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Excelsior Collectibles
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15 posts in this topic

Hello...I have a question about Excelsior Collectibles grading service.  I got Stan Lee to sign a few fairly expensive comic books at Dragon Con in Atlanta.  I wanted to have them CGC graded.  I was herded through the line to Excelsior Collectibles where they quickly passed me through...took my money and my comic books and put them in a box.  They told me the turnaround time was 6 months but I could pay more to reduce the turn around time to 3 months so I did.  The ETA for my books is mid December.  My question...thought...feeling has to do with leaving fairly valuable books in the hands of folks I have never done business with and not really knowing if I will see the books again or if the same books will return to me...I did take pictures of the books before turning them over.  Is Excelsior Collectibles reputable?  Why does it take so long to get books like this back from CGC?  Could I contact CGC myself and find out if they have received the books?  I asked the guy if they could send the books in through my own CGC account so I could monitor the status and he said no...

Will I ever see these books again?

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I don't have any experience with Excelsior Collectibles, but the experience you're describing seems pretty standard procedure for a signing/grading. A bit of patience is required for any sort of sending away to get graded. If you don't have any reason to worry, I'd recommend sitting tight. Worst case scenario if you need to get a hold of them, you can Google the phone number for their shop in California - and they have a Facebook page if you want to get a hold of them that way. 

 

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As I understand it, Excelsior Collectibles are the official handlers of Stan Lee.  Whether you use a facilitator or had the books signed yourself, someone has to go through them to get books signed.  Stan gets a cut, Excelsior gets a cut.  They have a shop in the greater Los Angeles region.  I stopped in to drop books off for Palm Springs Comic Con (Aug 25-27) and had a nice chat with the guys there.  The owner's the type of guy that tells you like it is.  Some people might find that off-putting, others will find it good knowing someone's not gonna BS them.  The shop was nice.  All books were bagged/boarded, even new releases (maybe that's common, but in the shops where I live, new releases are never bagged/boarded).  We talked comics and I learned a lot about the hobby and other collectors.  Really could have talked for hours, but I had to get going.  They seem to get quite a few submissions (understandable since they're the ones officially handling Stan.).  All that being said, most of what I've heard about them has not been good.  They'll take care of your books, but it just takes longer than one would expect.  Example, in my case, I dropped my books off mid-August to be signed Aug 25-27th.  I would have expected the books to be mailed away soon after.  Instead, it took them nearly 4 weeks to mail my books out.  Maybe i've just been spoiled by the customer service of some of the facilitators on these boards.  But, I consider myself fortunate.  According to this post, OP waited a solid 9 months to get their books back.  (Anastasia was the old name.  They rebranded to Excelsior.)

That being said, I would say my experience with them has been good and I certainly wouldn't worry about being scammed out of your books.

 

 

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9 hours ago, comicsbygo said:

Yes.  I did receive a receipt for the books at time of submission.

Is the receipt for Excelsior or CGC?

I'd call up whatever company you have a receipt for and ask for a status update.  If you call Excelsior, ask for an invoice number.  CGC won't give you any information associated with an invoice number unless you were the one who submitted the books, but at least you have a starting point in case things go a little too long. 

That said, I've never used Excelsior/Anastasia's, but the general feel I get from people who have used their service is that they are slow.  But they aren't a fly-by-night operation and aren't  likely to just disappear with your book. 

Give them a call.  Hopefully a status update will put your mind at ease.

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submitted mine at dragoncon and just got them back. my comic WAS switched. the one i submitted was easily a 8.5, or 8.0 at least. i was grade a 6.5. my comic had a small blemish on front cover, this comic did not have that! like others have said you have to contact them to get them to do anything. good luck with yours!!!!!! brad mullis............

 

Edited by bblhs2003
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22 minutes ago, bblhs2003 said:

submitted mine at dragoncon and just got them back. my comic WAS switched. the one i submitted was easily a 8.5, or 8.0 at least. i was grade a 6.5. my comic had a small blemish on front cover, this comic did not have that! like others have said you have to contact them to get them to do anything. good luck with yours!!!!!! brad mullis............

 

Do you have pictures of the book before it was graded?
 

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16 hours ago, Jimmy Linguini said:

Do you have pictures of the book before it was graded?
 

+1

This is where you start.  If the answer is "yes", you've got a strong case and can likely get the situation rectified.  If the answer is "no", you will have an uphill battle ahead of you.

Good luck!

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On ‎12‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 2:56 PM, bblhs2003 said:

submitted mine at dragoncon and just got them back. my comic WAS switched. the one i submitted was easily a 8.5, or 8.0 at least. i was grade a 6.5. my comic had a small blemish on front cover, this comic did not have that! like others have said you have to contact them to get them to do anything. good luck with yours!!!!!! brad mullis............

 

This customers book absolutely was not switched out. He is unhappy with the grade because he feels it should of graded higher. It's impossible to replicate an autograph exactly on another book. As mentioned when you messaged us on facebook, simply compare your photos and it will be clear it is your book. We never have or will switch out a book. 

 

As for turnaround times with us, we have a heavy travel schedule with Stan and submission times take longer than we would like. But as others have mentioned, we are slow but you will absolutely get your books back. Feel free to drop by our shop if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Edited by AnastasiasCollect
errors in grammer
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3 hours ago, radicalmichael said:

I have always had a good experience working with Anastasias/Excelsior.  Derek and his guys are very nice people.  The turnaround time is a little slower than dealing straight with CGC but patience is sorely needed in this hobby.

Thanks man, really appreciate the kind words about my staff. It's always a pleasure working with you and hope to see you at a show in 2018

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The books I submitted in early September at Dragon Con did finally arrive!  I am pleased with the grades the books received.  The books arrived a few days later than originally projected.  My friends at CGC helped me understand the delay as well.  My books were not submitted to CGC until mid November some 6 weeks after I originally handed them over for grading at Dragon Con Sept 4.  I paid a total of $260 which included CGC SS grading, fast track service, the Stan Lee label, shipping and a $9 handling fee.  Once I received the books the CGC submission receipt that was filled out for these books was included in the shipment.  Excelsior paid $165 to have my books CGC SS graded with Stan Lee label etc..  So I guess they charged me a storage fee of about $100 to hold my books for 6 weeks before they submitted them.  I am also a CGC certified Dealer.  I asked at submission if the books could be submitted under my dealer number.  I was told no by the Excelsior rep that took my submission at the con.  But then several weeks later Derek told me that I could have...should have had the books submitted under my CGC dealer number so I could monitor the progression of grading and have the books as part of my cgc dealer portfolio.  I'm glad I got my books back.  And I am satisfied with the grading CGC did.  However, this is the last time I will use Excelsior Collectibles. 

Edited by comicsbygo
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On ‎12‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 7:25 AM, comicsbygo said:

The books I submitted in early September at Dragon Con did finally arrive!  I am pleased with the grades the books received.  The books arrived a few days later than originally projected.  My friends at CGC helped me understand the delay as well.  My books were not submitted to CGC until mid November some 6 weeks after I originally handed them over for grading at Dragon Con Sept 4.  I paid a total of $260 which included CGC SS grading, fast track service, the Stan Lee label, shipping and a $9 handling fee.  Once I received the books the CGC submission receipt that was filled out for these books was included in the shipment.  Excelsior paid $165 to have my books CGC SS graded with Stan Lee label etc..  So I guess they charged me a storage fee of about $100 to hold my books for 6 weeks before they submitted them.  I am also a CGC certified Dealer.  I asked at submission if the books could be submitted under my dealer number.  I was told no by the Excelsior rep that took my submission at the con.  But then several weeks later Derek told me that I could have...should have had the books submitted under my CGC dealer number so I could monitor the progression of grading and have the books as part of my cgc dealer portfolio.  I'm glad I got my books back.  And I am satisfied with the grading CGC did.  However, this is the last time I will use Excelsior Collectibles. 

This is my experience as well.  Pay for 'fast track', but they don't submit your books for nearly 2 months.  And yes you can 'force' them to submit under your CGC #, but they will hem and haw and tell you have to use their form (because they charge more!).  I argued with them after the fact about the 'fast track', they promised me a free Stan sig in the future.  I then later contacted them about using it.  No response. Pathetic.  I'm sure plenty of people had ok experiences with them, but mine was lacking, and I don't suggest using them if you can avoid it.  Unfortunately, sometimes you can't avoid it if you want a Stan sig.

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On December 21, 2017 at 7:38 AM, revat said:

This is my experience as well.  Pay for 'fast track', but they don't submit your books for nearly 2 months.  And yes you can 'force' them to submit under your CGC #, but they will hem and haw and tell you have to use their form (because they charge more!).  I argued with them after the fact about the 'fast track', they promised me a free Stan sig in the future.  I then later contacted them about using it.  No response. Pathetic.  I'm sure plenty of people had ok experiences with them, but mine was lacking, and I don't suggest using them if you can avoid it.  Unfortunately, sometimes you can't avoid it if you want a Stan sig.

shyeah. Anastasia's /  Excelsior are terrible at what they do. That P.O.S. owner has had my book and cash from 2015. He has promised to send it back to me 3 times since. Nope. Liar. So buyer beware this guy might STEAL your stuff. He stole mine. And just to let you know the CGC ain't gonna do sh_t about it even though he's doing biz under their banner. Let everybody know. Spread the word. Tell Stan Lee and Todd Mcfarlane too. This rep is a THEIF. And we, (the collectors), seem to be the only ones that care. No one I know will ever use him. I've pulled at least 7-10 friends out from his company's lineup by telling them about my experience and will continue to inform people about this. ESPECIALLY in his line. 

So do the math Anasatsia's / Excelsior / whatever new name you hide with: Im sure that I have taken hundreds of dollars out of your line. How's that $5.00 comic taste now? Worth it?  Good. Because I wonder, am I satisfied yet? Nope. NOT EVEN CLOSE. 

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