I guess it comes down to integrity and expertise. Frankly, when it comes to something other than assessing the condition of a card, there are issues that go beyond simply taking the item at face value and judging condition. If there is someone who has expertise and a good reputation, there is nothing wrong that person stating a position; give the opinion the credence or lack of credence that you wish. I am not willing to say that financial interest = dishonesty. It may indicate a need to look closer.
The underlying issue is anxiety caused by lack of expertise. With all due respect, if you are so unschooled in what you are buying that you have to place blind faith in a third party, you need to do some more homework before you jump in. One nit that I do tend to agree with picking is the lack of transparency in the process and the marketing. I'm all for showing your work, so to speak, in these situations. If the authenticator has a financial interest, I want to know and I will engage in some further due diligence if I can. If all the info is up front, the burden to investigate more is on the bidder.
I recently had an analogous situation with an autograph authentication. I couldn't get a TPG to issue a COA when I first got the item years ago because there were so few exemplars out there. So I did a ton of my own research and found enough signed items over the years that I was completely comfortable with offering the item as signed. I put that opinion up, in writing and with back-up documentation, when I sold the item. If the buyer believes in the quality of my research and agrees with my opinion, that's all that counts.
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