That new PSA/eBay deal

[GregMitch34]

I just saw the Sports Collector article and forgive me if this has been discussed here in recent days but I don't see it....Anyway it leaves me confused. It appears to say that in the future NO card can be sold via eBay over $2000 unless it has been sent to PSA to be "verified"--not an option but a requirement, with the hint that this will be lowered to any over 250 when it settles in....Also that PSA will be handling graded while CCG only handles ungraded...Press release: "Beginning today, when a graded card is sold for $2,000+ in the U.S., the seller will send that graded card to PSA....."

Perhaps I'm reading it wrong....

Refer me to previous thread is discussed there or...discuss now. Seems like a bombshell...

https://sportscollectorsdigest.com/n...ee-requirement

[rjackson44]

lol

[Snapolit1]

I sold a card last week that triggered this new service. I was told to ship it to a PSA address in California. It was a SGC graded card by the way. The printing label I printed off ebay had a reference number and was directed to a specific guy at PSA. Yesterday I got an email from ebay saying it has passed authentication and they were packing it and shipping to the buyer. I was paid by ebay pursuant to ordinary practice, and they didn't hold my money until the authentication was complete.

Pretty interesting. Made life no more difficult from the selling end. Would be a debacle of course if PSA came back and said my card was not authentic even though it was in the holder of SGC. Seems like PSA turned the card around in 2 days. (Other than look at the case for marks of obvious tampering, not sure what else this dude was possibly going to do.)

[Leon]

Ebay needs to put a sticker on the slabbed cards they re-authenticate. Maybe a nifty red sticker or an ebay logo? I have always said this hobby needs more stickers!
.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by Leon

Ebay needs to put a sticker on the slabbed cards they re-authenticate. Maybe a nifty red sticker or an ebay logo? I have always said this hobby needs more stickers!
.

What ever happened to purple sticker guy? Haven't seen much from him.

[jchcollins]

All this stuff is highly entertaining to me. I saw an obviously fake '57 Koufax for sale on ebay last night at a price that triggers the authentication. Not that it will sell, but hopefully if so these kinds of practices will finally weed out some of the longtime bad apples.

Now, if ebay could be convinced to care about cards to the point where they would stop trying to sell me $200K Jose Uribe cards in my Facebook feed - that would be something.

[timzcardz]

Read the article.

My head is spinning.

Can't wait for my grandson to start riding a bike so that I can put PSA graded cards in his spokes! Makes as much sense to me as some of what is going on.

Or maybe I'm just getting old.

[molenick]

I can kind of see this for raw cards. But if you have to do this for cards graded by another TPG, it seems like it would hurt the value of cards graded by these services. I collect both PSA and SGC cards...which I guess is good news if I want a type card and may be able to get an SGC one cheaper. But bad news when selling SGC cards. Or has the PSA/SGC differential pretty much already been factored into pricing?

[Yoda]

Between Baker's verification stickers and the tie-ups between AHs and TPGers,
what used to be a relatively straightforward hobby has become waay to complicated and confusing. For someone interested in entering the vintage card market, it has to be a put-off.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Leon

Ebay needs to put a sticker on the slabbed cards they re-authenticate. Maybe a nifty red sticker or an ebay logo? I have always said this hobby needs more stickers!
.

I’ve been saying it for years….slabbed slabs are coming!

[G1911]

It's almost like eBay took a look at their card business and said "Gee guys, how do we suicide this profitable venture as quickly as we can?". I thought it was annoying when they re-sorted the categories and destroyed boxing. This is a terrible choice, absolutely nobody except PSA gains from this format. Why would anyone want to get an already-graded card authenticated again, even if one believes the grading companies are wonderful?

[JollyElm]

PSAslabgraded.jpg

[BobC]

Interesting move by Ebay, and PSA. I wonder if this was in any way initiated by PSA looking at the original authentication deal between Ebay and CSG as a direct attack by CSG against them? If so, this could be their response back to fend off what could be their biggest potential competitor.

Raises some obvious questions though. For one, how the hell can you verify authenticity of a card in someone else's slab? I've always heard that it is impossible to fully examine a card in a slab to determine. From experience I know you can't really examine the edges of a slabbed card at all, or fully examine the surface due to the layer of plastic. And forget about any indication of the feel or smell of the card. Who are they kidding to think they can be perfect in determining authenticity of someone else's slabbed cards, without the ability to actually examine them in their raw, pristine state?

And then, what about issues that PSA doesn't grade? Are they suddenly going to claim to be able to determine authenticity of S74 silks and Fro-Joy cards graded by someone else? Or maybe they're going to suddenly start grading all these issues they've been ignoring for years so they don't appear stupid and hypocritical.

I've said on different occasions how we in the hobby have failed ourselves by allowing the TPGs and others in the card industry to set the parameters and call the shots on standards and how we collect and make decisions for us on what is what. Now it appears that Ebay is similarly trying to exert its will on those of us in the hobby still buying through them by forcing us to use and abide by PSA's thinking and will, whether we like it or not. Unbelievable!

[benjulmag]

So you are saying that PSA is to be the sole authority a seller must turn to in order to sell any slabbed card valued at more than $2,000, regardless which company's slab the card is in?

Flunks the smell test to me, especially when one considers that a significant percentage of the prewar collector population, (and IMO the majority of such collectors), regard SGC as the more reliable authenticator of such cards. Is there any economic relationship between PSA and eBay? And does anybody know if eBay reached out to SGC to offer them the opportunity to re authenticate SGC slabbed cards?

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by BobC

Interesting move by Ebay, and PSA. I wonder if this was in any way initiated by PSA looking at the original authentication deal between Ebay and CSG as a direct attack by CSG against them? If so, this could be their response back to fend off what could be their biggest potential competitor.

Raises some obvious questions though. For one, how the hell can you verify authenticity of a card in someone else's slab? I've always heard that it is impossible to fully examine a card in a slab to determine. From experience I know you can't really examine the edges of a slabbed card at all, or fully examine the surface due to the layer of plastic. And forget about any indication of the feel or smell of the card. Who are they kidding to think they can be perfect in determining authenticity of someone else's slabbed cards, without the ability to actually examine them in their raw, pristine state?

And then, what about issues that PSA doesn't grade? Are they suddenly going to claim to be able to determine authenticity of S74 silks and Fro-Joy cards graded by someone else? Or maybe they're going to suddenly start grading all these issues they've been ignoring for years so they don't appear stupid and hypocritical.

I've said on different occasions how we in the hobby have failed ourselves by allowing the TPGs and others in the card industry to set the parameters and call the shots on standards and how we collect and make decisions for us on what is what. Now it appears that Ebay is similarly trying to exert its will on those of us in the hobby still buying through them by forcing us to use and abide by PSA's thinking and will, whether we like it or not. Unbelievable!

I don't think they're going to be authenticating the cards in the slabs. Just authenticating the slabs.

....ok, now that I said that out loud, a porthole to another universe just opened in the sky above me.

They say I have to go now.

[benjulmag]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

I don't think they're going to be authenticating the cards in the slabs. Just authenticating the slabs.

....ok, now that I said that out loud, a porthole to another universe just opened in the sky above me.

They say I have to go now.

If I am buying an SGC slabbed card, I would prefer SGC be the party that tells me if their slab has been altered, not PSA.

While the concept of authenticating the slabs is an interesting one, I don't think the market needs it, any more than the market needs a requirement that only slabbed cards can be sold. As long as buyers know the option is out there, a buyer can make his/her own determination what to require, at which point market forces will dictate what the seller will need to do.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by benjulmag

So you are saying that PSA is to be the sole authority a seller must turn to in order to sell any slabbed card valued at more than $2,000, regardless which company's slab the card is in?

Flunks the smell test to me, especially when one considers that a significant percentage of the prewar collector population, (and IMO the majority of such collectors), regard SGC as the more reliable authenticator of such cards. Is there any economic relationship between PSA and eBay? And does anybody know if eBay reached out to SGC to offer them the opportunity to re authenticate SGC slabbed cards?

Corey,

That's what I'm saying/thinking as well. Something actually stinks with this whole new business relationship. And like you, it seems that everyone else is trying to tell us collectors what to think and how to collect. Like you, I would be interested to find out if SGC was approached by Ebay as well, or what about BVG/Beckett? Sadly, the vintage side of the hobby, as far as Ebay is concerned, is probably not as big as the modern side, so they don't worry very much about what vintage collectors like us may think. A lot of this may have more to do with the investors replacing and taking over from the collectors in the hobby, and different players in the industry jockeying for position to be in control and calling the shots as to what investors are looking for.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

I don't think they're going to be authenticating the cards in the slabs. Just authenticating the slabs.

....ok, now that I said that out loud, a porthole to another universe just opened in the sky above me.

They say I have to go now.

LOL

I know Dave, doesn't this entire thing seem and sound absurd? Makes you wonder what the players involved are thinking. And as to PSA just authenticating that the slabs alone are authentic, are they going to have access to other TPG's cert numbers and files so they can cross-reference that to make sure the right card is in the right slab? And what about obscure or out of business TPGs, like FSA or GAI?

[Peter_Spaeth]

The PSA card I bought off ebay a week ago that literally was graded two weeks ago is now on its way back from being authenticated, AGAIN, by PSA. So stupid.

[MikeGarcia]

..Some day when I sell these graded/slabbed R313A 1934 Gold Medal Joe Medwicks and they are sent off for authentication , I'd like to be a fly on the wall in that office...:

..

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

The PSA card I bought off ebay a week ago that literally was graded two weeks ago is now on its way back from being authenticated, AGAIN, by PSA. So stupid.

And just wait till someone has to pay for that as well!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by BobC

And just wait till someone has to pay for that as well!

As has been pointed out, this is the same PSA sitting on a shitload of subs for well over a year. You can't make this up.

[Bridwell]

Is PSA charging a fee to verify the slabs? Who pays that fee?

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

As has been pointed out, this is the same PSA sitting on a shitload of subs for well over a year. You can't make this up.

They'll turn around an authentication for Ebay in a day, but if you want them to do it for one of your cards it costs about a thousand bucks.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

As has been pointed out, this is the same PSA sitting on a shitload of subs for well over a year. You can't make this up.

This entire revelation is absurd. And I'm still wondering if any of this has to do with CSG's initial deal with Ebay. Something tells me this may ultimately have something to do with all this.

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

I sold a card last week that triggered this new service. I was told to ship it to a PSA address in California. It was a SGC graded card by the way. The printing label I printed off ebay had a reference number and was directed to a specific guy at PSA. Yesterday I got an email from ebay saying it has passed authentication and they were packing it and shipping to the buyer. I was paid by ebay pursuant to ordinary practice, and they didn't hold my money until the authentication was complete.

Pretty interesting. Made life no more difficult from the selling end. Would be a debacle of course if PSA came back and said my card was not authentic even though it was in the holder of SGC. Seems like PSA turned the card around in 2 days. (Other than look at the case for marks of obvious tampering, not sure what else this dude was possibly going to do.)

Did this cost either you (seller) or the buyer any money? If not, have eBay fees gone up at all?

And, I think psa should put a sticker or something on it since there are rendering a professional opinion. I would think the buyer, and all subsequent buyers, would like to know that PSA has blessed the card. Plus, it would save from having to do it all over again if the card ever gets relisted on eBay

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

Did this cost either you (seller) or the buyer any money? If not, have eBay fees gone up at all?

And, I think psa should put a sticker or something on it since there are rendering a professional opinion. I would think the buyer, and all subsequent buyers, would like to know that PSA has blessed the card. Plus, it would save from having to do it all over again if the card ever gets relisted on eBay

How difficult would it be for someone to counterfeit such a sticker?

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by BobC

How difficult would it be for someone to counterfeit such a sticker?

Juice ain’t worth the squeeze considering the slab is already real or fake. The only person who would counterfeit the sticker is someone who has already counterfeited the underlying slab.

[iwantitiwinit]

Two questions:

1) What happens if the card gets lost in the mail between the ebay authentication point and the buyer. Is ebay on the hook for the selling price;

2) Who pays shipping between the authentication point and the buyer.

This entire thing is a cluster. Ebay is going to lose tens of thousands of listings. Disaster in my opinion.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by iwantitiwinit

Two questions:

1) What happens if the card gets lost in the mail between the ebay authentication point and the buyer. Is ebay on the hook for the selling price;

2) Who pays shipping between the authentication point and the buyer.

This entire thing is a cluster. Ebay is going to lose tens of thousands of listings. Disaster in my opinion.

My package is being sent Fed Ex by PSA so not a trivial expense for whoever is paying it.

[D. Bergin]

Are there certain sellers that are exempt from this slab service? Like Greg Morris is for raw cards?

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

Juice ain’t worth the squeeze considering the slab is already real or fake. The only person who would counterfeit the sticker is someone who has already counterfeited the underlying slab.

I was thinking more in terms of someone selling something on Ebay. I would assume that if you had to send a slabbed card to PSA for authentication per Ebay rules, even if it is a PSA graded card, that once PSA gave it the thumbs up per Ebay rules, a subsequent resale of the exact same item on Ebay wouldn't then require still another trip back to PSA to authenticate it once again. Some type of a sticker would hopefully make such an additional endeavor needless, or so one would think. But of course, that would make too much logical sense, which none of this appears to be, making logical sense that is.

The entire idea and concept behind third party grading and encapsulation to begin with was to ease remote/internet online buyer's minds when purchasing cards they couldn't first examine in person to determine authenticity or true condition. This new Ebay requirement is tacit accusation of the various TPG's that they can't competently authenticate cards, nor have created slabs that are effectively able to deter tampering and/or easily display that they have been tampered with. In other words, Ebay is effectively saying the TPGs are unable to safeguard and prove their graded cards are what they say they are. And to make matters even more ludicrous, Ebay has elected the same TPGs that they have apparently have no faith in (PSA for now) to be the ones to re-examine these graded cards being sold on Ebay. So some PSA graded cards are going to be sent back to PSA to confirm that they were originally correct in their assessment of them and haven't been tampered with.

It would not behoove PSA to find that a lot of their previously graded items were wrongly authenticated, or that their slabs were easily compromised/faked. Doing so would seem to indicate that they couldn't do something right the first time, and only help to indicate their errors/inadequacies. And simply agreeing that what they did originally was okay doesn't help them at all. They did what they were supposed to do, and were paid handsomely to do! For them it can only be a losing situation, and potentially serve to undermine people's faith in them; and potentially other TPGs as well. So that immediately puts a conflict of interest/bias in anything they do for Ebay regarding items they re-examine that were previously graded by them. And with the history of how TPGs seem to have historically looked at re-grading crossovers from other TPG's graded cards, what is to give people any assurance that PSA personnel may not view items submitted to them under this Ebay sponsored program that were originally graded by other TPGs with an inherent bias as well? The more they claim that other TPG graded slabs, and by extension the encapsulated cards in them, are not authentic, the worse they look in comparison to PSA. So, there is obviously no potential conflict of interest existing, now is there?

I can understand possibly trying to fight fraud and such on cards being sold on their platform. And give them props for that. But using the same parties to do so that were originally grading them and possibly being part of the problem may not be the best answer. And is there something better, I don't know. But it clearly seems to be another party in the industry is now jumping in to decide what is best for people in the hobby. My question is when is the industry going to start listening to people in the hobby, rather then simply deciding what is best for them and shoving it down our collective throats?

[Exhibitman]

This is just eBay trying to force sellers (eventually) to pay it more fees. Sure, it is free now, but the email I got says for a limited time. I expect to wake up one day and find an email from eBay sharing the great news that is going to really boost my sales by charging me only 3% of a card's sale price to have PSA check the damned slab.

Stupid stupid stupid.

[Jewish-collector]

Sometimes you just gotta say, "It's an unregulated business"

[BobC]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Are there certain sellers that are exempt from this slab service? Like Greg Morris is for raw cards?

It would seem not. If you're going to have PSA re-examine their own graded cards, how could Ebay look anyone in the eye and keep a straight face while telling them, "But you can trust this or that specific dealer to sell their raw cards on Ebay without a required third-party authentication."? If they did that, they'd have every other card dealer on Ebay up in arms as doing so would eventually give those dealers a price/cost disadvantage when they eventually start charging somebody for these authentication services.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Are there certain sellers that are exempt from this slab service? Like Greg Morris is for raw cards?

No seller is exempt on sales of graded cards over 2K and if they are they are not saying anything. I suspect the price point will be lowered shortly to 1K too.

To other points made, how can this be something a seller should pay for? The seller has already paid for an opinion on the graded card, assuming they submitted it. Frankly if it is an assurance being provided to a buyer it would reason it should be their cost. Most buyers do not even want it for free, from those I have chatted with.

My feeling is that it is a cost that eBay should absorb since this is more about keeping their site as safe for users as possible. We all no no corporation will pass up a chance to pass the cost onto the little guy.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

This is just eBay trying to force sellers (eventually) to pay it more fees. Sure, it is free now, but the email I got says for a limited time. I expect to wake up one day and find an email from eBay sharing the great news that is going to really boost my sales by charging me only 3% of a card's sale price to have PSA check the damned slab.

Stupid stupid stupid.

I definitely agree with the stupid part, but not 100% certain they're doing it just to ultimately raise their fees. I would assume CSG and PSA aren't going to do all this work for nothing, and would expect that a significant portion of any such increased fees would be going to them eventually.

At some point it would potentially behoove someone like a Greg Morris cards to dump Ebay and maybe just sell through their own site, through Facebook, or some other platform. If nothing else, it will likely push many independent sellers to just go straight to AHs with their better cards. Or if they're in need of quick cash, other venues like our own BST forum, or even live shows.

I know we on the vintage collecting side are generally more against such crazy things like this happening in the first place in our hobby, but eventually you figure the shine will disappear to some extent for the new investors as well if they keep just jacking up fees and such. At least you would think so.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Jewish-collector

Sometimes you just gotta say, "It's an unregulated business"

Ain't that the truth!

[glchen]

I think ebay having CSG validate raw cards over a certain value makes a lot of sense, given that there is so much fraud out there. However, as others have said, having PSA validate graded cards doesn't make much sense because there doesn't seem to be much ROI there. Virtually all graded cards will be genuine, and there is too much lost in the cost of shipping to make this worth it.

However, there are a couple scenarios where I can see that this will be useful. The first is the empty box scam. This is where the seller sends the buyer an empty box that doesn't have the card in it. Obviously if this goes to PSA, they would be an objective 3rd party, and say that the seller never sent the card, which would dissuade many sellers from trying this. (I guess the seller can claim that PSA lost the card.) Next is the example where the seller doesn't actually own the card that they are trying to sell. See thread for T210 Joe Jackson (Link). Obviously, when the seller tries to send the card to PSA, that card would not be present, so it would quickly be pointed out as fraud.

I think these examples lead to the point of what ebay is probably trying to do here. Why do folks prefer to buy high value items from auction houses rather than ebay? (Notwithstanding the recent Goldin issue -Link), people trust that the auction houses will validate that the stuff that they are auctioning is genuine, not tampered with, and they actually have it. With ebay, if you have a low feedback seller, you have no idea if you are dealing with some sort of scam, so people are reluctant to bid very high. Even if you go through buyer protection, you need to jump through a bunch of hoops, so you are always concerned that things might not go your way, and therefore, you may refrain from bidding. However, with this graded card protection, you would have a lot more faith that you will either get the card that you bid for or you'll get a quick refund without hassles, so you have more confidence to bid higher. And higher bids mean more fees for ebay (which will definitely raise fees anyway to pass these costs to the seller).

[BobC]

Originally Posted by glchen

I think ebay having CSG validate raw cards over a certain value makes a lot of sense, given that there is so much fraud out there. However, as others have said, having PSA validate graded cards doesn't make much sense because there doesn't seem to be much ROI there. Virtually all graded cards will be genuine, and there is too much lost in the cost of shipping to make this worth it.

However, there are a couple scenarios where I can see that this will be useful. The first is the empty box scam. This is where the seller sends the buyer an empty box that doesn't have the card in it. Obviously if this goes to PSA, they would be an objective 3rd party, and say that the seller never sent the card, which would dissuade many sellers from trying this. (I guess the seller can claim that PSA lost the card.) Next is the example where the seller doesn't actually own the card that they are trying to sell. See thread for T210 Joe Jackson (Link). Obviously, when the seller tries to send the card to PSA, that card would not be present, so it would quickly be pointed out as fraud.

I think these examples lead to the point of what ebay is probably trying to do here. Why do folks prefer to buy high value items from auction houses rather than ebay? (Notwithstanding the recent Goldin issue -Link), people trust that the auction houses will validate that the stuff that they are auctioning is genuine, not tampered with, and they actually have it. With ebay, if you have a low feedback seller, you have no idea if you are dealing with some sort of scam, so people are reluctant to bid very high. Even if you go through buyer protection, you need to jump through a bunch of hoops, so you are always concerned that things might not go your way, and therefore, you may refrain from bidding. However, with this graded card protection, you would have a lot more faith that you will either get the card that you bid for or you'll get a quick refund without hassles, so you have more confidence to bid higher. And higher bids mean more fees for ebay (which will definitely raise fees anyway to pass these costs to the seller).

Agree, and why I thought the original idea of having raw cards reviewed made some sense as well. Will be curious to see where this ultimately ends up. (ie: the final threshold amounts they set and who ends up paying how much for the service)

[Snapolit1]

Guess I'm not grasping the general negative response to this recent development.

Putting aside the increasing role of grading companies, many collectors' obsession with slabs, people's dislike of eBay generally, and how graded cards have ruined or diminished the hobby for so many of you . . . topics one might say have been covered extensively here for many years . . . .

Isn't any step to help eliminate fraud in the hobby a good development?

Is PSA perfect in rooting out fraud? Of course not. No one is perfect at anything.

[Smarti5051]

I am also a little surprised how negative the reaction to the Authentication process has been from the vets on this board. I imagine many of the commentors have far more experience evaluating cards than the TPGs that are doing it, especially with the recent increase in card grading. But, it seems that many of the commentors can't put themselves in the position of a less experienced collector.

Even though I have collected since the early-80s (with long breaks over the past 4 decades), I do not consider myself anything close to an expert on authentication. I have read several threads over the past year on this site and Blowoutcards of PSA slabs on Ebay that a knowledgeable poster has been able to prove are counterfeit. Heck, there was even an Etsy seller that was selling "replica" PSA slabs of Trout and Brady rookies (among others) as counterfeits that did not have any markings they were "replicas." If an Etsy seller can replicate the process in a basement, I have to imagine more sophisticated operations could fool alot of collectors, especially since once inside a slab, things like feel, smell and weight go out the window.

Back when a really nice collection could be amassed with a lifetime budget of $50,000, being fooled by a counterfeit slab might have been a three to low four digit mistake. Now, when $50,000 is the budget for a few cards, the risk to a collector in getting it wrong is a potential 5 digit mistake. Not to mention, when you are spending $500 on a card you want, it is easy to accept the cost as an expense for a hobby. When you are spending $5000 for the same card thanks to the market explosion the past couple years, it is hard not to treat that cost as an "investment" (even if your motive is still to hold the card as part of your personal collection). If/when I ever get my hands on a CJ Shoeless Joe, I want to make sure that when I die my family does not discover that the $40,000 I paid for my dream card is a fake, and I was an idiot without enough experience in the hobby to avoid becoming a victim.

I can see the concerns over how the costs will be passed down and the negatives associated with it. But, there are ZERO consequences to counterfeiters faking these slabs (even once discovered), and the technology and "look" of fake slabs is getting close to indistinguishable from the originals to anyone that is not a true expert (and/or a company with sophisticated equipment designed to discover fakes). So, at least this process can slow down the criminals a bit and perhaps make the process too expensive for the effort.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

My package is being sent Fed Ex by PSA so not a trivial expense for whoever is paying it.

It may not be as big an expense as it seems.

Pre 2000 I had a customer for one summer that was really big. They were doing integrated supply before it was a thing, and while "just in time delivery" was the fad.

They went to all the small package shipping companies for a quote based on the winner getting 100% of their business .... $40 Million a year... As a win it all or lose whatever piece you currently get
UPS - We don't give discounts.
DHL- 5% or some similar trivial amount.
FedEx - If you send all small packages priority one, we'll do that for a bit less than UPS ground At the time, a sub 1lb package cost me 15+ by FedEx, and a bit over 3 UPS ground.

I don't know if they're still doing stuff like that, but PSA probably has similar volume.

[jchcollins]

I guess the answer for those who don't inherently dislike grading and authentication, and re-authentication / cross-authentication is that the more eyes that have supposedly been on and passed off on whatever slabbed card, the better. To me, just from a traditional collecting perspective it does kind of smack of overkill and absurdity.

Give me your tired, your midgrade, your huddled slabbed cards yearning to breathe free...

The wretched refuse of your popped PSA trash...send these, the newfound raw cards - to me!

(I know there are many of you who from an investment perspective really have no other choice than to deal with slabs - and then likely this most recent eBay development. Best of luck. Thankfully, I'm not in that boat...)

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Guess I'm not grasping the general negative response to this recent development.

Putting aside the increasing role of grading companies, many collectors' obsession with slabs, people's dislike of eBay generally, and how graded cards have ruined or diminished the hobby for so many of you . . . topics one might say have been covered extensively here for many years . . . .

Isn't any step to help eliminate fraud in the hobby a good development?

Is PSA perfect in rooting out fraud? Of course not. No one is perfect at anything.

Having PSA re- authenticate cards they already graded is full of problems.

Stamping out fraud is desirable, but having an organization that's probably a part of that fraud? and probably get paid twice or more on every card?

Not such a great plan.

[NATCARD]

You purchase a card in a PSA holder. The card is graded an 8 and is worth $50k. Upon sending it to PSA they look at the card and say it was over-graded. Does the card get pulled in the authentication process or does it slide by?
Jeff W

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by NATCARD

You purchase a card in a PSA holder. The card is graded an 8 and is worth $50k. Upon sending it to PSA they look at the card and say it was over-graded. Does the card get pulled in the authentication process or does it slide by?
Jeff W

From the eBay FAQs about the process:
The PSA authenticator will check the sealed plastic holder for signs of tampering before verifying that the case and label are authentic to the grader. The label is also checked against the listing details. Cards are not regraded.

So they are just checking the slab to try to verify it has not been tampered with and that it is an authentic slab and label.


I think someone else asked about what happens if the card is later resold, then does it have to be authenticated again. Just like with raw cards, it is put into a sleeve with a sticker to show if it has been opened or not. If not ever removed from the sleeve, I would assume it doesn't need to be authenticated again.

From the eBay FAQs again:
The card is placed into a protective sleeve and a QR code linking to authentication details is also provided. It's then placed into a padfolio and delivered directly to you via secure and discreet tracked shipping.

[iwantitiwinit]

Just what I want to do, look at my cards through both a protective sleeve and the plastic slab. Redonculous.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by jayshum

From the eBay FAQs about the process:
The PSA authenticator will check the sealed plastic holder for signs of tampering before verifying that the case and label are authentic to the grader. The label is also checked against the listing details. Cards are not regraded.

So they are just checking the slab to try to verify it has not been tampered with and that it is an authentic slab and label.


I think someone else asked about what happens if the card is later resold, then does it have to be authenticated again. Just like with raw cards, it is put into a sleeve with a sticker to show if it has been opened or not. If not ever removed from the sleeve, I would assume it doesn't need to be authenticated again.

From the eBay FAQs again:
The card is placed into a protective sleeve and a QR code linking to authentication details is also provided. It's then placed into a padfolio and delivered directly to you via secure and discreet tracked shipping.

So is PSA checking the slabs of Beckett and SGC?

[Snapolit1]

Like most things these days, seems like many of people have formed a very strong opinion about the issue without even taking 60 seconds to read about what’s actually being done or not done. Sign o’ the times.