Evil.C

I submitted a comic book for a private signing that had already been graded and slabbed by CGC. The book was graded at 9.8 in July of 2019. I sent this book in just a couple of months ago for a private signing and it when it came back, it was regraded at 9.6. What??? It was sent in still sealed in the CGC slab so CGC removed it from the slab (which they charge a fee to do) for the signing and now it’s a lower grade and there are no grader notes as to why? So, my question is: what is CGC “guaranteeing”? If a book can be graded differently each time it’s submitted to them, what really is being “guaranteed”? I understand that if a book is resubmitted raw, meaning it was graded and it was removed from the slab prior to being sent back into CGC custody to be graded again, that it could receive a different grade. But if the book is already graded and is still sealed and slabbed when CGC receives it and CGC is the party removing the book from its protected shell, then it should receive the same grade. They should be "guaranteeing" the safety and protection of the item in their possession. The signing of a book should not result in a lower grade. And if, by some freak chance the book is damaged between the time CGC removes the book from its protective slab and the time it’s regraded, then they should contact the customer and it should be noted in the grader notes that damage occurred while in their possession. CGC has made a very big business out of “guaranteeing” the grade and condition of comic books and have become the "standard" in comic book grading, They have “professional graders” to perform this work which means there should be consistency in the grading results regardless as to which person actually does grading. But if the grade a book receives is subjective to the grader and every grader is going to grade differently, how “professional” are the graders then and what is the point of having something graded if there is no consistency. Professional graders should all be following a similar, if not the exact same, grading processes and requirements. That means that if one person grades something to be a certain condition, the other graders should be able to verify and concur on that grade and condition. Otherwise, it’s not a “guaranteed grading” only that it is a paid grading. And EVERY submission should have grader notes; it should be mandatory and not subjective to if the grader “feels like it”. The customer is paying for this service and there should be a documented reason as to why an item has received a certain grade. This just seems like a racket to me. So far, the answer that I’ve found to the question “What does CGC actually “guarantee?” is they “guarantee” that they’ll take your money. They “guarantee” nothing else. They basically even say so on the website. Submitting a comic book to be graded by CGC just means that you’re gambling and it’s the “luck of the draw” as to what grade that book will receive and if there will be any notes as to why. You can gamble again by resubmitting and hoping to get a better grade and CGC just rakes in the money with every try. CGC only “guarantees” that you’re playing a game of chance and paying them for the opportunity.