What am I not understanding with CBCS pricing?20021
 Cover, 8 pages before the staples, 8 pages after, back cover.
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MrNotSoNice private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I think that after Beckett bought CBCS, they were under the gun to make a better and more profitable endeavor out of it. They saw a huge backlog with terribly long turnaround times. I've had orders that took 11 months to get back. That is unsustainable. So Beckett increased prices to reduce demand for those books not worth grading. This is classic Economics 101. They also moved to a larger building, probably added people and systems, and started to get books returned much faster. I think it was the right move. CBCS is moderating prices, and searching for 'the right price' via discount codes (recently had a 20%-off one), which I almost always use. This is a tool CBCS can employ when the market is 'soft' as many think it is now. 2025 could be completely different. I don't do business with CGC, but CBCS does charge fees for insurance. Sometimes I buy it and sometimes I don't. I once had an incredible pain-in-the-ass experience dealing with a USPS postal insurance claim. Was a total waste (not CBCS insurance I know). I usually submit 10 or more books at a time to make both outbound and return freight make sense. I'm glad CBCS did away with memberships. It was a complicated system. Supposedly I had some kind of 'coupons', but I never could get one used. It was stupid. Why I like CBCS vs. CGC, CBCS slabs are better, but comparable CBCS has more accurate grading IMHO CBCS VSP service (I am a big fan of signed books) CBCS people have been nice to me (CGC people were once rude to me at a convention) I have had very good encounters with CBCS Customer Service who have notified me of signatures they found in some of my books. A few bucks a book is worth it to me for the quality difference. There is evidence that CGC slabs sell for a bit more than CBCS slabs, but I foresee that changing in the future. Yes, no Canada office is a problem for Canadians. I am also a fan of Steve Borock. |
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| Post 26 • IP flag post | ||
 Ima gonna steal this and look for some occasion to use it!
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IronMan private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I have talked to a couple of people at CBCS about the fact that their insured shipping costs makes their final product more expensive than CGC. With books worth thousands of dollars, MUCH MORE expensive than CGC. And while some collectors may have a reason to hate CGC and avoid them, you are not going to do well as the #2 company charging more than the #1. I send in thousands of books a year for other people. Two years ago CBCS was getting maybe 25% of those books. Now - from me - it is essentially books with unwitnessed signatures for VSP. Just a couple of days ago I completed the submission for 16 books (all with unwitnessed signatures). Shipping with insurance was $119. It would have $45 with CGC. The insurance costs don't affect me personally as I have private shipping insurance. But I doubt that is true for most. CBCS is certainly aware what CGC costs. Grading and shipping. I suppose someone has done the math and decided they make more money with this pricing structure. But I don't believe it. You NEVER see CGC running sales. |
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| Post 27 • IP flag post | ||
 Why just the women? I like bears.
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Gaard private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by IronMan I have never thought of that. It is absolutely true. Don't, for one second, think that CBCS isn't still making a profit even with those specials. They're just making a larger profit without them. Maybe, for a year or so, CBCS should restructure their pricing so people pay the equivalent of those 'specials'. I dunno, something for them bean counters to think about. |
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| Post 28 • IP flag post | ||
 I keep buying dumb stuff because I'm a bit of an underground influence marketer.
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Oldfuzznts private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by IronMan Short-term and long-term outlooks. Based on your post you sound like a dealer. Getting rid of membership fees tracks with what I was saying about the pricing if there's an expectation the dealer submission model will atrophy in the future. If you want to attract individuals investing and holding and not people trying to flip the next hot thing, pricing like this is exactly what you do. |
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| Post 29 • IP flag post | ||
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Why just the women? I like bears.
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Gaard private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Oldfuzznts With all due respect, I don't think CBCS gives a rat's behind who uses their service ... nor should they. |
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| Post 30 • IP flag post | ||
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I keep buying dumb stuff because I'm a bit of an underground influence marketer.
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Oldfuzznts private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Gaard 🤣 If you say so! |
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| Post 31 • IP flag post | ||
 I like bean sprouts.
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James42 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Gaard Yes, and at the same time no. Money is money. And it doesn't matter in the abstract where that money comes from. But capturing a larger percentage of the collector market versus the flipper market will supply a certain insulation from market-driven demand for the service. Not caring where your money comes from can risk you turning into PGX. |
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| Post 32 • IP flag post | ||
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I keep buying dumb stuff because I'm a bit of an underground influence marketer.
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Oldfuzznts private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by James42 There's the matter of product differentiation as well. Selling knockoff Big Macs next to McDonald's isn't much of a strategy at all. You open a chicken joint! I haven't had dinner yet. |
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| Post 33 • IP flag post | ||
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I like bean sprouts.
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James42 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Oldfuzznts Speaking of food, when asked why Red Bull cost so much, Dietrich Mateschitz (the founder of the company) replied, "How will they know it is a premium product if it doesn't have a premium price?" "You get what you pay for" works in more ways than one. If you pay a premium price, you should expect and demand a premium product. While no company is perfect - they are all made up of humans, after all - CBCS is much more consistent and responsive than the competition. And it's really not that big a difference in price, as long as you aren't slabbing for resale. |
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| Post 34 • IP flag post | ||
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I keep buying dumb stuff because I'm a bit of an underground influence marketer.
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Oldfuzznts private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by James42 You can still get a reasonably priced Bordeaux blend to pair with your spicy chicken sandwich, if you know where to look. Point being, some people just know. Put it in a box and employ a value pricing strategy and most will have no clue. But some people will taste the quality, even so. |
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| Post 35 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
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Silversorrow private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I just don't bother getting the insurance. Only once in my lifetime has the postal service ever damaged my mail, so I just roll the dice and save hundreds of dollars a year by not getting the insurance. That one time though....wow. I bought an antique sword off EBay from the US. It was shipped via USPS. It looked like they speared the box with a forklift because there was a forklift tip sized hole in the box and the sword's cross-guard was bent about 30 degrees downwards (as shown below, unrepairable). That cross-guard was a good 1/2ish inch thick metal so it took a lot of force to do that. Luckily that time the seller did have it insured so I got my money back, but that was about 17 years ago, so yeah I don't bother with insurance from CBCS.   That was some precision spearing too as the box the sword was in was form fitting and barely thicker than the handle itself. |
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| Post 36 • IP flag post | ||
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Why just the women? I like bears.
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Gaard private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Is that Randy Jackson's signature I see? | ||
| Post 37 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
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Ginosdad private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Gaard….fell off my drum set!!! Too funny!! | ||
| Post 38 • IP flag post | ||
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Why just the women? I like bears.
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Gaard private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Gaard And just like that ... they announce a sale.  |
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| Post 39 • IP flag post | ||
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I keep buying dumb stuff because I'm a bit of an underground influence marketer.
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Oldfuzznts private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Gaard You can have a lot of fun manipulating companies on forums like this. They're sources of free competitor analysis. Let's see if we can get them to start selling produce. "Hey, guy! You hear about that new company that's slabbing slices of fried squash? It's the future, man!" |
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| Post 40 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
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poka private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Gaard What sale? $10 off a grading guide? lol |
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| Post 41 • IP flag post | ||
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I keep buying dumb stuff because I'm a bit of an underground influence marketer.
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Oldfuzznts private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by poka Who you with? |
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| Post 42 • IP flag post | ||
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