grading at shows 1 1

[kalel1960]

I have some very valuable comics that I want to get slabbed.  I am obviously nervous about putting them in the mail.  I thought of going to the CGC booth at NY comic-con.  Can I get that done there or will they only do grading?  Thanks.

[CGC Mike]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:21 AM, kalel1960 said:

I have some very valuable comics that I want to get slabbed.  I am obviously nervous about putting them in the mail.  I thought of going to the CGC booth at NY comic-con.  Can I get that done there or will they only do grading?  Thanks.

Hello

You can submit books at the CGC booth.  I believe they will be brought to the CGC building in Sarasota for grading.  At this time, I don't think we will be doing on site grading.  It is possible that could change.

Mike

[Bird]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:21 AM, kalel1960 said:

Can I get that done there or will they only do grading?

they will do neither. they only collect books and transport them to sarasota for the rest of the process. whether you want to secure them for shipping or want them to do so may matter. You go to the booth, show the books and fill out or give them the prefilled out form, they confirm books, take books/forms from you and place in a box with other con subs behind them and off you go.

[kalel1960]

Thanks!

[joeypost]

On 8/22/2022 at 4:43 PM, kalel1960 said:

Thanks!

 I would recommend boxing, insuring and mailing the books in yourself. 

[KirbyTown]

On 8/22/2022 at 8:21 AM, kalel1960 said:

I have some very valuable comics that I want to get slabbed.  I am obviously nervous about putting them in the mail.  I thought of going to the CGC booth at NY comic-con.  Can I get that done there or will they only do grading?  Thanks.

Hi Kal, you've got the nervousness backwards!

You should really be mailing in your comics to CGC.

"Shows" just means some rando at a booth munching doritos. They'll be busy with everything except keeping your high-value comics safe amongst a sea of thousands and multiple other submissions. You may not even get a proper receipt or have any kind of way to track your book. And you still have to take get your high-value comics with you from your car, into the show, and to the booth! It's a bad idea, please don't do it 🙏

Instead, consider using Registered Mail to help ease your anxiety a bit. It's not perfect, but your odds of success are much better.

USPS Registered Mail is basically insurance with an extra layer of protection and it will cover up to $50,000. The way it's supposed to work is that there's a chain of custody via signature every time the package changes hands, and when not in transit the package stays under lock and key.

The post office will only accept your shipping box if it is completely blank except for the addresses, which need to be written directly on the box, no stickers or labels. The box has to be taped with paper tape and all edges should be sealed. You can seal with plastic tape first, but that tape must be completely covered by the paper tape for your final seal.

The fee for Registered Mail is in addition to your postage, just like regular insurance. For example you might use Priority + Registered.

Even with all this, you still have to be completely prepared to justify a claim; take every possible pre-shipping image and keep every receipt and GPA printout and whatever.

Here's a link to the fees for all of this stuff:

https://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/notice123.pdf

Hope this helps,

Edited August 23, 2022 by KirbyTown

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 8/22/2022 at 10:03 PM, KirbyTown said:

The post office will only accept your shipping box if it is completely blank except for the addresses, which need to be written directly on the box, no stickers or labels. The box has to be taped with paper tape and all edges should be sealed. You can seal with plastic tape first, but that tape must be completely covered by the paper tape for your final seal.

Did not know this.

[Donald Jack]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:03 PM, KirbyTown said:

USPS Registered Mail is basically insurance with an extra layer of protection and it will cover up to $25,000. The way it's supposed to work is that there's a chain of custody via signature every time the package changes hands, and when not in transit the package stays under lock and key.

The post office will only accept your shipping box if it is completely blank except for the addresses, which need to be written directly on the box, no stickers or labels. The box has to be taped with paper tape and all edges should be sealed. You can seal with plastic tape first, but that tape must be completely covered by the paper tape for your final seal.

I think they upped the coverage to $50,000 now (they made a lot of insurance changes about 3 months ago).

I don't know if the blank box/paper tape is a hard and fast rule.  I've sent Registered Mail before and have never used paper tape.  Maybe that's for a specific type service using registered mail (like combine certified and register...not sure, just an example).  I was on the USPS.com site earlier and they just give a vague description of what registered mail is and the cost, but not how to pack the items or restrictions like that.  Thanks for the heads up though...

[KirbyTown]

On 8/23/2022 at 11:47 AM, Donald Jack said:

I think they upped the coverage to $50,000 now (they made a lot of insurance changes about 3 months ago).

Thanks for that! Edited 👍

On 8/23/2022 at 11:47 AM, Donald Jack said:

I don't know if the blank box/paper tape is a hard and fast rule

I guess acceptance is ultimately up to the clerk, but I wonder if becomes relevant to eligibility when an insurance claim is brought.

My understanding is that the specs serve to indicate tampering, so a re-used amazon box with broken tape and other labels might make tampering difficult to discern. The box and tape are also supposed to absorb ink, I imagine to make permanent both the official postal stampings and the addresses.

Here's what I found in the current Domestic Mail Manual under 503 Extra Services, 2.0 Registered Mail:

2.3.2 Opened Envelope

Any envelope or package that appears to have been opened and resealed, or otherwise improperly prepared, may not be registered.

2.3.3 Sealing

...Packages must be sealed with mucilage or glue or with plain paper or cloth tape.

 

The one time I tried to ship Registered when the box wasn't perfect proved to be enough of a hassle to make sure I didn't screw up any tiny thing in the future.

Edited August 23, 2022 by KirbyTown

[Donald Jack]

On 8/23/2022 at 1:14 PM, KirbyTown said:

2.3.2 Opened Envelope

Any envelope or package that appears to have been opened and resealed, or otherwise improperly prepared, may not be registered.

2.3.3 Sealing

...Packages must be sealed with mucilage or glue or with plain paper or cloth tape.

Excellent find!  Yeah, that's good to know.  I remember the clerk postmark stamping all the seams on my package...perhaps the paper tape was an update sometime after the days I did it (probably early 2000s if I recall).

It made me chuckle when I saw you mention the insurance claim as my mind went right to this scenario:

Clerk: "Sorry, we can't honor your claim of lost package because you packed it using plastic tape in a beat up Funko Pop shipping box.

Me: "Reeeeeeallllllly?  And how are you able to ascertain this lack of adherence to standards?"

Clerk: "Um....I really don't want to answer that question."

[Bigg Russ]

Are you charged for the submissions at the show(s) or billed as if you would've shipped the submissions to HQ as usual?

[CGC Mike]

On 8/24/2022 at 1:05 AM, Bigg Russ said:

Are you charged for the submissions at the show(s) or billed as if you would've shipped the submissions to HQ as usual?

You would not be billed at the show.  

[jaybuck43]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:28 AM, CGC Mike said:

Hello

You can submit books at the CGC booth.  I believe they will be brought to the CGC building in Sarasota for grading.  At this time, I don't think we will be doing on site grading.  It is possible that could change.

Mike

CGC has only really been doing on-site at Baltimore the last few years, I know for a fact (cause I've been there) they haven't done on-site at NYCC in over a decade.

@kalel1960 don't give too much credence to Kirbytown's post.  NYCC is a fine show to drop off at (I've dropped off AF 15 (Blue 6.5), ASM 1 (Yellow 6.5), Avengers 1 (Yellow 2.5), and a bunch of other books over the years there at the show.  CGC has one of the largest booths at the show, they have a safe on premise.  It may be different this year because of changes in general, but in the past, you make an appointment at a kiosk for drop off.  You fill out the forms with what you have, they check the form and what you're dropping off, fill in all your information, and take possession.  When you're done, if you don't have any other books, ask them to finalize your list, otherwise they will leave it open to the end of the show so you can add more books to the submission (incase you pick anything up at the show).  Books get packed up on Monday and shipped out.  No-one is handling books with Cheetle on their hands.  

Another suggestion, you should consider getting collectors insurance.  1) This is a good thing to have if you have high-grade/expensive collectables because your usually homeowners policy does not cover it and you need an addendum/rider.  2) CIS (who I use) covers you while in transit.  So there's no need to pay for or deal with the post office.  If something goes wrong, you just file a claim with CIS and they pay for it.  Though, I've never needed to do this.  Just not having to carry shipping insurance pretty much covers the premium I pay each year (about $1,000).

[KirbyTown]

On 8/24/2022 at 8:40 AM, jaybuck43 said:

don't give too much credence to Kirbytown's post.

NYCC is a fine show to drop off at ...may be different this year because of changes in general, but in the past...

...CIS (who I use) covers you while in transit. If something goes wrong, you just file a claim with CIS and they pay for it...

It's true that I was making a general statement about shows, not addressing NYCC in particular. I have not attended NYCC and should have paid more attention to the OP's post pre-rant. That was my bad and I apologize to both JayBuck34 and OP.

Sticky finger hyperbole aside, there are some important caveats in your post, like the ability to have one's books stolen or lost with impunity, and the fact that the last proper NYCC was in 2019.

Recently, someone posted that no CGC receipt was provided at a non-NYCC show. While the comics did show up in his account, I imagine it was a needlessly scary time.

For a first-time submitter with valuable books and without collectibles insurance, I still believe it's safest and smartest to eliminate all the variables you can by using a shipping service with insurance.

Edited August 24, 2022 by KirbyTown