Posted By:
warshawlawAt this point, I will not consider buying a high end card by ebay or mail order unless it is (1) graded by SGC or maybe PSA, or (2) comes from a very reputable seller I know and can trust to refund if there is a problem. I've been burned once too often via ebay and mail order to do otherwise.
When I buy raw high priced cards it is typically in person so I can give them a thorough going-over. I have lately resorted to using a magnifier. Even so, I have been burned a few times with recolored cards (eg 1971 Topps, 1902 Ogdens (boxing), etc.). I usually end up sending my raw cards to SGC to encapsulate, because I like the look (if the card is for me to keep) or because I generally do better selling them if they are graded. I will also encapsulate a card that I cannot decide on the grade of due to a flaw or damage. I am comfortable using SGC as a "second opinion" on those cards.
As far as low end cards and high grade cheap cards go, I don't bother with slabs unless it is for a display or for a specific collecting goal I have (I've had quite a few $10-$20 commons from certain sets encapsulated because I am building sets and want them to display consistently). My experience is that a $5 common does not become a $100 card unless it scores a 9 or a 10 and there is a niche buyer for it (I once made 10X my purchase price on a Denny McLain 1968 card because it was really sharp and came back a 9; the buyer was a Tigers nut). I do have quite a few lower value graded cards "left over" from when PSA offered a turnaround guarantee on its service--I got over 100 freebies from them and just sent in anything from the 1960's and 1970's that I felt was mint to use them up.
I would never buy a card because it was graded X by the service; the opposite is true. I look for PSA O/C cards. If they look nice, I buy them. In my view the damage to the card price from the qualifier is way out of whack with the reality of what many 8 O/C cards look like.