Last car I purchased new the ran the ground effects into a curb and scraped it all up. I was like WTF, they were trying to play it off like they didn’t notice. So I refused the car. They ended up having to give me another one as a result of their lot attendant screwing up or being drunk.
Some people might pay extra to be spat on and degraded. Just saying.
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Yes, and those people are called Ford owners.
(Just kidding, folks. I bought a Mustang once that turned out to be a lemon, and I’ve never forgiven them for it.)
My mother owned a Ford SUV for 12 years. I swear to God, every six months something had to be repaired.
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Okay Blind Adam… 
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Agree CGC problems outnumber CBCS and PGX. CGC has such a command of the market, most collectors go straight to CGC and don’t look for alternatives. They are the standard for grading. Reminds of Microsoft windows which is on every desktop even though its a poor operating system.
The biggest reason I don’t use CBCS is the extraordinary turnaround times and there grading is so strict. I had a perfect book with one cover abrasion dropped to 7.5. After that I stuck with CGC.
So, is it about the overall higher grade if it’s not truly accurate then? Not to knock you particularly but that’s likely why maybe others go to CGC, they know they can get a higher grade (when it shouldn’t grade at that grade point).
Maybe it’s just me but I’d rather have pinpoint accuracy (if I am paying for a professional service to grade something I own) than paying someone to tell me it’s better than it really is, cause if you want that, shoot, I’ll start up Poyo’s Grading Services and I’ll grade it however you want! 
But then again, I just keep my books raw and floppy. I don’t need someone telling me what their opinion is.
This is ALL about the brand. CGC has established itself as THE grading brand for comics. Once a brand owns a marketplace, it typically takes significant improvements from a competing brand to overtake that (or considerable failure from the top brand). I don’t think either have done enough to change that hierarchy.
I actually think CBCS missed an opportunity by making their labels look so crappy. They look like a Microsoft Word doc. CGC’s aren’t great, but they look a bit more designed. If CBCS could dramatically improve their label look more toward something that enhances the overall aesthetics of the slab, they could start to even the playing field more.
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So this circles back to my other argument, are people buying slabs with pretty labels or are they buying comics within the slabs? If so, that’s one’s choice to make but I think people should stop and think about what they’re truly buying.
I’ve bought slabs and I’ve picked lower graded books over the higher graded counterparts because they looked better, since I can only see the covers themselves. I get it, you want your slabbed comic in a decent looking holder but one should also ask, where is this comic being displayed (if it’s being displayed). If it’s just gonna get thrown in a box where you pull it out every so often, I say definitely do not worry what the label looks like.
When I frequented a coin forum, we’d have collectors complain the “slabbed” coin holder looked awful. Most agreed though in that hobby that one should buy the coin, not the slab. The item inside is what truly matters.
Just my two cents…
I agree that the book is what matters, but when CBCS is trying to increase market share, attempting to do a similar label (and doing a worse job) gets you nowhere. The label should enhance the overall encapsulation. It shouldn’t detract from it.
Now, I’m a designer by profession, so my brain can’t turn these things off (it’s a problem sometimes). But, when I showed my wife (also a professional designer) the first slab I had purchased a while back, the first comment wasn’t about the book or the case. “Why did they make the label look so terrible?”
I often compare design in general to this. Are you Microsoft or are you Apple? Apple believes the presentation is as important as the function. The form matters. So much of Apple’s perceived value is in that form.
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I find it interesting. I have not once factored in the design of the label to my choice of grading company. Never even crossed my mind. On reflection, CBCS could improve the paper quality and the design could be enhanced, but it remains very low on my list of priorities.
I want the right grade. A book that comes back in the same condition I sent it. A robust slab that preserves and protects the comic and then…well not a lot else really. Everything else is relatively peripheral.
If someone wanted my UF4, signed by Bendis, for less than an equivalent CGC slab, we wouldn’t be doing a deal!
But, CBCS isn’t doing anything to stand out in the marketplace. They are doing a great job grading and take care of the books, and it hasn’t changed things. CGC books STILL are valued at 10-20% more.
Make a gorgeous, clean label that doesn’t look like the info sheet on a used car. That is a way to creep into a larger share of the market.
Then, CBCS is reliably grading, always treating books well, and has a case/label that enhances the overall presentation. Now, that’s something I want.
I’m neither, I’m Linux.
My world looks like this all day every day…
And yes, Apple sells you pretty utter shit (I hate apple and I hate their products, it’s pretty wrapped around cheap ass hardware you can find elsewhere)… they fool the masses in overpaying for pretty (bravo to them though, it’s made them trillions of dollars). So yes, people love pretty… the world should think differently in my opinion cause for me, its about how useful it is, how secure it is and if it just works.
You can save a lot of money by not caring what something looks like. Judge it by it’s function, not it’s looks is always my approach. I use to care what type of car I drive, now I only care about a few things… is it reliable, does it have decent gas mileage, is my maintenance costs low, and living in Texas does it have AC?
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Ultimately I go back to CGC because of the higher market price for the books, when I eventually sell some of the books. I also think CBCS may be a bit too strict with their grading based on overstreet guidelines.
I think it’s more brand loyalty. Cgc has been around the longest.
I like that CGC can grade moderns pretty quickly compared to other companies.
When I was looking to buy my boy’s UF#4, both CGC and CBCS had the same price. It’s just a matter of time before CBCS catches up to CGC.
I do have to agree though, a CGC book does look better displayed…
CBCS will not catch up with CGC since their grading on GA, SA and BA books (and CA and MA for the most part) is not as strict as CGC. You see a lot of whining on the CGC boards that they are too strict now, but they are just going back to grading like they used to in the early days. GA/SA/BA CBCS books tend to get a grade or two lower on resubs even after a press and dry cleaning. There is a noticeable difference now between CGC and CBCS grades, and that is why collectors pay less for CBCS books. If Beckett can get them to tighten things up then CGC will finally have a serious competitor. I doubt it, though, as even though Steve B is a good person his grading guidelines are just as loose now as they used to be towards the end of his time at CGC. There are plenty of CGC slabs from that time and a decent while after CBCS started up that should never be cracked for a press and resub due to horrible over/gift grading.
Third time’s the charm? Sending 5 CGC slabs back for the second time to get the slabs and interior sleeves replaced due to scratches and scuffs on the interior.
Last time they did nothing, or they didn’t replace the interior sleeve which is the issue. This time I’m circling the defects, writing on the slab was the issue is, then attaching a written explanation to each one as well.
Not sure what else to do other then try to get my money back if this doesn’t get resolved.
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Sorry, they’re too busy slabbing gimmicks for Bad Idea.
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