Should be PSA limit what it grades, so they can speed up the ordering process?
olb31
Posts: 3,462 ✭✭✭✭✭
When you review through the sell prices of some sets, you come to realize that many of the cards in the set sell for no more than $30 in PSA 10. SO for sets like that maybe they should A) not grade that set any more, 
only grade a card or two from that set. Here some examples, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 baseball, all regular sets, etc. Football 1989 topps - ???. I am sure there are many other sets in the same boat. At this point, everyone knows the value of each card, so if one stands (the 1989 fleer randy johnson error), then grade them. But 1989 fleer Wade Boggs, maybe not.
I'm thinking if they limit what they grade, the grading time be knocked down about 20 days. Not to mention trying to maintain the databases of grades. I know this thread needs to be tweaked a bit, but you should get the overall premise.
Comments
So wait a sec. What is
?
Oh it's B. LOL.
More than likely will never happen. Obviously grading is their business/lifeblood. You would be asking them to lessen their income. Can't see that. Besides, I assume that for continuity sake many collectors would like their sets presented in a uniform manner where all the cards are slabbed.
I don't think they should limit what people can submit, I think they should just be honest about their turn-around times, then let people make their own decisions. The turn-around times they list are off by over 100% sometimes.
I guess they would need to ask themselves if many or any collectors care if there are 9 1989 wade boggs psa 10's or 90? Or does it matter.
April Fools!
As an investor in CLCT I'd have to say I'm not in favor.
I want them to grade as many cards as humanly possible. I don't see them ever limiting what they'll grade based off of the justifications/reasons the OP suggested. While it might have some minor positive effects on maintaining market value of some cards, the negative effects to their bottom line and the hobby in general would be far too severe.
While we're dreaming... I do have two things I think the could, and should do, but probably never will...
1) Guaranteed turn-around times... with a 1 card voucher for each and every business day they exceed the stated service level
2) Actually grade from a FIFO queue by service level. Currently, cards go into a queue by service level, but graders seem to be able to pick and choose from those queues what they want to work on. I accept this happens and I am not complaining, but I just experienced getting submission results this week on a 50-day service-level submission on business day 4. Yet, here I sit today waiting, on business day 45, on another very similar 50-day service-level submission, that they received approximately 2 months earlier. While I'm thrilled I got results in 4 business days on one of my submissions... THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN!
There was a time in the distant past when PSA responded to the overabundance of grading orders by hiring another grader. There have been times as well when Joe Orlando personally posted here inviting anyone to apply for an open position, provided of course they possessed the necessary qualities to do so. To openly suggest that the company reverse course on a technique they have thrived upon for over 25,000,000 cards seems odd. I think we want them to continue doing what they do. The wait times are what they are. It's been that way for as long as the volume has been high. There are only so many pairs of hands and eyeballs available to them, so the limits have been set. The over/under thrill of receiving grades doesn't seem to vary much. Nor does the process. You just hope you don't end up on the wrong shelf.
I own my business. It does pretty good. But as a business owner, it's hard to be everybody for everyone. You can only offer so much of yourself. The number one complaint on this board is grading times, log in times, etc. So if this is the overwhelming issue/complaint, PSA can:
A) keep hiring more people - knowing that the consistency of the grading would/could take a hit; not to mention the complexity of maintaining the registry
just ignore the complaints and let the consumer deal with it
C) Or minimize your services (if I had to hire another employee right now, i would probably rather lose a few jobs and still make the same or more money). This choice would allow me to service my existing clients better and still allow me the opportunity to add some nice clients in the future.
D) Offer only certain services each month or quarter. (If you order is dated in December, you can only grade vintage 1980 and back, then in January you can grade only 1980 -1989 issues. Thus knowing which graders would be needed for that month. ( I assume certain graders grade certain issues because of their experience)
E) Another option I have not mentioned that the board can recognize.
These are just some thoughts for consideration. I know that I don't grade as often as I would like because of the turnaround.
We couldn't reinvent this wheel. The suggestion of continued hiring would increase costs to the consumer, which has already happened over the course of changing economic conditions. Increased costs might endanger the bottom line, particularly if some folks abandon them in favor of cheaper alternatives. Unlikely as it seems. Minimizing services is counterproductive. Offering certain services through the use of "Specials" being offered to members who pay for the privilege has been happening for quite some time. And those who have made use of them have thrived.
Business has been good for PSA. I don't see them hiring additional staff at this time. In fact, this is the first time I can recall that PSA did not offer a monthly special sub for modern cards during the holidays. Why offer this when you don't have to do it? In fact, I can see them increasing fees down the road. Most people view PSA as the market leader in the collectibles authentication business and are willing to pay a premium for it.
Why should PSA change a thing? People complain, but they do not stop sending PSA their cards. Until people speak with their wallets, things will continue.
I do not understand why increasing people would add costs to the consumer. If grader X grades 100,000 cards a year and makes $150,000 with benefits then the cost is $1.50 a card. If I hire New Grader Y for the same cost it is still $1.50 a card (both made up numbers). Until you get to the point where people have nothing to grade there really is no cost to adding to customer service.
No
Not at all. Time frames are what they are. Adjust your expectations accordingly. Besides, many people like to grade inexpensive items as they collect certain players or teams and want them in that slab.
Appreciate today-
Bill
+1 all day long.
correct , i now collect junk Mariano Rivera cards lol and i want my junk graded !!!
Stil waiting on my September submission though
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_from_Panama
No..if anything they don't grade enough.
What PSA should do is create a new base level service called Regular Service. I don't know, charge something like $18 with an estimated turnaround time of like 10 business days. Maybe some people paying the $10 discounted rate for the collector club bulk 30 business day estimated turnaround service, or $7-$8 for the 45 business day estimated turnaround, would want to pony up a few bucks more to have their cards turned around 3-4 times faster. People could choose between getting their cards back 3-4 times faster at the Regular service level, or saving $8-$11 per card but having to wait an estimated 45 business days at the discounted collector club bulk rate.
I know it sounds crazy but it sure beats PSA stopping the grading of sets that olb31 doesn't suggest collecting, or not having to send half their graders home every other month because they're not needed.
D) Offer only certain services each month or quarter. (If you order is dated in December, you can only grade vintage 1980 and back, then in January you can grade only 1980 -1989 issues. Thus knowing which graders would be needed for that month. ( I assume certain graders grade certain issues because of their experience)
Hello Everyone,
I just wanted to provide an update.
During the last couple of months, we have actually added more card grading/processing capacity.
The good news is that during the last several weeks, it is clear that the added resources are having an impact . We have been able to process more cards as a result of the added resources. It has been consistent.
Turnaround times should continue to improve in the coming weeks.
If it turns out we need to pursue more help, then that's what we will do. It can be challenging to find the right people for the job, more so than the average person would think, but we want to provide the best service possible.
Business has been very strong, thanks to you - the hobby community.
Take care and have a great holiday season,
Joe Orlando
President
CEO, Collectors Universe, Inc.
It's called variable cost, every business model will face it if they continue to grow. Eventually it is not cheaper to make more of something, it will actually be more expensive... same with a service provider. You can't just continue to add more graders without adding more shipping staff, more QC staff, more customer service staff, larger facilities, etc.
I think doing what the OP suggested would be paramount to killing the registry. Let people collect what they want, don't try to dictate that. If grading turntimes ever become an issue (which I don't think they have) offer vouchers for being so many days over. Just my 2 cents.
**
Increasing fees? Business can't be THAT good. Not me, I will not pay a premium for...
@JoeO "Turnaround times should continue to improve in the coming weeks."
Sending a large order out on Monday, thanks Joe!
When it comes to turn around times what cards do you real need to get graded in a timely manner?
For me personal there are only two categories of cards that require fast turn around times.
High grade vintage rookies / High grade high dollar vintage cards that sell for thousands of dollars and they have services levels for them and the turn around times are fine.
Modern rookies cards this is were I think that PSA needs to work on. They need to add two new service level were you only sub. modern active rookies cards no Griffey's no Jordan's but active only rookies cards. One level Modern rookies valued under $100 and 20 day turn around time and charge like $8 a card. Then have one level modern rookies valued $100+ with 20 day turn around time and charge like $15.
Modern rookies cards values can change in a heartbeat one minute a rookie is hot and on fire the next minute he is hurt and done for the season. If you have rookie cards locked up in a 50 day sub. and something happen to the player you can be out of hundreds of dollars. If PSA can focus on getting these cards graded fast and for a far service price this would be a great start to helping us the customer make money and to help them with all the turn around time complaints that may cost them business.
Just my two cents.
James
I understand that the others go up and it is not one for one (there are fixed costs to adding more office space, etc.) - was oversimplifying - was just trying to point out that adding staff does not necessarily add cost per unit. Need to staff other areas to whatever your bottleneck is (graders, people who log in orders, people who encapsulate the cards, encapsulation machines, shippers, those that log cards on the registry, etc., etc., etc.) However when you are routinely double the estimated time, it is usually time for a business to add capacity in order to keep customer service at a desired level. The incremental cost per unit is generally small if the upturn in demand is considered to be the new normal.
Yeah, but from my viewpoint I don't see the bottleneck. I don't sub via the specials, but none of my subs this year went more than a day or two over... and most popped sooner. I don't recall any stories about a sub taking twice the estimated days. Like someone else said, I think expectations are more of the "problem". If they hired more graders to beat turn times (or start guaranteeing them), I think you'd inevitably increase demand to where variable costs become a factor.