skybolt

On 7/14/2022 at 4:05 PM, wiparker824 said:

Sounds like they’re pressing one page a day or something with that language. At least they are sounding like they know where your books are and are working them But, not to make you feel worse but I just got movement today on one of my August 2021 subs, first marked as received by CCS on 8/17/21, now in GEI today. And this was a full 25 book modern slow track sub, so it’s quite odd that they still have a “couple more books” of yours when they just got thru 25 of mine that hit their system what? 4 months later than yours. 

No worries. My 5 CCS submissions from 6/25/21 were graded and shipped last month. I did receive a couple of other responses in the middle that noted they'll send someone to look for the books. Maybe each customer service employee has their own canned answer to keep the customer at bay.

On 7/14/2022 at 7:43 AM, CGC Mike said:

I was hoping to send the QC manager regarding this.  1 person has sent me info.  Pictures aren't required but, submission numbers are important, along with text.  Without submission numbers, we have no way to tell who has handled the books.  

My apologies Mike. I just sent you a message.

On 7/12/2022 at 11:05 AM, wiparker824 said:

Yeah I mean that’s still a month ago… I’d probably call/email for an update. And if they still are saying that it will take “awhile” to find your submission yet alone press and grade it, but just find it… I’d ask them to quantify “awhile” - how long does it normally take them to find a lost submission 3 months? 6 months? 1 year? Like I said I don’t think this is unreasonable given they are actively pressing books 3 months after yours arrived, the very least they could do is find yours. Good luck.

Just got back another response, which was pretty much a cut and paste from what I received 3 months ago. 

April 7th, 2022 Response:

"Thank you for your email.  Your invoice 3821994 is finishing up with CCS pressing.  I'll see if we can try to speed that up at all for you.  It does look like it is almost completed with just a couple more books that need to finish pressing."

July 13th, 2022 Response:

"Thank you for your email. This submission is still in process at CCS. A few of the books have not yet finished up through the pressing process. This will be transferred to CGC shortly. Let us know if you have any other questions."

Wish I could say this was my favorite book growing up, but the truth is I got these as a bundle raw, and they all graded out as 9.8.

On 7/12/2022 at 9:15 AM, wiparker824 said:

Definitely sounds “misplaced”… I have subs from July 2021 being processed now. I’d probably call again. You said you’ve called over the past 3 months but 3 months ago “be patient” might have been reasonable given that they seem to be taking about a full calendar year right now and yours were received in April 2021. At this point, since they are currently pressing July 2021 (slow track) subs, it’s not a reasonable answer. I’d at least want them to verify they can actually locate the books in the warehouse and confirm they are in fact in queue to be pressed, but that’s just me.

The last reply from CGC was on 6/16 where they noted they will physically send someone to look for the submission, but it could take a while due to the thousands of received submissions during that period. I'm hoping that once they got through most of the books received before the price change, this submission will be located.

On 7/12/2022 at 7:07 AM, CGC Mike said:

Please send me the submission numbers along with this text.  That goes for everyone else that have had books pressed and are receiving noted with finger bends, and a low percentage of 9.8's or lower grades than they were expecting.  I will send in all of the submission numbers, text etc... and we will try to find out what is going on with unexpected finger bends and/or lower grades than you were expecting.  Keep in mind, number of books, grades, graders notes submission numbers and any other comment that applies will give us a better chance to find out what is going on.  If there's a problem, you can help to fix it by sending me the above data I have asked for.  

Thank you CGC Mike. I will do an honest and thorough job and provide you the best data possible.

So the current TAT's for slow modern CCS pressing is 254 business days. My submission delivered on 3/23/2021 (received 4/11/2021) is currently sitting at 324 business days. In comparison, the other 3 submissions from that time period were pressed and graded almost 5 months ago. Another 5 CCS submissions (received 6/25/2021) were pressed and graded last month. After contacting CGC 5 times over the past 3 months, and basically being told to be patient, what is the next course of action? Anyone else in the same boat with respect to CCS pressing?

On 7/11/2022 at 9:59 PM, captainzombie said:

This really sucks. At least 9.6's are much easier to sell than the lower grades, but you get such a huge discrepancy in resell value between a 9.8 to 9.6 that sometimes you just make a few dollars depending on the book.

I'm getting 4 submissions back this week. I'll do a full analysis once the books are in hand with respect to how my original grading was, the press job performed and CGC grading. The 4th submission was graded today and came back with 7 - 9.8's, 6 - 9.6's, 6 - 9.4's, 2 - 9.2's, 1 -9.0 & 1 - 8.5. These were mostly 80's books, so the grades are probably not totally off. At least 2 of the 3 Uncanny X-Men #195 Newsstand Editions got a 9.8 grade. 

On 7/11/2022 at 8:00 PM, captainzombie said:

Ouch. What in the world happened there with those grades. You must of had that wonderful grader we have had the pleasure of grading our books in the past. Were these books pressed by CCS or your presser that you have been using?

By a 3rd party presser.

On 7/11/2022 at 1:39 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

Probably same as color lift 😜 but idk.

Also, I'm noticing some are resending in grades, that don't seem right, back in to be done again, and to see if they'll get an experienced grader?

What is not being said is, how are those books turning out the second and or more go arounds?

Could it be these that aren't this time are the same that weren't last time?

Very confusing when all that's said in this thread is kind of third hand accounts, so I was curious as it isn't ever mentioned other than that's what "they" mean to do is regrade....

Not sure how others are doing it, but here's my approach for resending in books to be regraded:

A.) Will probably hold off on resending any books until I see more consistency in grading from CGC. This will likely not happen until next year.

B.) It's not worth cracking out and resending a book if the value difference between a 9.8 and 9.6 copy is $50 or less. In that scenario I'd just consider it a sunk cost and move on.

C.) If I get a 9.2 grade for a borderline 9.8, I probably won't resend it unless a 9.6 is selling for good money. 

D.) Every submission that I think is under-graded, I'm placing a couple of books on the side for a straight resub later on. Most of these books are ones I'm fairly confident are 9.8's, but were downgraded for a production type defect. . 

I have a total of five 5/12 submissions. Three of them have been already been graded, with 2 bad results and 1 in-line with what I was thinking. Luckily, the more expensive submission was graded by an experienced grader. My hope is that the law of averages is on my side and that the remaining 2 submissions, which mostly contain books from the 70's and 80's, are being handled by an experienced grader. 

By the way, does anyone know what this grader note means? 

 "small paper lift top of front cover"

On 7/8/2022 at 2:05 PM, skybolt said:

Yup, it happened again. Books went from G/E/I to Shipped in a matter of minutes (without QC being noted), and the grades are horrible again.

1 - 9.8, 10 - 9.6's, 9 - 9.4's, 1 - 9.2, 3 - 9.0's and 1 - 7.5.

All of these books were pressed by a 3rd party, but the 5 grader notes I received included bend and crease notations. I'll need to check the pressing when the books are in hand.

Very frustrating, since most of these books were sent with the hope of getting a 9.8 grade.

Ran into another buzz-saw. This submission went to G/E/I at the same time as the one above, so I'm assuming it was the same grader.

2 - 9.8's, 16 - 9.6's, 4 - 9.4', 1 - 9.2 & 1 - 9.0.

On 7/8/2022 at 3:03 PM, ak47po said:

Have you seen this thread? Not just about fingerbends.

 

I honestly don't know what to do anymore. I guess moving forward we just have to assume that 1 out of every 4 modern submissions will just go to waste. This grading inconsistency is being talked about at local comic shops and Youtube. 

What's funny is that whomever these graders are, they always thrown in 1 - 9.8 graded book to show that they know this grade exists.. It's typically the most modern book in the submission. 

On 7/8/2022 at 1:27 PM, skybolt said:

Three more of the 5/12 submissions just went into G/E/I.

Yup, it happened again. Books went from G/E/I to Shipped in a matter of minutes (without QC being noted), and the grades are horrible again.

1 - 9.8, 10 - 9.6's, 9 - 9.4's, 1 - 9.2, 3 - 9.0's and 1 - 7.5.

All of these books were pressed by a 3rd party, but the 5 grader notes I received included bend and crease notations. I'll need to check the pressing when the books are in hand.

Very frustrating, since most of these books were sent with the hope of getting a 9.8 grade.

On 7/7/2022 at 12:09 PM, skybolt said:

One of my five 5/12 received slow modern submissions just went to G/E/I. I hate to say this, but these days I'm dreading getting books back due to A.) CGC's tough grading on about 1/3 of my submissions, and B.) the slow selling market, which creates a lot more inventory.

Three more of the 5/12 submissions just went into G/E/I.

On 7/7/2022 at 12:09 PM, skybolt said:

One of my five 5/12 received slow modern submissions just went to G/E/I. I hate to say this, but these days I'm dreading getting books back due to A.) CGC's tough grading on about 1/3 of my submissions, and B.) the slow selling market, which creates a lot more inventory.

These books went from SFG to shipped in about 5 hours. I received 12 - 9.8's, 4 - 9.6's, 5 - 9.4's, 2 - 9.2's, 1 - 9.0, 1 - 8.5 & 1 - 7.0. I need to inspect the books upon arrival, but this was a batch where I wasn't expecting all 9.8's. I knew there would be a bunch of 9.4's and 9.6's. The 7.0 had light foxing noted, so that makes sense.

As far as sending in multiple copies of the same book in one submission is concerned, here are the results:

6 newsstand copies of Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 (1985) - 2 - 9.8's, 1 - 9.6, 2 - 9.4's and 1 - 9.0.

7 newsstand copies of Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 (1985) - All came back as 9.8's. 

On 7/7/2022 at 12:44 PM, Droid81 said:

Is modern slow track getting caught up or is your submission fast track?

I have a submission waiting for Modern Slow Track service but it has fallen off the tracker and has been in received status since March-ish; Your submission is in the “Received” status. Line item detail is not yet available.  If the TAT's for modern slow track shows 83 days, does that mean they are most still working on orders from mid-March?

 I would call CGC and ask about your submission (for example, my 4/11/2021 received CCS submission is way overdue). For example my four slow track moderns received on 4/6 were graded and shipped over 2 weeks ago. I've also see other people post their slow modern books received in late Aril / early may going into G/E/I.

One of my five 5/12 received slow modern submissions just went to G/E/I. I hate to say this, but these days I'm dreading getting books back due to A.) CGC's tough grading on about 1/3 of my submissions, and B.) the slow selling market, which creates a lot more inventory.

On 7/5/2022 at 12:40 PM, Stefan_W said:

I am going to eat a bit of crow with this one. 

I cracked 8 of the slabs that I figured were worth cracking and only 3 of those were clearly undergraded with one at the borderline. The others were graded correctly. Assuming the ones that were not worth cracking are about the same the overall grading was not as bad as I initially thought (although still a bit tougher than usual), and in most cases I just missed small things that I should have caught before sending the books in. 

Live and learn. 

I will join you and eat crow on my last batch as well, where only 1 out of 20 books came back as a 9.8. I sent these books in to be pressed about 10 months ago and couldn't remember whether or not they were strong 9.8 candidates. A lot of these books were newsstand copies of Web of Spider-Man #4 & #5. Since CGC was grading a lot more leniently last year, I guess I had assumed that the one very small color breaking spine tick along the spine of most of these copies would still achieve a 9.8 grade after pressing. Since CGC is grading tougher these days, I completely get why these books were downgraded to 9.4/9.6. 

On 6/29/2022 at 2:00 PM, Petroman said:

I have never used pre-screen but plan on doing so for my modern submissions going forward.  Especially those that need a 9.8 to be worth it.  I was always put off by the extra processing time, but it seems that it may not really affect the TAT much and with their new up-front charging when received it has the added benefit of moving the charge out closer to the date you will get the books back.

The hope is that if the books are pre screened for a minimum 9.6 grade, perhaps there's a bigger possibility that an experienced grader will perform the prescreening work. Worst case scenario, if I'm assuming 20 - 9.8's and 5 - 9.6's, but get 14 - 9.8's, 9 - 9.6's and 2 rejects from a tough experienced grader, I can still sell the 9.6 copies on Ebay at cost or for a small profit. I just want to avoid getting these newbie graders who give out 9.0's for 2 non-color breaking spine stress lines or if the staple is slightly pushed into the book.

On 6/29/2022 at 10:24 AM, djzombi said:

I think moderns are being held to much, much higher standards.  
I had a Standard submission come back recently.  
Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel #1 (2009), with a couple of spine tics, I estimated to be a 9.2.  It got a 9.0.  
Comico Primer #2 (1982), with that black border cover, had many color-breaking spine creases and I estimated it to be 8.0.  I got a 9.2.  That's a HUGE difference!
(no pressing on either one)

I honestly hate seeing non-color breaking spine ticks on pressed books. I wonder if spine stress lines tend to revert back after a couple of months sitting at CGC, more so than other pressable defects.

On 6/28/2022 at 1:28 PM, toro said:

The kids are finally coming home.  They went down to Florida for Spring Break in April of 2021, spent waaaayy to much time partying over at CCS.  A few weeks ago they all checked into the CGC rehab center and today I see that they have been released and are homeward bound.
 

 

Can you please ask your kids if they saw mine as CCS camp. They got there in April 2021 and the last I heard from them was December 2021. CCS staff keeps telling me not to worry, but I need more confirmation.

On 6/28/2022 at 11:30 AM, Stefan_W said:

The worst was a book in the batch that I cracked and re-submitted. I could see the presser I used a while back left some fixable flaws, so I opened up the 9.2 case, gave it a solid pressing until I was happy, and sent it in expecting a 9.6 (it did have a small spine tick). After all that it came back a 9.0. 

 I get your frustration. CGC grading shouldn't be like gambling, where we factor into our equation that 1 out of every 3 or 4 submissions will be completely hosed by the grader, and that we have to be prepared to shell out another $25 (minimum) to have a 70% chance that an experienced grader will grade these same books next time.

With respect to your previous point about pressing, I think professional pressers will also have to deal with a lot of complaints from customers that their books did not receive 9.8 grades because they didn't get pressed like a pancake.  For example, I have many 9.8 pressed books in my collection with 1 or 2 non color breaking spine ticks and/or spines not sitting perfectly flat. The newbie graders could easily give these books a 9.2 or 9.4 grade. 

On 6/27/2022 at 10:00 AM, ADAMANTIUM said:

If they're still at GEI in "cgc's system", I wonder if they were finalized, and or, still added to the census or registry? @CGC Mike

ARE YOU SAYING they're at home with you, but still show GEI under tracking?

This happened to me as well. Books were marked as shipped and then switched back to G/E/I a few hours later. After receiving the books, I contacted CGC and they were able to update the notification and add the books to the census/registry.