[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by Caseyatbat

I am a supporter of TPA's. I believe they are a very useful tool and asset in this industry. Lets face it, without them this hobby would be a complete disaster. The majority of autographs in today's market are forgeries. Major TPA's are desperately needed. Yes they make mistakes, but they are only human and in my experiences are right on the money 99% of the time. Just like we as dealers and collectors are always learning, so are they.

I think the problem here is consumers are not taking TPA for what it is, "an opinion". You should never buy an item in 100% confidence just because it has top tier TPA. Buyers always have the option to seek alternative opinions, or do your own research and determine for yourself.

Casey,
This hobby has been around for a long, long time and managed very well without TPA's. I gave my opinion gratis on probably hundreds if not thousands of autographs for many years before TPA became a big business.
The hobby has headed down the disastrous path due in large part to the internet. It is now the wild west. There is a need for something to assist people in their autograph pursuits. But the system as it now stands is busted.
The presence of the alphabet TPA's has lead to the presence of the other TPA's whose corruption we have discussed here many, many times.
The alphabet TPA's have done some good. However, they profess to be what they are not, the implication in their advertising is that they are foolproof, that a TPA cert. guarantees (even if they don't word it that way) authenticity. Many in the hobby have placed them on a pedastal (though many fewer than say a year ago) , a pedastal that they don't really deserve to be on.
Your final statement is right on the money. "Buyers always have the option to seek alternative opinions, or do your own research and determine for yourself."
Buy the autograph, not the cert.