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T206CollectorAbsolutely. But the idea is that the grading company doesn't (or at least shouldn't) have a vested interest in the ultimate sale of the card. Dealers who grade the cards they sell have an inherent conflict of interest. Third party grading is much more reliable. And of course we'll have to find graders that are trustworthy. Heck, I started with PSA, and then listened to the horror stories and bought some PSA graded cards with obvious flaws that did not factor into the grade. I don't buy PSA cards any more if I can help it. And if I do, they get crossed over to SGC so fast it would make your head spin.
BUT... and I have no qualms about this... I realize that in five years from now the SGC name might mean fraud/dishonesty/etc. And if that's the case, I will have to pony up some significant cash to cross my collection over into a company that is trustworthy. The alternative would be to establish through SGC serial numbers that my cards were graded at a time when SGC was at it's prime. That is, if I were going to sell them. I could always keep them, content in the knowledge that they were graded by the best at the time of grading. And, to me, that's all that matters.
Finally, people competing to fill out set registries is a short term boon that will burst, I agree. My best example of that is a T206 Mathewson portrait in PSA 6 condition. I saw one sell on ebay two years ago for $3,500. I was thrilled because I own one too in that condition. But lately, the prices of PSA 6/SGC 80 Matty portraits has been a lot closer to $1,500 than $3,500. Trends come and go, so do collectors, but card grading is not a trend ....it's a paradigm shift, and it's here to stay.