How to collect ungraded cards... safely

[Oscar_Stanage]

Originally Posted by Belfast1933

Am looking for advice on how a collector can stretch their collecting budgets by buying ungraded cards from reputable dealers... and save $$ to put into graded cards for only higher cost cards (simply to ensure authenticity)

I collect HOF baseball (trying to get one nice card for every HOFer)

Appreciate any advice on this collecting strategy.

I just started collecting myself. I have bought 100s of raw cards on Ebay in a short span. Many of them are HoFs as you are looking for (Mantle, Banks, Aaron, etc). I subscribe to VintageCardPricing (VCP), which allows me to see the latest auction prices for PSA, SGC, and BVG graded cards. it also allows you to see scans of the cards sold at these grades - helpful to compare the card you are bidding on..... When I bid on an item, I first compare the advertised raw grade versus the recent sales price for the corresponding PSA/SGC grade. Logic would suggest that the raw card should sell at a discount, but I have found this to not be the case. The Ebay market draws a lot of bids (some of them likely ghosts) and the sale prices usually end up right in line with the most recent PSA-graded card sales. This leaves a big risk that the advertised raw grade is overstated. It is possible to find a great deal at an EBAY auction, and I have done this a few times, but I will admit that I am likely overpaying most of the time. With basically no card shows or other ways to buy in-person, I am fine with this for now, but I expect to buy more in-person when the world opens back up.

my advice:
1) buy from a reputable seller (100% positive, etc.)
2) get comfortable with the grading scale. This takes time and experience, but very quickly you will be able to see when a card is way off-grade. It took me a few buys and some research to get there, but now, if i see a seller claim a card is NM to NM/MT, I can dismiss him/her very quickly if the card is clearly closer to EX/MT. Find sellers that have reasonably trustworthy raw grades (will never be perfect, but at least you can tell who attempts to grade honestly). A lot of people throw around the word "Mint" casually, and you will want to disregard those sellers quickly.
3) Research Net54. Read about the controversy around some of the well-known sellers. I won't name them, but some of the big auctioneers have proven to be dishonest I and won't buy there. The people on this board are absolute experts and are very helpful. The information here is invaluable.
4) take your time. There are so many auctions, don't feel pressured to buy a card at a certain time. If you miss it, you will see it again. I have been looking for a nice Stadium Club Murphy Jeter for a while now. I let one go at a price that was a bit too rich for me. I was disappointed, but now i see they are auctioned weekly, and I will just keep looking.
5) Buy a few cards from a few sellers and get comfortable with the process, communication, etc. Find sellers that you like to deal with. I can tell from how my questions are answered whether someone is worthy of my business.
6) You can find great deals on Net54. there are fewer auctions but I find the pricing to be very reasonable, and the experiences pleasant.


If you want to message me, I will share more specifics about my experience.