It has been a month since I submitted comics to CBCS for grading to test their claims of new and improved customer service and slabs. This is what I have discovered.
As of the time of this writing, it has been five uneventful weeks since I mailed my books to CBCS. Here is what is happening.
THE STORY SO FAR
On July 29, I packaged my comics and shipped them into the unknown (also called the United States Postal Service). I chose to use a Gemini mailer secured with bubble wrap and sealed in a padded envelope.
For those new to the term, a Gemini case is a cardboard mailer manufactured specifically for comics. There are other options, which I will cover in a later post, but the real reason I chose the Gemini is that it happened to be at the top of the stack in my desk drawer.
You can order these online, but I would suspect that your local comic shop could sell you one or at least order it. I do not have a local comic shop (it is rare that a comic shop in my nook of Georgia stays open for more than two or three years at a stretch), so I buy the majority of my comics online. Most sellers pack them in the cardboard mailers, and I save them for just such an emergency. Recycle, reuse, and save money is my motto.
WHAT DID I SEND?
Grading companies divide the comics into different tiers depending on the issues' ages. I wanted to get a relatively broad sense of the process, so I sent a Silver Age and a modern comic: Silver Surfer #1 and Venom #3 (third print). Since there was a discount promotion happening at the time, I chose a fast pass for both the pressing and the grading.
According to the CBCS dashboard, they received my comics on July 31. I was alerted that the books are now being processed and will be held in their secure vault.
Cool. Now what?
The dashboard still has the comics listed as “processing.” It is a nice, vague term that could mean they are being readied for pressing or being cataloged. There is also the possibility that “processing” means absolutely nothing, and my comics are among a larger stack of comics doing just that - nothing.
AN A FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE
I reached out to the CBCS customer service with an email, and I was very impressed with the speed of the reply.
It took less than 20 minutes to get a response from Darryl Haden, the CBCS regional manager. In his email, he explained that my comics were indeed with the presser. The turnaround time, he wrote, for fast pressing is about eight weeks. After the comics are pressed, they will move to the grading room.
After a quick, satisfactory answer to my questions, I have to give the CBCS customer service an A (or should I make that a near-mint-plus?). Eight weeks for pressing is not unreasonable, so I have no complaints thus far.
IN THE MEANTIME
I decided to initiate a little competition. While I am waiting for CBCS Grading, why not send two comics to CGC? Let’s find out which company will deliver the overall better experience for my hard-earned dollars. I'll fill you in on the CGC submissions in the next post. Stay tuned.
