I appreciate your exploration of the market history of slabbing. I do see a place for encapsulation as a collector. While subjective in itself, it does narrow the subjectivity when purchasing older books/major keys. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I always buy raw books. Slabbed books are overrated and too expensive. Another spec book is when Lex Luthor meets Brainiac for the first time. Therefore, those two characters collaborate to defeat Superman. I believe most DC books are undervalued. Since you are a DC advocate, what do you think about that? Take care my friend and I appreciate your content.
Curious, when did cgc get into the business of up charging your credit card, because THEY felt your book was worth more than the declared value? I don't like that.
They should charge the same amount for every book...maybe charge an extra $10-15 if it's a grail - to check its authenticity etc. It's profitable for them to give expensive books a much higher grade than it deserves. 4% on a million $ book is $40,000 profit for them. Dumb and unethical.
I get getting a book graded & slabbed if you want to sell it, especially online, but I cannot wrap my head around someone getting a book slabbed if you're just going to keep it. There are so many other ways to encapsulate a book for display that still allow you to pull the book out and, I dunno, READ IT. Like it's a book, or something.
It’s not integral to comic collecting, it’s integral for flippers that want to make money and that’s their sole reason for collecting ….now people are starting to see the glaring flaws inherent in that system … and basically what your paying a steep price for is someone’s well informed opinion and a plastic case and label with a number on it that’s easily prone to fraud and manipulation.
I've never found the appeal of a custom label. The cover artwork should speak for itself in my opinion, so I wouldn't spend $5 before and clearly not $8 now for that.
You are right about people wanting consistency in slabs. I could see PSA buying it. They need to time it to get the best price from Black Rock. Great video.
One thing I learned recently is that for collectible card *games*, they have the same problem comics does. Because once that card is slabbed, you can't shuffle it into a deck.
The branding could go the other way too. A collector with tons of PSA stuff doesn't want a cgc label on their wall. Maybe the goal is to hook the sports card, coin and stamp guys on comics. I would think PSA is fairly well set up with grading assets that they wouldn't need to buy cgc for the set up.
Very few people care about slabbed books anymore. No one’s buying them anymore. The credibility is shot with CGC but all the “flippers” and “hobby funders “ will keep submitting. Even if it’s for humble brag unboxing video content
Interesting times ahead for CGC. Depending on how well this year goes for them will be the factor if they are sold or not. PSA buying them would be best for PSA; if they could improve on customer service, turnaround times, etc., they could make a huge Impact.
Didn't renew my CGC in the fall. Still have a 50 dollar credit. I've continued pressing and cleaning because I just really enjoy getting the comics to look their best. Whether I submit to PSA or not is still up in the air. That PSA buying CGC can even be said with consideration says everything.
TATs are a lie. EVERY time I've submitted, it's been a damned lie. Last time was 18 business days. Nothing moved until I asked at business day 45. Then they botched the order. Count me in the "I'm done" corner. CGC doesn't sell for more in a falling market if they can't get your books back to you faster than their competition - glad you pointed that out.
So with these CGC price raises, all slabs are worth +$3-4 more now in the coming months. Right now, I'm sending in 50 comics to get graded with a 9.8 prescreen as well...there's about 3 that are 9.4-9.6, I wonder if I can get 9.8s on those...I'm pressing 24 hours a day for 3 weeks straight, until they're all in their best, presentable shape. This might be my last submission for the next 1-2 years. I'll wait probably 9 more months, then I'll start buying raw comics again. I noticed a lot of my particular slab competition on Ebay has given up and sold off their slabs for cheap in the last 6 weeks. Where there used to be 8-10, 9.8 slabs listed for the particular slab I was selling, now there are only 0-3 slabs competing with me. I have no problem holding my various 9.8 slabs right now, as the competition is fading.
Humans are creatures of habit so if a person started out with CGC, it's going to be very difficult for them to change. If prices keep going up, it just won't be worth it to slab books. I see people selling slabs for $20, $30, $40. ?? They can't be making money on these books. I don't get it.
@@Markus465 I have a bunch of books like that - mostly likely the seller got them as part of a collection like I did. Some folks slab a lot of stuff to sell as slabs and when a book comes in at a lower grade (sometimes low meaning 9.6) the slab isn’t worth much.
CGC sucks for us that collect raw books. We are the real collectors. We're looking to collect a book, not an artifact, or a valued object. I want to grade the books I buy with my criteria. I don't really care about 9.8 or newstand/mark jewelers. If all the collectors where like me, we could get almost any book for a reasonable price. I get disgusted seeing a youtuber showing us their twelve slabbed copies of ASM129. I do understand that there are different collectors, and to each there own, but this is me....
Don’t understand this childish one or the other circular argument. Of course there is a market for graded books just as there is a market for raw books. Each to his own
CGC should RECYCLE those huge CHUNKS OF PLASTIC garbage! ... Just ONE more reason why CGC SUCKS. And all the cgc-obsessed supposed comic 'fans' -- fans who rarely read a freaking comic book. Took a great hobby and made it a business - The End. ... but hope springs eternal. i guess.
It was a basic scam out the gate driven by greed and capitalism. People knew this and still jumped on board... I want to thank the greedy bastards for destroying the hobby.
Personally, I find it super annoying seeing those never slabbers cry every single day on every single post whether it's about raws or slabs or a topic on which bag is the best.
Well if suckers keep giving money to this legal scam ,it will continue ...SADLY !
Charging a 4% fee on expensive comics is a conflict of interest. It incentivises CGC to give expensive books higher grades than they deserve.
I appreciate your exploration of the market history of slabbing. I do see a place for encapsulation as a collector. While subjective in itself, it does narrow the subjectivity when purchasing older books/major keys. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Smart to realize that a backlog is a capital stream for a selloff deal.
I always buy raw books. Slabbed books are overrated and too expensive. Another spec book is when Lex Luthor meets Brainiac for the first time. Therefore, those two characters collaborate to defeat Superman. I believe most DC books are undervalued. Since you are a DC advocate, what do you think about that? Take care my friend and I appreciate your content.
Curious, when did cgc get into the business of up charging your credit card, because THEY felt your book was worth more than the declared value? I don't like that.
They should charge the same amount for every book...maybe charge an extra $10-15 if it's a grail - to check its authenticity etc. It's profitable for them to give expensive books a much higher grade than it deserves. 4% on a million $ book is $40,000 profit for them. Dumb and unethical.
I get getting a book graded & slabbed if you want to sell it, especially online, but I cannot wrap my head around someone getting a book slabbed if you're just going to keep it. There are so many other ways to encapsulate a book for display that still allow you to pull the book out and, I dunno, READ IT. Like it's a book, or something.
It’s not integral to comic collecting, it’s integral for flippers that want to make money and that’s their sole reason for collecting ….now people are starting to see the glaring flaws inherent in that system … and basically what your paying a steep price for is someone’s well informed opinion and a plastic case and label with a number on it that’s easily prone to fraud and manipulation.
I've never found the appeal of a custom label. The cover artwork should speak for itself in my opinion, so I wouldn't spend $5 before and clearly not $8 now for that.
Don't worry, you'll keep them in business lol
You are right about people wanting consistency in slabs. I could see PSA buying it. They need to time it to get the best price from Black Rock. Great video.
Slabbing is pointless these days. Margins are getting tighter because of increase prices and lower demand.
@@joelb1 not in higher grades. 9.8s still draw a premium. And higher grades for bigger keys and older books.
One thing I learned recently is that for collectible card *games*, they have the same problem comics does. Because once that card is slabbed, you can't shuffle it into a deck.
The branding could go the other way too. A collector with tons of PSA stuff doesn't want a cgc label on their wall. Maybe the goal is to hook the sports card, coin and stamp guys on comics. I would think PSA is fairly well set up with grading assets that they wouldn't need to buy cgc for the set up.
Very few people care about slabbed books anymore. No one’s buying them anymore. The credibility is shot with CGC but all the “flippers” and “hobby funders “ will keep submitting. Even if it’s for humble brag unboxing video content
Yea new slabs are so damn hard to get into lol
Interesting times ahead for CGC. Depending on how well this year goes for them will be the factor if they are sold or not. PSA buying them would be best for PSA; if they could improve on customer service, turnaround times, etc., they could make a huge Impact.
Didn't renew my CGC in the fall. Still have a 50 dollar credit. I've continued pressing and cleaning because I just really enjoy getting the comics to look their best. Whether I submit to PSA or not is still up in the air. That PSA buying CGC can even be said with consideration says everything.
I only collect RAW😊
TATs are a lie. EVERY time I've submitted, it's been a damned lie. Last time was 18 business days. Nothing moved until I asked at business day 45. Then they botched the order. Count me in the "I'm done" corner. CGC doesn't sell for more in a falling market if they can't get your books back to you faster than their competition - glad you pointed that out.
So with these CGC price raises, all slabs are worth +$3-4 more now in the coming months. Right now, I'm sending in 50 comics to get graded with a 9.8 prescreen as well...there's about 3 that are 9.4-9.6, I wonder if I can get 9.8s on those...I'm pressing 24 hours a day for 3 weeks straight, until they're all in their best, presentable shape. This might be my last submission for the next 1-2 years. I'll wait probably 9 more months, then I'll start buying raw comics again.
I noticed a lot of my particular slab competition on Ebay has given up and sold off their slabs for cheap in the last 6 weeks. Where there used to be 8-10, 9.8 slabs listed for the particular slab I was selling, now there are only 0-3 slabs competing with me. I have no problem holding my various 9.8 slabs right now, as the competition is fading.
i think they are cooking the books so they look more attractive to a buyer.
On the whole I like slabs but CGC has been so piss poor lately it's unreal. All those scandals last year and they raise prices.
I pretty much just value cgc for its signature series it a great service to get signatures I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to get.
Humans are creatures of habit so if a person started out with CGC, it's going to be very difficult for them to change. If prices keep going up, it just won't be worth it to slab books. I see people selling slabs for $20, $30, $40. ?? They can't be making money on these books. I don't get it.
@@Markus465 I have a bunch of books like that - mostly likely the seller got them as part of a collection like I did. Some folks slab a lot of stuff to sell as slabs and when a book comes in at a lower grade (sometimes low meaning 9.6) the slab isn’t worth much.
CGC needs to fix their cert # SEARCH feature. I wrote them and they said they would fix it soon, that was months ago but it still wont work.
@@scod9746 not sure what you mean.
So where does this leave CBCS and PGX? If CGC has seem a significant drop in submissions, then CBCS and PGX must be circling the drain at this point.
nope because they don't need the same volume to break even that CGC needs.
CGC sucks for us that collect raw books. We are the real collectors. We're looking to collect a book, not an artifact, or a valued object. I want to grade the books I buy with my criteria. I don't really care about 9.8 or newstand/mark jewelers. If all the collectors where like me, we could get almost any book for a reasonable price. I get disgusted seeing a youtuber showing us their twelve slabbed copies of ASM129. I do understand that there are different collectors, and to each there own, but this is me....
Don’t understand this childish one or the other circular argument. Of course there is a market for graded books just as there is a market for raw books. Each to his own
CGC should RECYCLE those huge CHUNKS OF PLASTIC garbage! ... Just ONE more reason why CGC SUCKS. And all the cgc-obsessed supposed comic 'fans' -- fans who rarely read a freaking comic book. Took a great hobby and made it a business - The End. ... but hope springs eternal. i guess.
It was a basic scam out the gate driven by greed and capitalism. People knew this and still jumped on board... I want to thank the greedy bastards for destroying the hobby.
Graded comics didn't ruin the hobby, liberal writers did
@@WeekendwerewolfTrue. Graded comics just means I can buy a US golden age key on ebay from little old England with confidence.
@@Weekendwerewolf and the cessation of newsstand sales.
@@Weekendwerewolf You reading the wrong books bro.....
@@loki2stunt I'm not even reading comics anymore, it's all woke trash. It does seem the Absolute and Ultimate titles are being well received
Personally, I find it super annoying seeing those never slabbers cry every single day on every single post whether it's about raws or slabs or a topic on which bag is the best.
Just got 10 books back from cgc no bends