New Member Benefits

LuxuryWines · October 10, 2002 10:12PM

Dear Valued Collectors Club Member:

Professional Sports Authenticator would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support as a Gold or Platinum Club Member.

Effective October 15, 2002, we are pleased to announce discounted pricing for our top four service levels exclusive to Gold and Platinum members. Submit now and start reaping the benefits of your membership!

Service Level Gold/Platinum Member Price* Non Member Price
Walk Through $35 per card $50 per card
Super Express $25 per card $35 per card
Express $15 per card $20 per card
Regular $12.50 per card $15 per card

(*Discounts not applicable to show prices and/or specials)

To ensure proper processing of your submission, it is very important that you include your account number on your submission form. This will ensure that the new pricing structure is applied to your order. If you are unsure of your account number, please feel free to contact us via e-mail at CustomerService@Collectors.com or call 800-325-1121 and a customer service representative will be happy to assist you.

New forms are available online in the Submission Center located on the PSA web site at www.psacard.com. If using an older form, please make sure to adjust the pricing and calculate fees accordingly using the information above. Mark your submission form clearly with the type of membership you have, Gold or Platinum, along with your account number.

This is just the beginning of new and exciting offers for our most valued card enthusiasts. Watch out for specials and added benefits exclusive to Collectors Club members in the months and years to come! If you know your membership is due for renewal, call today and receive 2 extra free submissions.

Sincerely,

Joe Orlando, J.D.
President

I occasionally use regular service so sounds good to me....

Nothing wrong with saving a few bucks!

acowa · October 10, 2002 10:55PM

Joe,

You guys have done a great job with building a contingent of set builders. For average set builders like myself, we need a way to submit vintage commons. We used to be able to submit vintage commons for $8. Now, guys like me are either waiting until we have 100 cards or waiting for a set registry special. The funny part is...by the time we accumulate close to 100 cards worth grading...the set registry special bails us out and we get better service for a dollar per card less!

The catch is that many NM/MT investor grade cards are now selling for less than the grading fee on EBAY. (in some cases even at the set registry special fee) Supply and demand won't allow this to go on forever and we will either see submissions decline or prices improve. What is your opinion of this?

Regards,

Alan

ROCKDJRW · October 11, 2002 12:21AM

I agree! I have many raw PSA 8 quality commons from my 1976 topps Baseball set but I do not submit them because I can find them on Ebay often for less then grading fees from sellers like Shoeless Joes etc.
Maybe a special for cards booking under 5 or 10 dollars would bring many submissions from people collecting 70's sets.

BigKidAtHeart · October 11, 2002 12:23AM

<< <i>The catch is that many NM/MT investor grade cards are now selling for less than the grading fee on EBAY. (in some cases even at the set registry special fee) Supply and demand won't allow this to go on forever and we will either see submissions decline or prices improve. What is your opinion of this? >>

***(GREAT QUESTION!)

onegaucho · October 11, 2002 2:45AM

I agree. I've got an almost complete set of 73 Topps that I considered sending in, but at $10+ a pop, it just isn't worth it and I'm just as happy with the raw cards. I collected a set of PSA 8 63 Fleers a few years back and the commons basically cost me as much as if I were to submit them in myself ($8-10 range)- so I didn't see any need to find any raw ones and submit them myself (nevermind subject myself to the scrutiny of the PSA graders).

I'm startin up on another 63F set, but this time, I'm keepin it all ungraded. I need a few more 73s to finish my set (anyone else collect them?)

toppsgun · October 11, 2002 5:54AM

Ahh, therein lies the rub.

On the one hand, we want to grade our entire sets, but on the other hand, (raw card cost + grading fee) > ebay cost of same card slabbed.

This grading-the-entire-set phenomenon becomes a money loser for collectors for sets in NM-MT somewhere in the mid-to late '60s. But to keep the PSA pipeline full requires ever-lower prices and/or specials, (but how long can PSA continue that). More setbuilders must be suckered (er, ah, seduced) into the Registry side of the hobby.

Methinks we're approching the top of the curve RIGHT ABOUT NOW. Ain't the laws of supply and demand wonderful? Get ready for:

(a) continued price drops on graded cards,
(b) drying up of supply of high end 8's on ebay,
(c) near panic from two of the following:
(1) collectors, (2) dealers (3) grading services.

Those of us with Cash and Patience will reap the rewards. Wasn't it the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett himself, who coined the phrase, "Bear markets are when stocks return to their rightful owners."

Come to papa, little card, little card.

LuxuryWines · October 11, 2002 6:07AM

Topps Gun,

<< <i>Come to papa, little card, little card. >>

LMAO!!!!

Who am I to argue with the sage from Omaha!

HIHOHIHO It's off to buy I go!

toppsgun · October 11, 2002 6:37AM

Luxury Wines,

If "come to papa" doesn't work, try this, "Hey, little card, want some candy?"

...Works every time.

crazysc · October 11, 2002 6:45AM

<< <i>The catch is that many NM/MT investor grade cards are now selling for less than the grading fee on EBAY. (in some cases even at the set registry special fee) Supply and demand won't allow this to go on forever and we will either see submissions decline or prices improve. What is your opinion of this? >>

This is exactly what happened in new cards. For 1999 and most of 2000, PSA charged a minimum of $8/card to everyone (sans card manufacturers). In the middle of 2000 and into 2001, they dropped the rates to $6/card for a lot of large dealers. This just opened the floodgates for a lot more product to be submitted. BUT, when that product hit the markets the indivduals selling it weren't as strong, and a lot more stuff was dumped. Lowering prices, and lowering the amount of stuff that could be submitted. Eventually, most of the product was no longer worth submitting, as A) the best cards out there had already been graded, and

the marginal cards couldn't be submitted because of a decline in value.

I think you'll see the same thing with more modern vintage commons. Those $5 PSA 8s are nice for the collector, but they won't continue forever as dealers obviously aren't making any money...

helionaut · October 13, 2002 5:57AM

Maybe they ought to have a deal tailored specifically for the individual collector. If you submit say, at least 50% of one set in one shipment, then they do it real cheap, especially the modern cards, I'd wonder if it wouldn't go over big. I, for one, would love to have a graded set of 2001 Topps Heritage or 1991 Stadium Club (or even UD 40-Man ), but there's no way I'd ever spend the money, even at the bulk rate of $7 or whatever it is. But if I send in a full set of 487 Topps Heritages (both red and blackbacks), and I get it done for, say, $3.50 a card, it's a good bit closer to reality, even if it is a real extravagance. People don't need much encouragement to submit vintage cards right now, but there is some beautiful stuff that's come out in the past few years that could be brought to a whole new light if PSA was able to encourage set building this way.

New Member Benefits

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