Another price increase with less service
Harnessracing
Posts: 594 ✭✭✭✭
Double digit price increases to grade at PSA and longer wait times. Isn’t that 2 increases within 12 months?
I thought they were going to hire, build and increase output for the demand yet it seems everything increases except the product.
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Comments
More good news for us. Awesome. They are doing this to help us is how I read it.
Pricing Updates for New Submissions
This is what happens when your Etsy business grows too fast.
at least this will get rid of the junk slabs right? who is going to grade 1,000 BC cards of second level prospects at $25 bucks a pop?
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I think that issue largely has been solved with the Covid gold rush behind us. Most of those junks are 2020-2023 slabs. I’d prefer cheaper grading 🤣
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
Maybe try lowering the cost at one of the other to grading companies to help out with PSAs demand problem. Like SGC was able to manage. Let me guess this will now raise demand at SGC and BGS then you will raise those prices next quarter. And again and agian
I would prefer to pay less for something, but in the defense of PSA here... They have been terrible and the market is saying that they want more of it and they are responding to the market demands. I don't know if they're boiling a frog here or if people just don't care about the price vs. value in general, but the outcome is what it is.
I see raw card prices soaring with graded not available. Just go look at GMC and what raw cards are getting. A raw Henderson rookie sold for over $1800, that’s a raw one
Don't count on it. It seems there is an endless supply of people willing to fill up the grading capacity regardless of cost. "I will gladly pay you $1,000 to grade my VG $5 Pokemon card."
You can't go by ANYTHING raw that GMC sells. They have always gotten more for their raw cards than their graded counterparts. Their buyers think they are getting cards that are going to grade 9 or 10 with their description of "NM-MT or better". When in all reality a lot of those cards have centering issues, surface issues, print dots, etc and they aren't going to come back with those numeric grades. Will some, sure, but the vast majority don't. But they do get some of the nicest raw material on the market.
I do get your point though, to some degree. I wouldn't say that raw prices are "soaring" but it is telling that raw modern are binging more than PSA 9's. I take that as the gamblers out there that are willing to risk the raw purchase for that elusive 10.
Personally, I have submitted thousands of cards to PSA over the years but haven't even renewed my membership in 2-3 years. I would love to submit again but at these price levels and turnaround times, it's not worth it. If I have higher $$ stuff I want to send, I can. But don't need a membership for that. PSA turned it's back on long time collectors and set builders. They forgot that it was their own set registry that propelled them to the top of the grading world yet refuse to help those that have been priced out of sending commons.
I understand that it's a business and they are there to make money but when this roller coaster slows, who is going to be there to keep it moving? You alienate the people that got you where you are today and they won't be there tomorrow.
@PSA Just one month a year, have a special for ONLY folks with sets already on the registry. Make the price reasonable and give back to the hobby.
I submitted 4000-7000 cards a year for 15+ years. 2025 was 671 only. Still waiting after 5-1/2 months for the final 3 submissions.
As for GMC they have tightened up the centering for grades and yes some do have dots and other print defects but overall, they do a better than good job.
Now to be honest, the Henderson wasn’t mine but to pay over 5x an 8 price is crazy and I send them several thousand cards a month to sell. Never been disappointed and never would have sold all the cards that they did in 20 years just last year alone
One that was mine was a 1976 George Foster that sold for $26 last night and I can’t get that for a graded 8.
Pokemon bulk went up $7 a card or so then? Wow, that has to slow the influx of those cards I would think. Bet there are a lot of grade to sell Pokemon people re-evaluating their model
This one of the main reasons virtual Monopolies are bad!
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
With the exception of few PC submissions through GameStop, I am basically done with PSA. Pre covid grading landscape was a dream.
I guess I should bite the bullet and send in some of my packs to get authenticated before they up the price there too. Been holidng out because of the shell issue and shoving packs into them, but it's supposed to be relatively safe if you send in tightly wrapped packs.
This is starting to feel a lot like some of the balls-to-the-wall business practices of the junk wax era.
It seems these moves are all targeted for inserts and such that have high (assumed) value. Also, seems like an absolutely expected result of them now controlling almost the entire grading market.
Got to be a great opportunity for other grading companies if they can find the resources to compete.
I used to LOVE to rip late 70s/early 80s and then grade. I won't rip anything anymore because I just can't bring myself to go through the PSA process. It takes too long, costs too much and the payoff is now worse than playing scratchers.
The registry is dead which I believe they wanted to have happen as well.
If you are a set builder forget getting the commons. People are turning back to raw sets with the majors graded in my opinion.
Well, I have some help to offer them. I'll be offering thousands of graded commons over the next several years as I sell off excess inventory I have hoarded for 25 years.
The days of grading cheaper cards are behind us. The grading pile will probably only be 1-2 dozen deep each year at this point for me and will only be cards worth $100+ post grading.
PSA HOF Baseball Postwar Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 80.16% Complete)
PSA Pro Football HOF Rookie Players Set Registry- (Currently 19.23% Complete)
Anyone who didn't see this coming is a fool.
First they eliminated the competition by buying both SGC and Beckett, making PSA the only game in town.
Now that they've basically created a monopoly, they raise the price for grading.
Also, has anyone else noticed that they have had NO CARD GRADING SPECIALS for at least the LAST TWO MONTHS???
Their last pre-1980 card special was in March of last year; so no pre-1980 grading specials in one year!!!
They seem to have completely given up on serving set and vintage card collectors, and are now completely focused on non-card and NSS (New Shiny "Stuff") items.
Steve
I got lucky for once and submitted last night - first submission in 3 months with 23 cards, The math I have been using is the card has to be worth over $100.00 at a PSA 10 and break even as a PSA 9 to submit.
But Canadian customers gets screwed abit more due to the dollar. They are padding the price abit on the exchange rate:
Value Bulk - $34.99 cdn which is $25.83 us dollars
Value - $45.99 cdn which is $33.95 us dollars
Value Plus - $69.99 cdn which is $51.67 us dollars
Value Max - $89.99 cdn which is $66.43 us dollars
Regular - $109.00 cdn which is $80.46 us dollars
They are making this an expensive hobby
maybe, they spend a lot of time and money keeping it going with little to no $$$ value
These prices make it look like they don't want people sending them cards.
I paid a collectors club membership not long ago. I guess I wont be getting much value out of it.
If the average price increase is 10% and their submissions decrease by 5%, they're still making more money. It's a win-win for them. The only way to stick it to them is to stop submitting. Prices will never come back down, but maybe there are submission specials from time to time if their volume slows.
Me too; my membership auto-renewed in December; right now, I am very concerned that it will be a complete waste of money.
Steve
It may not make sense to submit most common cards at these prices but I'm seeing prices higher than ever for already graded commons which to me indicates people are still active on the registry and building sets.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
I've said it before and I'll say it again....We, the folks who helped build this monster, are simply a roadsign long since passed. They've gone into a new realm of grading service and it doesn't include us. Why? Because we are no longer relevant. In the halcyon days, many of us loaded up the grading room with old vintage cards that really stood out since they were the sh!t at that time. Over 30 years have elapsed and so many more newer, different types of cards have emerged and to them it's just a matter of choice. Should they continue to honor a very small, and I mean tiny small sector of the community? We ain't worth it anymore. If anyone can dig up a massive vintage collection, get it graded, post the grades here, then start offering other members opportunities to add to their sets, etc. I'd be astonished. Blown away. They'd need to revive me with oxygen.
I'm like a bunch of you. I miss how easy it used to be to locate mounds of gradable stuff. But those days, in their minds, just a wisp of air. Thanks for the memories you old hustlers. You building blocks. You marketing geniuses. You prospered. Now it's someone else's turn. Make of it what you can. PSA kicked you out of the house. Go get a life.
Topps
Perfect timing. Didn't miss it this year. Thanks for the memories....
I believe they are paying higher prices for certain commons and because they are not readily available anymore.
Exactly. Competition among registry set participants is fiercer due to dwindling supply.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Does nobody think they are just grading there own cards and keeping the total numbers at constant records. Seriously who is sending in 2 million+ cards a month at a loss. Shelves at target are full.
1.7MM are probably TCG, that crowd will grade even 1 buck water damages common, another 250k hot sports cards of the moment.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
I was going to get card ladder to try it out which is $200 a year. And it came free with the premium PSA membership for $200 so I did that. Otherwise I would not have gotten my membership again.
PSA HOF Baseball Postwar Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 80.16% Complete)
PSA Pro Football HOF Rookie Players Set Registry- (Currently 19.23% Complete)
I believe the ne> @Harnessracing said:
W> @Harnessracing said:
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The new wave of collecting will be high grade commons IMHO
That’s an old wave. What’s still available is backwash.
Makes sense. The buyer can submit it to PSA and get an 8 and lose $1,500. Nice investment.
There's a rogue bidder gobbling up GMC raw cards. Not unusual. It's a developing trend. I've been outbid by the same person a few times lately, but not on the Henderson, that's crazy. They will pay very high sums of money to win cards that truly stand out. Making the investment at that level is up to the person doing it. Yeah, we could question the logic, but what if that price just keeps going higher? What if the card never even needs to be submitted to PSA? The rules are changing. People who want these pretty cards don't necessarily care about owning plastic cases. The concept is still obvious - get a card into a holder and it will be worth more. It's not so easy to do that anymore. If PSA is going to wipe you out on grades, why bother?
Good points
PSA simply does not care about the collector. They have abandoned the set collectors after all these years. With prices at $24 a card, a collector cannot afford grading 1960's-1990's commons especially when half the order is under graded. The set registry was a genius idea of PSA and the fact that PSA does not recognize that this was the sole reason why they are successful.
My subscription was set to auto renew next week. I too cancelled. I won't bother to subscribe again until they have another special. I was struggling to find cards to submit at $20/per let alone $25/per.
The interesting thing is the higher they go the more attractive they make other existing grading companies who can deliver faster service with lower costs. It also makes it much more attractive for a company not currently in grading (Fanatics) to start their own grading service.
PSA might as well suck in as many dollars as they can while they can. At some point the numbers submitted will start to plateau and then they'll know the fee collectors think is too high. At that point the snowball is already rolling though.
But that’s not sustainable as no one is sending in those cards anymore, believe me I know, I used to send in thousands of vintage commons every year. I used to average 8% 10s and 60% or so 9s but now you get your teeth kicked in. So a handful of commons will but don’t count on those starting or in the beginning stages of a registry set to start shelling out $25+ for cards they can get for $3-4 raw, it would be foolish and not cost effective. Will some ? Probably but for all intensive purposes the registry is dead.
How many vintage sets get started nowadays? I have no idea and I’m sure someone here would know who follow it but I’m betting it’s low for vintage
I recently started a new collection that I thought might be fun.
Getting an example slab from all the different grading companies. Rabbit hole officially entered.
I have a list of over 200, some of course are out of business. I currently have about 50 different slabs.
I'm early into this, but several seem very legit, and others, well, maybe not so much.
I see bulk grading as low as $5, many offering subgrades and quick turnaround, and from the few of the more legit company slabs I've checked, the grades seem equally accurate to PSA and the cases are solid.
Yes, the "monopoly" of PSA is the standard and the go to for ROI, but continuing increased grading prices, longer waits (5 months and counting with my sub), and the occasional inaccurate grade, it's taking the fun out of collecting, and investing for that matter.
1000% Agree,
The activity on the registry at least with the sets I collect, especially 1975 minis, is stronger than ever with pricing reflecting that. When a tough card in high grade in a new or old flip comes up for sale, the competition is fierce. I've been hearing the set registry is dead for years and years now, but it has yet to happen. Quite the opposite, actually. That's been my firsthand experience. I miss the days of buying tougher low pop commons for a fraction of what they hammer for now.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
I agree. My win rate on graded cards for my registry sets is pretty low these days. Unless it's a super high pop common that still comes up frequently at auction, the prices just keep going up and up and up. I track the value of my graded sets and some are up 30% just in the past year. The tougher sets like 1971 have appreciated 200-300% since Covid.
Never had any interest in the registry.
Will continue to liquidate my cards raw and let someone else take the expensive gamble in the grading world.
PSA thinks they have everyone by the short hairs, but maybe they have put the first nail in their own coffin.
^ I think that started but by purchasing all their true competition they resolved that.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)