if i want to get moderns graded at wizard world in LA...

[Hawkman]

do i have to fill out the submission form first?

 

 

i noticed the on site grading submission form. i was going to just show up with a few books, but now i'm not sure how it works. anyone do this before. what steps did you take?

 

 

 

16-18Wizard World L.A.

 

Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles, CA

Grading Moderns Only

On-site grading submission form

[Pirate]

just bring your books to the CGC booth and they will take care of everything. Get them there as early as possible.

[Lockjaw]

Instead of creating a new thread concerning Wizard World LA, I would like to point out in this thread that some of the Ultimate Spider-Man 100 Original Art covers will be on display at WW LA, and I believe the Wizard info noted that 10 covers will be up for auction. CGC will grade the book with a Signature Series label for FREE to the lucky winner of any of those comics

 

I will be attending the con, so I am rather excited that I will get to see these comics in person.

[bghkoyama]

How crowded does WWLA usually get? This will the first one I'll be attending.

[Lockjaw]

How crowded does WWLA usually get? This will the first one I'll be attending.

 

This is only my third WW LA con, and the second one where the venue is the Los Angeles Convention Center, so based on my experience last year (I was only there on Friday), I would say that you should not have to worry about fighting your way through the crowds (you may have to say excuse me a few times, but we are not talking about a sea of people like you would see at the New York and San Diego cons).

 

Usually, the crowd control is such that any lines (long or not) are pushed up against the edge of the booths, so browsers can walk around the con floor with relative ease. In fact, Wizard World usually gets some flack for over-stating the number of people who attended a show (they count three day tickets as the equivalent of sales from three different customers), but I appreciate that you can actually explore the entire floor of the con multiple times throughout the day without it taking forever because of the crowds.

 

Of course, dealers and attendees of the show looking to make money from folks like you and I, will read something like this and groan (more people means more $$$ in their cash register, in theory, at least, CGCers brought up the fact that a fair amount of dealers at the New York con did not do as well as they thought they would at such a well-attended show), but hey, even if someone is attending the con for the first-time in a professional/semi-professional capacity, unless you have been living under a rock you know what to expect, and it is not New York/San Diego sized crowds.

 

Regards

Christopher H.

[Kevin Boyd]

Some great advice and some interesting insight into the world of conventions.

 

Of course, dealers and attendees of the show looking to make money from folks like you and I, will read something like this and groan (more people means more $$$ in their cash register, in theory, at least, CGCers brought up the fact that a fair amount of dealers at the New York con did not do as well as they thought they would at such a well-attended show), but hey, even if someone is attending the con for the first-time in a professional/semi-professional capacity, unless you have been living under a rock you know what to expect, and it is not New York/San Diego sized crowds.

 

Wizard World LA does not attract NY or SD sized crowds, and fighting the lines won't be an issue, but one thing that Wizard shows do attract is people who know and are interested in CGC grading. When on-site grading was offered in Dallas a few years ago (and Dallas attracts the lowest numbers of all of the Wizard shows) the lines to submit books were long by CGC booth standards... even though other parts of the convention hall were empty. I suspect we'll see similar results this time as this is the first time that on-site grading is being offered on the west coast. Expect some waiting time, and at peak times to wait in a line of 10-20 customers.

 

You raised a great point about attendance v. sales at these conventions. It is my experience that while these massive multi-media shows do attract large crowds they do not necessarily attract buyers --- in fact, by their very nature they offer distraction from buying. When people spend hours on end standing in line to meet their favorite celebs and creators they are not out there cruising the back issue bins filling holes in their collections, or picking up graphic novels, toys, statues, whatever. I know many dealers that do as well or better at smaller shows like Heroes or Baltimore as they do at shows like New York (and NY had a very small dealer pool than most cons I've attended). Of course, the dealer has to have decent sellable product...

 

The other thing about these massive multi-media, multi-genre cons is that they attract a diverse crowd of fans, and while there is HOPE that an Anime fan, gamer, autograph-seeker, Trekkie/er, Browncoat, Buffy-ite, Star Wars fan, Heroes fan, Kiss fan, tou collector, etc. might be interested in comics when EXPOSED to them at a con, chances are the spending money they've brought with them is going directly to the seller that fills their particular niche interest. Thousands of fans at a multi-media con means perhaps hundreds of comic book fans/buyers. While hundreds of fans at a comic book show usually does equate to hundreds of fans/buyers.

 

One good thing I find about Wizard shows is that they do attract fans that are interested in comic books, and that they do spend time and money buying comics at the shows. They may spend hours at a time in line to meet Michael Turner, but at least they are buying Michael Turner comics from Aspen directly or from sellers like Koop, Jay Company, etc.

 

And Wizard shows do attract a crowd that knows about CGC, and from my point of view, Signature Series... which is what CGC brings me to the shows to organize for them. While I was certainly busy in NY and San Diego those shows were nightmares to complete requests at. Wizard shows get as many or more people coming in who already know about SS and know exactly what they want, and the creators are available and locatable. I've never been as busy with requests as I was last year at the Philadelphia and Chicago Wizard shows. Dallas is pretty consistant, and LA has been consistant. On-site grading ensures I'll be inundated.

[bghkoyama]

Thanks for the info. I'm going there for the CGC SS as well. Playing hookey from work on Friday so I can't wait to go.

Brian

[Paladin]

So, is it turn 'em in early Friday and get them back on Sunday? $25 for Moderns?

[Kevin Boyd]

UNIVERSAL

 

Unless CGC has changed their pricing, on-site grading fee for blue label Moderns is $22 per book.

 

Drop the books off Friday and at the latest they will be back by end of show. But... depending on how many books are in ahead of yours, you could get them back as early as end of day Friday or early Saturday.

 

SIGNATURE SERIES

 

Fee is $34 for Modern Signature Series. Unlike blue label Moderns it is not a case of when you drop them off that determines when you get the books back, it is WHEN THE CREATOR(S) sign the books. You could drop off a book for Michael Turner on Friday morning, but he may not agree to sign the books for us until Sunday morning (it's happened before), and the books still have to be graded and encapsulated after that, which means late Sunday return. So I will always tell you end of show for SS requests.

 

Those who take advantage of the Wizard Signature Series vouchers and submit for on-site grading, returns are based on how many books are in ahead of yours. But remember the Wizard voucher cost is above the costs that CGC charges, the cost of the voucher does not include the cost of grading and encapsulation - it merely gets you front of the line access with a CGC approved Witness from the Wizard staff.

 

Other tier Signature Series books will be sent home as only Moderns are being graded at the show. For example, Bernie Wrightson Swamp Things won't be graded on-site.

[Paladin]

Thanks Kevin.

 

I'm down in San Diego. Debating whether to come up there or not. Do you know anyone else from San Diego that might be going? (that I could carpool with)

 

R U guys expecting a mega line?

[deathlok]

Thanks Kevin.

 

I'm down in San Diego. Debating whether to come up there or not. Do you know anyone else from San Diego that might be going? (that I could carpool with)

 

R U guys expecting a mega line?

 

I think FUELMAN is from your neck of the woods, and he may be going to WWLA.