Sparkle City Comics 4 4

[BrianHoward]

2 minutes ago, 1950's war comics said:

sparkle city used to have the greatest CGC graded auctions ! couldn't wait to see them  ! but now that they are raw i don't look at them much anymore....

I'm sorry that we had to cease slabbing all of our comics. We do still regularly, although not exclusively, sell graded comics and will continue to do so. We understand that for buyers who only buy graded comics, this would be a disappointment.. However, we're still offering the same comics, no reserve auction and top notch customer service! I hope one day we can earn your business again. 

[Spideyham]

202058195528

Yikes, this Marvel Premiere 1 they have graded as NM+   The back cover is tanned with a huge thumb print circle at the top.   The Demon 1 has a light fold top and bottom corners of front cover and they call it NM/MT.  

Edited September 22, 2017 by hobbyguy

[ComicConnoisseur]

17 hours ago, 1950's war comics said:

sparkle city used to have the greatest CGC graded auctions ! couldn't wait to see them  ! but now that they are raw i don't look at them much anymore....

I wonder why they changed their business model?

[Naphtha]

Anyone have any recent issues with this seller? I recently dug up an X-men 94 9.4 that I had purchased a year ago and never fully went through. When I opened the issue, there were stains that permeated through both front and back cover. This was supposed to be a NM?? Also, the listing only showed the front side of the issue. I'm tired of constantly dealing with sellers like this...

[lizards2]

10 hours ago, ajbeck21 said:

Anyone have any recent issues with this seller? I recently dug up an X-men 94 9.4 that I had purchased a year ago and never fully went through. When I opened the issue, there were stains that permeated through both front and back cover. This was supposed to be a NM?? Also, the listing only showed the front side of the issue. I'm tired of constantly dealing with sellers like this...

I had the same staining issue with my last purchase with them, however, I noticed it immediately upon receipt, and my money was refunded. 

To be fair, I've had the same thing happen with other large dealers as far as undisclosed interior issues and flaws.

And, I've had a few books that I was the 'middle of the chain of custody' on, where I missed an interior issue that was later discovered down the line.

[The Lions Den]

25 minutes ago, lizards2 said:

I had the same staining issue with my last purchase with them, however, I noticed it immediately upon receipt, and my money was refunded. 

To be fair, I've had the same thing happen with other large dealers as far as undisclosed interior issues and flaws.

And, I've had a few books that I was the 'middle of the chain of custody' on, where I missed an interior issue that was later discovered down the line.

Yep, always check the books thoroughly after receiving them...a good rule of thumb no matter who you buy from... 

[JollyComics]

On 9/17/2017 at 11:00 PM, comicquant said:

A good example of a grade which is way off is the Batman #227 they've got up right now.  They say its an 8.5 and its a 7.0 on a good day.  The over-grading is consistent but the degree of over-grading varies quite a bit.  They've got to have more than one person grading because it seems there's an old school (3 to 4 bumps off) and a new school.

They make to draw them to buy their overgraded books. It works but later they will face problematic often. They are still doing the old tactic.

[JollyComics]

On 9/21/2017 at 4:09 PM, 1950's war comics said:

sparkle city used to have the greatest CGC graded auctions ! couldn't wait to see them  ! but now that they are raw i don't look at them much anymore....

In theory, they may run out of cash and hurry to sell raw comic books to keep cash flowing since CGC is tightening their grades that they MAY lose their money rapidly if they thought those books in high grade after purchased the collections WITHOUT checking them. They always flashed their cash but NOW?  Buddy Sanders of Mycomicshop is smarter enough to check EVERY PAGE in EACH BOOK before paying the owners.

Edited September 23, 2018 by JollyComics

[DR.X]

On 9/17/2017 at 11:00 PM, comicquant said:

A good example of a grade which is way off is the Batman #227 they've got up right now.  They say its an 8.5 and its a 7.0 on a good day.  The over-grading is consistent but the degree of over-grading varies quite a bit.  They've got to have more than one person grading because it seems there's an old school (3 to 4 bumps off) and a new school.

an 8.5 with a piece out of the top back outer corner?  multiple spine crease and very dirty. Yeah sure.

[Naphtha]

The thing is, at what point does Ebay take notice of this issue and stop sellers like Sparkle city comics and Kellyssuperheroes completely. The Ebay guarantee is great, but wouldn't it be better if they could start sifting through sales and stop sellers from doing this in the first place? There has to be some sort of reprimand. From the scan it clearly presents like a 9.4, but with this much staining I would be lucky to get anything over a 6.0. This could only happen intentionally and is a total scam. 

[telerites]

On 9/22/2017 at 9:20 AM, ComicConnoisseur said:

I wonder why they changed their business model?

I suspect because they can and people are still buying raw books from them.  Unless they are consignments, why spend the money for grading when you generate more than generous prices.  And at, in my opinion, people are paying higher than what recent sales have been or even what other dealers/sellers are selling the same book in the same grade for less.

Many people may not return books because they are grading novices, do not make close inspection, and/don't want to mess with sending items back.  

I have bought from them, mostly graded or non-comic items.  I bought a few raws some time ago and I was fortunate as they were okay. 

[lizards2]

12 minutes ago, ajbeck21 said:

The thing is, at what point does Ebay take notice of this issue and stop sellers like Sparkle city comics and Kellyssuperheroes completely. The Ebay guarantee is great, but wouldn't it be better if they could start sifting through sales and stop sellers from doing this in the first place? There has to be some sort of reprimand. From the scan it clearly presents like a 9.4, but with this much staining I would be lucky to get anything over a 6.0. This could only happen intentionally and is a total scam. 

That's just foxing - plenty of sellers on eBay and elsewhere completely ignore that in formulating grades. 

I'm not advocating that, just telling it like it is.

[427Impaler]

The business model seems to be the norm on eBay for quite some time now, almost every ad you see these days has “High grade” or “all most perfect” right in the title.  I suppose it is one way to get buyers to click on your ad and have a look.  I kind of take it with a grain of salt and base my purchase on scans/pics (and they better have more than 2).  

I have bought from Sparkle City and personally have not had any problems, shipped quick and well packed.  The books graded out pretty much exactly where I figured they would.

[ADAMANTIUM]

1 hour ago, lizards2 said:

1 hour ago, ajbeck21 said:

The thing is, at what point does Ebay take notice of this issue and stop sellers like Sparkle city comics and Kellyssuperheroes completely. The Ebay guarantee is great, but wouldn't it be better if they could start sifting through sales and stop sellers from doing this in the first place? There has to be some sort of reprimand. From the scan it clearly presents like a 9.4, but with this much staining I would be lucky to get anything over a 6.0. This could only happen intentionally and is a total scam. 

That's just foxing - plenty of sellers on eBay and elsewhere completely ignore that in formulating grades. 

I'm not advocating that, just telling it like it is.

My IH 181 7.5 has worse foxing than that, like way worse, I guess that I should be worried when I sell too?

But it is already graded?

I guess my point is yours may still be high grade....

Edited September 23, 2018 by ADAMANTIUM

[Naphtha]

Here is a picture of one of the spots on the interior pages. I never knew foxing could bleed into multiple pages and I've never seen it this bad.

Hearing that your 181 has similar/worse at least gives me hope that I can get some value out of it. 

Not to move off topic, but has anyone dry cleaned foxing this extensive?

 

[comicdonna]

I don't believe foxing can be dry cleaned.

[ADAMANTIUM]

1 hour ago, ajbeck21 said:

Here is a picture of one of the spots on the interior pages. I never knew foxing could bleed into multiple pages and I've never seen it this bad.

Hearing that your 181 has similar/worse at least gives me hope that I can get some value out of it. 

Not to move off topic, but has anyone dry cleaned foxing this extensive?

 

I never saw the interiors of my IH as I bought it already graded but it is on the back page pretty bad... but I've spoken with joeypost (who is a pressor) about it and there is not much one can do

 

Edited September 23, 2018 by ADAMANTIUM

[kav]

2 hours ago, ajbeck21 said:

Here is a picture of one of the spots on the interior pages. I never knew foxing could bleed into multiple pages and I've never seen it this bad.

Hearing that your 181 has similar/worse at least gives me hope that I can get some value out of it. 

Not to move off topic, but has anyone dry cleaned foxing this extensive?

 

dry cleaning removes grime but foxing is not grime-it is an actual change in the paper .  From Pikiwedia:
Foxing is an age-related process of deterioration that causes spots and browning on old paper documents such as books, postage stamps, and certificates. The name may derive from the fox-like reddish-brown color of the stains, or the rust chemical ferric oxide which may be involved. Paper so affected is said to be "foxed".

[ADAMANTIUM]

1 hour ago, kav said:

dry cleaning removes grime but foxing is not grime-it is an actual change in the paper .  From Pikiwedia:
Foxing is an age-related process of deterioration that causes spots and browning on old paper documents such as books, postage stamps, and certificates. The name may derive from the fox-like reddish-brown color of the stains, or the rust chemical ferric oxide which may be involved. Paper so affected is said to be "foxed".

Does it grow over time inside a slab?

[kav]

Just now, ADAMANTIUM said:

Does it grow over time inside a slab?

no