New to this, confused about PSA

[shaunsteig]

Originally Posted by npa589

I know I can submit as a non-member, but what are the greatest benefits to being a CC member?

Sort of. As a member you can send in submissions directly. As a non-member, you cannot -- you'll need to bring the cards to a PSA authorized dealer who will then submit the cards on your behalf. That to me was the biggest reason I became a member -- the convenience of sending cards in directly myself cause I can never make it over to a dealer during their business hours.

Otherwise, I agree with everything else stated by the prior responder. Membership does come with a certain number of free submissions (but you still pay for shipping both ways); the number varies according to the membership level selected. And declared value is essentially what you'd like to insure the card for (while under their possession or for calculating the return shipping cost). The service level, and cost of grading, depends on the declared value and on how quickly you'd like the card to be graded. So while you might be tempted to undervalue all your submissions in order to save money on the service level, keep in mind that if they're lost that you'll be shortchanging yourself. Like the prior responded, I usually set it for at least what I purchased the card for, sometimes higher if I know it'd grade to a value much higher.

PSA also runs Collector's Club specials each month, which often come out much cheaper than the standard submission cost if your cards meet the particular criteria. In general, I try to combine many items into one large submission so as to minimize shipping costs in both directions.

Hope that helps,
--S