Not a CBCS member yet? Join now »
CBCS Comics
Not a CBCS member yet? Join now »
I'd like to say I still turned out alright, but that would be a lie. flanders private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by glow
is this just for Modern/Expanded?


This was for my modern order.
Post 151 IP   flag post
Maybe they just like me better. Nah, that's not it. BPaxson002 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nearmint67
Quote:
Originally Posted by Supertom
@EbayMafia @flanders A simple way to alleviate this is to stop taking submissions once they hit a certain capacity, say 1,000 book, and set up a que system. Submit your books online like you normally would, and once CBCS is caught up, they send you a notification to ship your books. That way even if it's a 7 month wait, 5 of those months the books will still be in your possession. It benefits everyone involved. We don't have to wait around guessing what stage our books are in and blowup their forum with negativity, and CBCS doesn't have to store, sort through, and insure a mountain of boxes. I'd guess air conditioned warehouse space isn't cheap in Texas.

I also personally think the whole fast track system was a bad idea from the start. All books should be graded in the order they're received. If the problem they're having is throughput then why waste time sorting through who paid a little more. It's costing them time, space, and customer loyalty to sit on all these books rather than just moving through orders in a timely and efficient manner. I'm sure their employees are overworked and frustrated too. It just seems like a frustrating business model for all involved. Imagine if a restaurant took an infinite number of reservations and just told you to show up and wait. Then someone shows up and gets a table in 10 mins. You ask why and they tell you, "Oh they paid an extra $10 for their cheesy fries."

A fantastic fantasy idea you have. Or they could increase their staff like other companies do when the work load increases. I have been self employed over 30 years, when I have more work than I can handle, I hired more workers or turned down the work. My customers would laugh at a 22 + week waiting time.
But I digress, I just keep sending my books in. It gives me more room in my padded pad. hahahehehoho...


Simply doing a warm body hire is not always the best solution. Hiring, even in the best of times, is difficult if you are not hiring the right people, for the right positions and then provide the correct training.

I worked for 15 years in production much like what CBCS/CGC is going through. We had much the same problem with bottle necks of the workflow, until until I did a systemic change on how the mail was sorted. I would love to know how the processing here works, but I suspect that would fall under "trade secrets".
Post 152 IP   flag post
Masculinity takes a holiday. EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user
Just catching up on this thread today. Somebody done lost they damn mind.
Post 153 IP   flag post
Collector Petroman private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scifinator
This year cgc has boasted substantial numbers of new hires in the grading department. Obviously most of these are not experienced graders. And just leads to more suspicion as to grade accuracy.

Yes, agreed they have a ton of new graders. My limited experience with these new graders is that they are actually giving lower grades, with little to no reason why they give the grade. I'd welcome more feedback on this from others who may have seen disparity between current grades and say a year or two ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scifinator

CBCS is obviously hiring, but @sborock has gone on record as to their standards not allowing for a throwing if inexperienced graders at the graders stations and, I for one applaud that. I would rather wait months for an accurately graded comic that get a false high grade in weeks.

In principle I agree with you, but lets be honest here. We all want our books to get as high a grade as possible. There is a HUGE difference in prices between a modern book that is 9.4, 9.6 or 9.8. Between 9.4 and 9.8 the price difference can easily be a factor of 10. For anyone looking to monetize their collections or even do the short term buy/hold/sell the higher the grade the better. I'm not saying this is right, but I also admit I've been hugely frustrated getting a 9.6 back on a book that has zero visible defects and gets no grader notes back. Sheesh, did they find a wrinkle on an interior page or something? Who cares? When you look at a comic book vs. a baseball card, stamp, coin etc. there are just so many points of potential flaw that the entire grading process seems far more subjective to me.
Post 154 IP   flag post
Have I told you about the time I dropped off 3,000 comics at SDCC? Scifinator private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Petroman
but I also admit I've been hugely frustrated getting a 9.6 back on a book that has zero visible defects and gets no grader notes back. Sheesh, did they find a wrinkle on an interior page or something?
@Petroman - That is a benefit of CBCS offering free graders notes on all submissions. Besides my comfort in knowing that the grade is more likely to be accurate than one from cgc, if I am buying a graded book to fill a hole or upgrade, I will typically buy a CBCS as I can view the notes, for FREE, of why it’s a 9.6 or below.
Post 155 IP   flag post


Collector Petroman private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scifinator
@Petroman - That is a benefit of CBCS offering free graders notes on all submissions. Besides my comfort in knowing that the grade is more likely to be accurate than one from cgc, if I am buying a graded book to fill a hole or upgrade, I will typically buy a CBCS as I can view the notes, for FREE, of why it’s a 9.6 or below.

Yes, I agree that the free grader notes from CBCS is a huge advantage over the silly $5 cost for a CGC book, especially when you want to purchase the book. My frustration with CGC is that there are a bunch of times where I get a book back as 9.6 or even 9.4 with no grader notes. Maybe CBCS is better with this. I think pre this huge submission overload CGC used to be better at it too. As I look through my historical submissions there were pretty detailed grader notes. My most recent submissions have had very few, possibly due to the number of new graders but who really knows? For me the lower grades on books I'm looking to just dump on Ebay was the final straw for sending to CGC. As mentioned, getting a 9.4 when expecting a 9.6/9.8 (and after enduring a several month grading time) pretty much just meant that I'd end up dumping the book at grading cost. Not a good business model, even for a hobby, LOL.
Post 156 IP   flag post
If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8. xkonk private msg quote post Address this user
@glow @Petroman I have a couple of 2-Day orders in, although both have pressing. I got 'received' emails for both within a couple days of USPS saying they were delivered. I don't expect them to be pressed in a month and graded in a week though.
Post 157 IP   flag post
Collector Supertom private msg quote post Address this user
I don’t think hiring more graders would really address the core of the issue. I actually like that they only have 15 or so graders. The grading process is probably the least time consuming step in the whole process. This is evident by how long submission sit before they’re even marked as “received”, or how long they’re stuck in the “shipping” stage. I know I’m playing armchair business guy here but it seems like a logical path forward.
Post 158 IP   flag post
Collector Petroman private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Supertom
I don’t think hiring more graders would really address the core of the issue. I actually like that they only have 15 or so graders. The grading process is probably the least time consuming step in the whole process. This is evident by how long submission sit before they’re even marked as “received”, or how long they’re stuck in the “shipping” stage. I know I’m playing armchair business guy here but it seems like a logical path forward.

To scale a business it would seem you need more of pretty much everything. More box receivers, more graders, more encapsulaters, more shippers, more warehouse space, more insurance, maybe even more locations. I doubt we will ever get much visibility into their actual operations (or that of CGC), but persistent, massive backlogs and delays in opening submissions would indicate that there is something lacking with their current process. Sure, maybe this is just a spike that will abate at some point, but the fact that both of the major grading companies seem to be experiencing the same phenomenon could indicate that this is more than just a fluke.
Post 159 IP   flag post
Maybe they just like me better. Nah, that's not it. BPaxson002 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Petroman
Quote:
Originally Posted by Supertom
I don’t think hiring more graders would really address the core of the issue. I actually like that they only have 15 or so graders. The grading process is probably the least time consuming step in the whole process. This is evident by how long submission sit before they’re even marked as “received”, or how long they’re stuck in the “shipping” stage. I know I’m playing armchair business guy here but it seems like a logical path forward.

To scale a business it would seem you need more of pretty much everything. More box receivers, more graders, more encapsulaters, more shippers, more warehouse space, more insurance, maybe even more locations. I doubt we will ever get much visibility into their actual operations (or that of CGC), but persistent, massive backlogs and delays in opening submissions would indicate that there is something lacking with their current process. Sure, maybe this is just a spike that will abate at some point, but the fact that both of the major grading companies seem to be experiencing the same phenomenon could indicate that this is more than just a fluke.


Don't forget security and more managers to run the new bodies. Course that will lead to a need for either a larger facility or a satellite production floor.
Post 160 IP   flag post
Masculinity takes a holiday. EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Petroman
For me the lower grades on books I'm looking to just dump on Ebay was the final straw for sending to CGC. As mentioned, getting a 9.4 when expecting a 9.6/9.8 (and after enduring a several month grading time) pretty much just meant that I'd end up dumping the book at grading cost. Not a good business model, even for a hobby


I really doubt that CBCS is going to be able to earn your long-term business by giving you grades that are higher than CGC. Of all the reasons I've heard for using CBCS, looser grading has never been one of them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Petroman
Sure, maybe this is just a spike that will abate at some point, but the fact that both of the major grading companies seem to be experiencing the same phenomenon could indicate that this is more than just a fluke


I tend to think the spike is temporary and my best guess is that submissions and TAT's will be much lower by Feb-March of next year. The changes in IRS reporting requirements for online sales will play a big part in this. It won't effect dealers, but it will affect hobbyists.
Post 161 IP   flag post
Collector Supertom private msg quote post Address this user
@BPaxson002 That’s assuming they’re already at max capacity of their current facility. Just because more people jump in the pool doesn’t mean you need a second lifeguard. Also if they limit the number of submission they receive per my earlier post the amount of space they currently use to store boxes and boxes of unprocessed orders could be used for more offices, or production equipment. Heck, I bet insuring humans would cost them less than insuring all those comics!
Post 162 IP   flag post
Maybe they just like me better. Nah, that's not it. BPaxson002 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Supertom
@BPaxson002 That’s assuming they’re already at max capacity of their current facility. Just because more people jump in the pool doesn’t mean you need a second lifeguard. Also if they limit the number of submission they receive per my earlier post the amount of space they currently use to store boxes and boxes of unprocessed orders could be used for more offices, or production equipment. Heck, I bet insuring humans would cost them less than insuring all those comics!


Every time you add a warm body, you are subtracting about 10 cubic feet from a finite capacity. You can only do this so many times before you impact safety factors, personnel support (parking, restrooms, eating spaces) and the like. Given the current state of lag, my surmise is no one expected this amount of expansion in such a short time.

Now this is based on a single shift capacity. It could be CBCS is working on a around the clock program, which presents a whole different slew of problems.
Post 163 IP   flag post
Collector felnora private msg quote post Address this user
Well... I see we're at Turnaround 6.0 now...
Ah, back in my day we were at a mere 5.0, when I recounted my tales of waiting woe...

So just thought I'd drop my stuff here for those looking for timeframes:

0) Order Complete 4/25 - Shipped 4/26
1) USPS shows delivered to individual on 4/29
2) CBCS updated status to 'Processing' from 'Submitted' on 5/17
3) As of 9/23 Still in 'Processing'

I too share the thoughts of others in this thread I've seen, that I'll probably fast pass, speed wooblet, or high tail it widget on the grading services in the future. They are all for my PC, but like... I'm about to hit the 5 month mark in a week.

I had no pressing or anything, so I've crossed the currently listed "Turnaround Time" of 17 weeks for my all modern submission. Which is why I've come back to the forums, to see if others getting close to turnaround are getting books shipped back. I feel my time is soon.
Post 164 IP   flag post
Collector glow private msg quote post Address this user
anyone recently have a package delivered to CBCS?

just got some comics delivered to them today. submitted proof of delivery to be emailed to me on the USPS website and it's showing it was delivered to 2309 Springlake Rd. instead of 4635 McEwen Road.

Google maps is showing they're only 13 minutes away from each other. Just find it a bit odd they wouldn't deliver it to the address on the label.

Anyone else experience anything like this?
Post 165 IP   flag post
COLLECTOR dielinfinite private msg quote post Address this user
@glow Definitely something to ask the Post Office about.

The only thing I can think of is perhaps CBCS’ onsite storage is at capacity, forcing them to use an offsite overflow storage facility and are forwarding packages there but that is just guessing on my part.
Post 166 IP   flag post
Collector glow private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by dielinfinite
@glow Definitely something to ask the Post Office about.

The only thing I can think of is perhaps CBCS’ onsite storage is at capacity, forcing them to use an offsite overflow storage facility and are forwarding packages there but that is just guessing on my part.


yeah, contacted them right away. they told me they're making a case and will get back to me to confirm they delivered to beckett.

i think you're right and that would totally make sense, but we'll see!
Post 167 IP   flag post
Collector xtraplayer private msg quote post Address this user
I agree about at least setting a limit on newer books. The ones whose only true value is the 9.8 grade.
Post 168 IP   flag post
Collector xtraplayer private msg quote post Address this user
And lol about getting a higher grade from CBCS than CGC for same book. Maybe try PSX ??
Post 169 IP   flag post
Collector Petroman private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by xtraplayer
And lol about getting a higher grade from CBCS than CGC for same book. Maybe try PSX ??

I don't get it. If you're implying that CBCS gives lower grades then why the heck would anyone want to use them? Heck, CBCS books already sell at a discount to CGC books at the same grade, if they grade out lower this discount will go from 10% to 90%.

I stopped sending books to CGC earlier this year because the grades I was getting were just all over the place, most likely due to the fact that they had hired so many new graders. And the grades were not inflated -- quite the opposite and most books seemed to be coming back 1-2 grades lower than prior submissions. Less than half of the books that graded 9.4 or below had any grader notes, which was pretty frustrating to me. Is it too much to ask to get timely, accurate and consistent grading? Sadly, I guess in 2021 it is...
Post 170 IP   flag post
Collector Cerebus3000 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Petroman
Quote:
Originally Posted by xtraplayer
And lol about getting a higher grade from CBCS than CGC for same book. Maybe try PSX ??

I don't get it. If you're implying that CBCS gives lower grades then why the heck would anyone want to use them? Heck, CBCS books already sell at a discount to CGC books at the same grade, if they grade out lower this discount will go from 10% to 90%.


I think the implication was that shopping around for the highest grade, instead of the most accurate grade, should not be the motivation of those purchasing grading services.
Post 171 IP   flag post
Collector radar2121 private msg quote post Address this user
How long is two day modern taking now? I know the website says 1 week but I feel like it is taking longer then that from some of the posts. Please answer if you have sent in two day modern submissions in the last 3 weeks. Thanks for the info.
Post 172 IP   flag post
Collector Jdiviney96 private msg quote post Address this user
I sent in 8 books for 2 day modern that was received on Sept. 8th and it was completed and shipped on Sept. 14
Post 173 IP   flag post
Collector Supertom private msg quote post Address this user
Part of my submission was 2 day modern. The rest was regular modern. It’s been 5 weeks and none of them have even been marked as received.
Post 174 IP   flag post
Collector Jdiviney96 private msg quote post Address this user
if you sent the books on the same invoice then you will not get them back until the regular Modern has been graded. So in about 20 weeks.
Post 175 IP   flag post
Collector glow private msg quote post Address this user
My 2 day modern order that was delivered yesterday was just marked as received and I have already been charged for the order today.
Post 176 IP   flag post
Have I told you about the time I dropped off 3,000 comics at SDCC? Scifinator private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Supertom
Part of my submission was 2 day modern. The rest was regular modern. It’s been 5 weeks and none of them have even been marked as received.


@Supertom - See @Jdiviney96 comment -Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdiviney96
if you sent the books on the same invoice then you will not get them back until the regular Modern has been graded. So in about 20 weeks.
Post 177 IP   flag post
Collector Weaponx606 private msg quote post Address this user
Well, all the books I sent to CGC received on 4/10 have been graded and shipped. The moderns came in about 8 weeks ago, economy shipped yesterday. AND 10 books CGC received on 6/10 have just shipped. My 3 VSP moderns I sent to CBCS received on 4/17 are still marked “grading”.
Post 178 IP   flag post
Collector Lonestar private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by flanders
@Lonestar my submission that was delivered on July 6th was marked as received on August 16th and I received a notification email. So it took 6 weeks and I'm assuming it will take at least that long if not more, for anything submitted from August or later.

Finally received my notification e-mail today. 8 weeks after they were delivered to CBCS. They must really be behind.
Post 179 IP   flag post
Collector Lowlylawyer private msg quote post Address this user
Eight months, eleven days since receipt for me (and counting)
Post 180 IP   flag post
621951 999 30