What happens to all the Card Savers when a bulk submission goes in?

MCMLVTopps

If you (hypothetically), send in a bulk submission of standard raw baseball cards in Card Saver I protectors, does the grading process involve cutting, or generally destroying the Savers to extract the card for review? I'm considering sending in over 75 cards for grading, but expect to submit more raw in the future. This could compel me to buy more Savers. Not to sound cheap, but why can't the Savers be "saved" for future use and those that are still usable be returned?

Seems to be there must be a fairly easy way for the grading process to allow for an easy removal of cards, without endangering them, that would allow for the Card Savers to remain viable and returned to the originator.

PROMETHIUS88

Two things. First, you are "supposed" to put a sticker on each card saver with the submission number and line number. Now, I am guessing not a ton of people do that anymore, but I could be wrong. Second, I wonder if they put a sticker on the card saver as it makes it's way thru the grading process.
And while the return shipping charges are more than enough to make up for a few card savers, what happens if you send in 5000 cards.

MCMLVTopps

Well, I always use stickers to marry the card to the line item on the sub form. There are so many variations in Modern it makes your head spin...Chrome, Refractor, Chrome Gold Refractor, Blue Refractor, Diamond Refractor, X-Fractor and it goes on and on. Suckers we are for putting up with trying to put a set together, sometimes with the same general pic, only different lipstick on the pig. The Allen/Ginters are insane, relic this, game worn that, used bat, blah, blah. Can we say cash cow??? So, it obviously helps the grading process if the stickers are on the savers. I'd be happy to get mine back, sticker or no...or someone else's, that match the number of subs I send in.

The real question is how do they extract the card from the saver? Surely they don't cut the saver to get the card out, this would risk killing the card's grade. I'm thinking they gently squeeze the saver to release tension on the card and gently remove the card by hand.

So, IF that's the case, do they just toss the savers into the round can? Seems to me they could easily include the savers back to the submission person...they sure charge enough to send back. 5000 sounds pretty high, but I'd bet there are many, many in the hundred plus range...that's a helluva lot of savers to just toss...IMO.

JoeBanzai

@PROMETHIUS88 said:
Two things. First, you are "supposed" to put a sticker on each card saver with the submission number and line number. Now, I am guessing not a ton of people do that anymore, but I could be wrong. Second, I wonder if they put a sticker on the card saver as it makes it's way thru the grading process.
And while the return shipping charges are more than enough to make up for a few card savers, what happens if you send in 5000 cards.

If you have the funds to send in a 5000 card submission, you prolly ain't worried about it.

grote15

I don't think PSA will consider anything that will add extra time to the grading (and return shipping) process. You do get back the card saver if the card doesn't grade, so I'm happy not to see them again because that means my cards are coming back in holders instead.

SDSportsFan

Well, given California's laws, I doubt PSA just throws the card savers away; California has banned "single-use" plastic, including plastic grocery bags and drinking straws.

I would imagine PSA either turns the card savers in for recycling, or donates them to say, a local card club.

Personally, I'd like to see them return the card savers to the submitters; for example, if I send in 25 cards for grading, I get 25 card savers back (it doesn't have to be the exact same card savers I sent the cards in).

Steve

artee

With the tariff war getting ready to take place with China, cheap plastic things, such as collecting supplies are about to explode in pricing.

If they arent reusing them for at least the minsiz or min grade returns, i have a feeling they are about to.

MCMLVTopps

Before this thread morphs into a saving the planet thing. I will contact PSA to get a hopefully reasonable explanation. As for me, I'm about to send in a 125+ submission, which will wipe out my card saver stock. Not a big deal, but I am curious. Once the PSA response is received, I'll post it

shawther

I have always been curious about that too. It’s already expensive to grade cards so it would be nice to at least get the card savers back.

LarkinCollector

Somewhere in the internal PSA process, each CS gets stickered w/the square white sticker behind the flip sticker. I'm guessing this contains the internal tracking info, with barcode, to ensure if it gets separated from the rest of the order it can easily be identified. These stickers use a strong adhesive that does not peel off making the CS non-reusable.

artee

@LarkinCollector said:
Somewhere in the internal PSA process, each CS gets stickered w/the square white sticker behind the flip sticker. I'm guessing this contains the internal tracking info, with barcode, to ensure if it gets separated from the rest of the order it can easily be identified. These stickers use a strong adhesive that does not peel off making the CS non-reusable.

Definitely reusable. Just not pretty or ideally. 😉

jradke4

@artee said:

@LarkinCollector said:
Somewhere in the internal PSA process, each CS gets stickered w/the square white sticker behind the flip sticker. I'm guessing this contains the internal tracking info, with barcode, to ensure if it gets separated from the rest of the order it can easily be identified. These stickers use a strong adhesive that does not peel off making the CS non-reusable.

Definitely reusable. Just not pretty or ideally. 😉

i reuse the ones that comeback for another submission. never have had a problem with doing that....though i try not to put the same card back in the same CS!!!