I voted for option # 1 because it is a grading service.Not only will they let you know if it's been altered,restored,trimmed,etc., they will give it a grade,according to their criteria,and slab it for you. So, I feel they have a system in place that works,for the most part. If you like raw cards, by all means, collect them that way!!! No one is forcing you to do otherwise.
Am I saying the system is perfect with no flaws? NO. As has been said before,it is people doing the grading,so of course it won't be perfect.
It seems like the biggest issues are consistency,crossovers,people not getting the grade they expected,pop reports (not being accurate),and what grading has done to the prices.I could've easily picked option #2,because they do need to improve (tweak) some things- but what else would be better than a ten point grading system? If you only used Authentic or Altered,you would still have dealers saying "this card is EX to Mint",,only to have the card arrive and be VG.There is no better safegaurd when buying over the internet than buying graded cards-and most of the stuff we collect has to be bought over the internet,or at card shows in other states.How many times do you want to get burned? If it were a perfect world,and there were no scam artists, maybe we wouldn't need anything more than a protective case,right?
There is no wrong answer on this poll,it's all about preferance.I don't always agree with a grade on the slab,or how one TPG's 4 is another's 3,etc.,but no one is forcing me to use them either.You should be buying the card and not the grade-just use the given grade as the example.And if all cards mean to you are a $$$ sign,well...................
Sincerely,Clayton