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Avoid CGC like the plague

Been a collector for many years and finally took the plunge sending my Hulk #1 to CGC for grading. Spent almost $200 Performing a Huge Mistake. I have seen many comic graded by CGC over the years and mine should have graded at least a 3 but have seen 3.5-4.5 on a regular basis for the condition. Those clowns at CGC graded a 2.5. When contacted they would not even respond to my concerns. Awful customer service, quoting a 15 business day turn around (taking 23 business days) and Not responding to my concerns. Needless to say I am done with that "Business" and will Ballyhoo CGC nonsense till the day I die. Was leary when they started and now confirmation has been had. 1 last note, I dislike their changing the grading system that had been in place so long.

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Avoid CGC like the plague


@willielilly wrote:

I wouldn't waste any more of your time sun_blaze.  Now read as he/she/it explains itself.


At least you know when to quit, can't say the same for Sun.

 

And before you hitch your wagon to Sun's star, you really should do some homework. He knows so little about CGC it's unbelievable. And at this point it's literally unbelievable, in the sense that I don't believe he can really be that ignorant, especially after all the links he's been provided. I'm sure he's now doing this kind of posting just for cheap thrills or something, I'm not sure what he gets out of it.

 

If you ever want any reliable info on CGC, ask anyone but Sun.

Message 46 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

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bpmcomics wrote:

Sure wish you could edit posts on here.
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You can, but it has to be within the first 15 minutes. If you click on the Option link right above your post, the first choice on the dropdown menu is Edit.

Message 47 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

Beat you make some really good points.  Card grading companies charge more for higher valued items as well. I am not sure about coin grading companies but my guess is they do as well.   It makes sense.  These are the items the grading company will be scrutinized and questioned on. They take more of an effort as a half grade can change the value by a large amount.

 

CGC serves a purpose.  Back in the day card dealers would call an ex condition card nm and got away with it.  The collector was not that versed in grading.  Thanks to card grading companies that does not fly anymore.  That is why the old school dealers initially balked at professionally graded cards and now that is the standard in the industry.

 

Like it or not that is quickly becoming the standard in the comic book industry.  I have seen a huge growth in the graded comic book market and do not percieve any slow down in the growth of graded comic book popularity.

 

Message 48 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

Like it or not that is quickly becoming the standard in the comic book industry.  I have seen a huge growth in the graded comic book market and do not percieve any slow down in the growth of graded comic book popularity.

 

With cards you see both front and back; so, would be well suited here A CGC collector would never get to see the inside of his books. You'd never get to read  your comic, unless you opened it and voided the grade and also suffer massive depreciation as a result of it. I also see that you have all your CGC comic stock on sale; so, ? ? ? Ehh....

Message 49 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

If reading the comic is that big of a deal you can crack open the case and read it or buy the entire series in a reprint book or buy a beat up comic to read.  Your point has been stated before and like it or not CGC graded comics are what the investor wants.  That is where they are putting their money. Every year graded comics become more and more popular.  Look at a major heritage auction and the prices the comics get.  You also may notice that they are graded comics as that is what the buyer wants.  This is not just a coincidence.

 

You can fight like the old time card dealer did or embrace it and start buying them until the prices go through the stratosphere.

Message 50 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

I have all my ungraded comics on sale as well.  Eh?

Message 51 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague


@sun_blaze9857 wrote:
You'd never get to read  your comic, unless you opened it and voided the grade and also suffer massive depreciation as a result of it. I also see that you have all your CGC comic stock on sale; so, ? ? ? Ehh....

Who would have thought a guy that sells comics on eBay would have his inventory listed!  Amazing detective work, almost as good as the work you did on proving you know nothing about whether CGC has insurance or not.


I don't know anyone who reads high grade comics that are worth thousands of dollars, do you?  They make reprints for that reason.

Message 52 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

You are really kidding yourself here Sun. Any collector wanting a high end book for their collection will go thru CGC. So many collectors over the years have grown tired of buying restored, marked up or trimmed books that they were not notified of when purchasing.

 

Why would you pay all that money for a nice book and then find out months later some guy took a black sharpie to the the corners of it? Or some guy trimmed the book along the edges. CGC is a guard against problems like that.

 

I dont sell CGC books and I only have like 4 or 5 in my collection, but everytime I see a book that I think has either a strong collectibility or I think I would benefit monetarliy from a book beging graded I wouldnt hesitate to do it.

 

Your just leaving money on the table if you dont. I am sorry they downgraded your book it happens. CGC isnt for buyers wanting to read their or display their books. Its for a collector that is buying as an investment or preservation. Either way I am okay with this market. Its not huge yet in comic books and I unsure it will ever be extremely significant outside the high end or OCD market place, but the amount of money involved will ensure this company sticks around for a long time.

 

 

 

Message 53 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

I don't think I am kidding myself in any way. I am a rather serious collector and rarely go about kidding about such things. CGC is just a tool; nothing more, just a tool to use to see what grade your book might be. As such, a CGC mark shouldn't warrant a markup price of over 100-500% over Overstreet or market price. If CGC would guarantee their grading, then maybe it would warrant such a markup in price. Personally, I believe most of the comic collectors out there can avoid CGC and only the pricey and higher end books might warant a CGC grade. In the end their grade means nothing more than just another opinion and your paying for an opionion - not an actual grade. I do like CGC's new service of checking your comics for hidden restoration work and I also agree anyone buying a pricey and expensive comic would do good to have the CGC grading. If your spending thousands of dollars then it certainly would be ok to have such services available - kind of like checking the VIN number when purchasing a car. But, a comic in a CGC case should not cost 100-500% more than its market value or Overstreet guide book value. A good VIN check doesn't give the right for a seller to sell you the car for over 100% KBB value, does it? Of course not, so a CGC case shouldn't affect its value by so much. Maybe a little, but not the markups I'm seeing. CGC should not affect value at all and just gives the seller the right to sell it for the grade that it was graded at. That's all I'm trying to say. Robot Indifferent

Message 54 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

My god Sun Blaze, just when I think you can't possibly embarass yourself any more, you go and top yourself! What is wrong with you, that you continue to ramble on about something you obviously know nothing about?

 

 I don't think I am kidding myself in any way. I am a rather serious collector and rarely go about kidding about such things.

 

That has got to be a lie, it just has to, you can't possibly be a serious collector.

 

CGC is just a tool; nothing more, just a tool to use to see what grade your book might be. As such, a CGC mark shouldn't warrant a markup price of over 100-500% over Overstreet or market price. If CGC would guarantee their grading, then maybe it would warrant such a markup in price. Personally, I believe most of the comic collectors out there can avoid CGC and only the pricey and higher end books might warant a CGC grade. In the end their grade means nothing more than just another opinion and your paying for an opionion - not an actual grade.

 

I've asked you before, and you avoided the question  - if a CGC grade is not an "actual grade", then what is? A book graded by you? HA! A book graded by the part-time Ebay dealers? HA! Tell me straight out, where can I get an "actual grade" for my comic?

 

I do like CGC's new service of checking your comics for hidden restoration work and I also agree anyone buying a pricey and expensive comic would do good to have the CGC grading.

 

This is the sentence right here that made me laugh the most. You rail against CGC but you don't even know the most basic facts! CGC's restoration check has been one of the main draws to slabbing since they opened - 13 years ago! 13 YEARS AGO. Are you really this clueless?

 

If your spending thousands of dollars then it certainly would be ok to have such services available - kind of like checking the VIN number when purchasing a car. But, a comic in a CGC case should not cost 100-500% more than its market value or Overstreet guide book value. A good VIN check doesn't give the right for a seller to sell you the car for over 100% KBB value, does it? Of course not, so a CGC case shouldn't affect its value by so much. Maybe a little, but not the markups I'm seeing. CGC should not affect value at all and just gives the seller the right to sell it for the grade that it was graded at. That's all I'm trying to say

 

Your analogy sucks, your CGC opinions suck, and you suck. Just STFU about CGC and stop making me defend them.

Message 55 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

Overstreet?  You have got to be kidding me.  If a CGC graded comic gets 500% more than Overstreet what does it tell you about their guide?

 

The reason some CGC graded comics can get more money as people are willing to pay more for them.  Arguing against reality is an argument you will lose.

 

We are entering 2014 and it may be time to focus on the here and now instead of 15 years ago.  CGC is not going away and  the demand for CGC graded comics is growing.

Message 56 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

Yeah, I don't like CGC and graded books. I think it's silly that buyers will pay excessive amounts for a recent comic graded 9.8, and not buy 9.4s. I think it's silly that buyers pay multiples of guide for graded key books. I think it's ridiculous that CGC obviously makes mistakes and that frequent submitters get more generous grades. And the other grading company is even shadier.

But I think the idea of 3rd party grading makes perfect sense. And 3rd party grading is about the only way to sell desirable books online and realize a decent price. 3rd party grading is just part of the nature of the beast now. So, one can b***h and moan about it, (don't get wrong, I'm a big fan of b***hing and moaning) but I don't really see it going anywhere. And since it's not going anywhere, one must adapt.

Message 57 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

My views on CGC remain unchanged. CGC grades one book 9.8 and then another at 9.6. What's the difference? Futhermore, the company can not explain it. Why pay a premium for a book graded at 9.8? It's just pure nonsense. CGC should have no affect on price, they just give an opion of which they can not back up or guarantee. My major complaint with CGC is that their grading standards are not consistent and vary from one grader to another. Once I purchased a Wolverine #1 in a CGC case graded at 9.8. When I looked more closely, I noticed some fingerprints on the cover were clearly visible; and from that day on I have been a non-believer of CGC slabs. The slab had no visible signs of being opened and the number checked out good. The book was no where near 9.8, as fingerprints were clearly visible (because of the black colloring made it easy to catch those fingerprints). Fingerprints visible on a 9.8 CGC graded book!

 

'Nuff Said

Message 58 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

Sure you did. You bought one comic, there were fingerprints on it and you are forever jaded about CGC. Doomed to troll these forums and constantly show off your lack of knowledge of CGC. That story sure doesn't sound made up or anything? With such high standards surely you had to quit buying comics from ebay years ago! A shame really!
Message 59 of 105
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Avoid CGC like the plague

Seems you are not really reading these threads? ? ? No where did I mention anything about stop buying comics on eBay or anything. I am just saying from experience. Fingerprints should not be on 9.8 comics; even if modern. This was CGC graded and slabbed. I was not blaming any seller, it was CGC that graded the book! Best I could do is sent it back for regrading. I should not have done that, because it came back with a lower grade. So, they are not consistent with their grading and your paying for what? Robot Frustrated

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