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Help me! I'm in a grading funk...

Started by Polyphemus,

23 posts in this topic

Polyphemus

Polyphemus

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Over the past couple weeks, I've gotten some emails about my sales saying I overgraded. I'm not talking like I said VF+ and its really VF-, but like VF becomes VG. Now, I like to think I'm a fair grader but I seem to be in a funk.

 

Is this normal? Am I sloppy? Should I grade something my way and then just drop it a half grade?

 

Any advice is appreciated. I certainly am not going to slab 99% of what I have so I need to figure this out.

 

Poor me... sorry.gif

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Polyphemus

Polyphemus

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What sort of problems are the buyers specifically pointing to when they complain?

 

That's the interesting part...to me it is stuff I have factored in when grading. I use Overstreet's standards. Here's an email I just got:

 

I am making a formal request for a refund on both of these books. The

descriptions on both books were completely false and not even close to being

realistic. I have been in the comic industry for over twenty years and what

you put in the item description was not cool. The Captain America annual is

maybe in fine condition, not a VF+. The Captain America #117, I can't

believe the condition of this book, you list it as conservative VF and

worthy of CGC...this book is in VG at best with creases, rubbing, spine

stress and stains all over the back cover. I will send the books back at my

cost but expect a full refund from you on what I have purchased.

 

I thought the Giant Size (it was #1) was really nice looking. Corners were sharp, no creases, I don't even think it had ever been read. I downgraded it because of some very slight bindery defects consistent with squarebounds. The #117-- no "stains" but the back cover had "aging dirt" if you know what I mean. The spine was tight but had some scuffing in patches.

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Polyphemus

Polyphemus

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that's the only one I have handy. Our good friend speedjunkies bought some MTU's from me that I thought were NM and he had issues with that so I refunded it. If he reads this, maybe he can remember how I overgraded them.

 

I have sold raw books to several forum members and with the exception of missing a missing centerfold, I haven't had any complaints. Darth, Chromie, Greggy, were you just being nice?

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murph0

murph0

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Maybe you should just make a very conservative call on the grade, and then bump the grade down one notch. It sounds like you need to take your conservative grading and just move it down a bit.

 

Brian

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jonnydouble

jonnydouble

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I was going to say the same thing....has this ghappened with any other buyers?...cause a vf to a vg...thats a big drop...sounds like an Anal Annie to me.

 

Jonny D.

 

P.S...I got that Wonder Woman #176 today...the case has a 3 inch crack in it....

 

 

 

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Polyphemus

Polyphemus

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I was going to say the same thing....has this ghappened with any other buyers?...cause a vf to a vg...thats a big drop...sounds like an Anal Annie to me.

 

Jonny D.

 

P.S...I got that Wonder Woman #176 today...the case has a 3 inch crack in it....

 

 

 

That's a bummer. Let me know how those books you won today turn out.

 

My feedback is solid so no it hasn't happened that often. Maybe once or twice. Happened with Ubiquiti about a month ago on an X-Men 97 I called 9.2. Before that, nothing for a long stretch.

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OldGuy

OldGuy

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I grade accurately. I know I do and plenty of others agree. Even with that, I grade a book to list on E-bay, then drop the grade. If I grade it 8.5 I drop the grade to 8.0. If I think it's 9.6 I drop it to 9.4. As a result no one complains about my grading. As a matter of fact the only feedback I have in regards to grading came from two different people and they both said, "better then described". I do it that way because I'd rather know the buyer is going to be happy then make a couple extra bucks.

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murph0

murph0

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yeh you've gotta be really strict with raw books b/c there's so many different grading scales out there. It seems like every buyer has a diff grading scale in their head.

 

Brian

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Polyphemus

Polyphemus

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I grade accurately. I know I do and plenty of others agree. Even with that, I grade a book to list on E-bay, then drop the grade. If I grade it 8.5 I drop the grade to 8.0. If I think it's 9.6 I drop it to 9.4. As a result no one complains about my grading. As a matter of fact the only feedback I have in regards to grading came from two different people and they both said, "better then described". I do it that way because I'd rather know the buyer is going to be happy then make a couple extra bucks.

 

That's probably best.

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greggy

greggy

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that's the only one I have handy. Our good friend speedjunkies bought some MTU's from me that I thought were NM and he had issues with that so I refunded it. If he reads this, maybe he can remember how I overgraded them.

 

I have sold raw books to several forum members and with the exception of missing a missing centerfold, I haven't had any complaints. Darth, Chromie, Greggy, were you just being nice?

 

Huh? I bought some DC multipacks. Kinda hard to screw up on those unless they were trashed earlier! insane.gif

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Polyphemus

Polyphemus

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Just a quick update --

 

received several new feedback posts and one was:

 

Praise : COMICS WERE BETTER THAN DESCRIBED YOU CAN BID WITH CONFIDENCE 5 STARS

 

 

Made me feel a lot better.

 

cloud9.gif

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awe4one

awe4one

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Well......since you brought it up......

 

Ref the Hulks I bought....I would have graded them VF- or even FN+ in the case of the 141. But.......I am still happy! I'm usually not that picky and the price was right. They were solid copies that will hold proud places in my collection!

 

 

Jim

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Rickdogg

Rickdogg

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that's the only one I have handy. Our good friend speedjunkies bought some MTU's from me that I thought were NM and he had issues with that so I refunded it. If he reads this, maybe he can remember how I overgraded them.

 

I have sold raw books to several forum members and with the exception of missing a missing centerfold, I haven't had any complaints. Darth, Chromie, Greggy, were you just being nice?

 

Here is the email I sent to Mitch:

 

"Hey Mitch,

 

I received the books today and was a little surprised after opening up the package. I took out each individual book and graded them accordingly:

 

MTU:

 

#38 - 4.5

#39 - 5.0-5.5

#40 - 6.0

#41 - 7.0

#42 - 8.0

 

Let me know what you want to do. Yikes.

 

Thanks,

Ricky aka speedjunkies"

_______________________________________________________________

 

I don't remember exactly why I downgraded each book, but I remember a few having water damage, others with multiple spine breaks, and some with pretty large creases exceeding 2 inches. I was disappointed in the grades, but Mitch handled it like a gentleman and still has my business because of this.

 

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