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GRADING INCONSISTENCY??!!
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50 posts in this topic

1 hour ago, The Lions Den said:

I'm sorry, but while I feel your pain, this is misleading. The last time I counted, there were less than 20 graders...

They have had hundreds of different graders (if not more).  Remember they have high turnover in what I hear is a very demanding and high pressure/stressful job.  Would love to see how you know/where advertised they only have 20 graders at this point in time though.  I have been led to believe it is far more than 20 by some others on the boards. 

Edited by TC33
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5 minutes ago, E5150 said:

He worked as a grader for CGC.

How long ago?  Would love to hear from an insider on how they handle disagreements on grades between so many different graders/opinions and how often that happens.  For example One guy at 6.5 another at 4.5 etc., how do you reconcile those big swings?

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Just now, Perpendiculous said:

Sorry Joe - I think I’m down with E5 on this one. This guy caused a lot of pain to a lot of people and I’ll bet there’s plenty of Kellysuperhero customers who’ll get smacked in the face if they ever submit their books for pro grading. The guy was ugly in every way you can be. Calling a book 9.8 MT/MT+ On eBay In the heading and adding within a wall of text “trim” or “slight ct” does not sufficiently mitigate his current or past deceptions. 

I would never buy from someone like Kellyssuperheroes. That's why I asked the boarders. Only point I was making was the seller is within Ebay bounds now for better or worse. I'm not excusing him. Of course he hurt a bunch of people. Scammers do that. I found it odd he also refunded and paid shipping when he kept getting busted. According to the older thread, in some cases he let the customers keep the books. Who know what his problem is? Who cares? Since when am I supposed to look out for a strangers business transactions? I did, though. Earlier in this thread. I recognized the countertop and said something. So, sorry F150 got sand in his kajjina.

Who among us while buying ANYTHING from ebay doesn't scour the buy page for all the info they can get? I bought a 1957 copy of TV Guide featuring Elvis Presley's first appearance in that magazine. So cool. BUT! Turns out there are exact reproductions. They came in a commemorative box with some other paperwork. One way to tell the difference is the inner pages are glossy. But - like the Famous First Editions, - some people are removing the outer cover and selling as what I describe as Insinuated Original. The repro's are virtually worthless. But when we read the ad, most times the only indicator is next to the description, they add a small (rp). They do that with autographed pictures as well. A signed by Jimmy Stewart "Harvey" photo is NEVER $10.

I don't know. I always go into ebay expecting someone is going to try to hose me. Someone even fell for the Famous First Edition thing again in the last 2 or 3 years. When did THAT get released? 1974?

The bigger point I was trying to make here is any buyer needs to be careful when dealing with any dealer in a circumstance that the books can't be looked at first hand. How many people here would buy a copy of Bat 1 without it A) Being graded or B) driving/flying to see it first hand?

I just can't feel sympathy for people who just go to ebay and get so caught up in an awesome LOOKING book they don't stop to consider it might not be what it seems. And yet, when I speak to everyday people and tell them about old comic books, many of them will ask: "What's the most you ever spent on a 'comic'? When I tell them what I paid for a CGC 8.5 Bat 3, their jaws drop. Then they look at me like I'm an insufficiently_thoughtful_person. They just don't know. But I went in with a lot of knowledge about comics since I've collected for 40 years. But most people just don't know about the value of some books. I can't imagine it's the same people who have no knowledge of comics or the hobby buying from Kellyssuperheroes without questions.

Man, though. I saw that Bat 227 and my knee jerked. Then the next thought through my head was "Seems a little too good to be true". I'm really thankful to have a source such as this site to rely on as far as references go. And some common sense. Turns out when I asked about Kellyssuperheroes, it resurrected an old thread about him. And opened old wounds.

And yet, there is still that saying "A fool and his money are soon parted." Do your diligence when buying raw.

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9 minutes ago, TC33 said:

They have had hundreds of different graders (if not more).  Remember they have high turnover in what I hear is a very demanding and high pressure/stressful job.  Would love to see how you know/where advertised they only have 20 graders at this point in time though.  I have been led to believe it is far more than 20 by some others on the boards. 

I'm afraid you've received some inaccurate information. There have been some notable additions and subtractions, but the number of active graders still seems to be below 20 (I count 18 as the current number, although Mark Haspel is basically just a consultant these days). And in their entire history, I'd estimate the number to be around 25 total (that's also counting a couple of graders that have since passed away, may they rest in peace). I hope this helps, and please have a nice weekend...  :foryou:

 

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15 hours ago, TC33 said:

How long ago?  Would love to hear from an insider on how they handle disagreements on grades between so many different graders/opinions and how often that happens.  For example One guy at 6.5 another at 4.5 etc., how do you reconcile those big swings?

That's a good question...and hopefully I have a good answer. 

When there's a book with a fairly large grade deviation, the finalizer often gets other graders involved in an attempt to arrive at a reasonable grade. There are instances when the pre-grader will miss a flaw and the finalizer has to adjust the grade accordingly, but there are some books which lead to a wide variation of grades just because they have an odd flaw or flaws (such as a miscut book with distro ink). 

But ultimately, the finalizer makes the call...  :sumo:

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20 hours ago, Jeffro. said:

For me it comes down to either doing business with someone who has always been on the strait and narrow versus someone who was once a bad actor but has seemingly reformed. 

Given those two choices, my money's going to the one who has always been on the strait and narrow. 

Homophones, Weakly: Straight & Strait

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17 minutes ago, BlowUpTheMoon said:
20 hours ago, Jeffro. said:

For me it comes down to either doing business with someone who has always been on the strait and narrow versus someone who was once a bad actor but has seemingly reformed. 

Given those two choices, my money's going to the one who has always been on the strait and narrow. 

Homophones, Weakly: Straight & Strait

I went back and edited my post, smarty pants

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