[Rhotchkiss]

I very rarely submit cards (like 1-2x/year), and when I do, its almost always to SGC. I have never tried to cross a PSA to SGC, but i have crossed an SGC to a PSA, and PSA downgraded it. So, based on my limited experience and from what I read/hear from others, here are my thoughts:

1. Grading companies often downgrade a card submitted in a competitor's flip. Perhaps its because SGC's and PSA's standards are different, but I think, especially with PSA, they want to appear more difficult/better than SGC/the competitor

2. With all grading companies, the same card submitted 5 different times could get 5 different grades. This used to be the PSA game -- submit, dont like the grade, crack and submit, rinse and repeat., Eventually you may get that grader who gives you the grade you want.

3. Grading is a bullshit crapshoot. These companies are not always capable of detecting alterations -- in my opinion, PSA downright sucks/fails at it. And, even if the grading companies correctly "authenticate" the card, grading is subjective, and the people grading the cards are so diverse in terms or knowledge (or lack there of and they are all so busy and over-worked, that grades are very inconsistent. Also, a company's standards in 2021 are very different from 2015, which are totally different from 2008 -- so a 6 can look better than some 8's and worse than some 4s.

4. DONT submit. But cards that are already graded. This way you can buy the card you want in the holder you want, and its takes the unknown out of it.

On whole, I strongly prefer to SGC to PSA, especially when it comes to old and/or rare cards. But they all make mistakes and can be quite inconsistent.