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Comic Book Conditions

G-Mart takes great pride in ensuring that comic books are delivered to the customer in excellent condition. Condition is very important for some customers who are especially interested in collectibility, while it is not at all important for other customers who are just interested in reading the comic books. Condition is described differently for new comic books compared to old comic books, so G-Mart supports two different customer preferences for comic book conditions.

The first condition preference is used for filling Pre-Orders and Subscriptions for new comic books. The conditions for new comic books are described in the table below (or more details for Pre-Orders):

Conditions for New Comic Books (more details for Pre-Orders)
Condition	Description
Require perfect	Strictly graded in near mint condition, no defects are allowed. Carries a premium charge of 10% of retail cost applied after the regular discounts. If the book is not available in near mint condition then the order is canceled. Recommended only for the most stringent collectors.
Mostly perfect	Strictly graded in near mint condition, no defects are allowed. Carries a premium charge of 10% of retail cost applied after the regular discounts. If the book is not available in near mint condition then the book is supplied in the best available condition with no premium charge. Recommended for collectors who are extremely concerned with condition but don't want to miss an issue.
Collectible	Average new comic book. Most comic books will be in near mint condition, but minor defects are allowed provided the overall condition is still appropriate for a new comic book on store shelves. This is the standard discounted cost with no extra charges or credits. Recommended for most customers.
Readable	Most comic books will be in near mint condition, but allows comic books that are damaged but still completely readable. Damaged books will span a wide range from a comic book that has a small ding to a comic book that is crumpled but still readable. Damaged books carry an extra discount of 10% of retail cost applied after the regular discounts. Avoids delays that occasionally arise obtaining undamaged replacements. Recommended for customers who just care about reading the comic books.

The second condition preference is used for old comic books (also called back issues). The comic book industry has several grading schemes for describing comic book conditions, and we currently use the "old school" Overstreet system with a few modifications. The conditions for old comic books are described in the table below:

Conditions for Old Comic Books
Condition	Description
New (NW)	G-Mart term describing a comic book that is generally acceptable to a collector, meaning well cared for, no major defects, and only minor defects appropriate for the age of the book. For modern comic books this translates roughly to NM-VF, while for 1960's comic books this translates roughly to VG. This category is not used for very high priced older comics where the specific details of condition are extremely important.
Reading (RD)	G-Mart term describing a reading copy. Carries no statement of condition other than the story can be read.
Mint (MT)	(Overstreet) Nearly perfect in every way.
Near Mint (NM)	(Overstreet) Nearly perfect with only minor imperfections such as subtle bindery/printing defects.
Very Fine (VF)	(Overstreet) Excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal; limited accumulation of bindery/printing defects, surface wear, and minor spine creasing.
Fine (FN)	(Overstreet) Above average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects.
Very Good (VG)	(Overstreet) The average used comic book with moderate to significant wear.
Good (GD)	(Overstreet) Shows significant wear.
Fair (FR)	(Overstreet) Shows heavy wear.
Poor (PR)	(Overstreet) Little or no collector value.

Comic Book Protection

G-Mart offers many options for bagging and boarding comic books to meet the diverse needs of collectors; we find that many customers appreciate the convenience of having their comic books arrive with bags and boards.

We use default protection during shipping to ensure comic books arrive in the desired condition, typically 8-12 comics in a Golden Age bag. However, there is no doubt that individual bagging and boarding is the single best measure to protect the condition of the comic books, and therefore collectors who take condition very seriously are strongly encouraged to choose individual bagging and boarding.