Psa, sgc, bgs

[Cryptofterror]

Hi guys,

I have cards out to all three TPGS and the wait times keep getting longer and longer. Everybody I talk to says they are all backed up. Any insights as to why? Is it just the time of year or have we reached a major saturation point? Curious as to what others think. BGS just raised fees and dropped their guarantee on the lowest price levels......thinking there may be changes with the other two soon enough.

Thoughts?

[Leon]

Good subject and this was moved from the watercooler section as it permeates the whole hobby. I think there needs to be a change in grading companies, personally. I am not super happy with any of them at this point although SGC still gets my business. Maybe it's time for another GOOD grading company? (No, I don't have the answer). Nothing like competition to get companies to do the right things. (*the correct things)

[Timbegs]

Originally Posted by Leon

Good subject and this was moved from the watercooler section as it permeates the whole hobby. I think there needs to be a change in grading companies, personally. I am not super happy with any of them at this point although SGC still gets my business. Maybe it's time for another GOOD grading company? (No, I don't have the answer). Nothing like competition to get companies to do the right things. (*the correct things)

I like SGC. I think they do a great job - soup to nuts. As a collector, I love their service, the look of the holder and the highly accurate grades. I guess I'm the rare collector who doesn't care about the grade. Don't get me wrong - the higher the better - but if it's authentic, I'm happy whether a 10 or a 100 Pristine.

I sometimes think we as collectors (and more so, dealers) redirect our frustration at the TPG instead of the guy who lied about the grade when selling it or our own eyes for deceiving us. Unscrupulous people exist in all walks of life but you can't live in fear of them either.

[jhs5120]

An educated guess: BGS and PSA are likely backed up due to the start of the baseball season. Most modern sets come out March/April each year. I know PSA's specials didn't have a modern option in March or April, probably for this reason.

[Section103]

I think we as collectors, myself included, are at the root of the major cause here because we steadfastly refuse to accept anyone outside of the Big 3 graders as being remotely valid. The opportunity for someone to come in and start a reputable grading company is extremely thin. There are probably only a handful of names of people who could start one and have the political clout within the community to gain acceptance. Heck, we even eat the one's that are existing and "credible". I cant count how many times Ive read someone here who will never buy a card graded by...

No smart business will ever shoot itself in the foot by keeping too much labor on hand sitting idle. The other side to that coin is that demand is not met as promptly.

[garymc]

I don't like any of them....in fact I like to crack them open as soon as I get them ! I have very few cards beyond VG in my collection. In my collecting world it doesn't feel important what some questionable expert grades my cards and I don't collect as an investment. I like them in albums.....I do save the labels for the purpose of keeping the history of the card