do you have to pay for psas rediculous membership fee to get a card graded?

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Posted By: <b>sean</b><p>was wondering if there is a way around the membership fee on PSA like thereis with SGC

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Posted By: <b>Steve Murray</b><p>Maybe if you go through one of their authorized submission members? I don't know but if you have several to submit it pays to pay the fee because you get enough free submissions to make it worthwhile. I think.

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Posted By: <b>Jay</b><p>It's either that or learn to spell "ridiculous".

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>The membership includes six free submissions plus a year's subscription to their lovely magazine, so you do get something in return for the fee.

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Posted By: <b>Anthony S.</b><p>The 6 free submissions that accompany the membership are only valid for cards valued under $500 apiece, which aren't really the cards I'm particularly interested in getting slabbed. Personally I'd rather the membership include 3-4 free submissions with a higher ceiling.

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Posted By: <b>Rob</b><p>i don't understand why the price of the card would matter when they grade it. Shouldn't they spend the same amount of time on a near-mint vintage common as they are on a cobb? I mean, you pay the same price for the service. Why have a ceiling for those 6 "free" submissions?<br /><br />Rob<br /><img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

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Posted By: <b>Matt</b><p>Rob - I think it has to do with the risk they are taking by handling your card - the more expensive card, the more it will cost the company if something should go wrong (lost card, etc.)

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Posted By: <b>Lance</b><p>You can claim any value you want as long as the card is RAW. Every card I submit has a value of $100.

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Posted By: <b>Matt</b><p>Lance - aren't you concerned that if the grading company loses your card, you'll only be reimbursed $100? And, hypothetically speaking, let's say a grading company has a not-so-honest employee - seeing as how you only valued your babe Ruth at $100, wouldn't it be tempting for him to steal it and then just pay the company back for his "mistake?"

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Posted By: <b>Lance</b><p>Matt,<br /><br />I generally submit no fewer than 50 cards at a time. I also computer generate all of my submission forms and keep a photo file of the cards submitted. I only use PSA and SGC. I guess I have grown to put a little faith in their systems. I guess after the GAI mess, I should probably reconsider how I submit.

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Posted By: <b>Bob</b><p>Lance, that is very, very dangerous. Take it from one who knows whereof he speaks and has had a shipment of cards lost in the mail by a grading company. You tend to get stuck with the value you put on that submission form for the cards.

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Lance- when I submit cards I insure them for pretty close to their full value. It will cost you a few extra dollars but it is money well spent.<br /><br />I think anyone who sends in a card worth a couple of thousand dollars and insures it for $100 to save on grading fees is setting himself up for some big problems down the road. Just my professional advice.

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Posted By: <b>Phil Garry</b><p>Sean:<br /><br />Your best option might be to attend a card show where PSA is set up and they will accept your submissions whether you are a club member or not with no additional fees other than the grading and shipping costs.

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Posted By: <b>quan</b><p>no, you will still need to have membership to submit at shows. you might be able to get away with it if it's same-day/2 day service where they don't have to take it back to newport beach...but then ur paying the $50/$75 grading fees anyway.

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Posted By: <b>Matt</b><p>Perhaps make nice with a local card dealer who has a PSA membership and submit through him?

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Posted By: <b>JimB</b><p>"Personally I'd rather the membership include 3-4 free submissions with a higher ceiling."<br /><br />If you can and talk to the folks at customer service, they will probably do something like this for you. I brought my six vouchers to a show one time and traded them in for three or four (can't remember now) two hour submissions.<br />JimB

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Posted By: <b>quan</b><p>hmm, that's not a bad idea jim. next time i'll ask to have 3 express service instead of the 6 5 days.<br /><br />matt, i'd just pay up the $100 than waiting on some authorized near u...u get the monthly cheap rag, 6 vouchers, online smr and pop report so you'll know how many others out there have a 1988 fleer mark grace in a psa8 like yourself.

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Come to think of it, when I signed up I also got a free PSA tote bag. Do they still give those out?

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Posted By: <b>Matt</b><p>quan - I'm with you. I'm just answering the OPs question of how to avoid the membership fee.

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Posted By: <b>Phil Garry</b><p>I just submitted stuff to PSA at a local show within the last month for their 5 & 10 day service level and no membership was required.

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Posted By: <b>Gilbert Maines</b><p><br />May 13 2005 at 3:21 PM Gilbert Maines (Login identify7) <br /><br /><br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <br />Yes, the object of this preposition is to make persons who are hesitant to offer input, further self consious about which gerund belongs in the pluperfect tense - for those of us who seek pluperfection. <br />

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Posted By: <b>dan mckee</b><p>Matt, that is a funny statement as the company never seems to reimburse people when they bend or lose cards so I am with Rob, why charge more for what it is worth??

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Posted By: <b>dan mckee</b><p>TBOB I must disagree, I think insuring them puts an extra liability on loss. Postal employees working for $8 who see light packages with hi postal tags on them, well do the math. I have had a dozen insured packages ripped open and the contents removed. With priority with signature confirmation, I haven't had a loss in 8 years. I ship cards from $1000 to $20,000 like this. I just sent 2 Darby Chocolate cards out for $4000 this way. Dan.

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Posted By: <b>Matt</b><p>dan - SGC does re-imburse people if they lose your cards. You're suggesting PSA does nothing?

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Dan- if you sent those eight packages out registered instead of insured, every one of them would have reached its destination safely. No postal worker would dare touch a reg package, because the last one to handle it would be liable for the entire amount.

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Posted By: <b>sean</b><p>wow,<br />I learned to spell ridiculous ,Now if jay could teach me to spell waste of time smart a**