Raw Grading 1 1

[fastballspecial]

22 hours ago, Tony S said:

Anyone that has watched books move through the grading process over the years KNOWS that encapsulation is a bottleneck. Clearly graders can grade faster than the people in encapsulation can slab. Because when CGC is backed up, books get through grading quickly and then sit for a long time waiting to get through the slabbing and QC stage. 

 

I work in an industry that has almost perfected the production process. The bottleneck is the company not the process. If they took some time to streamline their production process they could increase their yield. Its not rocket science.  

Demand is a great thing, but if you can supply it in a timely manner that demand goes somewhere else.

 

[kav]

54 minutes ago, fastballspecial said:

 

I work in an industry that has almost perfected the production process. The bottleneck is the company not the process. If they took some time to streamline their production process they could increase their yield. Its not rocket science.  

Demand is a great thing, but if you can supply it in a timely manner that demand goes somewhere else.

 

I don't understand-if the bottleneck is not the process, why do they need to streamline the process?

[fastballspecial]

1 hour ago, kav said:

I don't understand-if the bottleneck is not the process, why do they need to streamline the process?

Because how the company is doing business might be creating their bottleneck if that makes sense. ( I understand your question though.) Yes somewhere within the company a bottleneck exists which is slowing production of slabs. By re-evaluating how there entire process is done they can smooth out the area that is creating the problem. We tend to have tunnel vision when trying to fix a problem instead of looking the bigger picture that might have created it to begin with.

Last year I had an issue in my work area that was frustrating workers. Just like everyone else we blamed everyone in the immediate vicinity for creating the problem.  After stepping back and looking at the issue again we found the problem was created in another division 2 areas away from us that just got gradually worse until it got to us. By fixing the issue in another division it fixed the problem in ours as well.

I am not saying that is the issue, but it gives you an example of how the problem might not be in the area that is the "bottleneck" currently. It might be somebody else creating it. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Tony S]

2 hours ago, fastballspecial said:

 

I work in an industry that has almost perfected the production process. The bottleneck is the company not the process. If they took some time to streamline their production process they could increase their yield. Its not rocket science.  

Demand is a great thing, but if you can supply it in a timely manner that demand goes somewhere else.

 

Only CGC would know 100% for sure what causes the bottleneck in encapsulation. But there are boardies who have been watching this for over a decade. The general "guestimate" is that the encapsulation equipment is expensive.  In times past when way behind, it was the encapsulation and shipping depts that started working Overtime first and for the longest. If you think about it, to grade comic books you need a clean room, tables and good light. Obviously encapsulation requires specialized equipment and materials. The correct size inner holder and outer shells, the heat sealing equipment and trained operators. 

It's also worth pointing out in this discussion that when CGC rolled out the new Generation 2 slab with NO INNER HOLDER,  one of the benefits they touted was that it would reduce the amount of time it took to encapsulate books.  

Right now this conversation doesn't matter quite so much because CGC is kicking on TAT's.  But I've been doing this a long time and we all know current TAT's aren't going to last into the Summer.  The revision of the Generation 2 slab put the inner well back in. 

The evidence suggests CGC already tried to "streamline the process" and it blew up in their face.  I doubt they need an efficiency expert telling them how to encapsulate quicker. What they probably need is more encapsulation equipment and trained operators.  And who knows? Maybe they have in fact already done that. IMHO that investment would pay off. Because if TAT's stayed reasonable in the Summer and Fall, I think they'd get more business still.  I am certain that their improved TAT's have already lead to more submissions. It used to be that when books I sent in arrived at CGC on Monday - then sometime during the day on Monday all the books were in the system. NOW when books arrive on Monday, it's not unusual  for it to be Tuesday or Wednesday before they are in the system. I called and asked "why" last time (books had been recieved but not showing in my portal) I was told they had received a lot of submissions over the weekend.  I didn't even call yesterday or today about all the books they got on Monday that are not showing.  I know what's going on. Collectors are rushing out shipments to CGC wanting to take advantage of reasonable TAT. 
 

Edited March 1, 2017 by Tony S

[1Cool]

15 hours ago, Aweandlorder said:

CGCs fee is $5 for STRICTLY grading a book. Thats a fact. When you send in a book to get it pre-screened it costs $5 when it doesnt meet the the threshold you set.

 

Good point.  If was going to say the new sealed mylar and grading sticker would add some cost but I guess CGC does put a barcode sticker on the books that don't pass prescreening. 

[fastballspecial]

14 hours ago, Tony S said:

Only CGC would know 100% for sure what causes the bottleneck in encapsulation. But there are boardies who have been watching this for over a decade. The general "guestimate" is that the encapsulation equipment is expensive.  In times past when way behind, it was the encapsulation and shipping depts that started working Overtime first and for the longest. If you think about it, to grade comic books you need a clean room, tables and good light. Obviously encapsulation requires specialized equipment and materials. The correct size inner holder and outer shells, the heat sealing equipment and trained operators. 

It's also worth pointing out in this discussion that when CGC rolled out the new Generation 2 slab with NO INNER HOLDER,  one of the benefits they touted was that it would reduce the amount of time it took to encapsulate books.  

Right now this conversation doesn't matter quite so much because CGC is kicking on TAT's.  But I've been doing this a long time and we all know current TAT's aren't going to last into the Summer.  The revision of the Generation 2 slab put the inner well back in. 

The evidence suggests CGC already tried to "streamline the process" and it blew up in their face.  I doubt they need an efficiency expert telling them how to encapsulate quicker. What they probably need is more encapsulation equipment and trained operators.  And who knows? Maybe they have in fact already done that. IMHO that investment would pay off. Because if TAT's stayed reasonable in the Summer and Fall, I think they'd get more business still.  I am certain that their improved TAT's have already lead to more submissions. It used to be that when books I sent in arrived at CGC on Monday - then sometime during the day on Monday all the books were in the system. NOW when books arrive on Monday, it's not unusual  for it to be Tuesday or Wednesday before they are in the system. I called and asked "why" last time (books had been recieved but not showing in my portal) I was told they had received a lot of submissions over the weekend.  I didn't even call yesterday or today about all the books they got on Monday that are not showing.  I know what's going on. Collectors are rushing out shipments to CGC wanting to take advantage of reasonable TAT. 
 

Tony,

  I wouldn't disagree with any of that. You are right we are only guessing here. It just sounds to me like they need a fresh look at the process. Or starting looking at the entire process as a whole instead all they way down to suppliers and equipment.

 

[Tony S]

5 hours ago, 1Cool said:

Good point.  If was going to say the new sealed mylar and grading sticker would add some cost but I guess CGC does put a barcode sticker on the books that don't pass prescreening. 

I don't mean to be too picky on choice of words - but CGC puts a barcode on every book received. In the case of prescreen rejections the books just didn't get very far into the process.   Rejections are returned (raw) back to their owners in the bags with the barcode.  But the barcode is put on at the very beginning for every book and it is how they keep track of the book (workflow management system) through the process. 

[1Cool]

1 minute ago, Tony S said:

I don't mean to be too picky on choice of words - but CGC puts a barcode on every book received. In the case of prescreen rejections the books just didn't get very far into the process.   Rejections are returned (raw) back to their owners in the bags with the barcode.  But the barcode is put on at the very beginning for every book and it is how they keep track of the book (workflow management system) through the process. 

True - but someone has to type out (or at least print out) the label and affix it to the bag.  So for $5 they do grade the book and affix a label which is pretty much what the other company is offering.  I'd think the prescreening grading is a preliminary screening rather then a defined grading or else they wouldn't need to do another grading of the book but I could be wrong.

[Tony S]

1 minute ago, 1Cool said:

True - but someone has to type out (or at least print out) the label and affix it to the bag.  So for $5 they do grade the book and affix a label which is pretty much what the other company is offering.  I'd think the prescreening grading is a preliminary screening rather then a defined grading or else they wouldn't need to do another grading of the book but I could be wrong.

In my experience the CGC barcode label is near impossible to cleanly peel off a bag. Maybe Voldy should use those instead of their stickers  

[Aweandlorder]

2 hours ago, Tony S said:

I don't mean to be too picky on choice of words - but CGC puts a barcode on every book received. In the case of prescreen rejections the books just didn't get very far into the process.   Rejections are returned (raw) back to their owners in the bags with the barcode.  But the barcode is put on at the very beginning for every book and it is how they keep track of the book (workflow management system) through the process. 

And likewise. Not to be too picky or play the guess game. But since were all guessing than I will add that pre screen is offered to moderns only, and if I was to guess than most people who use the pre-screen option are more advanced than your average clueless joe subbing a turok #1 in 4.5 expecting a 10.00. I would think that theres a great deal of attention to detail when it comes to pre-screening a 9.8 and since thats probably the desired grade by most when pre-screening I would argue that it probably takes an average of a minute+ to inspect a 9.8 candidate. Probably more (as well as it should!)

[Tony S]

3 hours ago, Aweandlorder said:

And likewise. Not to be too picky or play the guess game. But since were all guessing than I will add that pre screen is offered to moderns only, and if I was to guess than most people who use the pre-screen option are more advanced than your average clueless joe subbing a turok #1 in 4.5 expecting a 10.00. I would think that theres a great deal of attention to detail when it comes to pre-screening a 9.8 and since thats probably the desired grade by most when pre-screening I would argue that it probably takes an average of a minute+ to inspect a 9.8 candidate. Probably more (as well as it should!)

Actually, prescreening is an available service for Modern, Economy and Value. CGC also says on their website that if you have books that would be Standard Submission and you want to prescreen, to "call and make special arrangements". Only Express and Walk thru are specifically excluded from the prescreening service. 

Most of the prescreens I have sent in have been moderns. But the modern tier goes all the way back to 1975. While most of the modern books I've sent in were prescreened at 9.8 and a some at 9.6, some of the older "moderns" were screened at much lower grades. 

Edited March 2, 2017 by Tony S

[Aweandlorder]

14 hours ago, Tony S said:

Actually, prescreening is an available service for Modern, Economy and Value. CGC also says on their website that if you have books that would be Standard Submission and you want to prescreen, to "call and make special arrangements". Only Express and Walk thru are specifically excluded from the prescreening service. 

Most of the prescreens I have sent in have been moderns. But the modern tier goes all the way back to 1975. While most of the modern books I've sent in were prescreened at 9.8 and a some at 9.6, some of the older "moderns" were screened at much lower grades. 

Thats that's what I meant. Pre-screen of books from 75 and up. Unless things have changed I don't remember them pre screening older books

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Aweandlorder]

Look the point is this. Raw grading existed all this time with pre-screening. You just never got a grade for it.

I really dont see any reason why CGC wouldnt offer a grade for raw grading if people wanted to have that option

[Tony S]

3 hours ago, Aweandlorder said:

Thats that's what I meant. Pre-screen of books from 75 and up. Unless things have changed I don't remember them pre screening older books

 

 

 

 

 

 

They do (prescreen older books) What they don't do is prescreen very expensive books. Here is the webpage. If you scroll down the list of questions you'll see they will prescreen Standard submissions if "special arrangements" are made ahead of time..

https://www.cgccomics.com/services/prescreen.asp

[Tony S]

3 hours ago, Aweandlorder said:

Look the point is this. Raw grading existed all this time with pre-screening. You just never got a grade for it.

I really dont see any reason why CGC wouldnt offer a grade for raw grading if people wanted to have that option

There is probably a difference. With a prescreen, ONLY the prescreen grader has looked at the book. I assume - but can't say I know 100% for certain - that Voldy's "raw graded books" are graded by more than one grader.  The site says the books are evaluated by "graders" using the same standards. 

[Chadwick]

Found this

http://imgur.com/a/Iaxlv

 

[Aweandlorder]

19 minutes ago, Chadwick said:

Found this

http://imgur.com/a/Iaxlv

 

eBay purchase?

[Chadwick]

3 hours ago, Aweandlorder said:

eBay purchase?

Not my book, just thought it might be of interest. It is on eBay though. 

[Aweandlorder]

1 hour ago, Chadwick said:

Not my book, just thought it might be of interest. It is on eBay though. 

There have been a number of them on eBay.. I noticed them a few weeks back which made me start this topic

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Comics/63/i.html?_from=R40&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rmvSB=true&_nkw=raw+grading&_sop=13

 

Edited March 27, 2017 by Aweandlorder

[fastballspecial]

21 minutes ago, Aweandlorder said:

There have been a number of them on eBay.. I noticed them a few weeks back which made me start this topic

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Comics/63/i.html?_from=R40&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rmvSB=true&_nkw=raw+grading&_sop=13

 

So the question is will they increase the value enough to make it worth the buyers time to send them in?