Buying graded more economical?

ngfred

When composing a set, (putting aside the thrill of receiving a PSA graded card that you sent in on your own), is it better (more economical) to buy graded cards? Especially for commons. I found that by the time I pick out a good scan and win the auction for a raw card, tap on the grading fee, I might as well wait for the same card that's already slabbed.

Do you all feel the same? I know that all sets are different, but I'm speaking in general.

Vargha

The older you get, the truer your premise is that buying graded cards makes more sense.


(Dang! I wrote that backwards originally.)

69topps8

When comparing on-line purchases, definitely go the graded route. Even if you're an expert grader, the best scan in the world can't tell you the whole story about the card's condition. From experience, most eBay sellers overgrade their cards. Some are worse than others. I've found a few conservative graders but it took many failures to find them and the risk pretty much outweighs the benefits. The main problem will be the supply. You can start building the set fairly quickly in the beginning but you'll hit the wall when you get to a certain % completion. You'll find that you continually see the same cards sold over and over with others never listing. One way to get started is to purchase a bulk lot of graded cards from the set you're building. You can usually get them at a discount by purchasing volume and you'll save alot on shipping fees vs buying them individually. The one question is what set you're planning to build. If it's a 1981 Topps baseball for example, you'll have a hard time finding graded commons since most dealers don't bother submitting them. As you get closer to completion, you'll need to use every avenue to find cards, raw, auctions, crossover submissions, etc. Working with a group of people to help complete each other's sets can also be important (like the '72 fab 5).

If you have the opportunity to attend shows, you can think more seriously about buying raw cards and submitting them yourself if you are familiar with PSA's grading standards. If not, you'll probably be disappointed in the results if you're trying to build a NM/MT or better set.

jrinck

It all depends on the value of the cards you're buying.

For my '71 set, up until now it's made more sense to buy my PSA 6 and 7 commons already graded because I can get them for at or less than the grading fee. It's been like receiving the cards for free! This is even true, somewhat, for the stars, as I've been lucky to get those for around the Beckett value, except that they're graded.

HOWEVER, I'm at the point where a) I've pretty much run out of spending money for graded cards, and b) it's harder and harder to find the cards I need already graded anyway (I'm at 86%). So what I'm going to do is search out suitable raw examples and hold them until I get enough money to grade them. Buying raw commons costs a whole lot less than graded ones. Only now I'll be forced to spend $5.00 to $6.00 each to grade them no matter what the condition. 6/7 quality should be easy to find raw as it makes no sense for a dealer/seller to submit them.

LuxuryWines

Echoing what most everyone else has said. I believe buying graded is the way to go .... Unless you can look the card over in person or have a very reliable source for buying raw cards.... My first year on Ebay I bought a lot of raw cards that were advertised as NM and a vast majority of them were ex - exmt. Personally I do not buy raw cards online except in rare circumstances....(Like I have not seen the card graded or the card is in a thinly traded graded issue). When you pile up the time ,aggravation, and $'s on mistakes buying raw cards on EBay graded is definitely the way to go!

purelyPSA

A little different take. I say it depends on what you collect - not purely based on availability, but with cost as the main factor. This assumes you have decent access to good, ungraded stuff via shows and/or shops...

JMHO. If you're trying to put together a boss set from the '60s, purely from a cost standpoint, don't bother with online auctions. The way I see it, why should I pay a ton for a common, just because it's low pop? Maybe I can find one out there if I look hard enough. In my opinion, collecting great vintage sets becomes cost prohibitive because of the cost of the commons; I'm fully prepared to pay for stars, and they have an established market with fairly stable values, but to pay (for example) $500 for a NM-MT 8 Mike Shannon is unfathomable (sorry Mintstate). Pay what you need for stars, search out the commons yourself, and save some serious jack. Deal with the commons you can't find when you're at the bitter end of your search.

Really the only ways I'd go about putting it together primarily via purchasing already slabbed material would be if I was in one of three situations:

1. The "Dude" '68 or '69 topps situation. Pretty much, if a bigtime card comes available in an astounding grade, the only way to go is to buy it slabbed, because it might disappear for good.

2. The "jrinck" '71 topps situation. If you can buy the card slabbed for cheaper than a submission price, why go any other way? If I were jrinck, I think I'd still wait around to see what pops up graded in 6-7, because over the next two months (and beyond) there'll be a lot of graded 70s stuff coming available.

3. The "I live in BFE and/or can't get out to do it myself" situation. Self-explanatory, as buying ungraded stuff on Ebay is a rough way to go.

Again, this is all just what I think...food for thought if nothing else.

Stump

These guys are right buying raw on ebay can drive you crazy. You dont get whats advertised as most people overgrade. Some people have overgraded as much as four grades, Scans can be doctored and differrent backing can be used to make the card look better. An example of this is when a seller uses a white background for a 1969 topps it is hard to see the borders. My opinion is you are better buying graded as you know what you are getting. Also doing this, you can always resubmit. Psa grades on a scale some 8's are better than other 8's. For example you can have an 8 just make an 8 or an 8 just fall below a 9. Sometimes you can get lucky on a reslab. Also some 9oc will qualify as an 8 and a 8 NQ is more desirable than a 9oc. Anyway good luck any way you go.


Stump

LloydsBaseballCards

I understand the thrill of the chase, but I buy 99% of my cards already PSA graded.

ejguru

Absolutely. At least 95% of purchases are graded. Learned the hard way for a while about overgrading on EBAY. Only from a few known repeat sellers get my biz on RAW stuff--just like dealers at shows.