Sending Cards to PSA - Do it Yourself or go through somebody (like Clay Cards) Pros?
 

Somebody told me that when sending cards to PSA for Grading it is better to go through a company that grades a ton of cards (like Clay Cards or many others) rather than sending them in yourself.

They stated by doing this

- Better Grades
- Cheaper
- Faster Turnaround times.

I am getting ready to send some cards

What do you guys think I should do?

It may be cheaper through some big aggregators but you may run the risk with honesty issues, missing cards, wrong cards etc.... If going that route make sure you vet the submitter with many references. Also look for solid and up to date communication. Doesn't seem like they get much break on sub times though.

I join a group sub with one of the TPA's off Facebook (friend of mine) but the arrangement is that all submitters send in their own stuff but gets the benefit of lower pricing and turnaround through the group... Group owner never touches or sees the cards...

bobbyw8469 runs one here occasionally that is very good though I have never participated... his sub threads are a fun read!

Thank you for the kind words. They are quite fun to do, but a lot of work. I didn't mind when I was helping out a few guys here and there. The last few subs have met the maximum cards allowed though (500). It gets to be a tad overwhelming when they are that large. I have heard that some people get preferred pricing and quicker times, but I am not 100% sure that to be true. That would defeat the purpose of the submitters being "anonymous".

I use my LCS to facilitate card gradings, both with Beckett and SGC.

I grade everything myself and submit for one or two other people from time to time. Always happy to let somebody piggyback on a sub as it saves everybody some money in shipping, and B-not everybody wants to do it.

I thoroughly enjoy QAing cards 309483409 times prior to sending.

I'll probably catch flack for this but I don't buy into larger submissions getting better grades. Better prices, 100%, that's just good business, but handing out better grades would kill a TPG's credibility if anything provable came to light.

Also...maybe some people just have a better/stricter eye when it comes to choosing what's worth submitting.

anyone use GMA at all? obviously the price point is a lot lower. assume you don't get as much bang for your buck on card sale, but wondering if you all think GMA grade is better than selling a card raw? suppose it depends on the card and value, but curious to hear thoughts. thanks!

I can't imagine a card in a GMA slab selling for as much as a ungraded card. I know I would pay more for a ungraded card.

GMA does have many good things but resale value is not one of them.

interesting, i always assumed a graded card was more desirable, regardless of who grades it. what other good things do they offer? appreciate the feedback, this world of grading/etc is so new to me.

The 2 big things for me are:

1) If you are just a collector and want you cards slabbed to protect them they are cheap.

2) Go to their site and click on the "custom grading" link for a great option for collectors.

thanks for the info, will check that out. i think i'd be 98% collector, maybe 2% seller so it sounds interesting.