I have read this thread and would like to chime in with my 2 cents for all its worth. I purchased a large lot of 60,000 signed cards from all sports from an original collection through the help of the most reputable dealer i know and one of the hobbies must trusted honest people. With that being said I have been scanning and listing for 2 years and still have not made a big dent in this unbelievable collection. Many expert collectors such as Olbermann, and a few others who have multiple complete sets have been my best customers. There is no doubt these are all 100% legit autos with most being acquired in person at sporting games, spring trainings, and other venues. Considering I have thousands of singles which include hall of famers, deceased, stars, and tough autos that value atleast $25 each or more, I have considered slabbing to maximize my profit. Here is my take:
PSA- I have been submitting regular unsigned vintage cards for awhile only to be disappointed in the lack of skilled grading. I have recently had PSA 5s go to trimmed, PSA 6(mc) go back to 6, a 4 to a 7 amongst other nonsense. With that being said I realize that PSA/DNA should maximize my value on my signed material. I called twice with follow ups to show interest in submitting 1000 cards lots for PSA DNA blue flip only to get ignored and calls not returned.
JSA- I called Spence recently to try to talk to him about possibly submitting a deal in bulk and have BGS slab them (like the holders) and got a different authenticator. I left my number and he never called me back nor did anyone else from the company. I was even referred to him by the reputable dealer who knows him personally.
My take is that PSA and JSA must be swamped with so much business that they do not need mine. I will give JSA benefit of the doubt for I bet Jimmy never even got my message, but still needs to know whats going on. PSA on the other hand has 0 customer service.
I think SGC can become a real player here if they step up and play their cards right. Auto original cards are becoming evermore red hot in this hobby and if they can give a good service to dealers and collectors alike for a reasonable price, (not $15 or $20 per card) then they can take alot of PSAs pie in time. JSA will most likely not be able to compete considering beckett gets their hand in the cookie jar. SGC MUST step up their promotional game, really plug this and step up the website etc. They must be ready and willing to give the collectors good deals and great service with this service and undercut the other 2 companies. Perhaps even a blue label vs. green or something to set them apart. I may give them a call tomorrow and see what they have in store and I would be willing to give them a try. Right now PSA has the market and there is no need to give service. I think competition of quality is healthy and SGC would be able to deliver if they push hard.
Jason
|