PSA submission ?

MCMLVTopps

Situation...

I have a 56 card set that I'd like to send in during the March special. The cards are Topps factory sealed and look like a pack of playing cards wrapped in cellophane, there is a 57th card that is oversized that has thumbnail pics of the players in the set. I don't have 56 card savers, maybe 20 or so, here's the deal.

I contact PSA and they tell me I can send in the cards as they are, but must include a disclaimer (in red yet), that PSA is not liable for any damage, blah, blah to the cards. AND, the 57th card because it is oversized must be sent in under a separate submission, which will cost $14.00 plus an INCREDIBLE $15.95 to mail it back to me. I'm not cheap, but $16 to mail one card is a bit much, no?

So, has anyone ever sent in cards not in card savers? Ever had a problem? This disclaimer is almost frightening that I have to enclose, I think they could literally throw the cards around for a while before they graded them...of course they wouldn't.

Should I take a shot and send in the 56 cards as they are at the special of $4.50 a pop...$29.70 to mail them back. Would you pay the extra $30 for the 57th card or am I being a bit myopic? I gotta eventually have the card to complete the set.

Thanks

mknez

I would buy some more cardsavers. I would not submit a single card unless the value was significant. But that's just me!

JMDVM

On the subject of postage,this new move to return cards by priority mail instead of registered mail was suppose to save us shipping costs. Bull***t!!!. I saved $2 on my recent submission. PSA are the ones saving money. $15.95 to return one card is a rip off, pure and simple!

handyman

Are you doing this to sell or just to have? what is the set and how much would it cost you to buy one already graded? have you looked into that?

MCMLVTopps

handyman...

It's the 2004 Topps Red Sox Tribute set. To my knowledge there are no graded cards and not a set in the Registry, as the set doesn't exist yet. I'd like to keep it for myself in a graded format, perhaps to sell well into the future. I have one already in an album and thought it'd be cool to have a graded set. While there are some 2004 Red Sox sets in the Registry, they do not represent the WS team, they are more like from the 2003 season. So, with the March special, it'll cost me about $300 to have a nicely graded set, of which should contain many PSA 10s.

It does kinda lick the red off my candy that the accompanying oversize card, which consists of thumbnail photos with a compilation of games they won, has to burn me for $30 all by itself. Something about shipping me ONE card from Newport Beach, CA to Atlanta, GA costing me $15.95 in shipping, just ain't right. A subject I will personally bring up with Joe Orlando next August in Baltimore. I don't mind a bit of making a profit, but gouging customers is BS.

jradke4

well you can never submit tallboys on the same submission as a regular size card. their reasoning is that they wont fit in the same return shipping box tightly.

as for writing that they are not liable for any damage...well you are letting someone else open up the cards. some might be factory damaged that you might blame on PSA. there must be some type of card shop near by were you could buy a bag of 100 sleves for about $2-$3. on the other hand you could just send them in opened your self not in any penny sleve or csII. its all at your own risk at that point. just make sure you pack the cards really tight. if i would ever sub a larger order than i normally do (>100) i would probably not put them in a CSII probably just penny sleves. and pack them tight.

CNote

I assume these cases can't be any tougher to open that Topps Uncirculated cases...if so, they can easily be pried open with a flathead without damage to the card, or yourself. I've done it to several refractors and xfractors that weren't cheap to buy, and they came back 10s. Crack 'em and buy cardsavers...

otwcards

I would break the set open. In the event that the cards stick and damage, you know this in advance and won't be out the submission and shipping fees. If they're nice, then you can send them. You can buy 100 CS1s for $11.25 dlvd by visiting Columbia Sportscards eBay link for this auction.

Dboneesq

<< <i>I would break the set open. In the event that the cards stick and damage, you know this in advance and won't be out the submission and shipping fees. If they're nice, then you can send them. You can buy 100 CS1s for $11.25 dlvd by visiting Columbia Sportscards eBay link for this auction. >>



I agree with Scott. In addition, I have purchased my CS1s from Columbia and they ship very quickly. I buy 1,000 from them for $58.95 DELIVERED.

MCMLVTopps

jradke4...

Actually the reason I was given at PSA that we get thousands of submissions, blah, blah and it could get lost? What? How could it get lost if you have to put a sticker on the submission? In my case on the cellophane of the 56 cards, and on the oversize, on the brown envelope Topps put it in. And, now that they've done away with Registered Mail, which would make sense that the oversize wouldn't fit, they now use Priority Mail boxes (I just got one from them) to do shipments....the oversize would easily fit into any Priority Mail box the USPS has and that PSA would choose to use to return my 55 slabbed cards. It is still dumber than a bag of rocks to charge me $29.70 to ship 55 cards, which is $.54 per card, and $15.95 to ship one just because it's oversized. Not right and I assure you I will bring it up at the Collectors luncheon (assuming there is a ? and A) otherwise with Joe on the floor.

bking

It's really pretty simple to me

a) any handling you let them do prior to grading your cards is a risk you don't want. Card savers are cheap.
b) They have to make separate grading batches out of different kinds of cards (in this case size) for logistical reasons. It's only logical that they would put the burden on you to sub them separately.
c) Just sub the small ones already opened and secured in cardsavers, and find someone on here who will let you piggyback your oversize with their submission. You'll still pay a fair amount in postage though - there just isn't a magic formula that makes single cards cost-effective to submit unless they are high$ ones.