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How about this for a February Special?
glossycrazy
Posts: 677
Hi-
Over the past 4 years I've seen the same old specials... $5 for a special with turnaround times varying... $13 for 5 day service..... Supersized specials...Pack specials... The list goes on and on.. How about these ideas and feel free to add your own!
How about a special with varying times and $ amount like SGC does: 5 days/ $13 10 days/ $9 20 days/ $7 etc.
( This would give a member some choices that just haven't been offered and more choices for guaranteed return times)
How about a special for sets to boost the registry! 0-100 cards/$7 101-250 cards/ $6 250-400/ $5 401- more/$4
( I think set builders should be given a deal like this to make the registry even more attractive/ maybe even with cheaper prices that I've listed)
Any other ideas? I'd like to hear them!
Paul
Over the past 4 years I've seen the same old specials... $5 for a special with turnaround times varying... $13 for 5 day service..... Supersized specials...Pack specials... The list goes on and on.. How about these ideas and feel free to add your own!
How about a special with varying times and $ amount like SGC does: 5 days/ $13 10 days/ $9 20 days/ $7 etc.
( This would give a member some choices that just haven't been offered and more choices for guaranteed return times)
How about a special for sets to boost the registry! 0-100 cards/$7 101-250 cards/ $6 250-400/ $5 401- more/$4
( I think set builders should be given a deal like this to make the registry even more attractive/ maybe even with cheaper prices that I've listed)
Any other ideas? I'd like to hear them!
Paul
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Comments
t
Red
Looking for 81-84 Topps Stickers in PSA 9 or better, 81 Topps Scratch offs, 83 Topps Fold outs in PSA 8 or better, 83 Fleer Stamps and 81/86 Fleer Star Stickers in PSA 9 or better.
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<< <i>How about a special for sets to boost the registry! 0-100 cards/$7 101-250 cards/ $6 250-400/ $5 401- more/$4 >>
I'd have to take out a loan if that special came up.
NAXCOM
Maybe with a minimum of 50 or 75 cards and no guarantied turn times.
I mean they got me addicted to this stuff I need a cheaper fix for my 1291 card set!
Jack
<< <i>I think it would be great to have a "real" Set Registry special. How about $3 a card for commons ( valued at less than $3) only for people who have actual sets to put the commons in. I have 300 commons for my Marino set that book for $3 or less that I need to get graded eventually. It's hard to pay $5 to get a .50 card graded. That in my opinion would be a "TRUE SET REGISTRY SPECIAL" >>
AND BE REQUIRED TO KEEP THE CARDS(UNLESS UPGRADED) IN THE REGISTRY FOR 1 YEAR. THIS WOULD PROTECT PSA FROM THE UNHONEST FROM GRADING TO RESELL AND HELP OUT THE MAJORITY OF US (PSA REGISTRY MEMBERS) TO INCREASE OUR SETS WITHOUT TAKING FOOD FROM OUR KIDS.
ANY THOUGHTS?
Go Phillies
with the laws of supply and demand...IF they cut their prices too low....they in affect kill themselves. There will be a mass quantity of cards on the market and that will drive prices even lower.
I agree it kills me to pay $5 to grade a $1 card.....but if it comes back a 10...and sells for $15-$20...then it's worth it. That's from a selling standpoint only!
The problem is that somewhere down the road...the cards will be sold off...whether sooner or later...and PSA can'r really police what stays in the Registry for any given amount of time.
Remember Beanie Babies.....you guys want graded cards to go the same way??
I beg to differ with you. If a common card grades PSA 10 and you sell it for $12 to $20 did you really make any money on it? between the cost of the card, the almost certain two or three cards per submission that get lower than expected grades, or do not holder for this or that reason, the shipping to PSA, the return shipping from PSA, the ebay listing fees, the final price fees and the shipping and handling fees to ship it to the buyer, well I wouldn't want to quit my day job. Getting commons graded for resale is not a good business plan. As for supply and demand how much demand is there truly for a $.50 cent common even graded at PSA 10 (more like PSA 9)? And with the cost of these lowly commons taken into effect you can buy a handful of them for a few dollars and send in the best and almost always get a 9 if you have any clue what so ever as to the grading standards. Also, I own my own business I give volume customers a huge discount sometimes less then half what I charge other customers, because I can buy materials cheaper and I know I can keep my people busy for another week or month. I think I can say without going out on a limb that if they only gave this special to people who "had sets registered" and only did it on commons, that these cards would not end up on fleabay for a long time. Mine wouldn't, I have a complete 72 football set that I have had for three years, an almost complete (lacking 4 cards) 71 football set that I have had for two years and I plan on holding onto my Marino Master Set until the old lady sells it for funeral money. I guess if 7-11 does not stop selling 94 ounce big gulps for .99 cents they will be going out of business any day now too.
All of that being said, consider the future value of money for PSA. Basic rules apply money in the hand today is worth more than money in the future. I have hundreds of common cards that need graded, i.e. money in PSA's hand today, they are setting in my house and not on their way to PSA due to the cost to me, i.e. money in the future for PSA.
Anyway, it was just a thought.
Again, you're looking at it SOLEY as a collector and what YOU'D do...and what YOU'D keep.
Even if these singles had to stay in Registred sets for even 2 years.....then in 2 years the market would get killed..because most would wait that time..and then dump sets!
I'm not sure what you do for business..but everything is relative. We ran an auto reconditioning shop for years and years. Off the street customers paid $125....twice a year we would run a $99 special. It goes with your money in hand theory. When we had the $99 special..people were lined up!! At $125, it was steady....but could have been better.
Now we also had 4 auto dealerships that we did wholesale work for...at $75 each car. This kept up busy...kept the payroll going..but made little money.
As time went on...people stopped paying the $125...and waited for the $99 special....after a year or so...that became the new price....and twice a year it was reduced to $89.
The next thing you know..we're crazy busy....working 15 hours a day to keep up....but not making any real money. Why?? Because we had cut our prices so low..there was no going back up!
I didn't need the exercise..I didn't need to work 15 hours a day 6 days a week to make little money. But it was the boss who gave the business away with such price cuts.
The same theory will happen to PSA when/if they ever start dropping prices like you suggest.
You can always go down a little...but it's almost impossible to go back up!!
Say they did allow people to grade JUST for the Registry...
How many people would put together 86, 87,88 ,89 Fleer Basketball sets...or smaller 60's Fleer sets...like 60 and 61 Baseball and football....
Great..20 more people build sets at little profit to PSA...because let's face it...$3 a card..they won't make squat....it's the counter argument that you're using about grading in bulk...it's not worth it..so why bother?
So in 2 years...a glut of sets will hit the market that people have little into.....what kind of affect will that have on the SMR?? I'll tell you...it would kill it altogether...
In the past 2 years, with just the $5 specials...we've seena decline in numerous sets due to the amount of cards getting graded. 1960 Fleer PSA 8 were $25-$45 each 2-3 years ago...today they can be had for 1/2 that. 1986 Fleer Basketball Psa 9's were $14.95- $19.95 each for commons..and in the hundreds for stars...in that same 2-3 year time period. Heck, '86 Fleer PSA 8's used to sell for $5-$10 each....today it's hard to get a couple of bucks.
I firmly believe in the PSA system....but as time goes on....collecting strategies and monetary decisions will have to be made. Fads change like the tide....who knows what's to come...
But further cutting grading fees and giving the services away....they will only be cutting their own throats!!
That's not for just PSA....but for every business.....yours included.
<< <i>ok..I'll rebut what you say...
Again, you're looking at it SOLEY as a collector and what YOU'D do...and what YOU'D keep.
Even if these singles had to stay in Registred sets for even 2 years.....then in 2 years the market would get killed..because most would wait that time..and then dump sets!
I'm not sure what you do for business..but everything is relative. We ran an auto reconditioning shop for years and years. Off the street customers paid $125....twice a year we would run a $99 special. It goes with your money in hand theory. When we had the $99 special..people were lined up!! At $125, it was steady....but could have been better.
Now we also had 4 auto dealerships that we did wholesale work for...at $75 each car. This kept up busy...kept the payroll going..but made little money.
As time went on...people stopped paying the $125...and waited for the $99 special....after a year or so...that became the new price....and twice a year it was reduced to $89.
The next thing you know..we're crazy busy....working 15 hours a day to keep up....but not making any real money. Why?? Because we had cut our prices so low..there was no going back up!
I didn't need the exercise..I didn't need to work 15 hours a day 6 days a week to make little money. But it was the boss who gave the business away with such price cuts.
The same theory will happen to PSA when/if they ever start dropping prices like you suggest.
You can always go down a little...but it's almost impossible to go back up!!
Say they did allow people to grade JUST for the Registry...
How many people would put together 86, 87,88 ,89 Fleer Basketball sets...or smaller 60's Fleer sets...like 60 and 61 Baseball and football....
Great..20 more people build sets at little profit to PSA...because let's face it...$3 a card..they won't make squat....it's the counter argument that you're using about grading in bulk...it's not worth it..so why bother?
So in 2 years...a glut of sets will hit the market that people have little into.....what kind of affect will that have on the SMR?? I'll tell you...it would kill it altogether...
In the past 2 years, with just the $5 specials...we've seena decline in numerous sets due to the amount of cards getting graded. 1960 Fleer PSA 8 were $25-$45 each 2-3 years ago...today they can be had for 1/2 that. 1986 Fleer Basketball Psa 9's were $14.95- $19.95 each for commons..and in the hundreds for stars...in that same 2-3 year time period. Heck, '86 Fleer PSA 8's used to sell for $5-$10 each....today it's hard to get a couple of bucks.
I firmly believe in the PSA system....but as time goes on....collecting strategies and monetary decisions will have to be made. Fads change like the tide....who knows what's to come...
But further cutting grading fees and giving the services away....they will only be cutting their own throats!!
That's not for just PSA....but for every business.....yours included. >>
I don't really think the problem is a glut in supply so much as it is that demand isn't increasing. As you know the graded card collecting community is a VERY SMALL one when you consider the hobby as a whole. Far, far fewer than 1% of total collectors out there get serious about graded cards, and unless more of those people do get involved it won't matter whether stuff is submitted today or two years from now-- prices will continue to go down.
But the larger problem with trying to turn a buck in the card market is your competition. You just have a ton of guys who are either a) happy to accept a financial loss on their PSA memberships, as they figure the money they lose on grading fees, Ebay listing charges, etc. is the price for the entertainment of getting cards graded, or b) guys who are happy to make $6-$8 an hour pre-grading their cards, getting them slabbed and selling them, since every hour they spend in the basement looking at cards though a loupe is one less hour they have to spent fighting with the old lady. Against that backdrop it becomes exceptionally hard to make the monthly nut brokering in graded cards.
So, in sum-- I don't think the problem is the specials per se, so much as it is the volume of cards that are happily graded at a financial loss when these specials arise.
Anyway, you won me over with your logic. I am going to run out and buy a big gulp because 7-11 will be cutting there own throats by selling them for .99 cents, and will surely be out of business in two years.
I change my wish for a special to $25 a card, no turn around time guarantee, and heck mis label a couple of them I don't mind. As long as PSA makes lots of money.