Buying raw cards from PSA sellers

tombo

Just wondering how skeptical board members are when a nice raw card is being sold by a seller that also has PSA graded cards for sale. Let's just say we are talking about cards valued from $50 to a couple hundred dollars. Is that an automatic red flag or would you still trust a seller with great feedback?

mikeschmidt

<< <i>Just wondering how skeptical board members are when a nice raw card is being sold by a seller that also has PSA graded cards for sale. Let's just say we are talking about cards valued from $50 to a couple hundred dollars. Is that an automatic red flag or would you still trust a seller with great feedback? >>



Dealers are in the business to make money. Efficient dealers will try to maximize profits, to the extent possible. As such, you should always assume that they will not willingly be leaving money on the table for you to make. If they have a RAW MINT card that would sell for $30/raw but $200 in a PSA 9 MINT holder -- well, it is not a truly MINT raw card.

julen23

i am in the business of cracking slabs for my raw sets.

quite the reverse.

julen

basestealer

I won't buy a raw card from a PSA bulk submitter on principle. However, I usually sell and deal with raw cards almost exclusively, and sometimes I will obtain some graded cards that I offer for sale, and I hope people don't see that as an indication that my raw cards are somehow flawed. People lie so much in this industry it's almost impossible to win a customer by telling the truth.

julen23

yea good point.

any cards 4sc, dsl, redzonesports, newengland collectibles, sell as "raw" cards automatically should raise eyebrows! they submit virtually everything, so anything they are selling raw obviously didnt meet their standards, thus being a card guilty by association!

julen

Wondo

I sell a bunch of PSA stuff, but pepper it with raw that will not return my grading investment. The most common reason for me selling raw is a low priced card. However, an ex vintage card will often will bring the same as if it were graded - so why bother.

Note: I have been bitten recently by selling lower grade raw - T206 Gandil, for instance - that would have brought twice as much graded vg. Buyers really are skeptical.

Just my .02.

julen23

the more i think of it,

this topic is a major "taboo" among collectors.

funny commentary eh?

julen

julen23

john,

i would venture to say most collectors know of you and understand your non-capitalistic reasons for selling raw cards.

i am addressing bulk submitters and people who charge $10.oo for s/h and add $$$ for additional cards bought, which is shameful.

julen

hotmush

Just finished selling a bunch of graded stuff from my March special. Being up here in Canada, it costs me (with the $5 special) $12.67 per card (after shipping there and back, customs etc) to get a card graded.
So, if a card probably isn't going to bring that much in the grade I expect it to earn, then I sell the card raw instead with a really good scan. So I have graded cards and raw cards for sale (or had), and hope that a potential buyer will make their own decision based on the scan provided. So far, it has worked well for me. And I'm actually having more luck on the raw stuff than the graded stuff.

storm888

Buying a raw card from a PSA seller is fine, if you
just want/need an example of the card.

Buying a raw card from a PSA seller is silly, if you
expect the card to grade at/near the seller's description.


EDITED TO ADD:

There are sellers on this board that grade properly, and
I would not hesitate to buy a raw card from them.

stown

And there's those who purchase graded cards only to crack and sell raw.

Booooooo!

SoFLPhillyFan

<< <i>And there's those who purchase graded cards only to crack and sell raw.

Booooooo! >>



*GORGEOUS**

**STUNNING**

**SUPERB**

*A BEAUTY*

**BREATHTAKING**

*AWESOME*

**BU!!$H(T**

They took me once - never again.

tombo

I am in 100% agreement with Wondo and Basestealer. I too, buy and sell both graded and ungraded cards. If I buy an ungraded card that doesn't quite live up to its advanced billing, I will usually sell it raw with a more realistic description. I simply decide if it makes business sense to spend money getting a card graded that will not really sell for more than the raw version. Just like basestealer, I hope people view my feedback rating and trust that my raw cards are totally legit to my knowledge.

packCollector

I sell mostly graded but a few months ago I sold 200-300 raw cards that i accumulated. Mostly mid grade star cards from the 50's and 60's, opc star cards that were oc and some modern early to mid 80's rookies. These were cards that grading would not add value. The maximum I listed the modern stuff was NM/MT even though I am sure some would grade 9's and the 50's 60's was mostly lsited as ex/mt. The cards actually did quite well to a wide range of buyers and I received positive feedback on all of it with no complaints, this was over a month or so and there were many repeat buyers the 2nd and 3rd time around..

If you are straight forward and accurately grade , the buyers appreciate it.

edited to add: there wasn't any hype in my listings , GREATEST EVER$&$#@#@$^@# BUY MY CARD@&$#$#@43 LOOK AT THE GOING PRICES FOR GRADED CARD %%@$##@ etc. just listed grades , titles and large pictures

tombo

What is it with Great Lakes? Are they "forgetting" to mention a flaw that will cause the card to grade lower than it looks?

Bosox1976

Great Lakes fairly accurately hypes the good features and says nothing of the bad. Usually they sell PSA crackouts, so that is why they confidently state 100% Authentic. On another thread, I "outed" one of their buying ID's, but I believe ebayers greed is what drived their prices up - at least more than their description does. So, I am not as negative on them as others - esp. those who really do overgrade or lie.

stown

<< <i>**STUNNING** >>



Funny you mention that....

This sure looks a lot like this (sold for $53.99).





Their description:



<< <i>This, 100% authentic, 1968 Topps baseball Mickey Mantle #280 card is STUNNING and has NICE centering. This highly-demanded HOFer's card also displays: many pack-fresh qualities, "perfect" wet-looking sheen, "perfect" pack-fresh vibrant colors(must c), "flawless" factory finish, beautiful crisp photographic imagery, and has no creases. The corners are reasonably sharp with tip touches. The back of this "SHOWCASE" card is clean with tone spot near the center (hardly noticed...even upon close inspection) and has crisp edges. This New York Yankees legend's card would make a magnificent addition for any collection. We guarantee this card is AUTHENTIC and UNTRIMMED or your money back. BIDDING STARTS AT ONLY **ONE PENNY** Winning bidder pays $3.25 for safe, secure, and prompt S&H with delivery confirmation included(delivery confirmation only available in U.S.). We do offer discounted shipping of only .50 for each additional card won...we never charge over $5.00 for multiple singles won. Insurance is available upon buyer's request. INSURANCE RATES: $50 COVERAGE=$1.30, $100 COVERAGE=$2.20 AND $1.00 PER ADDITIONAL $100 COVERAGE DESIRED. We only accept, cashier's checks, money orders, and personal checks(personal checks are subject to a 10 day holding period for clearing purposes). Please send payment within 7-10 days of auction's ending. Thank you very much for your consideration and good luck bidding. WE STRIVE FOR COMPLETE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, PLEASE VIEW OUR FEEDBACKS. Here is what one of our many valued customers had to say about their experience with Great Lakes Auction House: "great transaction, fast delivery, and super nice card, would highly recommend" >>



If it's not the same card, I humbly apologize and will gladly edit the post

RonBurgundy

"Dealers are in the business to make money. Efficient dealers will try to maximize profits, to the extent possible. As such, you should always assume that they will not willingly be leaving money on the table for you to make. If they have a RAW MINT card that would sell for $30/raw but $200 in a PSA 9 MINT holder -- well, it is not a truly MINT raw card."


This statement is only partly true, as some dealers will price their raw, gradeable stuff at higher prices, leaving someone else to deal with the hassle of sending the card in and taking the risk of getting a certain grade. Buying from these dealers is very much a risk/reward situation and you have to know what you are doing.


Ron

digicat

<< <i>Just wondering how skeptical board members are when a nice raw card is being sold by a seller that also has PSA graded cards for sale. Let's just say we are talking about cards valued from $50 to a couple hundred dollars. Is that an automatic red flag or would you still trust a seller with great feedback? >>



I guess the rule of thumb is, dealers want to make money. If a dealer doesn't think he can make the money by getting a card graded, he won't. Why unnecessarly raise your overhead? Now, if the guy's writing "PSA 10????" all over his auction for vintage HoFers, then he's probably full of it.


On the other hand, I've run into some dealers who UNDERGRADE their stuff sometimes. That's always a treat!

thedutymon

Good day,
I sell Raw and Graded cards on E-bay. And for numerous reasons, some as simple as if I have several of the same card, I will submit the two best looking for grading. I then keep the NM-MT 8 or MINT 9 for my set and sell the NM-MT 8 or the NM 7. I also sell any other dups of that card with a Scan of the card and as good as description as possible, But, and I emphasize the But, I Do Not grade cards I sell, Period, As Stated in all my Auctions I do Not Grade cards as every Collector has a different opinion and the only one I trust is PSA or SGC !!!!!!!!
I also sell ungraded and graded of the same card because not being some big time Dealer with unlimited funds I have to pick and choose what I submit. And Bottom line just like anybody I am only going to submit what I think I can't Re-sell. In the Non Sport Arena this can be very Fickle and you better know what your doing. If I have 5 of the same card come back in a submission as MINT 9, the first will sell awesome, but by the time you get to 3 or 4 you can't give them away, due to the very limited customer base in Non Sports. Thus why submit all 5 just send in one or 2 and sell the other three raw to pay for all 5. There are Vintage cards in MINT 9 I couldn't give away, while other sets the sky's the limit on an EX-Mt 6. And this can change day to day on E-bay. I have had MINT 9 same cards from Vintage sets (1960's) very popular series that I ended up Re-listing and Relisting 3-4-5 times to end up selling for $10.00 bucks and then the next week sell the exact same card for $150.00.
Go Figure !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Neil

alnavman

I sell raw from sets I'm collecting and don't need to submit the cards for grading. I often buy lots of raw cards just to try and find those I need to complete my sets. Often I'll run across raw that I already have a 9 so I sell the card raw. This is more for lower valued cards where it doesn't make sense to have it graded, come back a 9 (hopefully) and then it sells for a buck more than it would if ungraded...

jimq112

If Stown is right and nohassletrade is the buying ID and great lakes is the selling ID, then here's the magic slab cracker

Slab cracker!

Carew29

I have bought several cards from PSA members and have had only 1 come back as re-colored.

storm888

Cool tool.

cavalier

I sell both raw and graded -- but my grading is every bit as strict as PSA if not more so.
If I buy raw - I typically sell raw -- if I buy graded, I sell graded.

If i call a card NRMT/MT+ odds are probably 50% or greater that it would grade PSA 9 or higher.

Obviously there are some dealers who play games -- but that's where the new Item as described feedback might come in helpful


CavalierCards Ebay store