PSA Grading at National Sports Card Convention in Cleveland in August Question
 

So I was Curious about the PSA Booth at the National Convention since I have not been to a big show like that before.

Do they Grade the Cards at the Show?

Is the Machine there?

I ask because a long time ago I went to a Local Show here in Michigan and SGC was there.

So I gave them like 10 cards and Paid thinking they would be Slabbed at the Show.

They Told me they had to take the cards back with them.

I was like what is the point of doing this.

All that did was save me postage and having to go to the post office (It actually cost me more because I had to Drive Far to the Show).

I could have just mailed them myself.

I was really bummed out by that but that was like 20 Years Ago and this is a Big Show so Maybe they Slab the Cards at the Show?

Or is it like they used to do - Take my Cards and My Money and I still Have to Wait Forever for Them to be Mailed Back?

Also,

Does Beckett and SGC do On Site Grading as well at the Show or No?

They grade onsite. I believe it starts at $50 per card. They are not guaranteed same day at that price though so you may have to come back another day to pick them up. They do get incredibly busy but are supposedly implementing some things to make the lines move quicker. It does help to show up with the invoices already fillled out. All the main companies grade on site at the national.

$50 a Card !!!!!!!!

Guess I will not Grade any Cards anymore.

I just got back into the Hobby.

The Last Time I sent Cards to be Graded (15 to 20 Years Ago) they Charged $8 to $10 a Card Not $50.

Anybody know what Beckett and SGC Charge?

Are they alot less busy than PSA?

I would Assume so Since There are a Million Times more PSA Cards than Beckett or SGC on eBay.

But Maybe People like me don't want to wait which will make Beckett and SGC busy too?

How Long Do You Have to wait in Line for PSA?

Last year I waited in the PSA line for 1 1/2 to 2 hours Wednesday afternoon. I picked up my cards Saturday afternoon. PSA grading at shows is not really for cheap cards that would normally be submitted under bulk submissions. The reason for the $50 fee is because of the quick turnaround. PSA charges $50 for their 8 day service when you send cards to them.
James

OK I see.

Makes sense now.

If I remember correctly it was $8 to $10 a card for a 30 Day Turnaround.

What does PSA Charge for this Service these Days (The Cheapest One).

Do you remember the line for Beckett and SGC?

Was that Quick?

Do you know what those two companies were charging?

Calm down T206 guy. Let some some people answer your question as before you ask new ones. Not everyone is correct here. PSA has for the last few years allowed you to buy a platinum membership (currently $249) and get 12 cards graded at the national instead of the 15 you would get by mailing them to California.

Well that is a Good Idea.

Is that for New PSA Members only though?

The Problem is I am only going for one Day.

Does Beckett and SGC also make you wait until the Last Day like PSA Does?

I am Hoping they are Less Busy and I can get it Same Day.

It's for anyone who wants to pay for a membership. If you're looking for flip consistency, be aware SGC is radically changing theirs.

I saw that.

Because I am not Into SGC the Flips Don't Bother Me.

I think I only have One SGC and that is because it is a 1915 Cracker Jack that is a 2 (If not for the Stain on the Back) it is a Mint 9.

Card is Ridiculous.

No Caramel Stains
White Border instead of the usual Cream Border
Sharp Corners
Perfect Edges
Bright Vivid Color

I don't know why they gave it a 2.

I couldn't Pass it Up.

Looks like a PSA 9 (MK)
Worst Case Scenario PSA 8 (MK)

<a href="https://imgur.com/TSfLak1"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/TSfLak1.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/l7nPf6u"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/l7nPf6u.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

Does the $50 in person show grading fee apply to cards with high declared values (say $5k+) that would otherwise land in the more expensive service categories?

PSA will release their grading pricing at some point, and it will get posted here. Unlikely that higher service tiers will be cheaper to grade at the National.

People will be waiting in their lines like junkies at the methadone clinic.

Addicted

Why?

If it were the regular price sure long lines.

But why pay $50 for something you can get done for a fraction of that and then wait in a long line?

Unless you have Mickey Mantle Rookies or something crazy expensive why pay so much?

What are regular submissions going for these days.

Last time I sent cards in it was $8 to $10 a card.

PSA bulk submissions have a max declared value of $100. At the $20 service level, the max declared value is $250. You're waiting at least 4 months to get your cards back at those service levels. That's where the $50 on site grading becomes enticing. Skipping the 4 to 5 month wait.

I've got a few cards in the $500 to $1500 range that I need graded, and am contemplating what to do. I'll only be at the National for 2 days (Thurs and Fri). If they need more than that, then I'll be out of luck, and will have wasted my time in line.

This is what I did.
James

I didn't check the lines at Beckett. The wait at SGC was pretty short, 10 or 15 minutes. Their turnaround time was also a lot faster than PSA. I submitted one card and it was graded the same day. They actually called me and asked me to come back to their booth before they slabbed it because it had been altered. They asked me if I wanted it slabbed as authentic.
James

The $20 service level is for cards up to $500. I did an order with them in March and it took 3 weeks to come back. I have never had an order at this level take a month. The bulk submissions are the only ones taking longer.

They will have discounted pricing for 25+ cards; I think last year it was 25 or 35 I forget. If it's near 20; which I doubt that would be same as reg sub with {the new} 30 day turnaround time.

I paid $8 to $10 and the Wait Time was 30 Days not 4-5 Months.

Lets Say I do that.

I am only going for one day so I can't pick it up at the show.

Do they then mail it to me?

How long will that take to get to me?

Can you buy Multiple Subscriptions or Just One?

Is there a Maximum Declared Value or Will They Grade Any 12 Cards at the Show?

What did they charge you?

Hopefully less than $50

Aaaaahhhhh! Too. Much. For. One. Night!!

I just got in on a $10 PSA sub. Cards were back to Ohio in 34 days from their receipt of them

Awesome.

I saw some people saying 4-6 Months.

I got a bulk submission back from PSA today. I made the submission at $6.25 a card. Published turnaround time for this is fifty business days. From their receipt of the cards to their shipping them back took 97 business days. Four to five months is very real for them now. I called at day 67, 77, and 87 and each time was told that a rush was being put on it. Rush means something different to them than it does to me I think.

+1

This is exhausting.

My last two bulk submissions to psa
 

My last two bulk submissions to PSA were done in 9 days and 33 days after being entered as received. Now one of these took a while to get entered as received but I have had decent turnaround times. Also to answer someone’s question they do have value limits on cards submitted at discount levels. For example a high grade 1952 mantle can not be submitted at the $50 level it is considerably more than that.

I am curious when assigning value do you claim

- What you think it will Grade
- or Regular Ungraded Book Value

Book Value is Easy to Determine but a Mantle Rookie could be anywhere from 10,000 to over 1 Million. If it grades less than what you thought that could cost you alot of extra money you didn't need to pay.

If that is the Case do they Refund you the Difference?

If your Percieved Value is Off do they Not Grade it and make you start the whole long process all over again?

Many of the questions you're asking have been asked and answered many times on this board. Take a week and read a bunch of old threads. This will give you a broader base of knowledge.
PSA requests that you submit under a "Declared value": most people consider that the raw value of a card in the same grade. PSA will grade your card either way, but if it becomes a $1,000 and you've submitted under a bulk special with max value of $99, they may call you and upgrade the service level. They may not, and just send it back to you graded. I have seen where Pop 1 PSA 10s from vintage football have not been upgraded to a higher service level even though PSA 9s sell for $250 on that card.

All three companies will be at the show and all three companies will be live grading/slabbing there on-site.

I'd highly suggest you get there as early as possible to get your stuff in as each company will probably be extremely busy.

I know when I went last year I was only at the show on Friday and BGS closed up shop around 3pm that day for the rest of the show because they had gotten so many cards turned in.

Given the market conditions we've seen here this year, I expect that to happen again and maybe to PSA as well.

https://forums.collectors.com/discus...tional-pricing
Looks like you can grade 9 cards at the National for $250 by buying a club membership. Nice thing is that max value goes up to $1999 declared value per card and they're done by end of show.

That Sucks it used to be 12

I like that they have 2 Hour Grading since I am only going for one day.

I have no problem paying extra to have it done in 2 hours but $300 I don't think so :(

Anybody know what they charge for Game Used Bat Authentication?

I didn't see it on their Price List but it said they do everything but Packs and Tickets at the Show so I am Guessing they do Game Used Bats?

https://www.psacard.com/services/pro...uthentication/

Their website has a host of useful pages. Used to be 12, but those 12 had a limit of $499 value last year. This is actually a really good deal if you have more expensive cards and don't want to have to wait to mail them to California and back.

PSA & SGC drop off lines...
 

I've dropped off cards at both PSA and SGC for 20/30 day "send them to me service."

I was renewing PSA club every year at the national to get the 15 free, but last year I waited 2 hours and wasn't even close to seeing someone so I gave up. I tried a few times and the lines are ridiculous.

I don't know about turn around times (but past experience SGC is close to 20 days and PSA is whenever 20+ days), but plan on spending at least 2 hours on line to see anybody at PSA (ridiculous) and SGC is "walk-up" service (maybe at the most 10 minute wait)....

That is their Regular Pricing though.

Show Pricing is More.

Anybody know show Pricing for a Game-Used Bat?

How much Extra if the Bat is Signed?

Also, I see Gloves listed but not Jerseys.

Does PSA Not do Game Used Jerseys?

PSA - Over 2 Hours
SGC - 10 Minutes
Beckett - How Long is their Wait?

Does Beckett or SGC Authenticate Game-Used Bats?

PSA is trying to shorten their line by giving you a quicker line if all your paperwork is already filled out.

Will SGC allow me to submit cards at the show that they can then grade and mail back to me? I'm not in hurry to get these cards graded, but it'll be easier than mailing it to then if I can just drop the cards off in Cleveland

Definitly a Good Idea.

I wonder how much time it will save though?

On their Web Site they said they have Hired alot more Graders because they state it is the busiest they have ever been in 18 years.

And They have also Authorized alot of Overtime.

So Maybe they will Bring More Graders this Year to Help Speed things Up too.

How Many Graders did they have Last Year?

Good Question.

I wonder too (Since I am only going for one day and they say cards will be ready at the end of show on Sunday for Pick Up) if I just left them would they immediately mail them back to me once they get back to PSA Headquarters?

I mean they will already be graded so I should not have to wait the 6 Months Plus that people say you have to wait these days.

I am not talking about leaving them to be graded at PSA Headquarters when they get back like the OP says he wants to drop them off for (He would just save the time it takes to mail them and save on Postage).

I want to give them to them and pay as if I am picking them up on Sunday but I will not be there to pick them up. Then they will have to take them back already graded. They would just then have to mail them back to me.

Anybody do that to save time?

I believe they always have in the past. So I'm sure you can do the same this year. No company wants to turn away business. In fact, cards that don't have to be graded at the show are easier for the TPG's because then they can be placed into the return to the office bins and not done on site.

And, the last couple of years, SGC has not had nearly the lines of BGS and PSA. So you can usually just go right up to SGC and get all your work completed in terms of your submission.

And for at least the last 15-18 years all 3 TPG's have been able to grade on site. That's one reason the cost is higher, because you have bring in graders with the costs of labor and transport. The staff at Beckett Grading knows how many cards their graders can handle which is why the cutoffs are what they are. On a different issue, that's why for at least Beckett and PSA they don't count days at the National towards your submissions at their offices. At least at BGS, there is only a skeleton staff left in the office. And I would wager PSA has a significantly reduced staff at their offices as well as you can tell by their lines.

Rich