Selling Comics to Lone Star / MCS

[shadroch]

Submit slabbed books online for their offers.

[ttfitz]

It seemed to me they upgraded as many of mine as they downgraded, for the most part adding or taking away a +/- from the grade or half a grade either way, so Good became Good+ or Good- or Fair/Good, or VG to VG+/- or G/VG, etc. They don't give you the half grades to pick from when you input however, so that's not really a reflection on either of our grading skills I guess.

 

Actually, they DO give you the half grades to pick from - yes, when you go to enter books it just shows the main grades, but each of those is a drop-down, and you can click on it and select half grades around it (3.0 has everything from 5.0 to 1.0, for example).

 

Let me amend that - I've occasionally seen some items that didn't have a full range offered with them, newer cheap stuff I think, so maybe that's what you had?

[Ryan.]

I've used MCS to auction some slabs and been underwhelmed with the results.

[JWKyle]

This thread prompted me to visit their site and see what's what. Just got an email today that they've gone through the box of low grade readers that I sent them and they are sending me a check for $52. About $1.25 a book from a pile that was just gathering dust.

 

Thanks OP!

 

I like to use them to bundle up my under copies or stuff that was bought in lots that I don't collect. If you send them a book for sale as a NM it will need to be a 9.6/9.8 candidate or more then likely it's going to be graded as a VF by them.

[kav]

if they're mystery in space readers I'll probably be the guy buying them

[lightninglad]

As an update to my original post...

 

I expressed my displeasure with their grading, most notably that every single one of my books had been downgraded to VF. The response I got was "that true near mints are very hard to come by--as they are practically perfect"

 

Now compare that comment with the grading standards for a NM comic on their website.....

 

By their own stated standards NM can be as low as 9.2 and include "a very small amount of spine stresses without color breaks, very minor instances of denting (two or three at most), slight corner blunting, and minor (less than 1/8") bends without color breaks."

 

So what I can gather from all this is that if you're selling to THEM, a NM comic is a rare, hard to come by, practically perfect comic. If they're selling to YOU, a NM comic can be a 9.2 with spine stress, denting, corner blunting and bends.

 

That sounds fair

[paul747]

As an update to my original post...

 

I expressed my displeasure with their grading, most notably that every single one of my books had been downgraded to VF. The response I got was "that true near mints are very hard to come by--as they are practically perfect"

 

Now compare that comment with the grading standards for a NM comic on their website.....

 

By their own stated standards NM can be as low as 9.2 and include "a very small amount of spine stresses without color breaks, very minor instances of denting (two or three at most), slight corner blunting, and minor (less than 1/8") bends without color breaks."

 

So what I can gather from all this is that if you're selling to THEM, a NM comic is a rare, hard to come by, practically perfect comic. If they're selling to YOU, a NM comic can be a 9.2 with spine stress, denting, corner blunting and bends.

 

That sounds fair

They are making money on the spread

[jools&jim]

 

Does anyone know if they offer more in store (i.e., website) credit than they do in cash?

 

 

 

 

[anstettoman]

I sold approx. 50 books to them recently and 44 of 50 were misgraded according to their graders. hard I know grading is subjective but hard to believe I can be so far off on grading. I have bought and sold comics for the last 40 years and have never felt like I ever needed grading questioned. I do not take it personally and realize that the majority of books I sell to lonestar will be downgraded. I do not sell things I really want back either so it is what it is just know what you are getting into when dealing with them

[gcstomp]

It is well understood that mcs grade tough. But it is not a double standard. The exact book that they buy as vf will be listed on their site as vf. To suggest otherwise is merely lack of research.

[Davenport]

Does anyone know if they offer more in store (i.e., website) credit than they do in cash?

They do.

Here's the buying page/FAQ

https://www.mycomicshop.com/webuycomics/faq

 

After reading through it click the "Record items" in the top yellow box. Look up an issue of some title and you'll see their offer-prices (example - $6.00 credit $4.00 cash)

------

When and how can I use my trade credit?

 

When submitting an offer to us, you choose whether to trade your comics for mycomicshop online credit or to sell them for cash. If you choose to trade, your credit can be used for any purchase from mycomicshop.com except for auction items, consignment items, and Subscription Service items. Trade credit may be used only after your trade transaction is completed and you receive an e-mail notifying you that credit has been issued to your account. If you place an order before credit has been issued, you will not be able to use credit for the order and must pay for it normally.

 

There is no time limit for use of your credit. Any credit in your account works just like cash. For example, if you place a $50.00 order and you have $50.00 or more in your credit account, your order will show as fully paid by credit when you complete it. Any remaining credit will be available for you to use on a future order.

 

 

[jools&jim]

 

Does anyone know if they offer more in store (i.e., website) credit than they do in cash?

They do.

Here's the buying page/FAQ

https://www.mycomicshop.com/webuycomics/faq

 

After reading through it click the "Record items" in the top yellow box. Look up an issue of some title and you'll see their offer-prices (example - $6.00 credit $4.00 cash)

Thanks!!

 

 

[Chaseman210]

It is well understood that mcs grade tough. But it is not a double standard. The exact book that they buy as vf will be listed on their site as vf. To suggest otherwise is merely lack of research.

 

I don't think that's what people were commenting about. Lightninglad said that raw books sent in by people are hardly ever graded NM because it's almost "impossible," according to MCS. Then when one goes to buy a raw sold by MCS, their standards for a NM can go all the way down to a 9.2.

 

So when buying other people's books, they never have to pay for a NM, but when they sell their own books, the grading isn't as strict for getting a NM book.

[Ryan.]

This has not been my experience. I have purchased NM- books from MCS that come back 9.8.

[gcstomp]

Chase, it is testable, there is no double standard, no dealer working the spread of being tough in grading when buying from public but lenient when selling it on their site. Sell a book to MCS that you can id. You will see it popped up on site for sale in their inventory at the same grade.

[Chaseman210]

Chase, it is testable, there is no double standard, no dealer working the spread of being tough in grading when buying from public but lenient when selling it on their site. Sell a book to MCS that you can id. You will see it popped up on site for sale in their inventory at the same grade.

 

I'm not saying MCS does anything either way. Your earlier post was in response to another user, and reading through your comment about what he said, it seemed you didn't understand the point he was trying to make. All I did was lay out what the other guy said a page or so ago.

[lou_fine]

My guess is that MCS graders look at a book and if its not 9.8 in stature, it then goes to a VF and then FN.

 

I send several long boxes to MCS each month. They keep sending me checks.

 

you grade a book 9.2, they will grade it 8.5 (or 8.0, or lower, etc).

 

I've gotten totally used to it, and I still send them stacks of books all the time.

 

But no, you won't get the grades you think when sending to them, they take books you might try to sell for years though. For me, that makes them worthwhile.

 

Jay

 

It sounds as though these guys are grading to their own standards as opposed to the industry standard.

 

Question here: I hope you guys are talking about worthless drek comics here as opposed to vintage collectible comics here. What kind of prices are they paying for these books as I definitely need to clear out my Team America, Ultraverse, B&W, and Modern junk?

[shadroch]

Their buying prices are listed on their website. You can even print out their buying prices and go hit a convention or some stores.

[lightninglad]

Chase, it is testable, there is no double standard, no dealer working the spread of being tough in grading when buying from public but lenient when selling it on their site. Sell a book to MCS that you can id. You will see it popped up on site for sale in their inventory at the same grade.

 

Then please explain this:

 

"True near mints are very hard to come by--as they are practically perfect"---A direct quote from a MCS representative about buying NM comics

 

vs this

 

"Acceptable minor defects on a NM copy include: A very small amount of spine stresses without color breaks, very minor instances of denting (two or three at most), slight corner blunting, and minor (less than 1/8") bends without color breaks...On the ten-point grading scale, a lower grade like 9.2 will allow these defects in a greater quantity and degree than a higher grade like 9.8, which sometimes may have no discernible defects at all."-- Their own grading standards stated on their website for NM

 

Those two comments conflict with one another.

[anstettoman]

exactly so if you choose to sell to lonestar prepare to question your grading skills (but don't take it personal) and stick to books that you do not have much invested in. they purchase quickly and are very professional. I just find it hard to believe that 90+% of what I send to them is not how (in my opinion) anyone who saw the book in hand would grade it. not the difference between and 9.6 to 9.8 or higher either.......