I think it's a combination of things that are driving the current prices ...


2) Secondly, you have a bunch of new sellers who have no problems selling raw books as NM/M - even though, in their world, this simply means a book they bought off the rack and immediately put in a bag. People who've been on these boards for a while usually don't have a problem paying premiums for NM+ or NM/M raw books - because, for a rather long time, the only people who'd actually describe books as such were the ones who'd already established a reputation for their solid grading skills.

Nowadays everyone & their mother seem to frequent a magical LCS where every single book on the rack is NM/M - where color-breaking spine ticks & creases are merely scanner artifacts, tricks of the light or printing defects - and where, unfortunately, the forum FS codes of conduct prevent more established boardies from pointing out that every single book in their sales threads are heavily overgraded.

The "if you ignore the large tear on the front this book is totally NM" style of defense, if you will.

That one I've named the "get in, get out, scorched earth strategy".

Agree on this one, especially the bolded part. I've always thought boardies should be more protective of their playground and call out overgraders when they see them, thread-krapping be damned. I'm in the minority on that one. Unfortunately, one of the results of the "just don't buy it and move on quietly" policy is that third-rate sellers (or graders if you will) are plying their over-graded wares on the backs of the sound grading reputations of the other members of this board. The end result being that trust is placed where it shouldn't be by some boardies.

Oh well.