Your Ratios of 9.8 Contenders

Hi all. Just a quick and unscientific survey,but what proportion of new books that you order are possible 9.8s.

I have had a few disappointing deliveries in recent months - with back cover colour-breaking spine ticks and colour rubs being the most common problems. Marvel’s cover paper and some of Diamond’s distribution don’t help.

I estimate I have 9.8 ‘possibles’ about 50% of the time and wondered how my experience compares with others?

I collect 99% of my books in person, so I always inspect them first before I buy, so I would say there is high % of them being 9.8 worthy

Of all the LCS here only 1 store does not have have a physical store, I don’t order much from them but I have submitted 5 books I bought from them and all 5 came back 9.8

It honestly depends who I order from. There are some online retailers who seem to pack stuff amazingly well and everything is a 9.8 contender. There are some other online stores that are definitely a better choice if I just need a reader comic. Then, when I buy from individuals on a site like eBay it’s a complete crapshoot.

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I was curious about this as well because it seems like I’m not even hitting 50% as far as 9.8 candidates go. Some might get 9.8 with a press, but most arrive as 9.4 or 9.6’s.

With Press: 70 - 75%
No press: 50%

Never impressed when brand new moderns get posted as slabbed 9.8’s.
And I certainly would not purchase a Modern 9.8 for the exponential $$$ compared to it’s potential 9.8 raw counterpart.

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This seems to be about the same percentages for me. Mostly due to the crappy paper Marvel uses and not any shipping issues.

I’d say maybe 10% of my online orders are 9.8
Candidates.

50% of My last TFAW shipment were VF/NM at best with numerous spine ticks (IDW) and color rubbing off (Marvel). I maybe got 1 9.8 contender out of 10-12 comics.

At shops if I grab off the shelf I’d say I’m in the 75-90% success rate if I get there at opening and have a few to pick through. But my pull list is probably closer to 20-30%.

I’d say only 25% of new books are contenders…DC seems to have the best quality of paper and it might be close to 75%…Marvel and IDW the worst and likely close to 25% maybe lower on day of release. Sometimes it depends on if marvel had a dark color on the back where a lot of ink loss shows and even rubs off onto the adjacent front cover (in particular if the front is white or lighter color) not long after distribution.

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All your books are 9.8s you just have to catch the grader on a bad day. Since grading is just an opinion someone out there thinks it’s a 9.8.

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Or just send them to PGX…might even get some 11.0s!!

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Thanks for your thoughts everyone. Looks like there is quite a range of experiences. I’d love to go and pick myself each week, but work doesn’t permit it. I have a couple of online retailers who tend to treat me well, but beyond that I am often disappointed.

Ah well, looks like I am not the only one.

In person pickups the best way to get that ratio up.

Online is a crap shoot.

Took a while but I finally accepted that the hunt for 9.8s just isn’t worth my time, lol.

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I never really checked my overall percentages of potential 9.8s. I press a good number of my comics. A lot of the moderns I have gotten online probably average 9.2/9.4.Those that do not have color breaking issues press up to 9.8/9.6 fairly easy.

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