Selling Comics to Lone Star / MCS

[Davenport]

My personal experience: MCS's grading standard is what it is. They grade as close to industry standards as possible while also diminishing the volume of returns and complaints. Their own personal sweet spot that works for both their business and their clients.

 

It's a system that works well, especially with raw auction consignments. Their clientele are savvy and bid accordingly. So while you may be initially shocked by harsh(ish) grades, you may be equally shocked by prices realized. (in short: don't get too hung-up on tough grading, enjoy the money)

 

 

[ttfitz]

Chase, it is testable, there is no double standard, no dealer working the spread of being tough in grading when buying from public but lenient when selling it on their site. Sell a book to MCS that you can id. You will see it popped up on site for sale in their inventory at the same grade.

 

Then please explain this:

 

"True near mints are very hard to come by--as they are practically perfect"---A direct quote from a MCS representative about buying NM comics

 

vs this

 

"Acceptable minor defects on a NM copy include: A very small amount of spine stresses without color breaks, very minor instances of denting (two or three at most), slight corner blunting, and minor (less than 1/8") bends without color breaks...On the ten-point grading scale, a lower grade like 9.2 will allow these defects in a greater quantity and degree than a higher grade like 9.8, which sometimes may have no discernible defects at all."-- Their own grading standards stated on their website for NM

 

Those two comments conflict with one another.

 

I don't see these two as in conflict, one is just more detailed than the other. :shrug:

[lightninglad]

Chase, it is testable, there is no double standard, no dealer working the spread of being tough in grading when buying from public but lenient when selling it on their site. Sell a book to MCS that you can id. You will see it popped up on site for sale in their inventory at the same grade.

 

Then please explain this:

 

"True near mints are very hard to come by--as they are practically perfect"---A direct quote from a MCS representative about buying NM comics

 

vs this

 

"Acceptable minor defects on a NM copy include: A very small amount of spine stresses without color breaks, very minor instances of denting (two or three at most), slight corner blunting, and minor (less than 1/8") bends without color breaks...On the ten-point grading scale, a lower grade like 9.2 will allow these defects in a greater quantity and degree than a higher grade like 9.8, which sometimes may have no discernible defects at all."-- Their own grading standards stated on their website for NM

 

Those two comments conflict with one another.

 

I don't see these two as in conflict, one is just more detailed than the other. :shrug:

 

So you believe that 9.2 books are "hard to come by" and "practically perfect"?

 

 

[ttfitz]

Chase, it is testable, there is no double standard, no dealer working the spread of being tough in grading when buying from public but lenient when selling it on their site. Sell a book to MCS that you can id. You will see it popped up on site for sale in their inventory at the same grade.

 

Then please explain this:

 

"True near mints are very hard to come by--as they are practically perfect"---A direct quote from a MCS representative about buying NM comics

 

vs this

 

"Acceptable minor defects on a NM copy include: A very small amount of spine stresses without color breaks, very minor instances of denting (two or three at most), slight corner blunting, and minor (less than 1/8") bends without color breaks...On the ten-point grading scale, a lower grade like 9.2 will allow these defects in a greater quantity and degree than a higher grade like 9.8, which sometimes may have no discernible defects at all."-- Their own grading standards stated on their website for NM

 

Those two comments conflict with one another.

 

I don't see these two as in conflict, one is just more detailed than the other. :shrug:

 

So you believe that 9.2 books are "hard to come by" and "practically perfect"?

 

 

Without know which books you sent in - and thus what books the quoted representative would be referring to - I couldn't say whether they were "hard to come by", but I don't have any problem agreeing that 9.2 books are "practically perfect." Then again, I think anything better than a Fine is a waste of money, so what do I know?

 

I'm just saying the grading standards, as stated on their website, doesn't seem a conflict to me with what the representative said.

[jaxcomics]

Chase, it is testable, there is no double standard, no dealer working the spread of being tough in grading when buying from public but lenient when selling it on their site. Sell a book to MCS that you can id. You will see it popped up on site for sale in their inventory at the same grade.

 

Then please explain this:

 

"True near mints are very hard to come by--as they are practically perfect"---A direct quote from a MCS representative about buying NM comics

 

vs this

 

"Acceptable minor defects on a NM copy include: A very small amount of spine stresses without color breaks, very minor instances of denting (two or three at most), slight corner blunting, and minor (less than 1/8") bends without color breaks...On the ten-point grading scale, a lower grade like 9.2 will allow these defects in a greater quantity and degree than a higher grade like 9.8, which sometimes may have no discernible defects at all."-- Their own grading standards stated on their website for NM

 

Those two comments conflict with one another.

 

I don't see these two as in conflict, one is just more detailed than the other. :shrug:

 

So you believe that 9.2 books are "hard to come by" and "practically perfect"?

 

 

Obviously the two statements conflict, but you're kind of splitting hairs, since I've never found their grading - buying vs selling - to be inconsistent. The differential in those statements would matter a lot more if they applied one to their purchasing and another to their sales. I've personally never found that to be the case. I NEVER send them a book expecting them to grade it out as a NM - I suggest you don't do the same, either. I do, however, like getting solid NM books (by my own tight grading standards) that I purchase from them as VF's, and that happens frequently. So it works both ways, and that works for me. If it doesn't for you, there are plenty of other venues to buy/sell with.

[JollyComics]

MSC is watching you everyday.

[mycomicshop]

Regarding the "true NMs are practically perfect and hard to come by"--That's not how I would have replied to your question nor does it represent our "official" position, which is why there's nothing like that posted on our web site.

 

We grade tightly to our interpretation of the Overstreet grading standards. I agree that we grade conservatively relative to many, including CGC, which is the baseline most boardies will use for their own grading. What a lot of people might grade NM we may grade VF. By doing so we are not saying our grade is right and your grade is wrong. All we are saying is that we grade it a VF, and we will sell it as a VF.

 

We can't simultaneously grade tight enough to insure high buyer satisfaction and also loose enough to insure sellers never feel we graded their stuff too harshly. We choose to prioritize buyer satisfaction. As long as sellers are happy with the prices we're paying them, any disagreement about grade is a secondary concern for most sellers. It's working well--we have happy buyers, and we have tons of sellers, both repeat and first-timers, selling us over 100K comics a month.

 

[revat]

Regarding the "true NMs are practically perfect and hard to come by"--That's not how I would have replied to your question nor does it represent our "official" position, which is why there's nothing like that posted on our web site.

 

We grade tightly to our interpretation of the Overstreet grading standards. I agree that we grade conservatively relative to many, including CGC, which is the baseline most boardies will use for their own grading. What a lot of people might grade NM we may grade VF. By doing so we are not saying our grade is right and your grade is wrong. All we are saying is that we grade it a VF, and we will sell it as a VF.

 

We can't simultaneously grade tight enough to insure high buyer satisfaction and also loose enough to insure sellers never feel we graded their stuff too harshly. We choose to prioritize buyer satisfaction. As long as sellers are happy with the prices we're paying them, any disagreement about grade is a secondary concern for most sellers. It's working well--we have happy buyers, and we have tons of sellers, both repeat and first-timers, selling us over 100K comics a month.

 

makes sense.

[Scrooge]

Right after the thread popped up, I decided to give the MCS try.

 

I had a big pile of common GA doubles (lots of Dells etc ...) lying around for the past two years. These are books no one typically buys on the boards, that sits listed on eBay, that were all doubles so these were all under-copies (mostly Fr to G+ at best, no more than 10 in the VG range) and low dollar books which I wasn't about to scan.

 

I pulled out the few books of value (3 out of 4 sold on the boards in 30 minutes). The rest I started to list as part of my Want to Sell on MCS's site. In a matter of a little over an hour, I had them all listed in the system, with a price tagged next to each and everyone [i only withheld a couple since their offer prices were too cheap on those; only 1 they weren't interested in buying]. I listed over 100 books in one hour, bag grading them. I went conservative on them based on the conversation here. Total offer is a little over $500. These are books I sat on for over 2 years and in 1 hour, I can get $500 for what I didn't think was worth that in total. Offer made by them on April 15.

 

I packed them in the week and get them sent out circa the 20th. They get received on the 29th. The books were graded on their end circa May 2nd. I accepted their offer same day. Check went out May 4th. I got it today and cashed it on my app. I am sure it'll clear.

 

The grading outcome was similar to what other folks said. Out of 100+, they agreed with about 55 (with few that they upgraded from my grades). The others were mostly off by 1/2 grade. Not bad. So, they graded tight AND they took the books out and checked for missing centerfolds, staple pulls, etc. Sounds fair. Sounds also a lot of work on the checking side. They call a book G- for excess wear compared to my grade of G. That's fine with me. 1/2 grade apart and they are on the conservative side as they need for their business is fair.

 

I was bracing myself for a counter on their part circa $300 based on the thread. Check was for a little over $400.

 

Experience:

 

Entering the books: Super easy. A price for each grade. A sense of what they need. A warning that if the grade doesn't turn up accurate the price can drop quite a bit. All above board. A+

 

Shipping: They kicked back an allowance on shipping. Shipping was essentially paid for in my case. A+

 

Time for them to process: Once they had the books on hand, I waited a couple of days (they got the books on Friday or Saturday) so it was near immediate. A+

 

Offer & grading: Knowing what would happen, the surprise was lowered. I did tend to grade low when I entered them in. They still graded lower (1/2 grade). Harsh but OK. B+

 

Quick Payment: A+

 

For a person with job, kids and no desire to scan cheap books, this solved my problem! I turned the pile of doubles in cash within 3 weeks with minimal efforts on my part. I was able to pack 100 books in one box versus 3 books in 30 boxes without significant loss of $$. I am looking around for more stuff to send in at this point.

[apollobuzz]

This has always been my experience as well.

[anstettoman]

My personal experience: MCS's grading standard is what it is. They grade as close to industry standards as possible while also diminishing the volume of returns and complaints. Their own personal sweet spot that works for both their business and their clients.

 

It's a system that works well, especially with raw auction consignments. Their clientele are savvy and bid accordingly. So while you may be initially shocked by harsh(ish) grades, you may be equally shocked by prices realized. (in short: don't get too hung-up on tough grading, enjoy the money)

 

 

 

this is very true with them exception of the initially shocked statement I find I am always shocked (roughly 80-90%) of my books are overgraded by me (I guess) but you are right I always enjoy the money.

 

as long as you don't take their grading as a comment on your lack of grading skills you will find them very easy to deal with

[musicmeta]

Sounds like low/mid-grade cheap books are the way to sell to them. Seems like anything high grade send elsewhere.

 

[oakman29]

I thought I would put my two cents in here as a buyer that goes to MCS many times. I wasn't one to go on eBay for fear of being f-cked, a board member explained how well MCS treats you. I started buying up quite a few Creepy mags from them to try them out.They were not only well graded, but better than the grade they gave it. Priced well,shipped faster than fast,and at a great price. What more could I want? They made me feel like a satisfied customer who's happy with their service that they provide.

I just thought I would put that out there.

[ygogolak]

For those who say they are happy buying from them, please state if you are buying consignments or their own stock. As many people have commented, there is a disparity between the two.

[Davenport]

Sounds like low/mid-grade cheap books are the way to sell to them. Seems like anything high grade send elsewhere.

Not necessarily. You could grade a book at 9.8 for Ebay. But will buyers bank on it? The same book consigned on MCS 9.4 may result in more money.

 

Plus (and it's a BIG plus) you don't have to deal with any of it. None. Of. It. No picking nits over grade, no return requests, no charge backs weeks later, no lost packages, etc, etc, etc.

 

When the MCS check arrives cash it and you're done.

[oakman29]

For those who say they are happy buying from them, please state if you are buying consignments or their own stock. As many people have commented, there is a disparity between the two.

 

Why would a buyer care? How would a buyer know that?

[mycomicshop]

For those who say they are happy buying from them, please state if you are buying consignments or their own stock. As many people have commented, there is a disparity between the two.

 

Not true. No difference in the grading for consignments vs non-consignments.

 

What you may be referring to is that most books priced under $10 are graded on the letter grade scale (NM, VF, FN, etc) and are not individually scanned, and most books over $10 are graded on the ten point scale (9.8, 9.6, 9.4, 9.2, etc) and are individually scanned. All consignments will be in the latter group, but otherwise there's no difference in the nature of our grading for something we own vs something consigned with us.

[Ghost Town]

For those who say they are happy buying from them, please state if you are buying consignments or their own stock. As many people have commented, there is a disparity between the two.

The only time I've seen that consignments noted on the website is for some CGC books. I've ordered raw books from MCS multiple times and I have no idea if they were consigned or not. In any event, I've always been very happy with my purchases.

[jaxcomics]

For those who say they are happy buying from them, please state if you are buying consignments or their own stock. As many people have commented, there is a disparity between the two.

The only time I've seen that consignments noted on the website is for some CGC books. I've ordered raw books from MCS multiple times and I have no idea if they were consigned or not. In any event, I've always been very happy with my purchases.

 

Consignment books are in a yellow box and have a notice denoting that they are consignment in the item description. The vast majority of their $50+ books are consignment.

[shadroch]

Consigned books have a 3% fee added to the price and are specifically. Identified as such.