Will never use CCS again 3 3

[Acolyte33]

I've had 20 books both economy and modern in 4 different lots run through CCS and without a doubt I will never use this service ever again. 

In my experience the books come back in worse shape than they started. Comics that started with a couple spine ticks come back with rips and stains, the ticks are still there. 

I have been generally solid on my predictions on grades when I just submit to CGC directly, but anything I have sent to CCS has been awful. 

I don't know if there are any positive stories out there but after 4 attempts I'm done having my books ruined. 

The high hope of having books come back coupled with shocking disappointment of actual new damage made this the worst experience I have had in comic collecting.  

[StillOnly25Cents]

has CCS ever shown an inside look at their facility and processes?

somewhat telling when the company's own marketing video doesn't show a single press (in general, not even in action)

 

 

[LowGradeBronze]

It's certainly an attention grabbing title for the thread. Can you post some raw 'before' and graded 'after' pics?

[DougC]

I have used CCS and learned my lesson.

It is a frustrating experience and when you email them about your concerns. The response you get is the boiler plate "we cannot guarantee results" and will not address any before/after pictures of obvious damage done in their care. The last time I used CCS was in 2016.

I would love to give some of the pressers money but many cannot crack yellow labels and CFP is a year behind IIRC.

[Upgrayedd2]

I've seen several YouTube blogs where (1) the comics are not pressed and cleaned or (2) returned slabbed with more damage. I continue to see more posts on CCS. I really hope something changes soon.

[joeypost]

On 11/24/2022 at 11:55 AM, DougC said:

I have used CCS and learned my lesson.

It is a frustrating experience and when you email them about your concerns. The response you get is the boiler plate "we cannot guarantee results" and will not address any before/after pictures of obvious damage done in their care. The last time I used CCS was in 2016.

I would love to give some of the pressers money but many cannot crack yellow labels and CFP is a year behind IIRC.

Not for long. 

[B2D327]

On 11/24/2022 at 4:54 PM, Upgrayedd2 said:

I've seen several YouTube blogs where (1) the comics are not pressed and cleaned or (2) returned slabbed with more damage. I continue to see more posts on CCS. I really hope something changes soon.

Saw this too where their color removal actually removed significant chips from a Bronze Age book. If I were the submitter, I’d prefer to be let known this would be the result and only proceed if that were acceptable. Might be a case where the purple label might actually be preferred

[alexanderjk]

On 11/24/2022 at 1:54 PM, Upgrayedd2 said:

I've seen several YouTube blogs where (1) the comics are not pressed and cleaned or (2) returned slabbed with more damage. I continue to see more posts on CCS. I really hope something changes soon.

Happened to me. Neither cleaned nor pressed, and returned with a bend and corner crunch that weren’t there when I shipped. Never again. 

[jimbo_7071]

Check out the Cole Schave thread if you're interested in this topic.

The consensus back then was that CCS had amped up the heat and humidity used for pressing in order to reduce cycle time. Cover shrinkage became the norm, apparently.

I don't doubt that comics can be pressed carefully with minimal risk of additional damage, but CCS certainly isn't the place to do it. It's all about the throughput there. Care for the comic books doesn't seem to be a consideration.

I have also seen many, many pressed books with additional stress around the staples. The books sometimes get higher grades, but they look worse. Based on what I've seen, a comic should never be pressed it the staples are offset onto the cover of the book instead of being aligned on the spine. Books with offset staples look completely trashed after pressing.

ETA: I would hope that they would be more careful with rare GA books than with moderns, but I personally wouldn't risk it.

Edited November 26, 2022 by jimbo_7071

[StillOnly25Cents]

On 11/25/2022 at 4:06 PM, jimbo_7071 said:

 

I suppose it's possible that comics could be pressed carefully without causing additional damage, but CCS certainly isn't the place to do it. It's all about the throughput there. Care for the comic books doesn't seem to be a consideration.

 

How do you press a comic?

We get asked this quite often, but our process is a trade secret. It’s a process we have spent thousands of hours developing through research, testing, and pressing hundreds of thousands of comics.

https://www.cgccomics.com/ccs-pressing/

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 11/25/2022 at 4:21 PM, alexanderjk said:

Happened to me. Neither cleaned nor pressed, and returned with a bend and corner crunch that weren’t there when I shipped. Never again. 

Another glowing testimonial 

Yikes

[DoctorWyoming1]

Buy your own press. Good ones are under 300.

Practice with dollar books about 30 times. Then move on to dry pressing (NO CLEANING) books under 100. Avoid any hand irons at first. 

Press at low heat to start - 140-150, I only use 160 for Silver age. 

The move on to steaming - although I prefer just using distilled water/immacu-clean (Insert your rants here) and I avoid steaming entirely. 

I press and gently clean anything I submit now. Erasing white areas (combined with distilled water/mixed with mild cleaner works GREAT)

 

I have already cracked and resubmitted one of my own pressings to get an estimate of what benefits I am getting by my pressing: older silver age book went from 5.0 to 7.0, although I should note that the original problem was wrinkled/mild water damage and those are EASY to fix. Just wet down with distilled water, press and the cover is flat!

 

I have a few books waiting for a press at CGC that I submitted months agao. In that time I have 1) bought a press and 2) Practiced and 3) submitted my own pressed books and received them back (!)  

Edited November 26, 2022 by DoctorWyoming1

[815K1]

On 11/24/2022 at 4:35 AM, Acolyte33 said:

CCS has been awful. 

I never hear good stories. Doesn’t mean they don’t exist but I guess if they were more transparent it would help restore consumer confidence.

Can they just say they pressed them if they don’t need pressing?

If they have a massive back log and the work load gets too much then pressure deadlines can lead to errors.

Human error is why they need disclaimers. A bad tradesman blames their tools, doesn’t mean the tools don’t break but you’d think they’d have pre inspection processes and regular servicing to maintain equipment.

[theCapraAegagrus]

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 11/28/2022 at 10:57 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

The gist so far....

[newshane]

I remember the days when Matt Nelson would do the pressing himself. 

I prefer the work done by some of our very own boardies. 

 

[DoctorWyoming1]

On 11/28/2022 at 5:42 PM, newshane said:

I remember the days when Matt Nelson would do the pressing himself. 

I still have my emails to him back from 2012. He pressed a copy of ASM 194 for me that I had from my own childhood collection. Came back a 9.6. Every book I submitted back then went through his pressing service. He also gave grading estimates.

 

Now I know he's at CGC and boy do I miss working with him as a presser/pre grader.

[Still Only 35c]

On 11/29/2022 at 9:42 AM, newshane said:

I remember the days when Matt Nelson would do the pressing himself. 

I prefer the work done by some of our very own boardies. 

 

Ditto, although in my experience Matt does try to resolve if you have issues, so would suggest reaching out 

[DoctorWyoming1]

Just got a book back that was pressed by CCS, the grader's notes noted: Stained. Um, does their pressing service not include cleaning? I don't even recall seeing a stain...

[StillOnly25Cents]

On 1/13/2023 at 6:38 PM, DoctorWyoming1 said:

Just got a book back that was pressed by CCS, the grader's notes noted: Stained. Um, does their pressing service not include cleaning? I don't even recall seeing a stain...

Dry cleaning a comic to remove soiling and any unwanted substance is also considered a non-restorative process, and is included in the CCS pressing service when necessary.