Does the PSA grader know....

eyebone

at what service level the card(s) they are grading have been submitted at?

I know, for example, that some guys feel that "preferential treatment" might be given to a customer who submits at the more expensive level. What, if anything, does the grader know about this?

Eyebone

cravetopps

unless they're living in a vacuum and know nothing about a card's value, they know by default.

MikeyLikesIt

I've wondered this same thing. Whether the grader is specifically told this information or not, I don't think it would be hard to figure out if he sees a nice stack of '86 Topps baseball compared to a nice stack of '63 Topps. One could assume that there MAY be an inherent bias there.

Treetop

The more experienced graders look at the higher dollar cards. The experienced grader would be more willing to give it the grade it deserves, while the inexperienced grader might be a little “gun shy” on giving the higher grade when the card is close to a 7, while really an 8.

cravetopps

the service level is dictated by the declared value of the card AND there is a specific turnaround guaranteed at each service level. so, they have two ways to figure it out.

storm888

"One could assume that there MAY be an inherent bias there. "

////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The graders get paid the same, regardless of what
grades they assign a particular card.

Frankly, I think it is ridiculous to suspect that PSA
has EVER perpetrated any act of "bias" regarding
any submission. There simply is NOTHING in it for
PSA to play it any other way than straight-up.

I do agree that experienced graders are more likely
- at any TPG - to assign the best grade the card is
capable of achieving. That is not about "bias," it is
about confidence.

MikeyLikesIt

<< <i>Frankly, I think it is ridiculous to suspect that PSA
has EVER perpetrated any act of "bias" regarding
any submission. >>


That's a bold statement. I think PSA does a good job and is usually pretty fair but the simple fact that humans are grading these and not computers or monkeys is enough of a reason for me to assume that bias may sneak in there once in a while - whether the grader knows it or not.

colebear

<< <i>at what service level the card(s) they are grading have been submitted at?

I know, for example, that some guys feel that "preferential treatment" might be given to a customer who submits at the more expensive level. What, if anything, does the grader know about this?

Eyebone >>



A copy of the submission form follows the cards everywhere, so they would know. The reason we are told to put stickers on the back of each cards savers to ensure that all cards are there at each desk. These cards cross a lot of desks and each desk is allowed one submission at a time (that is what a cust. servie rep told me) There is a video on the grading process on the home page that gives basic info.

XanaduNow

<< <i>"One could assume that there MAY be an inherent bias there. "

////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The graders get paid the same, regardless of what
grades they assign a particular card.

Frankly, I think it is ridiculous to suspect that PSA
has EVER perpetrated any act of "bias" regarding
any submission. There simply is NOTHING in it for
PSA to play it any other way than straight-up.

I do agree that experienced graders are more likely
- at any TPG - to assign the best grade the card is
capable of achieving. That is not about "bias," it is
about confidence. >>



I'll take it one step further. I think they've got an ENORMOUS amount to lose if they did have any kind of preferential treatment. I can't imagine why they would.

Arthur

jackstraw

If I send in 1000 cards a month faithfully and I get a pile of junk grades where is the incentive to send in another 1000?

stevek

Bottom line - the low end for the grade cards, sometimes get passed from buyer to buyer on ebay. So on ebay you are normally seeing the low end graded cards. The high end for the grade cards are usually kept by the sellers for their stores. The sellers want buyers in person to carefully see the "high end for the grade" card quality under a loupe, and not just guessing the quality from a scan on ebay. The collectors pay top dollar for these cards and keep those slabbed cards in their collections - they're not looking to resell anytime soon.

People think the PSA cards on ebay are the "typical" PSA cards but for the most part they are not - you're seeing the "garbage" not the good stuff. You're seeing from a large dealer on ebay perhaps a PSA 7 which "coulda" maybe been a 6, but you're not seeing from those dealers the 7's which "coulda" maybe been an 8 - those are being sold in their stores or privately to get top dollar for the grade. Of course some sellers do offer the "good stuff" on ebay but it won't ever be at a bargain price.

So in my view, there is no preferential treatment at all from PSA - it's just circumstances which may sometimes make it appear that way.


Steve