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PSA "Up Charge" question

I sent in a 260-card BULK submission back in January, which PSA received the first week of February. At that time, none of the cards had a FMV over $99.

Since this time, of course, the market has gone bonkers and my order is still sitting on the shelf ... I mean, Research & ID. My order contained mostly Lebron, Giannis and Mahomes rookie cards, which have all skyrocketed since then. Just one example is Lebron 2003-04 Fleer #261 card. I paid $50 for it back in January, but you can't touch it now for under $400.

I had never heard of a grading up-charge until reading these forum boards, and it (values increasing 7-10x) was never an issue on my previous orders. I am worried that my $8.50 per card will be $20 per card when they finish grading my submission.

Am I worried about nothing or should I brace for their fee being 2.5x because of the market booming in the six months that they have had my cards?

Comments

  • DotStoreDotStore Posts: 701 ✭✭✭✭

    Maybe that's the TPG's "Master Plan"? They hold your cards during rapid market upswings, then hit you with the upcharges??? That's "Next Level" marketing...

  • ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I don't think you have anything to worry about.

    Arthur

  • Where do you even find the fmv of a card?

  • BatpigBatpig Posts: 460 ✭✭✭

    I doubt you have anything to worry about. I’ve had $1000 (post grade) cards come back without a problem.

  • blurryfaceblurryface Posts: 5,136 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Take it from the guy that had the upcharge fee on a gold jordan that 10'd. then subsequently got stolen while being shipped back to him. Trust me, after the initial shock of costing more more wears off, you'll sleep better knowing your cards are properly valued when shipped back out to you.

    The more up charges the better, imo.

  • Mickey71Mickey71 Posts: 4,224 ✭✭✭✭

    @blurryface said:
    Take it from the guy that had the upcharge fee on a gold jordan that 10'd. then subsequently got stolen while being shipped back to him. Trust me, after the initial shock of costing more more wears off, you'll sleep better knowing your cards are properly valued when shipped back out to you.

    The more up charges the better, imo.

    If the card was so expensive, why wasn't it sent registered after you paid an additional charge?? Registered mail is basically never stolen from what I've heard.

  • Totally new to grading. So are you guys saying that if you send in a card that is worth about $10 ungraded but when it grades it goes for $500 and you only put down the value of $10 you get an upcharge fee? Do I have that right?

  • LarkinCollectorLarkinCollector Posts: 8,975 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rsherryjr said:
    Totally new to grading. So are you guys saying that if you send in a card that is worth about $10 ungraded but when it grades it goes for $500 and you only put down the value of $10 you get an upcharge fee? Do I have that right?

    That is possible, but the instances I know of have been much more extreme in dollar spread, if not multiples. More like a card you think is an 8 @ $50 comes back a 10 @ $3000, and it usually has to be a popular player from one of the big 4 sports for them to even notice.

  • @LarkinCollector said:

    @rsherryjr said:
    Totally new to grading. So are you guys saying that if you send in a card that is worth about $10 ungraded but when it grades it goes for $500 and you only put down the value of $10 you get an upcharge fee? Do I have that right?

    That is possible, but the instances I know of have been much more extreme in dollar spread, if not multiples. More like a card you think is an 8 @ $50 comes back a 10 @ $3000, and it usually has to be a popular player from one of the big 4 sports for them to even notice.

    Interesting. Yeah I was wondering when I sent in my first shipment because a value seems like a shot in the dark until after you know what the grade is in most cases.

  • LarkinCollectorLarkinCollector Posts: 8,975 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rsherryjr said:

    @LarkinCollector said:

    @rsherryjr said:
    Totally new to grading. So are you guys saying that if you send in a card that is worth about $10 ungraded but when it grades it goes for $500 and you only put down the value of $10 you get an upcharge fee? Do I have that right?

    That is possible, but the instances I know of have been much more extreme in dollar spread, if not multiples. More like a card you think is an 8 @ $50 comes back a 10 @ $3000, and it usually has to be a popular player from one of the big 4 sports for them to even notice.

    Interesting. Yeah I was wondering when I sent in my first shipment because a value seems like a shot in the dark until after you know what the grade is in most cases.

    I use "raw replacement value" or basically what I paid for it (including shipping) for declared value on submissions. I keep hoping for an upcharge :D I've had at least one that definitely should have been ($75 -> $1300 at the time) that was obscure enough that I didn't even get it then.

    It makes no sense to set the declared value higher except in cases of extreme scarcity where you might not even be able to replace within several years. You don't get a discount if it comes back a lower grade than expected and could have been sent in at a lower service level.

  • blurryfaceblurryface Posts: 5,136 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 29, 2020 7:53PM

    @Mickey71 said:

    @blurryface said:
    Take it from the guy that had the upcharge fee on a gold jordan that 10'd. then subsequently got stolen while being shipped back to him. Trust me, after the initial shock of costing more more wears off, you'll sleep better knowing your cards are properly valued when shipped back out to you.

    The more up charges the better, imo.

    If the card was so expensive, why wasn't it sent registered after you paid an additional charge?? Registered mail is basically never stolen from what I've heard.

    I am not that guy. But I can assure you, I've switched my mailing address to a PO box so I don't even have to worry about that conundrum. And see UPS difficulty thread too.

    eta: and nothing on this planet is "never stolen" proof.

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