Submission Questions
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A: You send us your comics and we clean and press them to get them perfect for grading. Then we send them to the graders, and as dealers we pass a portion of our grader discount back to you.
For example, we charge $17 (before any discounts check the Submit page) to dry clean and press a modern comic book (published January 1975 - present) on 8-week turnaround time.
We also charge $19.85 to ship (1-3 comics - priority, insured, signature-required) back to you, or on to a grader like CGC (Certified Guaranty Company).
We are CGC-authorized dealers, so through us CGC charges are $24/comic for modern grading, plus an optional $15 for a fast track fee if you wanted it accelerated.
There are another ~$35 of post-grading return shipping & handling fees for: a completed CGC invoice; for CGC to finalize; and for CGC to ship the graded item(s) (insured, signature-required) back to you.
Yes the fees can add up. That is why it is best to pick higher value comic books or collectibles that can benefit visibly from cleaning and pressing. Also, because of shipping charges it is always better to group books together instead of processing them individually.
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Review our lists of defects that we fix on this page.
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A: We have a consulting approach to pre-screening. Send us a few images for up to three (3) items by email, and we can provide a non-binding recommendation on grade. More items requires an appointment, which you can email to schedule.
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A: After you add cleaning & pressing options (per book) into your shopping cart, click the cart icon in the navigation bar/menu. During checkout you will be presented with a Submission Information Form that walks you through what we need to finalize your order:
Your list of submitted items
Optional Deep Cleaning instructions
Optional Tear & Tape Mending instructions
Optional Spine Roll Reversal instructions
Optional Comicpresser services: e.g., 9.8 Prescreen, remove from holder
After services send books to: you/CGC/CBCS - and whose account do we use
Declare values for shipping & insurance
Agree with the Comicpresser Terms of Service
Share how did you hear about Comicpresser?
Add any notes for Comicpresser
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A: Identify the publication year of your comics. The year published can often be found in the price box on the front cover; at the bottom of the inside front cover; or the bottom of the first page in small text. Using that publishing year, you can determine which era your comics come from, and match them to the tiers of service that are right for your submission.
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A: You can schedule a consultative appointment online or in person at our Atlanta offices. We can help you set up your order or create a concierge order for you.
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A: Yes. We will open up to three (3) holders per order for free, then it is $10/each to open thereafter.
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A: No, at this time we do not offer removal of restoration e.g., previously applied color touch, tear seals, added pieces, married pages or spine reinforcements.
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A: Yes they can. We can work over or around signatures as needed, please inquire about your specific autographed item.
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A: Yes they are business days, so 1 week = 7 business days. E.g., 4-week Guaranteed turnaround covers 28 business days, excluding weekends and holidays, from confirmed receipt of your collectibles.
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A: We hold insurance provided by CIS Collectibles Insurance Services.
You can see the details of what we do and do not cover in our terms of service. You must agree to these terms to make any purchase.
These terms do not cover your order for any damage that might occur to a book while we are trying to improve it.
Submissions are entirely at your own risk.
Pricing Questions
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A: Our Submit page has links to each service and the pricing options for them. Pricing can vary by age, value, type of service and turnaround time.
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A: Yes, we invoice a 3.5% Fair Market Value (FMV) surcharge on books with values over $1,000 per item, $99 minimum.
For books worth more than $1000, we charge a high value fee.
In general, the high value fee is equal to 3.5% of fair market value.
However the minimum charge is $99. This fee covers books worth $1000-$2829.
3.5% X $2829 = $99.
After the $2829 base FMV value, the fee would increase beyond $99 per comic book.
FMV values are based on our research of values at time of submission using graded and ungraded actual sales comparables from leading public and private sources, such as GPAnalysis (GPA), GoCollect & Ebay sold listings.
Shipping Questions
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A: We have two types of shipping charges:
Required return shipping from Comicpresser
You can't see this until you complete the checkout process - it's in the delivery methods option in our checkout process
1-3 Items, $25.00
4-10 Items, $30.00
11-30 Items, $40.00
31-60 Items, $50.00
61-100 Items, $60.00
101-300 Items, $70.00
This covers shipping of books back to you OR to a grader - depends on your order
We provide flat pricing from us based on the number of items, regardless of the declared value of your collectibles - we use our insurance to cover that shipment
Return shipping from a grader e.g., CGC
This shipping is also required if using our dealer account for grading
You must order separate shipping fees for: every different grading tier; custom label batches; magazines or pulps; cards; every batch of 25 items
Purchase CGC return shipping from the menu in our CGC product
CGC sets this pricing - see CGC shipment pricing rules on their website
This covers shipping of books back to you from CGC only
Pricing can increase further based on your declared value - they include proportionate insurance for each shipment
Applies to orders returning from CGC only
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A: NEW! Watch our favorite packing videos.
We recommend placing larger batches of comics in a tightly packed box-within-a-box for best protection against bends and corner crunches. A single box is fine if books are padded on all sides with bubble wrap, air pillows or foam.
For just a few books, Gemini comic mailers are very popular, by themselves or within another box as well.
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A: Sometimes, please inquire about your country. We are happy to take your submission and send it back to you in another country if feasible.
However, we may need to send you an adjusting invoice for additional postage and duties.
In addition, we cannot guarantee that international shipping will not cause damage to a package and thus undo the pressing. But we will pack securely and try our best.
If you want to create an order, please start on our submit page.
Grading Questions
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A: Yes! We are authorized CGC & PSA dealers who can submit for you & pass along our discounts to you. We can also send books based on your CGC, CBCS, EGS, PGX, PSA, Beckett and other grading accounts. If we use your accounts, we ask that you submit prepared grader forms when you first ship to us, so we can include it when we ship your cleaned & pressed items to their next destination(s).
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A: Our grading services are for cleaning and pressing clients only.
We expect that grading orders will be accompanied by cleaning & pressing orders in most cases. However, we are willing to consider some exceptions, such as books too fragile to press.
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A: Comicpresser-treated collectibles come back from grading as blue label (unrestored) almost all of the time, unless we plan otherwise or some prior restoration is detected.
There have been times (e.g., when treating dark staining) when items came back in a conserved (professionally restored) blue-gray label.
In such cases we try again, as described in our guarantee. Usually we plan with you to minimize treatments (less is more) and discuss risks.
REMINDER: Cleaning & pressing vintage paper has risks, and it can take more than one try with grading submissions to get the grade sought.
