PSA Vs. SGC

RayBShotz · #1 08-31-2016, 07:40 AM

The folks at PSA Customer Service who answer the phones are good people. They honestly try to do everything that is in their power to please the customer. (be prepared, though, for a 20-30 minute wait to get through).

Problem there is that Customer Service is a pretty black and white position with little or no "empowerment". You will be told cold hard facts (often those which are posted in the website updates anyhow which they regurgitate) and no reasonable conjecture. They also do not have any power to influence what's going on behind the curtain.
If you are looking for them to do so, you're expectations of them are too high. If you force them into conjecture like "when do you THINK my grades will pop?", the answer is purely a guess.
They have no additional insight that they are withholding, just what the computer tells them.
It is very, very rare for the average customer to be able to "get past the front door".
You are dealing with the PSA machine, a division of a publicly traded company.
It's all about revenue.
They can't count the money fast enough.

If you want personal service call SGC. Someone will pick up the phone. It's an itty bitty little company now fractured into tiny pieces most of which are hunkered down in FL. The product is great, I love the product, but you have to question the end game.

At the Nationals, there was a stark differentiation. PSA had 10 or 12 intake CS Reps handling enormous lines of customers open to close every day of the Show. It was like the ice cream stand on the first 90 degree day of the summer season. SGC booth, by contrast, had 1 or 2 intake people and no lines (customers).

In the end, we know exactly what we will get and we make a choice.
RayB

Pilot172000 · #2 02-04-2017, 10:42 AM

I just finished reading "The Card" about Gretzky/McNall Wagner and Mastro. It was very eye opening for me. I'm not one to base all my opinion on one book but it did State some ominous stuff about PSA. I sent all my T206 cards that I plan to keep to SGC because I like the way they look. Beckett was mentioned as being brutally honest which is the reason I have kept my Nolan Ryan stuff in BVG. SGC needs to do a better job on their registry and pop report. They are hard to navigate but their service is second to none. BVG has nice holders but I hate having to deal with them. I don't buy cards because of holders. I buy them because I like the way they look and how they fit in my personal collection.

jchcollins · #3 02-04-2017, 01:55 PM

I still find it interesting that David Hall and PSA were never held more accountable for the fiasco surrounding that card. You can't tell me that they didn't have any suspicion at all that it was trimmed. The encapsulation of that Wagner basically means that the start of their graded card business - or at least from the time when they started putting cards in slabs - is a big fraud. The hobby moved on and now PSA is the hottest thing going in grading, but look at the charges of favoritism shown in grading to large dealers, or how their standards - admittedly even by fanboy collectors - seem to change from time to time? I think that all goes back in some way to the fact that PSA as a company doesn't have a great track record with honesty and consistency - from the very beginning.

It may have something to do with the fact that there are investors and then there are collectors - and interestingly enough, companies like SGC seem to have a reputation as being more consistent and fair among those that would consider themselves collectors first and foremost.

Pilot172000 · #4 02-05-2017, 04:15 PM

I'm an collector not an investor. I've never owned a T206 over a 4. I don't collect based on value and have always gotten bitten when I attempted to buy that way. I have had a ton of cards graded by all three and really find that it's about preference. I started with SGC then moved to the others before coming back home to SGC. Customer Service and Integrity go a long way with me. I don't want anyone doing me any favors with the grades. If it's a three it's a three. If it comes back a 4 or 5 I'll know and that takes the fun out of it.

Jsquared123 · #5 02-06-2017, 09:58 AM

I agree with the general sentiment on the board for sure. I think the reason why SGC has become more notable for pre-war cards is that their holder just looks way better without all that empty space for the smaller than standard cards back then. Also, and maybe this is just a personal preference, but I think cards with a lot of color, like the '53 Topps set just pop a lot more with the black holder. Just my very personal opinion but I think aesthetics is a bigger factor and has kept SGC in the game for as long as they have been.

jchcollins · #6 02-06-2017, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jsquared123

I agree with the general sentiment on the board for sure. I think the reason why SGC has become more notable for pre-war cards is that their holder just looks way better without all that empty space for the smaller than standard cards back then. Also, and maybe this is just a personal preference, but I think cards with a lot of color, like the '53 Topps set just pop a lot more with the black holder. Just my very personal opinion but I think aesthetics is a bigger factor and has kept SGC in the game for as long as they have been.

Agree with you. I have a '56 Topps Ted Williams in an SGC slab. It's only a 3, but the colors really pop, and it looks awesome with that black insert.