CSG grading? + General Grading company discussion!

[Joe]

Just ran across this auction for a squidhead MOC graded by a company called "collector source grading"

http://cgi.ebay.com/Star-Wars-Return-of-The-Jedi-Squid-Head-CSG-8-1-mosc_W0QQitemZ170375260558QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item27ab28298e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_720wt_1166

Seller is a transformers collector and probably sent it into these guys for grading, not sure about their site, bit "amateur" looking , anyone agree? The group picture of the graders makes them look like a church group..

http://collectorsourcegrading.com/index.php

 

[Joe]

Grading Scale

10.0- GEM
9.9-9.8- Excellent Plus (E+)
9.7-9.3- Excellent (E)
9.2-9.0- Excellent Minus (E-)
8.9-8.8- Above Average Plus (AA+)
8.7-8.3- Above Average (AA)
8.2-8.0- Above Average Minus (AA-)
7.9-7.8- Average Plus (AV+)
7.7-7.3- Average (AV)
7.2-7.0- Average Minus (AV-)
6.9-6.8- Below Average Plus (BA+)
6.7-6.3- Below Average (BA)
6.2-6.0- Below Average Minus (BA-)
5.9 and below- Poor


Huh?! :shock: :lol:

I want an above average minus!!!

 

[shawn_k]

I've seen the site before. I probably ran across it the same as you with a Transformers auction. That is pretty much all I know. I agree with you about the site and the picture.

Personally I like seeing some competition for AFA like these guys and UKG, but the problem is AFA is so well known and they also have a trusted/respected person in the hobby doing authentication, that it really makes it difficult for someone new to try and compete. The main area I can see them competing with is for collectors that want their stuff in Acrylic and don't really care who grades it. Of course with me I would choose Oscar in that case, so you don't have to pay on top for someone to inspect it and give their opinion on the piece.

 

[Joe]

I agree with you about AFA Shawn.

UKG have become a much bigger name now than they were a while back (unfortunately some of the latest stories won't be doing them any favours) but I think we all know they still fall well short of competing with AFA at every level, customer satisfaction, turn around times, authentication and peace of mind, well built cases etc.

Even though I have reasons to dislike AFA they really did hit the nail on the head from the start and maintained their presence in the hobby.

Anyone trying to compete with AFA is never going to succeed unfortunately, guys like the CSG I linked look terribly amateur in comparison, there was also a guy based in the UK who tried to set up a grading company which also looked pretty poor, pretty much what you might expect from one guy, bland boring site, bad cases etc.

I think these other grading companies also fail badly on trying to stand out from the crowd, UKG have the rarity rating that seemingly no-one likes or even understands, these guys have that fiddly grading scale that really hurts to even read let alone understand.

Good luck to anyone giving it a go but to be honest at least for Star wars AFA is and will always be the winner.

 

[plantman]

I agree Joe, it would be a mammoth task to comptere with the AFA and it would take 5years or so to develop at least.

The only way you could compete is if a group of well repected collectors got together and dveloped a company, i get the feeling that this might be done at some point, hopefully the UKG will get some people on board and really boost them up, or somebody else might get the idea and do it.

Whoever does it will need vast experience and quite a lot of people on board.

 

[Joe]

I agree Joe, it would be a mammoth task to comptere with the AFA and it would take 5years or so to develop at least.

The only way you could compete is if a group of well repected collectors got together and dveloped a company, i get the feeling that this might be done at some point, hopefully the UKG will get some people on board and really boost them up, or somebody else might get the idea and do it.

Whoever does it will need vast experience and quite a lot of people on board.

Yeah Andy that could work if developed publicly, if the idea was proposed on a forum like RS and the people involved attempted to build a reputation with collectors directly by being accessible to questions etc, they would also need to have known faces and be trusted names in the hobby.

The team would have to be seriously capable of the task and as I mentioned trustworthy 110% for it to kick off!

 

[aussiejames]

"above average minus" sounds like a grade you give to a "special" kid at school so he doesn't feel bad about being mentally handicaped :wink:

 

[plantman]

SWF Graders

Sounds great

 

[Joe]

SWF Graders

Sounds great

I wouldn't trust them :lol:

I think there are a few members with enough experience to be able to be a part of a grading company on the forum but with everyone being at different ends of the country (or not in the country at all) it would make it impossible.

It would be a time consuming and possibly even a financial risk to start up if it flopped, people with full time jobs would have to free up time or quit their jobs to set up a grading company and be available to grade when needed, you would need money to rent a place for items to be sent , to kit the place out comfortably for grading etc (and choosing a location that suits everyone involved would be really tricky)

If people weren't in the same area you would all be travelling up and down on your own petrol till the company was a bit more known.

To be honest , for all the reasons above you have to give credit to small operations like UKG, for a two man team (I think?) they have at least got the name known and are grading quite a lot of stuff.

 

[spoons]

To be honest , for all the reasons above you have to give credit to small operations like UKG, for a two man team (I think?) they have at least got the name known and are grading quite a lot of stuff.

Very true

If i had the cash I'd start up a vintage toy museum in Devon or Cornwall, I'd run it as a hobby and use it as a killer collecting room 8)

 

[Joe]

To be honest , for all the reasons above you have to give credit to small operations like UKG, for a two man team (I think?) they have at least got the name known and are grading quite a lot of stuff.

Very true

If i had the cash I'd start up a vintage toy museum in Devon or Cornwall, I'd run it as a hobby and use it as a killer collecting room 8)

I almost asked how much you would charge for entry then spoons


Think I will instead say, cool idea! 8)

 

[plantman]

I would love a vintage shop, kit it out with all sorts of stuff...lol

I think there are probably 6 or 7 people in my area (South Yorkshire Sheffield area) on here, so it could be done, but like you say it just dream, in reality we all have to earn in this financial climate.

Would be a good adventure though, and im sure you would attract other people if it took off.

 

[Grant]

Hello,

I dont like the look of that at all. The label is very messy to look at compared with AFA which is very neat in comparison. Long live AFA

Grant. 8)

 

[spoons]

I almost asked how much you would charge for entry then spoons


Think I will instead say, cool idea! 8)

:lol:

There's a toy museum in Cheddar with a Star Wars section, but it's all episode 1 stuff. The museum is mostly Dinky toys and the like and is very popular.

I think there's areal market for a museum of toys from the 70s-90s - if it was a hobby it wouldn't matter if no-one was interested :lol:

 

[aussiejames]

I dragged my wife to the Penang toy museum on our honeymoon :shock: It's supposedly the largest in Asia. I could have spent hours in there but we had other things to do :wink:

 

[jaymassive619]

I dont think it would be that hard to set up really.

You dont need premises when your starting out only when your turn over reaches a critical point. Just a fixed address with a spare room or 2 to use for storage and supplies. (Its not like you need a shop front the business is online)

As long as you got a good supply deal on cases print some snazzy lables (**** you can even get the holo labels on a print shop contract) have a paypal a/c lol and if your feeling fruity set up a google checkout and your in business.

Jay

 

[plantman]

website would be a doddle, easliy add paypal checkout to it and away you go...whos up for it :lol:

 

[Joe]

You dont need premises when your starting out only when your turn over reaches a critical point. Just a fixed address with a spare room or 2 to use for storage and supplies. (Its not like you need a shop front the business is online)

That sounds ok if its a one man band, or you and a friend but if you have a team of people helping to grade and authenticate that's not really something you can keep up (unless you have a massive house and no family)

As long as you got a good supply deal on cases print some snazzy lables (**** you can even get the holo labels on a print shop contract) have a paypal a/c lol and if your feeling fruity set up a google checkout and your in business.

Snazzy cases aren't the answer to starting a successful grading company, perhaps a custom case business if they are well made and at a good price, but the authentication and grading side needs to be spot on to do well or you find threads like the recent UKG one picking holes in your company with good reason as well!

As said in this thread, its a pipe dream at best.

 

[Joe]

Plus, I think UKG got a fair bit of business by attending many many shows and of course being the only UK based grading company. It has taken them a lot of effort to even getting close to competing.

The UK only needs one grading company as long as they get it right, for a new one to be a hit it would have had to have been launched before or at the same time as UKG and by now be a trusted name in the hobby.

Imagine how many people will start sending 12backs and Harberts in to a couple of guys in a house (who might not even be able to handle authenticating such things)

 

[jaymassive619]

Plus, I think UKG got a fair bit of business by attending many many shows and of course being the only UK based grading company. It has taken them a lot of effort to even getting close to competing.

The UK only needs one grading company as long as they get it right, for a new one to be a hit it would have had to have been launched before or at the same time as UKG and by now be a trusted name in the hobby.

Imagine how many people will start sending 12backs and Harberts in to a couple of guys in a house.

Interesting points Joe

In all honesty though Joe do you realize that the UKG is nothing more than a couple of collectors who made a website (as Andy said easy as piss to do) then advertised via forums and shows to get the first orders in. Thats is all there is to it there was no great formula or giant operation like the AFA (even they started out small).

Now the orders have increased from the original output they don't seem to have expanded their business model hence all the mistakes and long drawn out turnarounds etc etc and the huge dip in UKG items been sold on eBay of late.

2 or 3 collectors within driving distance both with a least 1 spare room (in their home) to dedicate to the business stock submissions etc.

Paypal and Google check out.

A print contact if you want professional Labels (Do UKG items have Holo labels like the AFA or not?)

Then a case supplier and a skilled professional to make custom cases something my cousins business could do very easily.

Its not hard to do at all it really isn't Joe is someone wanted to.

If you look back to the wild west when somebody rolled into town all you had to do to be set up your business as a Barber, Healer, Pub etc etc was to post a sign outside your premises stating what you are. There was no qualifications needed or governing bodies to adhere to back then.

The signs were known as shingles hence the term setting up your shingle which is used in business even today.