How long does it take PSA to actually 'grade' a card?
 

Because of the value of a card, I submitted one under 8 day express.

They create an elaborate little screen of the stages for the grading--

Arrived, Order Prep, Research & ID, Grading, Assembly, QA Check1, QA2, Ship.

How could it take more than a couple hours per card from start to finish? It took a couple days of just research and ID. It is a T206 card. What exactly are they researching?

Why does it take a day to make a label? Are they teaching someone how to read/write English at the same time? Are the labels hand drawn?

Order prep? Isn't that just a fancy phrase for opening the box?

I get they get tons of submissions, but overall, it seems like a wildly inefficient company. One person should be able to do 25 cards a day. More if they handle it in an assembly line manner.

Oh, and my 8 day express? I'm on day 14.

Oh I love this question as I read their annual report last year and the answer is “seconds”. Assuming the number of graders they employ (it’s in their report), the number of cards they go through, 50 weeks of work per year, 40 hours per week, no bathroom breaks. I forget the exact number of seconds (i think it was in the high teens or low 20s), but the math worked out to seconds.

There were just so many red flags to me. Not saying I didnt use them, because I did, but the math just didnt work.


Edit: depending on how one makes assumptions: who pulls it out of the sleeve, who opens the box, who sets aside the paperwork, who does the paperwork etc etc. but if the guys just strictly grade and nothing else in the process:

1,763,700 cards in 2018 fiscal year

“At June 30, 2018, we employed 22 experts who have an average of 14 years of service with the Company”

Number of seconds in an hour is 60*60= 3,600
Number of work hours per week: 40
Number of weeks per year w/vacation: 50
Total number of seconds per employee working = 7,200,000. (3600 * 40 * 50)
Total number of expert seconds per year = 7,200,000 * 22 = 158,400,000
158,400,00 / 1,763,700 = 89.81 seconds per card start to finish total throughput time.

So you break that 89.81 seconds up into receipt, open, inventory log, taking out of holder, grading, putting in holder, setting up for shipment. US Postal service is clearly the culprit.

25 cards per day and you would get fired.

Are you insinuating that they might have made a mistake or two over the years?

Mine has been in the assembly stage for the last 2 weeks

No I am insinuating that the US Postal service is clearly the problem.

Seriously, though, I give you robotic numbers there, with no US holidays, no bathroom breaks, perfect operations etc and you get 89 seconds. This ain’t the Amazon order fullfillment people.......something really smelled when i read this.

Moser submissions just get an automatic 2 grade bump. No need to look at the card.;)