Graders notes 0

[vader2001]

 

Hello,

   I've sent in books and I have an upgraded membership where i'm supposed to receive graders notes. I don't believe that there every should be a 10 in books and I'm not saying any of mine are there, but why don't I receive graders notes on 9.6's or 9.8's? They have a flaw in them, so why do they not put notes on them?

Thanks

[CrystalM CS]

Grader Notes are made at the graders' discretion; they are not a guaranteed part of the service but are provided as a courtesy to paid members and dealers when available. Often, they may not be entirely comprehensive or give a 100% accurate description of the defects and the notes vary from grader to grader. Multiple professionals examine every collectible to ensure accuracy and consistency.  I am sorry that no grader notes were taken on your item.  The grader notes are not required nor a guaranteed part of the grading service.

[hyhhyss12]

On 4/18/2023 at 8:25 AM, CrystalM CS said:

Grader Notes are made at the graders' discretion; they are not a guaranteed part of the service but are provided as a courtesy to paid members and dealers when available. Often, they may not be entirely comprehensive or give a 100% accurate description of the defects and the notes vary from grader to grader. Multiple professionals examine every collectible to ensure accuracy and consistency.  I am sorry that no grader notes were taken on your item.  The grader notes are not required nor a guaranteed part of the 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by hyhhyss12

[Gaard]

On 4/18/2023 at 9:25 AM, CrystalM CS said:

Grader Notes are made at the graders' discretion; they are not a guaranteed part of the service but are provided as a courtesy to paid members and dealers when available. Often, they may not be entirely comprehensive or give a 100% accurate description of the defects and the notes vary from grader to grader. Multiple professionals examine every collectible to ensure accuracy and consistency.  I am sorry that no grader notes were taken on your item.  The grader notes are not required nor a guaranteed part of the grading service.

That doesn't really answer the question, though.

99% of the time that a higher grade is given ( 9.6 / 9.8 ), there are no notes. Why is this? Obviously, the policy is to not give notes on these grades. We simply want to know why that policy exists.

[awildhome]

I am fairly new to the CGC world and 'grader notes' has been a issue for me, and apparently many others, as well. This whole notion of "Grader Notes being at the graders' discretion", while contractually true, is nonetheless lazy business practice and a sub-par customer experience. If a McDonald's employee only had to add pickles to a burger 'at their discretion', virtually nobody would get pickles. Silly example, but it is lunch time here. The reality is that if an employee is given the option of doing an exceptionally good job and enhancing the customer experience, they will often - in my limited experience - rarely do so these days. I have placed only two submissions thus far with CGC . . . 16 total books . . . and have received a grand total of two grader notes. Two out of sixteen. Coincidentally, or not, one grader note for each submission and each time only for the lowest graded book. Grader notes 12.5% of the time. According to CGC (and many of the seasoned CGC users on the forum who defend the policy), I should consider myself lucky because the grader never really has to provide reasoning as to why he/she/they/them arrived at a specific grade. I suppose I just have to guess at why a book was a 9.6 as opposed to a 9.8 (or higher) or an 8.5 instead of a 9.0. No one is asking for a novel to be written about a grade (the grader doesn't actually type anything), but what does it take for the grader to check off a couple 'notes' boxes on the  screen? An extra 10-15 seconds per book? I want that job - 'Grade these comics, but don't worry, you do not have to tell the customer how or why you arrived at that grade . . . unless you feel like it'.

Before all the CGC defense attorneys blast me about the 'agreement' - yeah, I know, I read it . . . this is from the 'Official CGC Guide to Grading Comics' (for the most part - great book BTW). Does this sound like a CGC customer should expect to see grader notes around 10-15% of the time, as a "courtesy"?:

Section Five, Page 133

"During the grading process, CGC lists the presence of some or all the defects on a comic book, called "grader notes", which mirror the terms in this section, and can be obtained online for MOST comics that have been certified. Because it is not viable to list every single defect on a comic, particularly for lower grade comics exhibiting several defects, CGC will often only record defects that are relevant to the grade. Only ONE or TWO notes may be recorded for high grade comics, or for comics that exhibit one defect that significantly impacts grade. On OCCASION a certified comic will have no grader notes, particularly for very high grade comics or copies that exhibit defects evident through the holder."

Call me crazy, but I read that section of the CGC Grading Guide before having received my first submission of ten comics back . . . what do you suppose I may have expected? Only one comic to have grader notes - or that MOST would? 

Maybe, given the upcoming price increases, CGC will begin providing what they allude to in their Official Guide. That'd be a welcome enhancement to the customer experience. And, yeah, I expect pickles on my Mcdonald's cheeseburger too.

[Gaard]

On 4/18/2023 at 9:25 AM, CrystalM CS said:

Grader Notes are made at the graders' discretion; they are not a guaranteed part of the service but are provided as a courtesy to paid members and dealers when available. Often, they may not be entirely comprehensive or give a 100% accurate description of the defects and the notes vary from grader to grader. Multiple professionals examine every collectible to ensure accuracy and consistency.  I am sorry that no grader notes were taken on your item.  The grader notes are not required nor a guaranteed part of the grading service.

 

[awildhome]

In addition to my comments above regarding what is stated in CGC's own 'Official' Grading Guide (Section 5 page 133):

If a new user is on the 'Join CGC Today' page . . . and hovers over the '?' for "Free Grader Notes for Comics When Available" . . . this is what it states: "Free Grader Notes for MOST Comic Book Submissions".

So far, for me, 'Most' has been 2 out of 16 books had grader notes. Maybe CGC should update that note . . . because it sure seems like false advertising.

[NickiO CS]

Hello @awildhome, 

I understand that it is disappointing when grader notes are not received. Often customers will hope that there will be notes to help them understand why their book received its grade. It should be noted that while notes may offer insight into the book's condition, the intent of providing grader notes is not to justify the grade received. These notes are observations a grader chose to enter into the system as part of our internal communications. CGC decided to provide access to these notes to submitters, as a courtesy, when the notes are available. While many graded books do have notes, since they are not a guaranteed part of the grading service, they may be unavailable and are not guaranteed. When they are, in many cases, grader notes will not be entirely comprehensive or completely describe all defects. 

I can see why the verbiage in the Grading Guide would lead to some confusion when a submission with only a few notes is received. Other submissions may have many more books with notes, and how often grader notes are left will vary from submission to submission. 

I appreciate the time you have taken to share your thoughts, and I will gladly share your concerns and complaints about your experience with grader notes with our management and grading teams. 

[awildhome]

Thank you, NickiO, for taking the time to read my musings. I learned a long time ago in business school; if one customer complains out loud - there are probably a hundred more who feel the same but do not voice their concern.

Take care,

Art