Anyone planning on trying to snag one of the $50 subs??

@bobbyw8469 said:

@lawyer05 said:
PSA should allow registry set builders get a economy rate or we will never be able to finish our sets and this taking the fun out of collecting

I 1,000 percent agree with this. However, as hot as the card market is right now, PSA has zero interest in lowering the prices right now. SGC is currently at $30. PSA has practically zero reason to go below that.

Plus that would just prompt everyone to set up dummy sets on the registry just so they can get the cheaper rate.

Finally got my first allocation.

In today's lottery news ...

Spent 45 minutes in the waiting room, reading Highlights magazine and chatting with the attractive receptionist. Entered the 'Live Event' at position 2,642 when the exciting countdown began. Lottery ended abruptly with only minutes to go ...

I waited in the waiting room 45 minutes and when it started I was 7,100th in line. It's rigged. The worst part is you wait as number goes down and then you get notified it's full. They should tell you at the start based on where you are.

Pic?
Lol

I made it to 3,200 -- lol

They never have to open up other services when the $50 service is oversubscribed.

@bobbyw8469 said:
Is this going to be the future of us subbing with PSA?? Having to pray and hope that you get a "golden ticket" aka Willy Wonka??

No.

I think PSA has created a model where they can devote a great percentage of effort to the backlog (which is dwindling down slowly but steadily now) while remaining open for a controlled flow of minimal new submissions and using that data to inform and determine new pricing points. I imagine PSA is as much interested in the data they’re collecting through these submission events as they are the revenue generated: the emails sent out is a number, those that accept and join us a number, those that follow through is a number, etc. for example, when they get to a regular event at say $30, if they decide they have a high enough percentage of acceptance of emails and submissions sent in and can also handle the right number accordingly, that may be how they settle on a new price point and open the tier.

Bottom line, the Registry has been what truly sets PSA apart from the other companies and is far too important to be abandoned.

Any truly broken system usually means that to be completely fixed, things have to get worse before they can start to get better. Sports teams, alcoholics, societal change - they all work the exact same way. PSA is not immune.

However, I can say definitively the worst is already behind us right now if you really give it a fair look. Much of it has been incremental and therefore people haven’t noticed it in totality. It’s obviously not as good as it once was YET but I think it will actually be better (it is in several ways already) and if I am reading the tea leaves correctly, it will have attractive prices for Registry builders sooner than most people surmise.

@lawyer05 said:

@Jayman1982 said:
How come I didn't receive an email for the waiting room link?

is your membership active ?> @Cs223406 said:

I made it to 3,200 -- lol

did u click right away ? > @Jayman1982 said:

@lawyer05 said:

@Jayman1982 said:
How come I didn't receive an email for the waiting room link?

is your membership active ?

Yes it is. All previous allocations events I participated in were accessed through their Instagram account. I have yet to receive one email notification, lame

Wait u can access through Instagram ?

I know the information hasn’t always been exactly clear and widely disseminated but I believe this is all correct.

Not every submission event is ‘open for everyone’.

Some are but some are invitation only.

They can be announced via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or email.

You can participate in any event that is open for all but for the invitation only events they send a specific link to specific customers - not sure if there’s a specific rhyme or reason to it and there doesn’t seem to be that I can tell.

If you win, it’s use it or lose it and no allocations until those allocations are either used or have expired.

Hope it helps; you’ve been around a long time and you’re a good egg.

1951WheatiesPremium is spot on. The data PSA is collecting is pure gold. This information will be used to maximize operational flow when the backlog is finally completed. Th incoming and outgoing will be balanced out by price point and specials as appropriate. At some point, the registry will be a factor again.

@lawyer05 said:

@picklepete said:
I have yet to receive a single email notification..
I followed on Facebook, membership active.
Went to PSA site at 11:05 & link was there to click on.
Got in waiting room. What que opened up I was # 583..
Got 5 allocated..

In the homepage ?

Yes..

@Jayman1982 said:

@picklepete said:
I have yet to receive a single email notification..
I followed on Facebook, membership active.
Went to PSA site at 11:05 & link was there to click on.
Got in waiting room. When que opened up I was # 583..
Got 5 allocated..

Congrats on your allocations. So if I understand this correctly, notifications are "randomly" sent out, but anyone can visit their webpage and join without an invite? What's the point of the email notifications only going out to select members then? ugh...

No.

A lottery is a lottery. Getting in the queue gives you a chance. Being in first or last - in theory - doesn’t matter. User experience is just that - how people felt about it from their point of view. I take my information straight from PSA as to how it works; people tend to be less rational when it comes to their passions, cards being a passion for many here, and so when they get shut out the theories begin.

As for participation in the events, when PSA first announced these events, they described it as each one would be unique. So, some would be sent out as an invitation only to specific participants and some would be announced to and open to the public.

Again, in an effort to control the inflow of submissions I don’t think they really want everyone jumping in to every submission event. Hence them being done (mostly) during daytime working hours and not ‘mass emailing’ all PSA customers for each event.

Hope this helps!

@Jayman1982 said:

@1951WheatiesPremium said:

@Jayman1982 said:

@picklepete said:
I have yet to receive a single email notification..
I followed on Facebook, membership active.
Went to PSA site at 11:05 & link was there to click on.
Got in waiting room. When que opened up I was # 583..
Got 5 allocated..

Congrats on your allocations. So if I understand this correctly, notifications are "randomly" sent out, but anyone can visit their webpage and join without an invite? What's the point of the email notifications only going out to select members then? ugh...

No.

A lottery is a lottery. Getting in the queue gives you a chance. Being in first or last - in theory - doesn’t matter. User experience is just that - how people felt about it from their point of view. I take my information straight from PSA as to how it works; people tend to be less rational when it comes to their passions, cards being a passion for many here, and so when they get shut out the theories begin.

As for participation in the events, when PSA first announced these events, they described it as each one would be unique. So, some would be sent out as an invitation only to specific participants and some would be announced to and open to the public.

Again, in an effort to control the inflow of submissions I don’t think they really want everyone jumping in to every submission event. Hence them being done (mostly) during daytime working hours and not ‘mass emailing’ all PSA customers for each event.

Hope this helps!

They are controlling the inflow of submissions by capping each allocation event at around 1500 participants, what difference does it make if every PSA member sits in the wait room? By emailing only a certain number of members but allowing anyone who happens to be on their website at the right time is weird. Email everyone, blast it out on social media, advertise events on the webpage, and still allow 1500 per event, what's the big deal with doing that?

I’m just trying to offer good information and at the same time doing my best to leave my own opinions of the process out of it. And I do not have ‘insider’ information to speak to the solid points you’ve raised, just speculation.

Perhaps there’s concern over how much traffic the system can handle?Or perhaps the more people involved, the more complaints about it to further clog up an overworked customer service?

Just figured if you wanted to get one in, you now have the know how and the means of doing so.

@Jayman1982 said:

@1951WheatiesPremium said:

@Jayman1982 said:

@picklepete said:
I have yet to receive a single email notification..
I followed on Facebook, membership active.
Went to PSA site at 11:05 & link was there to click on.
Got in waiting room. When que opened up I was # 583..
Got 5 allocated..

Congrats on your allocations. So if I understand this correctly, notifications are "randomly" sent out, but anyone can visit their webpage and join without an invite? What's the point of the email notifications only going out to select members then? ugh...

No.

A lottery is a lottery. Getting in the queue gives you a chance. Being in first or last - in theory - doesn’t matter. User experience is just that - how people felt about it from their point of view. I take my information straight from PSA as to how it works; people tend to be less rational when it comes to their passions, cards being a passion for many here, and so when they get shut out the theories begin.

As for participation in the events, when PSA first announced these events, they described it as each one would be unique. So, some would be sent out as an invitation only to specific participants and some would be announced to and open to the public.

Again, in an effort to control the inflow of submissions I don’t think they really want everyone jumping in to every submission event. Hence them being done (mostly) during daytime working hours and not ‘mass emailing’ all PSA customers for each event.

Hope this helps!

They are controlling the inflow of submissions by capping each allocation event at around 1500 participants, what difference does it make if every PSA member sits in the wait room? By emailing only a certain number of members but allowing anyone who happens to be on their website at the right time is weird. Email everyone, blast it out on social media, advertise events on the webpage, and still allow 1500 per event, what's the big deal with doing that?

There are a lot of people here complaining that the queue is too deep and they have had to wait too long not to get a number. If PSA made a big deal of the "lottery" then there would be many, many more dissatisfied non-customers. Explain to me what the benefit is to PSA of that? I'd have to think that the sweet spot for PSA is 110-120% of the number of grading vouchers in the queue. That should be enough to guarantee a sell out. When it gets closer to 150% there are just too many people who would walk away empty handed and frustrated.

I'm tremendously encouraged that PSA doesn't seem to be offering more of these than they can easily grade, and, to answer @lawyer05 's persistent question, I think this will be a model for the registry cards when they clear enough backlog to open that up.

After going o-for-4 (or 5, I don't remember), I was quite frustrated, but I've gotten an allocation the past 2 times. If you really want to get one, try entering the event on multiple devices. For this past one I entered on 2 computers, my phone and an iPad. I secured the allocation on one of the computers. The previous time it was on my iPad. Just go what ever the lowest number is and close out of the other ones.

@lawyer05 said:

How do u enter the event if u are not getting the emails

It is usually posted to the PSA FB page.

@lawyer05 said:

@shagrotn77 said:
After going o-for-4 (or 5, I don't remember), I was quite frustrated, but I've gotten an allocation the past 2 times. If you really want to get one, try entering the event on multiple devices. For this past one I entered on 2 computers, my phone and an iPad. I secured the allocation on one of the computers. The previous time it was on my iPad. Just go what ever the lowest number is and close out of the other ones.

How do u enter the event if u are not getting the emails

You can click through from the PSA website while the waiting room is open.

just got one...I am doing it!

Apparently i got one

0-5

I lucked out today as I end up at 106th in line. Last two times I was 7,200th and 6,800th

Apparently i got one > @RufussCkingston said:

@baz518 said:
I'm not currently a member, so pay $100 for a shot at $50 subs? No thanks!

Well, if you assume that you will get an allocation, you only need to submit two cards to get your $99 value since it would normally cost a non-member $100 per card.

In theory, you could enter the lottery as a non member, then if you get an allocation (it asks you to login at that point, if you are not already logged in), in an incognito browser window, login to PSA and purchase the membership, then login on the allocation window and you'll have joined knowing you get to sub 5 cards.

And you do get the magazine!!!

If u get the allocation AND u áre not Signed on..it Will probable assume you are not eligible..

supply and demand, if the backload of cards were to get graded in a more timely manor say 2 months, then a ton of cards would be hitting the marketplace rapidly and " flooding " the market place. The market supply would overtake the demand and therefore driving prices, and the demand for card grading dowwwwwn. Market control ?? I'm just saying....

@Stoneman126 said:

@bobbyw8469 said:
Is this going to be the future of us subbing with PSA?? Having to pray and hope that you get a "golden ticket" aka Willy Wonka??

Yep. With people willing to do the $50 per card that'll probably be the lowest tier price in the future. Maybe a bulk order of a 100 cards at $30-$35. The $10 per card days are gone forever.

@lawyer05 said:

If u get the allocation AND u áre not Signed on..it Will probable assume you are not eligible..

NOPE.... it will say you got a 5 card allocation and then there are two bubble boxes in the lower left to enter your login and password....

Now if you then login and you are NOT a member, it will say you are not eligible. Also, if you are a member, but you already have an allocation from a previous lottery that you have not entered cards in, it will say you are not eligible.