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Are you willing to pay more for a book that is in a CGC case?
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36 posts in this topic

I am curious as to how others view the value of two comparable books when one is in a CGC case and one is not.

Although I often prefer my books raw and readable, I have often felt it was okay to pay a certain "premium" for a book that was in a CGC case because 1) I knew it was restoration free and 2) I figured the seller had to invest a certain amount into getting the book graded.

At a recent convention, however, I ran into a dealer who had a non key book for sale.  I had just purchased the same book at auction in 6.0 and I thought his copy was a 5.0 / 5.5, and yet it was priced higher than I had paid for my CGC 6.0 "win".  Given, I still wanted his copy (which I could actually read), I told him what I had paid at auction (and the auction house I had purchased it from - Not eBay).  He told me that he thought his copy was also a 6.0 and his price was firm (even though it was higher than I had paid for the CGC copy).

I fully respect every seller's decision to charge whatever they want for their books; I am not questioning or debating that at all.

I am just curious if other buyers are willing to pay a premium (or feel the FMV of a book is higher) if the book is in a CGC case.

Thoughts???/

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1 hour ago, wombat said:

This would probably get more responses in the comics general section. 

Thank you.

You are probably right.

Not sure there is a way to "move" it now.

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I often pay as much as $5 for books that I'd pass on for fifty cents but that's because the slab and paper inserts have value to me.

Aside from that, a graded book is much easier to sell than a raw one, so a premium is warranted.

I do see some books MCS offers go in the opposite direction. Their raw books sometimes sell for more than a similar slabbed book at auction.

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I would feel more comfortable paying FMV for a slabbed book than a raw one. I would only get a slabbed book I had in raw form or have already read it.

@shadroch where are you getting $5 slabs? I need to start shopping there!

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On ‎7‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 9:27 PM, Hudson said:

I am curious as to how others view the value of two comparable books when one is in a CGC case and one is not.

Although I often prefer my books raw and readable, I have often felt it was okay to pay a certain "premium" for a book that was in a CGC case because 1) I knew it was restoration free and 2) I figured the seller had to invest a certain amount into getting the book graded.

At a recent convention, however, I ran into a dealer who had a non key book for sale.  I had just purchased the same book at auction in 6.0 and I thought his copy was a 5.0 / 5.5, and yet it was priced higher than I had paid for my CGC 6.0 "win".  Given, I still wanted his copy (which I could actually read), I told him what I had paid at auction (and the auction house I had purchased it from - Not eBay).  He told me that he thought his copy was also a 6.0 and his price was firm (even though it was higher than I had paid for the CGC copy).

I fully respect every seller's decision to charge whatever they want for their books; I am not questioning or debating that at all.

I am just curious if other buyers are willing to pay a premium (or feel the FMV of a book is higher) if the book is in a CGC case.

Thoughts???/

..... depending on the book ................... absolutely. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

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Yes.  That's the whole point of 3rd party certification.  I remember the hobby (both sports cards and comics) before grading became the norm.  Grading was all over map and you never knew exactly what you were ording via snail mail until you actually got it in hand.

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For a while, I wanted everything in a CGC slab. I collect mostly Silver Age. Of course, there is a premium for anything in a slab. I have now learned to love the raw books again. For books under 100.00, I only buy raw. Books over 500.00, only slabbed. The stuff in between depends on what is available. To specifically answer your question, in general, if you want a slabbed copy you will have to pay more, no choice.

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There is absolutely a premium for a Modern graded book in any condition. It seems that the premium % diminishes with the age of the book (older) and the condition (lower). In my unscientific observations, the balance of slabbed prices vs. raw is somewhere around late silver in mid grade.

To answer your question, would I buy a Modern CGC 8.5 for $12 when I can buy it raw for $1.50? No, I would not. However many people do, and slabs always sell at $0.99 auctions.

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No, I do not pay extra for CGC grading.  If a book is worth $100 in OSPG, it is still only worth $100 after being slabbed.  I grant that a slabbed book is easier to sell on the internet because of greater confidence in its condition, but it is not worth more to me.

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1 hour ago, Brian48 said:

Yes.  That's the whole point of 3rd party certification.  I remember the hobby (both sports cards and comics) before grading became the norm.  Grading was all over map and you never knew exactly what you were ording via snail mail until you actually got it in hand.

I also remember (and in some ways miss) those days of getting and ordering from mail order paper catalogs. I remember having to list “alternates” in case my first choices were not available, and then waiting for the mail every day to see what I would actually receive.  

 

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The only reason you'd pay more for a raw book vs slabbed (and why sometimes that occurs, like on MCS as @shadroch mentioned) is if you think the raw book is undergraded, and if slabbed, would come out at a higher grade.

Per OP's question, the only thing I might add about that dealer is he may have thought you got a "steal" on your 6.0 (for whatever reason), and that the price you paid wasn't necessarily "FMV" for a 6.0. If you paid GPA, and he was trying to sell an (arguably) 5.0-5.5 raw for higher price than a graded 6.0, then while it's his choice and he can choose to hold out if he wishes, is not really a defensible position IMO.

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On key books, and/or high grade, I always figure in the cost of slabbing when buying raw.  There is also a "what if I miss restoration" penalty.  I trust some dealers more than others on raw so the penalty can be $0 in some cases.  Bottom line, I am more generous if already in a CGC case.  Less generous if in raw or in a Voldemort case.  And it has to be an absolute bargain before I would risk any other option.

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