u/CreepyNewspaper8103

This honestly concerns me a lot.

Lately I feel like I've seen more and more influencers glazing PSA for Comic Books--notably the Amazing Fantasy PSA 7 that was paraded at a party at San Diego Comic Con ahead of its auction.

Let me lay down some background and context as to how massive the PSA/eBay partnership is:

• PSA slabs command more value (for cards). People say that it's due to decades of reputation, but I think it's much more simpler than that:
  • PSA upcharges you on the value of the card (they call it to cover the "insurance," but you pay that whether you get the collectible graded and handed to you in the same day)
  • It's actually a vehicle to bake in today's price into the cost of ownership of the collectible
  • A collector/seller is less likely to let go of a collectible for less than what they paid to acquire AND grade the collectible unless they're desperate
  • Therefore, with so many collectors holding the line on what they paid, the value doesn't diminish that much
• The Vault ecosystem allows you to grade your collectible, and:
  • Immediately sell it to PSA
  • Or, have it listed on eBay and shipped directly from PSA Vault
• When you buy from eBay, you have the option to add-on grading with PSA (and not any other graders)
• You can avoid sales tax on eBay by having the card go directly to PSA Vault
• They make it easy to consign and sell through one of the biggest eBay consignment accounts (PSA Vault), granting immediate reputation/trust and high # of views on your collectible
  • eBay is, quite frankly, the largest collectibles marketplace in the world
• Authenticity Guarantee makes it so that, for now, certain cards that are a minimum value (I think $250), the seller must ship to PSA and PSA will authenticate the card and send it to the buyer
  • As long as you do your job and ship the card to PSA, they will absorb the risk from the card to the buyer
  • They send the card sealed in a nice box with a QR code as a "certificate of authenticity" good for so long as the seal is not broken

Why this sucks for CGC:

• The moment that PSA opens up PSA Vault to comic books, we might actually start seeing a major shift in grading and selling behaviors
• CGC has no ecosystem that can compete--to even build the technology and logistics as something like PSA Vault, they are years behind
• Even if they could accomplish something like PSA Vault, they won't be able to get a partnership with eBay without eBay burning bridges with PSA

Why the partnership is anti-competitive:

• While long time and reputed graders like CGC qualify for Authenticity Guarantee, what about newcomers like TAG?
• What does a new up and coming company like TAG have to do to qualify to be part of Authenticity Guarantee? (bet you it's not documented anywhere!)
• What if eBay were to remove everything but PSA from Authenticity Guarantee? (PSA already bought out BGS and now defunct CBCS--so of the list of companies, feels like it's mostly PSA now)
• Without Authenticity Guarantee, selling your collectible exposes you to more risk as a seller--and buyers might not consider you, especially if it is a high value collectible

People say that PSA is good for competition--but is it in this case? It feels like a hostile takeover and checkmate for its competitors.

I really hope CGC is thinking about how and what they can do to compete but I fear that it may be bleak.

This honestly concerns me a lot.

Lately I feel like I've seen more and more influencers glazing PSA for Comic Books--notably the Amazing Fantasy PSA 7 that was paraded at a party at San Diego Comic Con ahead of its auction.

Let me lay down some background and context as to how massive the PSA/eBay partnership is:

• PSA slabs command more value (for cards, right now). People say that it's due to decades of reputation, but I think it's much more simpler than that:
  • PSA upcharges you on the value of the card (they call it to cover the "insurance," but you pay that whether you get the collectible graded and handed to you in the same day)
  • It's actually a vehicle to bake in today's price into the cost of ownership of the collectible
  • A collector/seller is less likely to let go of a collectible for less than what they paid to acquire AND grade the collectible unless they're desperate
  • Therefore, with so many collectors holding the line on what they paid, the value doesn't diminish that much
• The Vault ecosystem allows you to grade your collectible, and:
  • Immediately sell it to PSA
  • Or, have it listed on eBay and shipped directly from PSA Vault
• When you buy from eBay, you have the option to add-on grading with PSA (and not any other graders)
• You can avoid sales tax on eBay by having the card go directly to PSA Vault
• They make it easy to consign and sell through one of the biggest eBay consignment accounts (PSA Vault), granting immediate reputation/trust and high # of views on your collectible
  • eBay is, quite frankly, the largest collectibles marketplace in the world
• Authenticity Guarantee makes it so that, for now, certain cards that are a minimum value (I think $250), the seller must ship to PSA and PSA will authenticate the card and send it to the buyer
  • As long as you do your job and ship the card to PSA, they will absorb the risk from the card to the buyer
  • They send the card sealed in a nice box with a QR code as a "certificate of authenticity" good for so long as the seal is not broken

Why this sucks for CGC:

• The moment that PSA opens up PSA Vault to comic books, we might actually start seeing a major shift in grading and selling behaviors
• CGC has no ecosystem that can compete--to even build the technology and logistics as something like PSA Vault, they are years behind
• Even if they could accomplish something like PSA Vault, they won't be able to get a partnership with eBay without eBay burning bridges with PSA

Why the partnership is anti-competitive:

• While long time and reputed graders like CGC qualify for Authenticity Guarantee, what about newcomers like TAG?
• What does a new up and coming company like TAG have to do to qualify to be part of Authenticity Guarantee? (bet you it's not documented anywhere!)
• What if eBay were to remove everything but PSA from Authenticity Guarantee? (PSA already bought out BGS and now defunct CBCS--so of the list of companies, feels like it's mostly PSA now)
• Without Authenticity Guarantee, selling your collectible exposes you to more risk as a seller--and buyers might not consider you, especially if it is a high value collectible

People say that PSA is good for competition--but is it in this case? It feels like a hostile takeover and checkmate for its competitors.

I really hope CGC is thinking about how and what they can do to compete but I fear that it may be bleak.

https://preview.redd.it/mraga0ajx8jh1.png?width=651&format=png&auto=webp&s=309803358a204174d245bd77afa369350b909fc9

I just finished Duke and am starting Cobra Commander now.

I grew up watching a little bit of GI Joe and while I enjoyed it, it never turned me into a big lifelong fan.

But reading this so far, at least for Duke 1-6--I think I had the wrong idea about what GI Joe is.

I never picked up this series because maybe I inherently judged the book by its cover.

And all I can say is... this has been a fun read so far.

https://preview.redd.it/fjlkgvl9zohh1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=79d3e9e25f52accf55335f488eefbdea0cc14ce7

I pulled this card from a MTG Secret Lair.

Can someone please help me identify which book this is from?

Comic book collectibles are booming.

Is this being driven by the CGC 9.9 Absolute Batman #nn Ashcan Foil that sold for $16k?

One thing I will call out:

• There is a difference between the SDCC Exclusive Ashcan and the Retailer Exclusive Ashcan
• It's not clear which is rarer
  • There are about 2000 retailers
  • There's no clear number on how many SDCC Exclusive Ashcans were sold, but it's likely low because they sold out pretty quick each day

Differences between this Ashcan and the Absolute Batman #nn Ashcan Foil:

• The Absolute Batman Ashcan was never sold at retailers
• You had to be at SDCC to get any ashcan
• Clear number of 500 max on the Ashcan Foil
• The foil is distinctly different than the regular Absolute Batman ashcan
  • The regular Absolute Batman ashcan is ashcan sized
  • The Absolute Batman ashcan Foil is full comic book size
  • The only difference between the Chainkata ashcans are:
    • The SDCC one says "Convention Exclusive Ashcan" vs. "Retailer Exclusive Ashcan" -- everything else is the same; less cool of an effect than the AB Ashcan Foil

Right now the Retailer Exclusive Ashcan is going for over $100, and people are asking for over $350 for the SDCC Ashcan.

I am a contrarian here.

• If you love DWJ so much, what about his first comic book Ghost Fleet?
• Or why not chase Transformers #1 (which his run of Transformers is highly regarded)
• All of these books feature his signature art style--not just Chainkata
• Why does this book deserve Absolute Batman #1 raw prices?
• Do you think this book has a higher floor/ceiling than Absolute Batman for your entry point to be somewhere between $100-350?

Where is the Transformers #1 ashcan today?

• It also went through a hype cycle. Back in 2023, people paid $230 for the B&W ashcan
• Today, that same book sells for about $100 raw with low sell through

Don't get me wrong. I am excited that people are excited about ashcans now and I love Daniel Warren Johnson and am a big fan. But the current prices are suggesting that people think this book is valued as much as Absolute Batman or may be the next big thing. Can this indie comic have a higher ceiling than literally Batman?

All in all--either Absolute Batman is a bargain if Chainkata is already worth $100-300, or Chainkata is currently over valued. Which one is it?

• The book isn't out yet
• It's a brand new IP that needs to develop a vibrant fanbase
• The universe has to be good enough to be worth leaping off the page (e.g., Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Percy Jackson)
• It hasn't crossed over into other mediums

Please report them when you see them. This place is intended to be a spot for collectors to share their pulls and non-sealed collections.

If you pulled a Red Manga, great! If you bought one? Great! You want to show off your shelf of cards? Awesome. If you want to show your opened product next to your pull? Cool. Nobody is stopping you from posting a picture of your card(s).

These parallels look dated compared to what modern TCGs are doing. We should be getting custom art from artists, new action/scenes/poses than generic stuff ripped from variant covers.

What do you guys think?

https://preview.redd.it/3tptgyljgagh1.png?width=1394&format=png&auto=webp&s=563be52d40722871e8f8ad3b1541028a00441585

Isn't it contradictory for it to be an SDCC Exclusive only to be made online, especially with signed copies?

The lines to buy + get a signed copy from Jim Lee were HORRENDOUS. It feels disengenuous and unfair to ALL the people who waited HOURS or made multiple trips, possibly missing out on other opportunities or panels they wanted to see.

And how is this not false advertising at this point?

Here is their original post that says "ONLY AT SDCC":

https://preview.redd.it/4zm3e4xdkagh1.png?width=1406&format=png&auto=webp&s=3312b6d7b301ae0b36b1d17dedf5121bd319a054

I see the trio of Funkos are selling for $750 on eBay, with the Absolute Batman funko selling for nearly $400 alone.

You had to get a wristband (won through an online raffle through SDCC Exclusives Portal).

And if it wasn't a wristband exclusive, you had to be in line veeeery early with tens of thousands of people going for the same thing you are.

Just wondering if anyone with a wristband kindly helped this person with this acquisition?

Would be a cool success story to hear!