Yep. I totally agree. But, maybe just pay for the 9.4 and crack it open. It’s probably better quality than the raw that costs more money.
I think people love the HOPE of 9.8s. A graded 9.4 confirms it’s not. A NM book on eBay could be a 9.8. I’d guess that 97% of the time, it’s not.
No, it means graders are corrupt. Bought and paid for.
Schrödinger’s 9.8
I have used that same phrase so many times.
I don’t think they care about what other people’s 9.8s are doing once they leave the plant.
When I list a comic online the highest grade I assign it is 9.4 NM. Even if it looks utterly flawless I don’t go higher than 9.4 in my own personal grading. This is to give me wiggle room if there is a little flaw I missed. I say 9.4 and, “No apparent damage.” It’s generally served me well.
Interesting video where 100 comics are resubmitted to CGG and nothing is done to the books.
The results was 78 of the 100 grades changed. 69 grades improved, 9 grades were worst and 22 were the same. One book went from 8.5 to 9.8.
Sounds like accuracy, precision and consistency all wrapped up in one, to me! 
What a racket those guys created down there in Florida - feeding off the OCD of comic collectors, creating a marketing false god, and building a giant pyramid scheme that is now embedded into the very fabric of the hobby. I give em credit. I actually do. Hook, Line, Sinker