PSA cross over service gripe

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

So here's the thing. I'm a PSA guy. I'm a California native and they're a California company. I like their clear plastic holders with the red trim labels. More than anything, I like their registry and website. They have superior technology to the others. (Yes SGC I'm talking to you). For the record, SGC has better customer service...but oh man their website is really bad...even their pop report is harder to read than PSA's.

But I gotta say my dealings lately with PSA has me thinking....Mr. Orlando I hope you're reading this. Maybe SGC is the way to go? Customer service vs. technology. It sucks these are the criteria on which to choose. I'm not even going to get into the grading differences as that I'm sure has been hashed out here in the past.

I recently sent in two SGC graded 1914 Cracker Jacks to PSA for crossover. I used PSA's "express" service and asked for a minimum grade equal to the SGC grade. I also asked that should they not make the min grade, that PSA call me and let me know what grade they did get as there was a possibility based on that grade that I would accept it. Unfortunately when you specify a minimum grade, PSA either gives you that grade or returns the card with a "MG" - minimum grade designation and doesn't bother giving you a PSA grade. Does that make any sense? I'm paying $100 to have the card evaluated, graded and hopefully crossed over and if they don't agree with SGC they don't even give you a PSA grade. Why not have customer service call the customer and give them the option to cross over at a lower grade? No one in their right mind will send in a high value card for crossover and just accept any grade designation.
After speaking to customer service and then to a customer service manager, PSA allowed me to change my min grade designation to a half point below the SGC grade and then re-evaluate the cards.
It's a shame that they make crossing over such a hassle. Going the extra mile to make things easy for the customer will win business long term.

[the 'stache]

AJ, while I absolutely understand your frustration, this is the BST. You'd probably be better served by placing this topic on one of the discussion boards. It would get far more exposure there, and if you're hoping that somebody from PSA or SGC will see this, it's far more likely there.

Maybe a mod can move it.

[usernamealreadytaken]

Hard lessons learned?

[chaddurbin]

you send in 2 cards and you want preferential treatment? they're already backed up weeks as is. if they call back every submission and go over your grades we can all add months to each sub.

[ricktmd]

I have experienced the exact same situation with PSA on very valuable cards that you send in and pay 100.00 for them to crossover. They just simply have no interest in telling you what they would grade the card. I am surprised they don't send back the grade they would give the card and ask you to send it in again for grading. This is a company that doesn't let you send a crossover in the same order as a raw card being graded . They even frown on you sending it in the same package. If the cards were not more desirable and more valuable in a PSA holder they could not get away with marginal customer service. Because most sgc cards do not crossover I stopped buying them in almost all cases. I also believe PSA is far superior to SGC or Becket and long term if the cards are valuable your investment is worth more graded by PSA

[Gobucsmagic74]

I have experienced the exact same situation with PSA on very valuable cards that you send in and pay 100.00 for them to crossover. They just simply have no interest in telling you what they would grade the card. I am surprised they don't send back the grade they would give the card and ask you to send it in again for grading. This is a company that doesn't let you send a crossover in the same order as a raw card being graded . They even frown on you sending it in the same package. If the cards were not more desirable and more valuable in a PSA holder they could not get away with marginal customer service. Because most sgc cards do not crossover I stopped buying them in almost all cases. I also believe PSA is far superior to SGC or Becket and long term if the cards are valuable your investment is worth more graded by PSA

Just because PSA does not cross over SGC cards does not necessarily mean that SGC graded cards are inferior in any way, shape, or form...that's just what they want you to believe by denying the majority of them from crossover. They still get paid regardless and then have the consumer believing their standards are higher when instead it's just a ploy aimed at making you question SGC's standards.

[Leon]

I moved this from the BST. Members need to be careful they are posting in the correct sections please. I am a card collector not a TPG collector.
As for crossovers, I would almost never send anything to PSA, as my grader of choice is SGC, so it's not a concern of mine. I am sure it is for many others so ......

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

@chaddurbin
who said anything about preferential treatment? I simply stated that PSA should give you a grade in the crossover process if the card in question doesn't meet your min. requested grade. Customer feedback is crucial to a companies success so they can identify and change process and policy to keep winning business.

[glynparson]

32 crossed last year. The other. 8 I cracked 6 crossed and 2 were a grade lower. They sometimes just can't tell in another holder. I understand that. I also realize that with psa's volume they can't always do some of the hand holding you get from other services.

[btkpath]

AJ, I share your frustration. If you are providing them a fee for assessing and grading a card, they should provide you with their opinion of that grade, regardless of whether they encapsulate the card. As I see it, you are paying for two things; their "expert" opinion with regards to the grade of your card and the cost of putting the card in a plastic cassette. It is your decision (by providing a minimum grade) as to whether to have them transfer the card into their plastic holder, but you have already paid them to determine a grade to your card.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Yes my point exactly. And I agree with glynparson that based on volume they might not be able to give the level of service that the smaller guys can but that's an opportunity for PSA to better their service offering and increase revenue while doing it.

I will say this...PSA customer service did make this right by allowing me to "lower" my min grade requirement by a half grade and sending them through again. I just got a call today saying that both crossed over at that new lower half point grade. A SGC 3 Walter Johnson is now a PSA 2.5 and a SGC 2.5 James Scott is now a PSA 2.

I think for anything under a monetary threshold that will vary by person, it makes more sense to crack them out vs. crossing over.

AJ, I share your frustration. If you are providing them a fee for assessing and grading a card, they should provide you with their opinion of that grade, regardless of whether they encapsulate the card. As I see it, you are paying for two things; their "expert" opinion with regards to the grade of your card and the cost of putting the card in a plastic cassette. It is your decision (by providing a minimum grade) as to whether to have them transfer the card into their plastic holder, but you have already paid them to determine a grade to your card.

[bobbyw8469]

I have never been a fan of reviews. It infuriates me that both graders always seem to grade the other graders cards lower, like trying to subtly say the other grader doesn't know what they are doing and grades too loosely. I have seen it both ways. Park me in the camp that believes reviews don't get a fair shake!

[bobbyw8469]

I will say this...PSA customer service did make this right by allowing me to "lower" my min grade requirement by a half grade and sending them through again. I just got a call today saying that both crossed over at that new lower half point grade. A SGC 3 Walter Johnson is now a PSA 2.5 and a SGC 2.5 James Scott is now a PSA 2.


Are you happy with that?? You just turned a $2,500 Walter Johnson card into a $1,600 card, and a $200 James Scott card into a $150 card. If that sounds like a good deal to you, then I am glad you are happy. It sounds like they did you a favor not crossing them to begin with, and you might should have left well enough alone (unless you think the SGC brand is eventually going the way the GAI brand did, and all their cards become worth a fraction what they should be - then I understand your point).

[oldjudge]

Almost surely SGC would treat a PSA crossover in a similar fashion. It would be interesting to see what would happen if you now submitted your PSA 2.5 to SGC for a crossover with a min grade of 3, their initial grade. My guess is that there is no way you would get it. They would probably give you a 2. If you did this enough you could get the card down to an "A". LOL

[barrysloate]

If that's the way the grading companies look at crossovers, then I have to ask: are they reviewing the card, or are they reviewing the label? Where is the integrity in the process?

[bobbyw8469]

If that's the way the grading companies look at crossovers, then I have to ask: are they reviewing the card, or are they reviewing the label? Where is the integrity in the process?

That is the million dollar question Barry. Let me know when you have the answer.....