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At What Price Point Do You Think Slabbing Makes Sense?
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38 posts in this topic

I'm engaged in a little debate elsewhere where a fellow boardie is under the impression that low census numbers indicate scarcity of a book (in grade), an early 90s Marvel, whereas I am more of the opinion that people don't want to spend the money to get back what might only be a $40-60 book even in 9.8 and the low census numbers are more due to that. Frankly, I have thousands of 9.6-9.8 candidates that could be $40-$60 slabs, but it has never occurred to me to lay out all that cash slabbing them with so little potential upside, particularly as your typical $40-$60 slab may not be a quick mover. And yeah, I can do a pre-screen and spend $250 on 50 books and if I am off on half of them that's another $125 down the toilet (and I sure as heck can't say "potential 9.8" in any listing then!).

I ask because, after 16 years on these boards I think it is actually time to submit some books. I am probably going to put in 10-15 of my better books from various ages ... books that are already high value without encapsulation ... but am also thinking about separately putting in 50 on a pre-screen, probably modern tier, just to see if I have a clue as to what is a likely 9.8 vs. a 9.6 (disclaimer ... I never claim anything is a 9.8 because I don't purport to know).. At the end of the day I'd like to not lose money on the proposition...

So, you big time slabbers, volume slabbers or otherwise, what logic do you follow when making submissions? I would assume there is a value floor you are looking for on a given book or do you put in everything you think it is a 9.8 or whatever floor grade you have in mind, figuring you'll be able to make your fees back at a minimum?

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I would not say I'm a big time slabber, though I will throw in my 2 cents. I first submitted some books back in 2014, so I cannot really comment on volume pre-screen submissions. Not to say it might not be a bad idea though. As far as value I like to think the book will be worth at least $150 if it hits the grade I want to see. However I do have one book that I thought might do well as a movie had just came out for it. That book is 9.6 Sonic The Hedgehog #2 (of the 1993 limited series of 4) that might sell for about $30, though Go Collect has it at just over $100. Don't think there is any hard and fast rule though, they are your books after all.

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I discussed this with a buddy who owns a comic store in Jersey over 10 years ago.  He suggested only sending books in with a value of $300 or more.  That's been pretty much what I've been doing as it seemed to make sense when I'm paying for the service.  When I get my yearly CGC membership credit, I'm not as stringent about it.

 

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53 minutes ago, comicstock said:

I discussed this with a buddy who owns a comic store in Jersey over 10 years ago.  He suggested only sending books in with a value of $300 or more.  That's been pretty much what I've been doing as it seemed to make sense when I'm paying for the service.  When I get my yearly CGC membership credit, I'm not as stringent about it.

 

8 years ago i bought a spider man 300 in 9.2 for 125 $ never regreted it and it was the real value of the book so . Nahh its the book in good shape that you know will always be a need for them( key issue) you know its a good one in your gut then slabe  it. Amazing fantasy 15 was 12 cents once you know!

Edited by Namtak
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2 hours ago, the blob said:

I ask because, after 16 years on these boards I think it is actually time to submit some books. I am probably going to put in 10-15 of my better books from various ages

What are those 10-15 books? 

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I have my own idea about slabbing anything in the modern/copper eras as the abundance of high grade copies are hardly scarce so most potential buyers can find them cheaper raw. Maybe have a few in case they reach that “grail” status but just because they can be a 9.8 copy of some drek doesn’t mean they belong in a slab. I guess if you’re in it for the profits on a quick flip, ok because the fickle collector is gonna have to have it but long term, once the hoopla over a certain book is over, it was just a waste of money, time and space imho.

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I've slabbed less than 50 books ever. Probably closer to 30.

I have a lot that I'd like to slab but I can't see slabbing any book that nets you in resale less than $50 in a grade lower than I expect. The only reason at this point I would slab would be to sell, and I'm not ready to sell though. 

 

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I am at this moment wrestling with submitting some comic for the first time.  None of mine are super valuable in the condition they are in, but I still kind of want to do it just for the experience.  Right now I'm thinking that for the money it would cost me, it only even makes a little sense to send in comics that I think will be "worth" over $100.00 after being graded, and which would then have a re-sale value of at least $30.00 higher than what the going rates are for a raw book.  That would be just to about break even on the financial side of things.  Not that I am planning to immediately turn around and sell them.  But, you know, one day.  It might happen.  Maybe.

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I did my first submission recently and it was more out of curiosity to see what grades I got and help me understand how to better value my collection. They were comics that I knew had some re sale value that I'd picked up many years ago for low prices, so at least £100 if I got the grade I expected. That seems sensible to me if I haven't spent much on the original comic.

I included a couple of 'big hitters' like NYX 3, a comic I don't have much of a connection to and really wanted to see if it could get a high grade so I could sell to fund a purchase I'm really after.

I only aim to slab a small amount for keeps and then the rest I will only slab to sell.

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22 hours ago, BlowUpTheMoon said:

What are those 10-15 books? 

Nothing that interesting. Probably my Hulk 2, avengers 2, one of my Raphael 1s, my nyx 3, legion 23 rose... Still thinking about others. I sold my best stuff years ago.

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6 hours ago, the blob said:

Nothing that interesting. Probably my Hulk 2, avengers 2, one of my Raphael 1s, my nyx 3, legion 23 rose... Still thinking about others. I sold my best stuff years ago.

Cool books, but remember that since those come from different eras and have different values, you will be stuck making several different orders. meaning more costs involved for shipping and the like. 

So keep the total cost in mind when you are deciding what to send. As for the answer to your question, I feel that if the market value for the slabbed book you get is at least double your total cost (meaning what your book cost, what the cost of slabbing is, shipping both ways), then it's good. I see people saying numbers like 300$ being a cutoff, but an arbitrary cutoff like that is meaningless if you ignore your total cost (granted, they were simply answering your exact question). If a book cost you $250 already and it would be worth $300 slabbed, then grading it is only gonna make you lose money.
And when thinking of market value, be conservative on your grading because CGC can be tighter than a puritan girl on her wedding night.
 

Edited by William-James88
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26 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

 

Cool books, but remember that since those come from different eras and have different values, you will be stuck making several different orders. meaning more costs involved for shipping and the like. 

So keep the total cost in mind when you are deciding what to send. As for the answer to your question, I feel that if the market value for the slabbed book you get is at least double your total cost (meaning what your book cost, what the cost of slabbing is, shipping both ways), then it's good. And be conservative on your grading because CGC can be tighter than a puritan girl on her wedding night.

Oh I can't just do them all in one?

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5 minutes ago, the blob said:

Oh I can't just do them all in one?

nope, that's the biggest mistake newbies make, raking up their costs. And its perfectly understandable since it is counterintuitive for people not familiar with professional grading.

Look up their prices for services on their main website and you will see how different values and different eras are seperated. For each book that fits in a different category, that's a different order.

Edited by William-James88
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For moderns, I use $80 in 9.8 on a straight submission as the guideline for slabbing in most cases since the book is so cheap at cover or less to start with. If you have to press them first, I use $100 in 9.8 as the minimum bar.

In the case with Bronze and older books, $100 in the grade you think the book is should work, depending on what you have into the book. 

Edited by kimik
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