What do you do with all the PSA misfires and castoffs?

RipublicaninMass

I'm getting to a point where the closet is running out of space. I realized I can't grade anything trying for a 9 or higher, so there they sit collecting dust. What do you guys do with all the extra cards lying around when parting them out wont make back the grading fees on ebay?

miwlvrn

Depends on if they are part of a set or player master set that I like to collect. If not, then for the ones that are not worth cracking and resubbing, just sell them on ebay for less than grading fees and chalk it up as a loss from which hopefully you use to improve your future sub selections.

RipublicaninMass

Thanks for the response. They are the "low pop' commons nobody cares about in PSA 8!

BaltimoreYankee

Even if they wont make back the grading fees, those fees are a sunk cost. Maybe they can be sold in lots to make something.

slum22

I try to sell everything that doesn't fit my collection. So if you have cards that you subbed that didn't meet your minimum grade desire for your collection I would try to sell them.

I think you have to look at your subs as a whole. Rather than thinking you're not making back your grading fee on the lower graded cards you can look at them as part of the cost in getting back the cards you wanted in the grades you wanted.

For instance, most of my subs are of modern players I collect. In many instances, I have been the first (or only) one to sub the cards. So subbing myself is just about the only way to get these cards in my collection. My goal is to get all 10's for my modern PC, but PSA's graders seem to have different ideas for my cards:)

I run about 60% 10's on my subs with the rest being mostly 9's. I try to sell my extra cards to help subsidize future subs. So let's take for instance the example of my experience subbing 2015 Prizm Karl Anthony Towns RC's:

Purchased 6 raw cards: $50
Grading fees+shipping: $40

Got 4 10's and 2 9's:

Sold 2 10's for $80 total net
Sold 2 9's for $35 total net

When you look at just the sale of the 9's I may have just broken even or taken a small loss on them. But when you factor in the sales of the tens, I have a net profit of $25 plus I have two Gem 10 Prizm RCs sitting in my collection.

The way I look at it, the 9's are a sunk cost. Obviously, I would prefer to profit or break even on them. But even if I am selling the individual card for a loss relative to what I paid for that specific card plus grading fees I look at it in the wider view of the overall cost towards my collection.

Even if I'm getting $5 back for a "miss" that's $5 more than I have if it's sitting in the closet. That's also $5 more to try again:)

Just the way I look at it.

Grimster

This wouldn't help in bulk...but I've sold a few of my "misses" to friends so they could practice cracking the slabs for resubmissions. Better to practice cracking out a $1 card instead of trying it out on a $1000 card.

miwlvrn

@slum22 said:
I try to sell everything that doesn't fit my collection. So if you have cards that you subbed that didn't meet your minimum grade desire for your collection I would try to sell them.

I think you have to look at your subs as a whole. Rather than thinking you're not making back your grading fee on the lower graded cards you can look at them as part of the cost in getting back the cards you wanted in the grades you wanted.

For instance, most of my subs are of modern players I collect. In many instances, I have been the first (or only) one to sub the cards. So subbing myself is just about the only way to get these cards in my collection. My goal is to get all 10's for my modern PC, but PSA's graders seem to have different ideas for my cards:)

I run about 60% 10's on my subs with the rest being mostly 9's. I try to sell my extra cards to help subsidize future subs. So let's take for instance the example of my experience subbing 2015 Prizm Karl Anthony Towns RC's:

Purchased 6 raw cards: $50
Grading fees+shipping: $40

Got 4 10's and 2 9's:

Sold 2 10's for $80 total net
Sold 2 9's for $35 total net

When you look at just the sale of the 9's I may have just broken even or taken a small loss on them. But when you factor in the sales of the tens, I have a net profit of $25 plus I have two Gem 10 Prizm RCs sitting in my collection.

The way I look at it, the 9's are a sunk cost. Obviously, I would prefer to profit or break even on them. But even if I am selling the individual card for a loss relative to what I paid for that specific card plus grading fees I look at it in the wider view of the overall cost towards my collection.

Even if I'm getting $5 back for a "miss" that's $5 more than I have if it's sitting in the closet. That's also $5 more to try again:)

Just the way I look at it.

This concept posted by slum is exactly right. It is similar to a situation where I might purchase a raw/ungraded lot where I see one particular card in it that I want and will pay a high amount for but then need to dump the rest of them, same goes for the grading submission. It is not uncommon to have one or two items per grading order where their resultant grades really make up covering the cost of grading the entire order and then some.

I'll try to illustrate with another example. Let's say hypothetically you buy a raw lot of 100 cards for $1,000 that has one card in it you want and may even be willing to pay more than $1,000 just for that card. You might keep it or grade it and flip it for $5,000. You still have 99 cards you didn't really want and want to move. In this case, you can't get hung up on selling them for $10 each because divided out in your original purchase, you may theoretically have $10 into each one. The cost and value should be tied instead to the card that sold you on the lot in the first place. If you sell all those remaining cards for $1 each instead of the $10 each you sort of had into them, just count that money back against the cost of acquiring the one within the lot that was worth the purchase in the first place.

ugaskidawg

If you are wanting to unload them all at the same time, think about contacting a buying contingent who can better disperse the inventory...places like Steve at BBCE, Invest in Baseball, or 4SC. They might be able to give you a good deal...or even better yet store credit

rcmb3220

good topic. this is the reason I pretty much only sub things I want in my pc. I don't want a bunch of misfires sitting in a closet. I couldn't sleep well knowing I had a 1986 Topps PSA 8 Chris pittaro living rent free in my house.

Of course I have a bunch of future misfires sitting in my closet that are ready to go to PSA but they take up a lot less room.

KbKards

If the pile is valued at a million or more I can refer you to a guy who can take good care of me, I mean you. If lower value, then box it all up and send it to Probstein.

RipublicaninMass

@KbKards said:
If the pile is valued at a million or more I can refer you to a guy who can take good care of me, I mean you. If lower value, then box it all up and send it to Probstein.

Is there a 100k "finders fee"?
If so does the 100k come out of the sellers side?

Thanks Slum, I understand the mentality. I always try to lump in a few good ones with the bad to off set the cost.

Also, Uga will will give it thought about bbcex, too many weird issues with Invest in baseball, and problemstein, I'd rather not get into

secretstash

@KbKards said:
If the pile is valued at a million or more I can refer you to a guy who can take good care of me, I mean you. If lower value, then box it all up and send it to Probstein.

Just so you understand the offer is to alert you that you can make 100k for 1 million purchased collection. It does not state that less of a collection will get you nothing. He pays 10% finders fee across the board.

So in that case Rip, if he doesn't have that friend I do. lol

RipublicaninMass

So where does the 10% come from? I'd assume the seller gets less then they would have?

Just seems odd when the only source of the aforementioned sales in on ebay, where anyone can list or consign and NOT offering 10% finders fees

milbroco

I could not agree more with what Steve (slum22) said. My thoughts exactly.

KbKards

Throw them on Ebay like this guy.

ebay.com/itm/1952-Topps-Pete-Reiser-Cleveland-Indians-189-Baseball-Card-PSA-Graded-/152419369941

MULLINS5

I trash them.

76collector

Haha. Throw them on ebay Like THIS GUY >>>>> my.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MyEbay&gbh=1&CurrentPage=MyeBayAllSelling&ssPageName=STRK:ME:LNLK:MESX

Heck, one of my rejects has been bid up to 12 bucks, so that's better than nothing !

lawyer05

@76collector said:
Haha. Throw them on ebay Like THIS GUY >>>>> my.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MyEbay&gbh=1&CurrentPage=MyeBayAllSelling&ssPageName=STRK:ME:LNLK:MESX

Heck, one of my rejects has been bid up to 12 bucks, so that's better than nothing !

that's my link !!! lol
Your link sends you to everyone's me page .... thought you were talking about my rejects
YEs I sell rejects
VERY CHEAP

divecchia

I sell all my PSA rejects and any card that I upgrade on eBay. I do .99 cent auctions and let her rip.

Donato

bobsbbcards

@divecchia said:
I sell all my PSA rejects and any card that I upgrade on eBay. I do .99 cent auctions and let her rip.

Donato

Ditto