Raw Grading 1 1

[Chadwick]

9 hours ago, oakman29 said:

I think I'd rather trust my own grading.

I think it's more about the resto check, page count, etc that's the point of these, not long term storage or something.

 

As a dealer at a con, would you like to be able to Review grade 100 books, from artists at the show, for $5 each? I would guess they would be easier to sell for SS purposes.

Also as a collector, and you're trying to sell 10 keys at a con, would you spend the $5 each to be able to sell the books easier since they now have a resto check/ page count, etc.

 

The review grades are basically a sealed pre-screen. If you can fit them into a top loader after, I think it's worth 5 bucks.

[Mio]

It is a great idea and I will use it. Most other collectibles are traded on the basis of documentary evidence and not locked in plastic. Comics were once the same. Aside from foregoing the environmental hazard, sometimes I want a second opinion on my books and also want to keep it raw.

This would also fill a void at shows, e.g. where two people want to settle on a grade to facilitate an in person sale.

I have seen boardies sell books here and elsewhere, de-slabbed, with support of a CGC label. It worked just fine.

[comicquant]

2 hours ago, Chadwick said:

I think it's more about the resto check, page count, etc that's the point of these, not long term storage or something.

 

As a dealer at a con, would you like to be able to Review grade 100 books, from artists at the show, for $5 each? I would guess they would be easier to sell for SS purposes.

Also as a collector, and you're trying to sell 10 keys at a con, would you spend the $5 each to be able to sell the books easier since they now have a resto check/ page count, etc.

 

The review grades are basically a sealed pre-screen. If you can fit them into a top loader after, I think it's worth 5 bucks.

I don't think they're doing a resto check.  It would be nice if they did.  So it's $10 for a simple pre-screen.

[Aweandlorder]

I dont see anything wrong with it. The only thing thats worth speculating on is whether or not this will be so successful with moderns that it may take a toll on traditional grading in the long run.

[ADAMANTIUM]

A positive benefit that I can see is maybe people will start "reading" the comics instead of just buying to slab......

As far as comic con's would you like to spend another $5 added onto minor key's priced to sell to cover cost's of a booth.

As far as selling to a LCS would the sticker be from a reputable etc to garner any extra mullah

[jcjames]

50 minutes ago, Aweandlorder said:

I dont see anything wrong with it. The only thing thats worth speculating on is whether or not this will be so successful with moderns that it may take a toll on traditional grading in the long run.

I think there would be a good market for it, I would probably use it to some extent especially for some moderns. The fact that it could relieve the bottleneck in encapsulation would be a bonus. Except for the possible loss of revenue from slabbing nearly every new release that people send in.

 

[Readcomix]

I probably wouldn't use it but I don't get this whole negate the grade perspective. How many raw books get shipped for purchase in less than mylars and arrive in the same condition sent? And conversely, slabs are not force fields, nor are they Mylar (lacking those stable and UV-blocking properties?) Of course, I don't know exactly what the slabs are made of, so I cannot be sure. But the properties of Mylar for paper collectibles are well-known.

[VintageComics]

13 hours ago, thirdgreenham said:

I think it's a good idea that definitely fills a void in the marketplace.  

It's a brilliant idea.

Not everyone wants a book in a slab. Not everyone sees a comic as a commodity.

If you're a raw collector who doesn't know how to grade and simply want to know what you have it's perfect.

It's also perfect for cheaper books that aren't worth grading at $20 or $40 a pop.

[comicquant]

5 hours ago, Readcomix said:

I probably wouldn't use it but I don't get this whole negate the grade perspective. How many raw books get shipped for purchase in less than mylars and arrive in the same condition sent? And conversely, slabs are not force fields, nor are they Mylar (lacking those stable and UV-blocking properties?) Of course, I don't know exactly what the slabs are made of, so I cannot be sure. But the properties of Mylar for paper collectibles are well-known.

What I meant by negate the grade was there is a significantly higher potential for damaging a book in a Mylar/board setup than a slab.  When I look at a slab that says 9.4 and the slab looks like it hasn't been cracked or the book doesn't move freely within I'm pretty sure it's still a 9.4.  You don't have that luxury with a Mylar and backing board.  I'm sure everyone on these boards has added a spine tick to an otherwise pristine book while unpacking one in a bag/board, but unless you're unpacking a slab with a hammer there's a good chance the book arrives unscathed with grade intact.

[1Cool]

Wondering how it makes economic sense to the company doing it if it was $5 a grade?  Let's assume it takes 10 minutes to carefully grade the book, fill in the info and print out the sticker and carefully seal the book in Mylar and ship the package back to the person.  6 - 10 books an hour is only $50 at max per hour. I guess at $10 it's not too bad.

[mschmidt]

22 hours ago, comicquant said:

I don't think they're doing a resto check.  It would be nice if they did.  So it's $10 for a simple pre-screen.

If that's correct, that's insane - I guess they have zero problems providing legitimacy to scammers passing off restored books as unrestored.

[Readcomix]

18 minutes ago, mschmidt said:

If that's correct, that's insane - I guess they have zero problems providing legitimacy to scammers passing off restored books as unrestored.

 

18 minutes ago, mschmidt said:

If that's correct, that's insane - I guess they have zero problems providing legitimacy to scammers passing off restored books as unrestored.

Good point....how's that a complete grading service?

[Readcomix]

5 hours ago, comicquant said:

What I meant by negate the grade was there is a significantly higher potential for damaging a book in a Mylar/board setup than a slab.  When I look at a slab that says 9.4 and the slab looks like it hasn't been cracked or the book doesn't move freely within I'm pretty sure it's still a 9.4.  You don't have that luxury with a Mylar and backing board.  I'm sure everyone on these boards has added a spine tick to an otherwise pristine book while unpacking one in a bag/board, but unless you're unpacking a slab with a hammer there's a good chance the book arrives unscathed with grade intact.

Gotcha. And I agree. I've damaged books in and out of bags and mylars, as we all probably have. I just think the protection gap is overstated, in practical reality. Books in boards and mylars in boxes are generally as static or moreso than slabbed books. Handling is high-risk; other than those times, it's off the table.

[Chadwick]

4 hours ago, 1Cool said:

Wondering how it makes economic sense to the company doing it if it was $5 a grade?  Let's assume it takes 10 minutes to carefully grade the book, fill in the info and print out the sticker and carefully seal the book in Mylar and ship the package back to the person.  6 - 10 books an hour is only $50 at max per hour. I guess at $10 it's not too bad.

This is a con only option, at least for collector cards it is. BGS grading services 

I don't see how they couldn't have 4-5 guys inside the booth tent doing reviews and sealing them on site. Work it as an assembly line - 3 people grade/resto check/page count the book, next person puts it in the holder, last person attaches the sticker.  I'd be all over that for 5 bucks a book. Makes trading a hell of a lot easier too, and I don't mind paying $5 over raw for a book I intend to open anyway.

[Aweandlorder]

For someone who is extremely picky with grades I can see how this will not make sense, at any cost, even for a dollar per book. But judging by the market, most people grade books to sell online. Furthermore, most buyers buy raw books online. Now. Assuming the seller is reputable enough, youd get an accurate grade for a book you purchase online. Add these 2 sentiments together: Reputable grader+inexpensive service=better profit margin. So, this will make PERFECT sense to sellers, not so much to the collector (although some collectors would prefer that service as well)

[VintageComics]

27 minutes ago, Aweandlorder said:

But judging by the market, most people grade books to sell online.

You can make a counter argument and argue that grading has made collecting expensive.

There are still plenty of run collectors but they're hard to quantify because you don't see their collections (you only see what is for sale in the marketplace).

I can see the raw grading option increasing run collecting for people who don't really like slabbing because it reduces cost, it appeals to a large portion of the old school market segment that rejects slabbing (and there are still many, even 17 years in) and it makes books easy to get to for people who want to read (I hear many people afraid to crack slabs).

 

[VintageComics]

4 hours ago, mschmidt said:

If that's correct, that's insane - I guess they have zero problems providing legitimacy to scammers passing off restored books as unrestored.

A scammer will take any legitimate product and find a way to spin it to their advantage. That's not the fault of the service. It's the fault of the scammer.

The same rules always apply. Buy from reputable people if you're risk averse and you'll never go wrong.

 

[Aweandlorder]

39 minutes ago, VintageComics said:

You can make a counter argument and argue that grading has made collecting expensive.

 

Agree 100% thats why I said earlier that its interesting to speculate whether such an option, if successfully implemented, could take away from the value of slabs or books in general.

Btw, for all those arguments presented here so far against such an option - this is not an issue of REPLACING the current grading process or a question of "whats better", but simply, is it wise to ADD such an option...

[VintageComics]

1 minute ago, Aweandlorder said:

Btw, for all those arguments presented here so far against such an option - this is not an issue of REPLACING the current grading process or a question of "whats better", but simply, is it wise to ADD such an option...

Gone are the days when you have 3 or 4 models of cars to choose from. When I first got into the auto industry Benz had maybe 4 or 5 models to choose from. Now they have 15-20. The current trend is to fill as many niches as possible with your product as the pie slices are getting smaller and the products more diverse. And that's what's happening to grading.

[mschmidt]

3 hours ago, VintageComics said:

A scammer will take any legitimate product and find a way to spin it to their advantage. That's not the fault of the service. It's the fault of the scammer.

The same rules always apply. Buy from reputable people if you're risk averse and you'll never go wrong.

 

Give me a break.

If the service makes it easier than normal for the scammer to operate then the service is most definitely to blame as well.

If a website isn't secured and your CC info gets stolen when you purchase something, you do bear some responsibility for not having done your own due diligence - but the site is definitely not blameless in this equation either.