Weird response from well known auction house re:damaged slab 1 1

[thewritestuff]

I purchased a cgc graded comic in a recent auction at one of the big auction houses. I thought the scan showed a small crack so I called the day of the auction to inquire about it. The fellow was very nice. He pulled the book and inspected it, and assure me there was no crack. He said it must’ve been a glare in the scan.

Well, there is a small crack. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s there, and it was not disclosed. I sent a polite message just pointing out the discrepancy. Here’s the response (the 2nd part of the response is the reason for this post):

“The comic inside is what has value, the case can be changed at any point at any time by CGC. It is there to protect the comic within and the label above. Because cases crack all the time, as long as the crack isn’t large enough to change the label or comic within, CGC only charges a $15.00 fee (Hence our providing $15.00 worth of store credit) to reholder the book. (ReHolder $15 (for books under $50,000 FMV. Otherwise $25)

 

So, unless you’ve invented a way via osmosis to transfer the comic and/or label through that very, very, tiny, hairline crack, I think you’ll be good. Trust me, we crack and resubmit comics on a daily basis. (See Attached.) And if we thought the crack in the case was egregious we would certainly work something out with the buyer. Though in this instance, this is not the circumstance.”

Does anyone else think this is a bizarre response to a purchase of several thousand dollars?

Edited April 3, 2019 by thewritestuff

[boomtown]

55 minutes ago, thewritestuff said:

I purchased a cgc graded comic in a recent auction at one of the big auction houses. I thought the scan showed a small crack so I called the day of the auction to inquire about it. The fellow was very nice. He pulled the book and inspected it, and assure me there was no crack. He said it must’ve been a glare in the scan.

Well, there is a small crack. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s there, and it was not disclosed. I sent a polite message just pointing out the discrepancy. Here’s the response (the 2nd part of the response is the reason for this post):

“The comic inside is what has value, the case can be changed at any point at any time by CGC. It is there to protect the comic within and the label above. Because cases crack all the time, as long as the crack isn’t large enough to change the label or comic within, CGC only charges a $15.00 fee (Hence our providing $15.00 worth of store credit) to reholder the book. (ReHolder $15 (for books under $50,000 FMV. Otherwise $25)

 

So, unless you’ve invented a way via osmosis to transfer the comic and/or label through that very, very, tiny, hairline crack, I think you’ll be good. Trust me, we crack and resubmit comics on a daily basis. (See Attached.) And if we thought the crack in the case was egregious we would certainly work something out with the buyer. Though in this instance, this is not the circumstance.”

Does anyone else think this is a bizarre response to a purchase of several thousand dollars?

I would be pretty ticked off if I got that response after taking the time actually call about the issue before bidding. Although in all fairness, you should probably post your "polite message" you sent them just to see if it could be taken the wrong way.

[thewritestuff]

5 minutes ago, boomtown said:

I would be pretty ticked off if I got that response after taking the time actually call about the issue before bidding. Although in all fairness, you should probably post your "polite message" you sent them just to see if it could be taken the wrong way.

I don’t want to bore anyone with my first message, but it was very polite, and I simply explained the same details as I did here in my post. Here’s my follow up after he said he’d credit me $15 for “cosmetic” flaw on the case;

“Hi (name omitted)

 

I appreciate the fast response and the credit, however, I am surprised that you would consider a cracked case “cosmetic”. This might not affect the grade, but it was not disclosed in the listing, nor was it disclosed when your representative checked it for me. 

 

In theory, if I chose to resell this book at some point, I would disclose the damage or I would resubmit the book to be re-slabbed.”

[Black_Adam]

2 hours ago, thewritestuff said:

I purchased a cgc graded comic in a recent auction at one of the big auction houses. I thought the scan showed a small crack so I called the day of the auction to inquire about it. The fellow was very nice. He pulled the book and inspected it, and assure me there was no crack. He said it must’ve been a glare in the scan.

Well, there is a small crack. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s there, and it was not disclosed. I sent a polite message just pointing out the discrepancy. Here’s the response (the 2nd part of the response is the reason for this post):

“The comic inside is what has value, the case can be changed at any point at any time by CGC. It is there to protect the comic within and the label above. Because cases crack all the time, as long as the crack isn’t large enough to change the label or comic within, CGC only charges a $15.00 fee (Hence our providing $15.00 worth of store credit) to reholder the book. (ReHolder $15 (for books under $50,000 FMV. Otherwise $25)

 

So, unless you’ve invented a way via osmosis to transfer the comic and/or label through that very, very, tiny, hairline crack, I think you’ll be good. Trust me, we crack and resubmit comics on a daily basis. (See Attached.) And if we thought the crack in the case was egregious we would certainly work something out with the buyer. Though in this instance, this is not the circumstance.”

Does anyone else think this is a bizarre response to a purchase of several thousand dollars?

I would suggest asking them to have the comic reholdered (they say they do it all the time) as there will also be shipping costs and the risk, if whatever caused the crack actually damaged the comic, of a drop in grade. Once it is back in the same grade in a new holder I would then be satisfied. Otherwise I would expect a full refund. This seems justified based on the fact you called first to see if the case was cracked and was mistakenly informed it wasn't - obviously influencing the bid you placed.

On a side note - one of the many things I like about MyComicShop is they always list any defects with the case, even scuffing or minor debris trapped inside.

 

[Artboy99]

yes I find the response to your question strange.

[The Lions Den]

Not surprising. As with so many things these days, most folks don't seem to care about attention to detail anymore. As long as you can't see any visible damage to the book, I'd request the cost of reholdering the book (plus shipping) and take care of the problem myself. If they ignored my request, I'd never do business with them again...

[Turnando]

On 4/3/2019 at 3:59 PM, thewritestuff said:

So, unless you’ve invented a way via osmosis to transfer the comic and/or label through that very, very, tiny, hairline crack, I think you’ll be good.

The person who wrote that is tired of their job.  I'd find out who supervises them and show them that message.  That's a firing offense, IMO. 

If the person who wrote that is the boss I'd not use that auction house again.  Also, I would have outed them by name in the first post.  There's no excuse for them to treat you like that.

[Bird]

Yes, I do not know why he is not sharing which auciton house it is. It is a real detriment to their reputation and to the collecting community and protecting them serves no purpose. Truth is safe to be shared without concern as long as it is done responsibly.

[adampasz]

The response is obnoxious and unprofessional. It is not just 15$ to you.  There is shipping involved, and probably at least an hour of your time.

What is their return policy? They should offer to re-holder the book for you, or give you your money back.

[thewritestuff]

Thanks for the input. It was a fellow named Brandon Peck at ComicConnect. I forwarded the entire message to the owners of the company. I’ll post an update if anything happens as result but they actually have a disclaimer on their site that stated they are not liable for chips, scratched, and other damage to slabs!

[EC Phanatic]

I am amazed that Comic Connect would respond like this....

[thehumantorch]

Fine, the crack is cosmetic.  But cosmetic is certainly part of value, otherwise why collect high grade books, why did CGC change their cases so that the books look better in the slab, and why do people paint their walls or hang pictures on their walls or buy stainless steel appliances?  Cosmetic is part of the value and that cosmetic value was not as advertised.

Second, try sending that book in for re-casing.  Sure the cost is $15 but there's shipping both ways plus insurance AND there's risk any time you hand your book to a shipping company.

Offering a $15 credit is a fail and sure as puddin, this thread will cause Comic Connect more than $15 in damages.

[James J Johnson]

On ‎4‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 2:59 PM, thewritestuff said:

I purchased a cgc graded comic in a recent auction at one of the big auction houses. I thought the scan showed a small crack so I called the day of the auction to inquire about it. The fellow was very nice. He pulled the book and inspected it, and assure me there was no crack. He said it must’ve been a glare in the scan.

Well, there is a small crack. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s there, and it was not disclosed. I sent a polite message just pointing out the discrepancy. Here’s the response (the 2nd part of the response is the reason for this post):

“The comic inside is what has value, the case can be changed at any point at any time by CGC. It is there to protect the comic within and the label above. Because cases crack all the time, as long as the crack isn’t large enough to change the label or comic within, CGC only charges a $15.00 fee (Hence our providing $15.00 worth of store credit) to reholder the book. (ReHolder $15 (for books under $50,000 FMV. Otherwise $25)

 

So, unless you’ve invented a way via osmosis to transfer the comic and/or label through that very, very, tiny, hairline crack, I think you’ll be good. Trust me, we crack and resubmit comics on a daily basis. (See Attached.) And if we thought the crack in the case was egregious we would certainly work something out with the buyer. Though in this instance, this is not the circumstance.”

Does anyone else think this is a bizarre response to a purchase of several thousand dollars?

They're wrong, but here's the bottom line. Whoever the seller is, ask yourself how bothered you are by this vs. how much you benefit from buying from them. If they're an excellent outlet for you and you benefit by being able to deal with them, then it doesn't pay to pursue it further and risk alienating yourself from the "watering hole".

[RockMyAmadeus]

On 4/3/2019 at 2:59 PM, thewritestuff said:

I purchased a cgc graded comic in a recent auction at one of the big auction houses. I thought the scan showed a small crack so I called the day of the auction to inquire about it. The fellow was very nice. He pulled the book and inspected it, and assure me there was no crack. He said it must’ve been a glare in the scan.

Well, there is a small crack. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s there, and it was not disclosed. I sent a polite message just pointing out the discrepancy. Here’s the response (the 2nd part of the response is the reason for this post):

“The comic inside is what has value, the case can be changed at any point at any time by CGC. It is there to protect the comic within and the label above. Because cases crack all the time, as long as the crack isn’t large enough to change the label or comic within, CGC only charges a $15.00 fee (Hence our providing $15.00 worth of store credit) to reholder the book. (ReHolder $15 (for books under $50,000 FMV. Otherwise $25)

 

So, unless you’ve invented a way via osmosis to transfer the comic and/or label through that very, very, tiny, hairline crack, I think you’ll be good. Trust me, we crack and resubmit comics on a daily basis. (See Attached.) And if we thought the crack in the case was egregious we would certainly work something out with the buyer. Though in this instance, this is not the circumstance.”

Does anyone else think this is a bizarre response to a purchase of several thousand dollars?

Yes. It's unprofessional and defensive. It is, however, par for the course in the comic industry.

[EC Phanatic]

oops.....

Edited April 7, 2019 by EC Phanatic
bad form

[EC Phanatic]

this begs the question....the final grade of a book includes the condition of it's case? I won a book on Comiclink once..at least they told me the case was cracked and they would either submit it for a reholder or give me a credit....I think it is respect of the hobby to be aware that the case has value as well

[thewritestuff]

11 hours ago, EC Phanatic said:

this begs the question....the final grade of a book includes the condition of it's case? I won a book on Comiclink once..at least they told me the case was cracked and they would either submit it for a reholder or give me a credit....I think it is respect of the hobby to be aware that the case has value as well

Yes, I had a high value comic arrive with a cracked case from Comiclink. They took care of everything to have it reslabbed.

The kicker is that, after eagerly anticipating the arrival of my newly slabbed book, it took damn near two months to get it back from the reholder. Also, the new slab has Newton rings, and the book looked much nicer with the old slab, since the crack was in the back corner near the top label. As a result, I don’t think I’d risk it again. 

 In this particular case, however, I never asked CC for anything at all, but I would have appreciated an explanation of how the damage, albeit small, slipped past them... not once but twice. But my concern fell on deaf ears.

Instead Mr Peck tried to turn a legitimate concern into a joke, and his attempt to be clever only shines a negative light on his employer.

Edited April 7, 2019 by thewritestuff

[The Lions Den]

14 hours ago, thewritestuff said:

Thanks for the input. It was a fellow named Brandon Peck at ComicConnect. I forwarded the entire message to the owners of the company. I’ll post an update if anything happens as result but they actually have a disclaimer on their site that stated they are not liable for chips, scratched, and other damage to slabs!

That's total   

[thewritestuff]

1 minute ago, The Lions Den said:

That's total   

Yep. Of course it is in the fine print that EVERYONE reads prior to bidding 🤨

[The Lions Den]

8 minutes ago, thewritestuff said:

Yep. Of course it is in the fine print that EVERYONE reads prior to bidding 🤨

Well, I'm really sorry this happened to you...