Is 10 dollars per card a fair price for card grading?

Lothar52

im just opening this up to the group....with the emergence of midgrade sets who range in the 10-12 dollar per common for psa 6's and maybe EVEN LESS... is 10 dollars an adequate fee??? My suggestion is that this would be good for 1-10 cards submitted...but that rates above 10 cards subitted should drop it significantly to 4 dollars per card, epecially if the submitter marks "midgrade" beside a card. If the dealer believes it to be a 7 or higher ( I know 7 is considered midgrade but i think this may change in the future) they charge 10 bucks for the grading of that single card. If they agree its a midgrade common then only 4 is charged...im just wondering about SOMEThING that would make midgrade common cards WORTH grading. It just upsetting that there is not more psa 5-6 common stuff out there in the postwar 50's and 60's sets cause its just not worth grading- with the seller basically LOSING money big time. I know personally I have taken advantage of this and have gotten cards free with less grading fee simply by buying a 8 dollar psa 6 common that cost the guy 10 dollars to get it graded on average (maybe he used the 6 dollar bulk rate but not everyone has that many to have graded). GO ahead and rip into me, but im just trying to figure out how us midgrade set lovers who collect the cards for the cards can complete sets and move on (life is short). I could simply collect raw i know...but so many times they come creased....

I dont mean to devalue the time PSA spends with the cards..or anything like that... who knows what the right answer would be for this sect of the hobby..i guess time and patience and waiting for other peoples mistakes???

Loth

Dallas88

Lother, I think the heart of your question you are getting at is - "I would really love to have some of these mid-grade cards graded because I really like the way they are protected and presented. But it costs an arm and a leg to grade what I want graded."

I agree - but I have 2 kids, a wife (damn), home loan, and retirement to think about....even on my "good" salary, card grading falls a close 162 on the list of priorities.

My advice - learn to enjoy the raw cards - learn about them - grade them yourself, and store them well...and just admit to yourself, there are other things in life other than graded cards ( huge GASP from the audience)

It sounds like you are a somewhat casual collector like me - I don't grade 'em unless I'm going to sell 'em.

Now when my collection passes to my kids (if it does - those damn kids ..... I will have them graded then.

Good luck on your collection!

Dal

parrotpaul

A ten spot to grade a card is always a GREAT deal if the card come back a gem mint 10. If the cards grades out at Ex-Nmt 6, you will probably carp at the price. I do.

Lothar52

fsjeter

Loth,

When I first got in to graded cards, a dealer broke it down to me like this: "If the cost to get the card graded is more than the value of the card, then it's probably not worth getting graded." For the most part, I've kept to that philosophy. Value aside, the only other reasons I would get a card graded are to make sure it doesn't sustain anymore damage than it already has or peace of mind (to make sure the card is authentic). If all you are concerned about is submitting cards for your registry than there are basically two questions you gotta ask yourself: "What's the current population" and "how much can I get this card for already graded?" That's the way I look at the situation.

Scott

boggs301012

Wwlcome to my world 90% of what I own isnt worth the grading cost, I do it though. That is why I love 5.00 specials and hold out for them.


James

Tabe

If all you're concerned about is having the card protected, and not the actual grade itself, try www.grademycards.com. They offer an encapsulation service for 99 cents per card.

Tabe
www.tabe.nu

1420sports

As a collector of PSA 5 and 6 1952 Bowmans, I find a few on eBay but I have a feeling that most of set is going to come from personal submissions. The cards usually cost around 7 per common, and w/o a special the cards will end up being 15 dollars - which is about what they get on the market.

Lothar52

all im saying is is that they charge you alot more if your cards a 1952 mantle to get it graded..they charge YOU more cause you can make alot more ont hat cards...not that its harder to grade the card...why not charge less if the card is worth less????

loth- and grademycards.com is NOT an option

grilloj39

Lothar...I'm another mid-grade set collector, with some exceptions. I am taking my time finishing my 1972 topps hockey set in PSA. I just completed my 1971 Topps Hockey PSA set and my GAI Clemente set and have about 3 1975 red sox PSA team set cards to go.

I am content with collecting raw. After I am finished with the above, I'll probably just stick to raw cards. I think the raw sets display beautifully in soft sleeves with a nice album. graded cards tend to get stored away and are therefore, "out of sight, out of mind."

WinPitcher

Great thread Loth, the true ex/mnt card can be a very desirable one. To bad the pricing structure you are talking about does not exist. Many mid grade collectors would benefit from one.

parrotpaul

I think most of my sales have been PSA-7 graded cards. Whenever I place a PSA-9 card on auction, the results are generally below what I expect. PSA-8 cards sell, but like the nines, they don't sell as well as the sevens....I have found that especially true with hockey cards and basketball cards.

Lothar52