PGX doesn't take off for price stickers I guess?

[Visitor Q]

Some people enjoy the peace-of-mind that having a professionally-graded comic affords them. They have put their faith in the grader(s) and have accepted the grade for what it is. With that comes a certain sense of safety, not to mention satisfaction.

Ultimately, "to each their own" is what I say to this tired, circular conversation.

Yeah... I am just not a fan and it really seems inconstant to me. I think my biggest problem is that they don't even have a grading scale to show you want accounts for what.

Not a knock anyone if it's your thing, roll with it!

Jason

[Reverend]

I only have one graded comic, an issue of Slow Death that I sent to CGC merely because that particular issue hadn't been graded at that time. I can't honestly say that I'd slab something truly obscure because I'd want the option of flipping through it, which wouldn't be possible if it were sealed up. It's mainly the "common" books that were heavily reprinted that I would go that route with.

[Comix Junky]

Yes, the 1984/George Orwell analogy is very much the same thing . . . I really hope you're being facetious.

People are too lazy to do their own thinking, or their own security.
or to trust their own opinions, or do their own grading.
With blind faith that some "authority" has their best intrest at heart.(HA)

Slabbed comix is a CON GAME.  Seriously.
You're buying & selling confedence in some faceless "authority".
Who is no better at grading something i've bought, than I am.
(Obviously i'm a misanthrope that doesn't trust strangers)

I inspect the stuff i buy.
When i buy something sealed, i break it open and take a look.
So it makes no sense for me to pay extra for the seal.
If i'm selling you something, it's YOUR responsibility to judge if it sutes your needs.

If you like to slab your collection - it's none of my business.
But people who buy comix already slabbed, (in my opinion) are
(a) idiots. or (b) speculators who only care about the label and/or resale value.

If someone reading this thinks i've called them an idiot,
I appologize.
Please don't take this personally.

- CJ

[dr_s]

While little of my collection is slabbed, and I haven't sold  a slabbed book, undergrounds are getting to be expensive enough to worry about accurate grading. I was recently offered some books for  about $800 each(50% of top guide). The owner said they were 9.4. The scans said otherwise, more like 4 or 5s. However, if they were close to 9.4 I can not tell the difference between a 9 and a 9.4. Or a 9.4 and a 9.8. Maybe there is no difference. However, if I am buying for investment or resale, I want something that is agreed upon. Even with all the problems, if you deal in expensive high grade and are paying a real price or selling at a real price, grading is needed. If you buy a Zap 1 for $10, who cares. But if you pay $5000 and up for one, you need a grade that is an official opinion.

[EggsAckley]

I agree totally. It is worth it to me to have a professional check out the book when one is talking hundreds of dollars & more.  Most of the books I buy are from a scan and I have to have a return policy in place with the seller before I pull the trigger. Artcomic offered me a Plymell about 4 years ago. He claimed it was VF. I told him I would buy it if I could return it if I did not agree with the grade. He refused, said I had to trust him. I didn't buy. When the differences in grade can mean hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars, I certaintly want some reassurance. Arnie's right, on a $10 book, who cares. And I will never buy a PGX book again-see the ones that got away thread. The other reason I like slabbing is the protection it gives to a very high grade example of a book. I already have "reader" copies of most everything that interests me. Anyway, to each his own,

[EggsAckley]

Back to the beginning of this thread. How can a book with a price sticker be graded 9.4 universal? I don't care how nice it is. The R. Crumb Comics & Stories PGA/PGX 9.2 (1st print on label) I had in my hand last month was a later print with the 35 cent price erased out. I could even see that and I have a cataract in my left eye.

[Brother J]

 

.
But people who buy comix already slabbed, (in my opinion) are
(a) idiots. or (b) speculators who only care about the label and/or resale value.

or (c) someone who is buying a book in a way where they can't inspect the book before they decide whether to purchase it or not. As I would say that the majority of underground comix transactions nowadays are on eBay, that would be the majority of them. Personally, I feel like I'm taking a risk EVERY time I buy a comic on eBay. There's always a risk the seller doesn't know how to grade or maybe just missed something. There's a large percentage of books that I have had to return, and there are many transactions where the seller WOULDN'T accept a return, even though their grading was clearly off.

So you can either:

A. buy slabbed books, knowing the grade you are getting is accurate, but paying a premium.

B. Only buy from dealers who you know are accurate graders, which limits the market you can select from.

or C. Buy books that look good from scans on eBay and described as being in the condition you want, making sure the seller has a return policy, pay with Paypal with credit card to insure you can get your money back, and hope when the book arrives, it arrives as you expected it, so you don't have to waste a bunch of time sending the book back and trying to get a refund.

You say the person employing Option A is an idiot. Well, as a person who generally applies option C and goes through a lot of headaches with idiot eBay sellers, I often think the Option A guys are the smart ones. Sure, their wallets are a little lighter, but they are getting the good stuff, headache-free.

[Reverend]

Yes, the 1984/George Orwell analogy is very much the same thing . . . I really hope you're being facetious.

People are too lazy to do their own thinking, or their own security.
or to trust their own opinions, or do their own grading.
With blind faith that some "authority" has their best intrest at heart.(HA)

Slabbed comix is a CON GAME.  Seriously.
You're buying & selling confedence in some faceless "authority".
Who is no better at grading something i've bought, than I am.
(Obviously i'm a misanthrope that doesn't trust strangers)

I inspect the stuff i buy.
When i buy something sealed, i break it open and take a look.
So it makes no sense for me to pay extra for the seal.
If i'm selling you something, it's YOUR responsibility to judge if it sutes your needs.

If you like to slab your collection - it's none of my business.
But people who buy comix already slabbed, (in my opinion) are
(a) idiots. or (b) speculators who only care about the label and/or resale value.

If someone reading this thinks i've called them an idiot,
I appologize.
Please don't take this personally.

- CJ

Being that I only have one slabbed book, which is one that I send to CGC myself, I'm not offended by anything in the above post, however, I find it laughable to say something along the lines of "everyone who does X is an idiot but don't take it personally if you're one of those idiots."

[Brother J]

Being that I only have one slabbed book, which is one that I send to CGC myself, I'm not offended by anything in the above post, however, I find it laughable to say something along the lines of "everyone who does X is an idiot but don't take it personally if you're one of those idiots."

I've got two slabbed books, so I'm twice the idiot you are... 

[over40artist]

Slabbing makes a huge difference in value above 9.0.

And if Arnie, with his decades of experience, can't tell the difference between a 9 and a 9.4, why would I ever trust anyone else on eBay who claims his book is a 9.4?

Buying slabs is kind of like buying insurance. It just helps ensure that you are investing in an accurate representation of what you are buying.

[Comix Junky]

"everyone who does X is an idiot but don't take it personally if you're one of those idiots."

What that means is:
Every now and then, I have to let my Inner Jerk out of his cage, to strech his legs.
And i want to remain frends with everyone afterwords.

So don't take my rants personally.

[Visitor Q]

Yes, the 1984/George Orwell analogy is very much the same thing . . . I really hope you're being facetious.

People are too lazy to do their own thinking, or their own security.
or to trust their own opinions, or do their own grading.
With blind faith that some "authority" has their best intrest at heart.(HA)

Slabbed comix is a CON GAME.  Seriously.
You're buying & selling confedence in some faceless "authority".
Who is no better at grading something i've bought, than I am.
(Obviously i'm a misanthrope that doesn't trust strangers)

I inspect the stuff i buy.
When i buy something sealed, i break it open and take a look.
So it makes no sense for me to pay extra for the seal.
If i'm selling you something, it's YOUR responsibility to judge if it sutes your needs.

If you like to slab your collection - it's none of my business.
But people who buy comix already slabbed, (in my opinion) are
(a) idiots. or (b) speculators who only care about the label and/or resale value.

If someone reading this thinks i've called them an idiot,
I appologize.
Please don't take this personally.

- CJ

+1

I don't own any or do I want any in my collection. I would never pay extra for it.

Jason

[dr_s]

It's simple. You win the lottery and want to buy a Zap 1. The owner claims that it is a 9.0 and is $7000. You think there is a 20% chance of restoration but you are not an expert on trimming or cleaning or grading.  There is no one to help you. Do you buy it or not? (You won $10,000,000 after taxes so money is not the problem. Is it a great deal or vastly overpriced?  If it was CGCed you would know what to do. If this sounds far fetched, I was at the NY show last week and someone I know had a copy that looked  between 5 and 7. He wanted $2,200. I wasn't sure about the grade (big spread) or if it was worked on. No one could help me with the grade until the next day. When I came back, it was sold for $2500. If it was Cgced with a blue label, I might have bought it for resale. Face it, if you saw the same book in a $1 box, you would have bought it grading or no grading. Then you would have bragged about it to me on the phone and then on the  site. But, if you have to pay with real money, and the money is important to you, you want to know if there was restoration and if the grade  matches the price.

[Visitor Q]

It's simple. You win the lottery and want to buy a Zap 1. The owner claims that it is a 9.0 and is $7000. You think there is a 20% chance of restoration but you are not an expert on trimming or cleaning or grading.  There is no one to help you. Do you buy it or not? (You won $10,000,000 after taxes so money is not the problem. Is it a great deal or vastly overpriced?  If it was CGCed you would know what to do. If this sounds far fetched, I was at the NY show last week and someone I know had a copy that looked  between 5 and 7. He wanted $2,200. I wasn't sure about the grade (big spread) or if it was worked on. No one could help me with the grade until the next day. When I came back, it was sold for $2500. If it was Cgced with a blue label, I might have bought it for resale. Face it, if you saw the same book in a $1 box, you would have bought it grading or no grading. Then you would have bragged about it to me on the phone and then on the  site. But, if you have to pay with real money, and the money is important to you, you want to know if there was restoration and if the grade  matches the price.

CGC and PGX does not even release a set of guide lines as to how they grade comics, to me that is bullshit. The reason they don't do this is because then people could grade them their selves or bitch when they get a book back that does not rate high enough. When I look at a comic do me it is either in good shape or it is not. Sure I can look at something like those Bibles of Filth picking out little flaws all day but all and all, comic books rates on about 3 levels for me visually even though I grade my books on the common scale from poor to near mint. Most comics to me are either in good shape or they are not. This whole grading thing has gotten out of hand in my opinion and people who support CGC etc. are just adding fuel to the fire.

This is not a person war with anyone's taste here, this is just my opinion. If you are all about slabbed comic, well that's great... Me, myself... I would never buy one and if I did, I would probably pull it out and bag it in Mylar.

Jason

[wpbooks]

I recently received my first, and probably only, 2 submissions back from CGC, and while I have no qualms about their grading it seems very weird to only be able to look at the covers of the books.  Granted, they were dupes (or in the case of the Zap #2, a variant that had no impact on the stories or art within, but was merely a 'point' to validate it's first printing status), so I can enjoy the contents via my other copies...yet, there is something so anathema to the enjoyment of a Comic Book that these capsules force, that I guess, I'll just sock them away, chalk up the submission to a new experience, and then continue my classic method of "bag and board" and someday, when there is something I want bad enough to shell out the big bucks for, take the gooddr's advice and perhaps try it again.  As for now, I vote nay on the CGC experience, and in some ways feel kind of like a rube for being dazzled by the shiny object that was laid in front of me, and caused a bit of a temporary hypnotic suggestion....apologies to everyone for pontificating so wind-bagged-ly!