that book but the others in that invoice will make up for that gamble.

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Bird

Bird

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I sent in a MST on 6/10 and a MFT on 9/15. The MST will arrive tomorrow and the MFT grades came in yesterday and should be here Monday!

 

That was my first fast track, wow. It sat at graded for only a few days and only one day at QC while the slow tracked books sat at graded for a month or so and QC a few weeks.

 

 

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1Cool

1Cool

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what makes sense is different for each person. I would not send in a BA12 (Is that what you meant in the OP with Harley Quinn 12?) if I paid so much that 9.6 was breaking even. But a cheap modern book that was bought to flip? I might do that on a case by case basis...throw away a sure profit, probably high percentage but low dollar amount, (you switched from $10 in the original post to $40 later, which would have different outcomes for me) for a chance at a $75-$125 bump. Once in while I would do that. Just got grades in and I did that on the first Red Hulk issue, now I will be breaking even or losing a little on that book but the others in that invoice will make up for that gamble.

 

A BA 12 is a no brainer to me if its a 9.6/9.8 contender in pretty much every way since you would be leaving a ton of money on the table by selling it raw (in my opinion). I was just throwing out books that I know are $75 - $80 books in CGC 9.8 while going for $40 or so in CGC 9.6 so I picked a Harley Quinn 12 from the 2000 series.

 

Going for a $75 - $125 is also a no-brainer to me along with it's easy to not grade a book that is $30 in CGC 9.8 because what is the point since I'm not willing to chase a 9.9/10. It's deciding on the $40 - $50 bumps which always seem tricky. Why sell a books for $10 when you could possibly sell it for $75 or break even at $40 depending if CGC is in a good mood or not. I agree it usually comes down to deciding on each book.

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blazingbob

blazingbob

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Posted

I would have the "I'm not in business to make you money" button.

 

Grading decisions are based on cost of inventory, grading fees, shipping fees, time and your desired profit margin.

 

Not sure why you need board members to answer that question for you.

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blazingbob

blazingbob

Posted
Posted

Why would CGC want to speed up modern turnaround times when this is the collector mindset?

 

"I just can't do Slow Track anymore. 4-months is a loonnngggg time to wait to save ten bucks"

 

Fast tracks are more profitable for the same amount of work.

 

 

 

.

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1Cool

1Cool

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I would have the "I'm not in business to make you money" button.

 

Grading decisions are based on cost of inventory, grading fees, shipping fees, time and your desired profit margin.

 

Not sure why you need board members to answer that question for you.

 

You sound like you would be a ball of fun at a dinner party. If I posted scans of a book and asked you to decide if I should send it in I would understand your hesitation to answer. It's just a poll to see what people would typically do or think in a certain situation involving comic books which is pretty much what half the boards is about.

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CBT

CBT

Posted
Posted

time has to be a part of your calculations. if you are constantly reinvesting your money into inventory, and every transaction is a gain. Waiting the months to get a book slabbed, cant just be seen as the difference in profit between the raw sale and the slabbed sale.

 

If that same money buys another book, and makes another raw sale, which buys another book, which makes another raw sale....etc. All while you'd be waiting for CGC.....

 

If you want to sell comics in a serious way, the number of transactions, and the time inventory remains unsold, are AS IMPORTANT as the margins you make. Sometimes non-business background people cant get pass the margin-only view. You always want your money working for you :)

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blazingbob

blazingbob

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That is true but when CGC first started it was always recommended to submit books monthly so that books were always coming in. If you are only submitted in huge blocks and didn't space it out you could have months where nothing came in.

 

Cash flow is king.

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