Price spread between Raw and Slabbed17329
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 Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
| For the longest time Third Party Grading was pretty much a commodity and easily available. Now it is in short supply and hard to come by. Theoretically this should cause a bigger spread in prices between Raw and slabbed books. I know for myself I am reluctant to buy raw books anymore specifically because of the time and expense to get them slabbed. I typically only buy raw from MCS now, as it comes with a tight grade that is well respected in the industry. I don't sell raw books so I'm wondering what the experience has been in the last few months for those that do sell raw books. Has the slabbing issue had any impact on the ability to sell raw books? Is my reluctance to buy raw books an outlier...or is it becoming more the norm for all of us? | ||
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 You do know that the new guy brings the donuts, right?
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DWeeB1967 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I don't sell books very often so maybe I'm not your target audience. I still buy raw books from dealers that I trust. In fact, because of the price spread between raw and slabbed, I tend to buy more raw these days than slabbed. That does complicate things a bit, mostly when trading here on the forum, since most people don't like to trade their slabbed books for raw books graded by me (and I completely understand that). Still, with the prices of slabbed books being what they are these days, it's hard to justify buying slabbed (again, only from dealers I trust). |
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 PLOD
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theCapraAegagrus private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbayMafia I personally think that encapsulating comic books has exploded into something far too common. I am capable of grading and spotting resto, so I have no qualms about buying raw comic books. That being said, if I was looking at raw comic books with the intent to slab, I would rather buy it/them already-complete based on current trends. |
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 Please continue to ignore anything I post.
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southerncross private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I personally think the costs of slabs will stay the same. If there was a price adjustment it would be lower as there are more slabs that are hitting the market. With a long tat there is a glut, not a shortage of books being certified. And both companies have hired/trained more graders to try to get the tat lower. |
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 " . "
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Davethebrave private msg quote post Address this user | |
| For me it is about price point (as buyer). Lower price, less spread to account for risk. Mostly because I can diversify mistakes and fewer incentives to mess around for lower price books (though more opportunities!) | ||
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 I don't believe this....and I know you don't care that I don't believe this.
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GAC private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I've stopped buying raw books years ago. I don't even consider them. I've never looked for a book I wanted that I couldn't find slabbed. I simply don't trust the grading of raw books...let alone the possibility of restoration and missing pieces/pages etc. Its too much a headache to check and I don't have the patience or inclination to do so, so slabbed only it is for me. I don't think the long TATs have anything to do with it for me (buying solely already slabbed) but it does reinforce and add to my decision to do so. |
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 Collector
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ticktocktyler private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by GAC So the trade off is waiting for a year for validation? What does it take? Maybe 20 minutes tops to page count and check for damage? Maybe you mean a pile of books? I buy raw a lot but I buy graded as well. There's a decent amount of spread in the cost of buying a graded book vs the same book in the same grade raw. It's like paying for the grading service over and over again buying slabbed. At some point, a book that's actually valued at $300 should be $300 graded or not providing the raw book is sound. |
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 Collector
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BrianGreensnips private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I like to buy books raw in person at shows where I can look them over really good. I look for good candidates to get graded. I have done very well with this. I believe every graded book that I have was sent out by me. I don't think that I have ever bought a book graded already. I will be selling both slabs and raws at the show Saturday (see my other thread). I will give a little report on what sells and what people are asking for. |
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 I'm waiting.... (tapping fingers).Splotches is gettin old! |
Nuffsaid111 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I've purchased maybe 4? total already slabbed books as I simply could not find, for years, a high grade raw. So I caved those times. One was Dell Atom Ant #1 in 9.4; 2nd was Space Family Robinson #1 in 8.0; 3rd was Four Color comics with 1st Twilight Zone in 8.0. (Can't remember the 4th) I must have waited for three or more years for these books to come up for sale in high grade raw - it just never happened |
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 Not trying to be an ass since February 12, 2020.
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HulkSmash private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I buy raw books because I actually read them; granted my purchases are not in the 1Ks. My only copy of Spawn 1 I purchased slabbed. I will purchase raws that I think are a good deal for what I expect them to grade. I have no problem buying a 8.0-8.5 raw that is straight and center vs a graded 8.5 that is mis-aligned; that’s when ocd kicks in and I’m good the odds. | ||
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Not trying to be an ass since February 12, 2020.
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HulkSmash private msg quote post Address this user | |
| As far as pricing; Personally I haven’t noticed any major differences in raw prices specifically related to increases in grading costs. I have noticed raw prices on key books going up possibly due to extremely long TATs from third parties combined with the excessive buying resulting in a seemingly lower number of graded copies on the market. That may be incorrect, but that’s what it looks like to me. | ||
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by DWeeB1967 That kind of illustrates what I'm thinking is likely happening. Not that volume sales of raw will decrease, but that the price spread between raw and slabbed will increase. It used to cost $16-$30 and take 6-8 weeks to get a $200 book slabbed. Now it costs a minimum of $20 and takes 50 weeks without pressing. Many people are opting for the more expensive submission options. So to look at it another way, getting a $200 book slabbed in 8 weeks has changed from $16-$25 on average. Now to get that same 8 week turnaround is costing what...$40-$70 without pressing? It only seem logical that this shift will be accounted for by the market, one way or another, in the spread of price between a raw book and a slabbed book. There was always spread based on the security that comes with professional third party grading and inspection...but now there is a whole new time/cost variable that it seems would increase that spread even more. |
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I don't believe this....and I know you don't care that I don't believe this.
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GAC private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by GAC I should qualify this statement by saying this refers to online purchases only. 99.99% of the books I buy are online...hence slabbed only books. |
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I don't believe this....and I know you don't care that I don't believe this.
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GAC private msg quote post Address this user | |
| To address the question though...as comics become increasingly more expensive, generally speaking, I believe the collecting public will rely and use 3rd party graders more and more. The spread between raw and slabbed will get greater but there might be a threshold. Any book that has value and not slabbed might be seen as suspicious in a sales situation. |
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" . "
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Davethebrave private msg quote post Address this user | |
| The calculation is simple. [(P) of grade (including restored) x market value at verified grade (ie slabbed value)] less all-in cost to grade. To illustrate (simplified): 25% chance book is 9.0 x $400 25% chance book is 9.2 x $1000 25% chance book is 8.5 x $100 25% chance the book was heavily restored with pieces added, color touch etc x $4 Cost to grade $50 all-in Value to me raw is $326 ;-) |
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 Collector
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CatCovers private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I’ll happily buy raw books in person. Online, only from vendors I trust. That’s of course for books of any real value. Run fillers and such I’ll roll the dice and buy from whomever. I don’t sell a lot, but 90% of what I do sell is slabbed. It’s not my business; just some extra pocket money, and the gulf between slabbed and not slabbed prices is great enough I don’t mind waiting through the TAT to maximize what I can get. What I do sell raw is mostly single issues most people wouldn’t think to slab or short runs of books that might be slabbable in 9.8, but have some minor flaws knocking them down to 9.0 or 9.2 territory. |
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