To Slab or not to Slab? 3 3

[dfx1]

Upper right corner is rounded. Carnage lower right knee color break. Color break in rock below Carnage left foot. Spine ticks at ends of both staples and seven more spine ticks. Owned by TV repair man who tried to press but failed. Book does not lay flat.

[ExNihilo]

Honestly, that book is not in mint condition.  There appears to be a color breaking spine tick near the staple.  The top of the book looks rough.  And honestly, the bag in which it's currently stored in looks terrible which makes me really question the amount of care that has been given to it.  I have 8.0's that look better than that.  As someone who learned the hard way and ended up getting books back with disappointing results, I would absolutely not send that in to be graded.  It'd just be a waste of money between shipping and grading fees.  Between the $15 shipping fees for you to get it to CGC, $20 in grading fees, the $30 in return shipping, and the $5 form fee, PLUS the $80 you spent on the book, you'd end up spending $150 on a book worth much MUCH less than that.  Even if we were being generous with the grading (VERY generous) and give that book a 9.0, the books value would be <$100 based on completed eBay sales.

Based on your series of posts today, you have a lot to learn.  I would suggest quietly browsing the various threads and read up on the comic collecting hobby as a whole before you make any further purchases.  Figure out what are the do's and don't's, forum etiquette, the minimum standards for storage, and establish what type of collection you want to have for yourself.  It'll save you a boatload of money in the long term.

[BITCOINSWAM2]

On 1/5/2019 at 1:35 AM, dfx1 said:

Upper right corner is rounded. Carnage lower right knee color break. Color break in rock below Carnage left foot. Spine ticks at ends of both staples and seven more spine ticks. Owned by TV repair man who tried to press but failed. Book does not lay flat.

How do know those are not just dust specs  or the damn crappy plastic he put it in. Anyway I think I made a huge mistake buying this as other people have posted saying  I need to  learn a lot from this purchase (the do's and dont's). 

The item hasn't arrived yet but I will post pictures of it once I get it.

I should of known better from that backboarding itself but people put 39 bids on this and went up to 73 74 dollars. Anyway Ill just keep this and lesson learned but still in high hopes its just the garbage backboard and plastic.

Pressed by a TV repair man ? You honestly think this was pressed ?

Then Ill return this damn book to him and get my money back he posted a false ad saying its mint if its not 9.0 or above its a lie and I can get a refund

Edited January 7, 2019 by BITCOINSWAMI

[WolverineX]

2 minutes ago, BITCOINSWAMI said:

How do know those are not just dust specs  or the damn crappy plastic he put it in. Anyway I think I made a huge mistake buying this as other people have posted saying  I need to  learn a lot from this purchase (the do's and dont's). 

The item hasn't arrived yet but I will post pictures of it once I get it.

I should of known better from that backboarding itself but people put 39 bids on this and went up to 73 74 dollars. Anyway Ill just keep this and listen learned but still in high hopes its just the garbage backboard and plastic.

[punksdropdirtysrh]

[dfx1]

2 hours ago, BITCOINSWAMI said:

How do know those are not just dust specs  or the damn crappy plastic he put it in. Anyway I think I made a huge mistake buying this as other people have posted saying  I need to  learn a lot from this purchase (the do's and dont's). 

The item hasn't arrived yet but I will post pictures of it once I get it.

I should of known better from that backboarding itself but people put 39 bids on this and went up to 73 74 dollars. Anyway Ill just keep this and lesson learned but still in high hopes its just the garbage backboard and plastic.

Pressed by a TV repair man ? You honestly think this was pressed ?

Then Ill return this damn book to him and get my money back he posted a false ad saying its mint if its not 9.0 or above its a lie and I can get a refund

I don't think those are white dust specs on the book but there are some dust specs on that wood table. I also don't think you made any mistake. Isn't it fun having this conversation? There is some value in that. There is also some value in seeing how poorly this seller is going to package that thing for shipping so please show that packaging that seller ships it in. It will be fun.

I really don't think it was pressed. It just looks really razor thin. The book has a tilt in the photo but you can't see any other pages. I thought that was strange and for some reason and I kind of figured the skill involved to press a book was along the lines of the skill needed to repair older TV's. Don't ask me why. 

 

[BITCOINSWAM2]

Yah I will post every step of this and this can be a a fun SHOW for the veteran collectors and newbies like me of what not to do and who not to buy from on ebay.  I got baited into this when people started putting bids and taught it was a legit item.

I will Post several pictures how the packaging came and take a photo step by step me opening the package and how it was shipped I will take several angles of the comic itself.

I just got a shipping update and no clue why its take 9 days to reach me. To add to this comedy show even more now I think the shipping  is the lowest economy rate. Tracking says item will be delivered Jan 11 Friday. 

Everyone is going to get a good laugh about what I am about to write in the next line. I just looked up this user on ebay and other items he has for sale its all random and looks like stuff a theif would steal and just put on ebay to get a quick buck. All the sellers items are so random and nothing in common. Yes I know sellers can sell different stuff but this sellers items everything seems 180 % different from each other.

He has

-Used Boots for sale,

- Chip Clip

- Tupperware assortment

-Nice 8 POINT Whitetail buck Deer Head Shoulder mount Taxidermy, Wallmount

( I AM NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THIS COMIC NOW)

He doesn't have any other listing for any other comics so UGH

Enjoy the show Friday Jan 11 ill post pictures around this time on Friday when I get home to this disaster. 

I wanted to get this CGC Slabbed looks like now I am hoping to get this book in once piece at least. 

The seller listing of MINT and also just noticed in his description for this Comic Book  " AS GOOD AS IT GETS. AMAZING CONDITION"

Why da hell did he said MINT and AMAZING CONDITION if you guys think it wont even pass 4.5 CGC grade. Can I open a case with ebay for him falsely advertising this in the description with the terms MINT and as good as it gets amazing condition. I know he has posted pictures but can I put a case for not getting what the seller described?

I HAVEN'T GOT THE ITEM YET BUT YOU GUYS CONVINCING ME THIS BOOK IS IN BAD SHAPE.

Spoiler

 

Edited January 7, 2019 by BITCOINSWAMI

[BITCOINSWAM2]

31 minutes ago, dfx1 said:

I don't think those are white dust specs on the book but there are some dust specs on that wood table. I also don't think you made any mistake. Isn't it fun having this conversation? There is some value in that. There is also some value in seeing how poorly this seller is going to package that thing for shipping so please show that packaging that seller ships it in. It will be fun.

I really don't think it was pressed. It just looks really razor thin. The book has a tilt in the photo but you can't see any other pages. I thought that was strange and for some reason and I kind of figured the skill involved to press a book was along the lines of the skill needed to repair older TV's. Don't ask me why. 

 

Yah I know your gonna get a good laugh from this from my expense but from what you see so far and all those things you just pointed out. What Grade would you give this if you had to be generous. I think I will just put this in a new board and mylar cover and relist it. Unlike that seller I will be honest about the dings and marks in the description. I will even use the exact photo with your markings as one of my uploaded photos if I decide to sell this after seeing what I get. I guess I trust people to much because I wouldn't screw anybody over like that I even sell stuff on ebay myself and always honest with people so I expect the same. I rarely ever deal with shady sellers but then again I never bought a comic over 70 bucks on ebay so this is a first.

Edited January 7, 2019 by BITCOINSWAMI

[ExNihilo]

1 hour ago, dfx1 said:

I don't think those are white dust specs on the book but there are some dust specs on that wood table. I also don't think you made any mistake. Isn't it fun having this conversation? There is some value in that. There is also some value in seeing how poorly this seller is going to package that thing for shipping so please show that packaging that seller ships it in. It will be fun.

I really don't think it was pressed. It just looks really razor thin. The book has a tilt in the photo but you can't see any other pages. I thought that was strange and for some reason and I kind of figured the skill involved to press a book was along the lines of the skill needed to repair older TV's. Don't ask me why. 

 

For the record, the 2 "tears" at the bottom on the rock and by Carnage's knee have actually popped up on a few books.  I think there was a thread on it at some point on these boards, but a quick search hasn't brought up anything.  Maybe someone with better sleuthing skills can dredge it up.  If I remember correctly, the leading theory was something having to do with a print defect whereby the printer itself was somehow responsible for the tears as they run in the same spot throughout most pages in the book.  How CGC grades that though, i'm not sure.

[dfx1]

1 hour ago, BITCOINSWAMI said:

Yah I know your gonna get a good laugh from this from my expense but from what you see so far and all those things you just pointed out. What Grade would you give this if you had to be generous. I think I will just put this in a new board and mylar cover and relist it. Unlike that seller I will be honest about the dings and marks in the description. I will even use the exact photo with your markings as one of my uploaded photos if I decide to sell this after seeing what I get. I guess I trust people to much because I wouldn't screw anybody over like that I even sell stuff on ebay myself and always honest with people so I expect the same. I rarely ever deal with shady sellers but then again I never bought a comic over 70 bucks on ebay so this is a first.

Ironically i don't know how to grade comics at all. When I list comics for sale on eBay I try to take 12 detailed photos and list any visual defect I can find. I would suspect many more defects than what I circled so be careful using my photo  

Edited January 7, 2019 by dfx1

[dfx1]

1 minute ago, ExNihilo said:

For the record, the 2 "tears" at the bottom on the rock and by Carnage's knee have actually popped up on a few books.  I think there was a thread on it at some point on these boards, but a quick search hasn't brought up anything.  Maybe someone with better sleuthing skills can dredge it up.  If I remember correctly, the leading theory was something having to do with a print defect whereby the printer itself was somehow responsible for the tears as they run in the same spot throughout most pages in the book.  How CGC grades that though, i'm not sure.

Thats interesting. I did check a few on google pictures and didn't see them. Wanted to make sure it wasn't part of the artwork. 

[BITCOINSWAM2]

These are the images he put on ebay as well, guys I made a huge mistake and I am not a comic expert but I think I got scammed badly. Why is there wrinkles at the staples and its slightly popping out is that normal?

[BITCOINSWAM2]

5 minutes ago, dfx1 said:

Ironically i don't know how to grade comics at all. When I list comics for sale on eBay I try to take 12 detailed photos and list and visual defect I can find. I would suspect many more defects then what I circled so be careful using my photo  

What defects do you see now from these last 2 images  I posted from the seller. You must be having a field day with this right now. ( The plot thickens)

Edited January 7, 2019 by BITCOINSWAMI

[dfx1]

12 minutes ago, BITCOINSWAMI said:

What defects do you see now from these last 2 images  I posted from the seller. You must be having a field day with this right now. ( The plot thickens)

I can't confirm anything new from those pictures. The poly bag looks to have bad surface wear and all these micro scratches so maybe the surface of the comic will be nice .  Maybe those staples not as bad as I initially thought. 

[Artboy99]

9 hours ago, BITCOINSWAMI said:

How do know those are not just dust specs  or the damn crappy plastic he put it in. Anyway I think I made a huge mistake buying this as other people have posted saying  I need to  learn a lot from this purchase (the do's and dont's). 

The item hasn't arrived yet but I will post pictures of it once I get it.

I should of known better from that backboarding itself but people put 39 bids on this and went up to 73 74 dollars. Anyway Ill just keep this and lesson learned but still in high hopes its just the garbage backboard and plastic.

Pressed by a TV repair man ? You honestly think this was pressed ?

Then Ill return this damn book to him and get my money back he posted a false ad saying its mint if its not 9.0 or above its a lie and I can get a refund

Very difficult to tell the grade of a book when the image is of the book inside a plastic bag.

What grade of ASM 361 are you wanting to own? If you are going to be happy with a CGC 9.4 as an example why not just buy a CGC 9.4?

Doing an Ebay search there are plenty available, and I have seen it sell at a price as low as $89.99. The current lowest priced one is $99.95

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amazing-Spider-Man-361-CGC-9-4-NM-2nd-Print-1st-Carnage-Marvel-Comics-1992/183614887336?hash=item2ac04cd5a8:g:8uwAAOSwMhVcCGp2:rk:1:pf:0

Owning some CGC graded books is a great way to learn how to grade comics as well.

Buying that CGC 9.4 is cheaper than buying the raw copy and then submitting it for grading.

Once you know how to grade and are good at it, then you can buy books at comics stores/ comic conventions and with the book in hand you can see any defects with your trained eye and then purchase and submit for CGC grading. I wouldn't recommend buying from Ebay to submit for grading. The pictures on Ebay are usually not very good. You are trusting a seller and that they themselves actually know how to grade ( the seller of the ASM 361 you bought is clueless on grading by the way and is a perfect example of a seller to NOT buy from). Clearly the seller has some idea of how to attract and sell to buyers that are convinced by his comments since there were multiple bidders. 

Don't be swayed by comments such as "This is MINT! BUY BUY BUY CGC IT!" and formulate your own opinion of the grade AFTER you have learned how to grade.

 

 

Edited January 7, 2019 by Artboy99

[Artboy99]

5 hours ago, BITCOINSWAMI said:

These are the images he put on ebay as well, guys I made a huge mistake and I am not a comic expert but I think I got scammed badly. Why is there wrinkles at the staples and its slightly popping out is that normal?

Thanks for posting these pictures. More awful pictures taken with the book still inside the comic bag. Any decent seller of comics knows you have to take the book out of the bag to take pictures.

Is that dirt in the block with the book number on the book or on the bag?

Is that wear/ creasing on Spider-man's leg above the price block on the book or on the bag?

These pictures alone combined with a description "This is mint!" make me NOT buy the book nor ever buy from that seller since it is obvious the book is not mint since I can see multiple spine creases. That the seller doesn't know to provide pictures of the book not inside a comic bag is enough to let me know to not buy from him.

If you can afford it keep this book and buy a CGC 9.4. Then you have an actual CGC graded 9.4 copy and you can compare the 2 books and learn grading.

You can also learn by going to Heritage Auctions comic book listings. They have excellent hi resolution scans of most books and you can compare.

Here is a link to a CGC 8.5.

https://comics.ha.com/itm/modern-age-1980-present-/the-amazing-spider-man-361-signed-by-stan-lee-signature-series-marvel-1992-cgc-vf-85-white-pages/a/121233-10064.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515

It is signed but that doesn't matter, you can see when you zoom in that the CGC 8.5 is in better condition than the Ebay book you bought. The CGC 8.5 copy has less spine ticks, the spine ticks it has are small in size and less severe. The staples are not as stressed as in the Ebay copy. From this information I know that the book you purchased on Ebay isn't an 8.5.

Hope this helps.

Edited January 7, 2019 by Artboy99

[bug33fouf]

[miraclemet]

7 hours ago, BITCOINSWAMI said:

These are the images he put on ebay as well, guys I made a huge mistake and I am not a comic expert but I think I got scammed badly. Why is there wrinkles at the staples and its slightly popping out is that normal?

 

 

to be scammed is to be deceived or defrauded. 

While the seller said "mint" in his listings he did include enough pictures to show that the book was most definitely not mint. You can return the book for a refund (possibly losing out on some shipping costs) based on the book not matching the description, but we all know that pictures are worth a thousand words, and the pictures here should have been enough to wave you off of the word "mint"

What an actual scam would look like....

... he sends you a different book and then takes his paypal account offline

...he sends you a worse looking copy of the book with obvious differences that is worth less than the one you bid on and won. 

...he sends you an empty box. 

that would be getting scammed badly. 

What happened to you was your lack of expertise ran into his lack of expertise and you lost out. Happens to everyone at some point in some way, sometimes big, sometimes small. $70 bucks is not the worst cost for a lesson, but its never fun. 

[awakeintheashes]

8 hours ago, BITCOINSWAMI said:

Everyone is going to get a good laugh about what I am about to write in the next line. I just looked up this user on ebay and other items he has for sale its all random and looks like stuff a theif would steal and just put on ebay to get a quick buck. All the sellers items are so random and nothing in common. Yes I know sellers can sell different stuff but this sellers items everything seems 180 % different from each other.

It's possible the seller cleans out houses or storage lockers and lists his/her findings on eBay. Granted, many of these sellers are unfamiliar with comic books, so the grading is almost always wrong, but you can find some real treasures. When buying from sellers like this, you need to use your own judgement on the grade, and it doesn't hurt to contact the seller regarding the packaging of the item.

Edited January 7, 2019 by awakeintheashes

[MadripoorNights]

10 hours ago, BITCOINSWAMI said:

Enjoy the show Friday Jan 11

Oh man, a preview for an upcoming "It's Friday!" thread.  It's only Monday and I'm already excited.