100% CGC is doing this intentionally to generate sales. Whatās easier than acquiring new customers and getting new submissions? Getting money from already submitted slabs. Itās clear to anyone not biased by personal investment in CGCās continued success.
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That $82 didnāt last long. Already blew thru it on Funko Pops and Sodas and Iām pretty sure the sister heavily influenced some of those choices.
I had a pretty long talk with a new regular who doesnāt understand the system. Heās used to sending orders in Friday or Saturday nights and getting the items with the next weeks pick-ups but didnāt understand that those items were only available because the store pulled them from their own stock that was already there or arriving the first of the week. If the items not in stock and has to be ordered, PRH MAY ship it in as little as a couple days, Lunar will add it to your next order shipment which may be a week or more out if youāve waited until the weekend to speak up. Diamond may actually take a couple weeks. Also, since FOC has passed thereās no guarantee any of the items will be available. He said he likes to read #1 before deciding if he wants #2 which I understand but the way the system works, if you havenāt ordered #2, it may not be available to order the week of release. Youāre pretty much dependent on there being some leftovers from damages at the wholesaler or the store having guessed correctly that you would want a copy. Thatās why taking maybe 5 minutes once a week is important. After FOC thereās no way we can be sure to get the item for you.
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Most FOCs got issue #2 is a few days after #1 comes outā¦so just need to pick up the book within a few days of release and read it!
Iām a little oppositeā¦If itās a series Iām interested in Iāll grab the first two to three issues of the arc before deciding. And if I hear itās a dud I may not even read them.
Heās a little peculiar, heāll wait and grab #1 off the shelf and not say anything at all until the week #2 is coming/arriving. Heās got a box set up for 4 titles which he gets 25% off on those thru subscription but hasnāt committed to anything else yet even though itās basically getting 1 out of every 4 comics free. Iād love to see most issues on a 5 week interval to give people a full week to find the current issue and read it in time to commit to the next before FOC but I doubt itās going to happen. Weāre frequently doing FOCās with no sales data to go by basically guessing and Iām in a cycle that says lets take the rest of the year not guessing on most covers other than A and not on most small publishers for now. Meat and potatoes year.
Now that Iām getting back with Diamond Iām noticing how many titles they donāt have back stock on ready to fill in like Power Rangers the return and Lilo and Stich. Itās going to force me to skip some series and wait for new #1ās to come around and this guy keeps getting caught when a friend tells him something is great but heās waited until the wholesalers are out of #1 while insisting he will not accept a 2nd print or take #2 unless he gets #1 first and likes it which may mean #3 is already out befor I can get a #1 in his hand if then
Odd day today, so far Little Golden Books are outselling comics in store and on E-Bay.
Have you thought of having an āold schoolā adult section; you know, the one with the black curtain? You could sell Captain America Vibratorsā¦Iron Man Butt Plugsā¦Scarlet Witch Blow-Up Dolls. Youād make a fortune. Youāre welcome.
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Just change the name to BRG (Black Rock Grading) because the old CGC is long dead bought out by one of the greediest organizations on the planet.
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Cant wait for the daily reports
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Theyāve been doing this since the very beginning. The higher the book grades the more you have to pay for it to be graded.
I do pretty much that for store buying with Marvel, DC, IDW, Image and Dark Horse and now Iām working Dynamite and most of Boom back in. I go 5 issues, 2 A covers, maybe an extra copy or two of #1ās. Once #5 is FOCing I start checking the shelf. If I have the last 3 issues in a row on the shelf that means the walk-in customers havenāt grabbed a copy and the online copy hasnāt sold either or Iād have pulled the store shelf copy to make a new listing to replace the one that sold online. Thatās when I drop them but even then Iām frequently trying to order #5 on FOC before #4 is out on the shelf so sometimes Iāll just make #5ās automatic.
I have considered a black curtain kiddie section adults are NOT allowed into so I could put great books mixed in with the cheap stuff and expect it to be there for the kids. Adults typically have no interest in letting things get into the hands of children when they could maybe make a buck reselling it if they can grab it first.
My goal for the rest of this year is to drastically expand the selection of Step Into Reading books.
You searched for step into reading - Penguin Random House Comics Retail (prhcomics.com)
Apparently thereās an enormous amount of them on all subject types and they offer a Step 1, Step 2, step 3 type system so itās easy to group them together for different reading ability ranges. They have lower price oneās close to the cost of comics to oneās a little higher.
I may begin a manga section by the end of the year as well to maybe pull in more teens.
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Hasnāt that been the case for a few decades though? 
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No. I think the shift began to occur when Steve Borrock left to form CBCS.
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Kinda, yeah, but before they sold out there was much more constituency overall but definitely some favoritism for sure. It was not perfect thatās, but better than the constant mess we have now.
For me this is the first time in years that I let my membership laps. I could care less about the slight discount I am missing out on. I wonātā be send anything to CGC until I see significant improvement in QC. It might be a while. Regardless, I have a backlog of books both graded and non-graded I need to sell so Iām in no rush to send anything in, anyway.
I can tell you that I specifically have been buying those step into reading books. I love that they have them clearly indicated like that as my grandkids are all at different levels and it makes it very easy for me to choose.
Marvel is doing a very good job of getting kiddos into their characters and such. As an example, my 5 year old grand-daughter (who was a significant preemie and is behind with learning) loves to watch the kid oriented Spidey and friends show. The step into reading books has a Spidey and friends version as the very lowest level and she absolutely loved it when I brought it home to her.
Anywayā¦i think you are spot on with little golden books and those reading books. As a parent/grand parentā¦itās very hard for me to resist grabbing those and adding them to my stack of my comics each week.
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I wonder what he thinks of what has become of both grading companies he helped found. Maybe Iām projecting, but it has to hurt on some level(?).
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I think heās been asked that question since leaving CBCS. Heās done interviews which should be available on YouTube. I know heās one to be careful with his choice of words as to not burn bridges and generally be positive about the grading business as a wholeā¦so not sure youād get a candid answer if asked directly anyway.
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Older cgc slab. THis could totally grade a 9.8 now. Maybe 9.9.
CPR that sucker!!
For those Skottie Young fans out there, he is having a sale of leftovers/2nds/less than 9.8 sale on his site this Wednesday:
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Wow. Whoever sold that through MCS will be pissed.
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