PSA ridiculous price increas no longer wants to grade anything bigger than a tall boy

[sflayank]

has anyone else noticed the price increase?
anything bigger than a tall boy is now $75
postcards, exhibit cards, picture pack photos etc
Also armour coins salada coins topps coins all pins etc
psa ownership has determined too much trouble
the jumbo is also $75 so that actually is lower..$25 +70 was what it was
now just 75 flat
the pop report on these items are pretty much frozen now

[raulus]

Originally Posted by sflayank

has anyone else noticed the price increase?
anything bigger than a tall boy is now $75
postcards, exhibit cards, picture pack photos etc
Also armour coins salada coins topps coins all pins etc
psa ownership has determined too much trouble
the jumbo is also $75 so that actually is lower..$25 +70 was what it was
now just 75 flat
the pop report on these items are pretty much frozen now

Yep. I suppose in theory anyone who has these pieces slabbed can now ask more for them.

[BeanTown]

Maybe a new or existing TPG can get all these nitche or different size cards and be the new go to! Let PSA concentrate on other items. I sent off my currency to a grading company (PCGS) who grades and specializes on currency. Can’t wait for some of them to get out of PSA and other holders they are in.

[ClementeFanOh]

Raulus- I sincerely hope the “theory” you mention, is greeted with the same amount of skepticism as the Flat Earth theory. It makes the same amount of sense. Trent King

[raulus]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

Raulus- I sincerely hope the “theory” you mention, is greeted with the same amount of skepticism as the Flat Earth theory. It makes the same amount of sense. Trent King

You’re probably right.

Most of the jumbo pieces tend to be oddball stuff with pretty thin demand. So it’s always going to be a function of how much a few people are willing to pay. And it’s hard to imagine it will move just because grading fees are exhorbitant.

At the same time, for some pieces, the option to just pick it up raw and get it graded yourself is a lot more expensive now, so maybe if you need a key set registry piece, maybe you’re willing to pay a little bit more for an already graded piece simply because it’s more economical.

[Jcosta19]

Yes they snuck that price increase way back when they dropped regular prices to $25. I posted about it then and was surprised more vintage collectors hadn't noticed or took issue with it.



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[puckpaul]

Well it’s not that new, grading T3s has been $150 for a while. Crazy high.

[Fred]

Originally Posted by puckpaul

Well it’s not that new, grading T3s has been $150 for a while. Crazy high.

Craziness - does that mean in some cases the slab would be worth more than the actual card itself?

Slabonomics I guess.

[Snowman]

It's more likely to decrease the value of raw copies than it is to increase the value of slabbed ones.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Fred

Craziness - does that mean in some cases the slab would be worth more than the actual card itself?

Slabonomics I guess.

That is always the case with modern cards. A pack-fresh 1989 Hoops MJ is a dollar box card; a PSA 10 is $200+. "The illusion has become real, and the more real it becomes, the more desperately they want it. Capitalism at it's finest." Gordon Gekko.

It is a question to ponder: if the replacement cost of a slabbed Exhibit card is the card plus +$50, why isn't the existing population of those cards worth at least $50+ per card?

[puckpaul]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

That is always the case with modern cards. A pack-fresh 1989 Hoops MJ is a dollar box card; a PSA 10 is $200+. "The illusion has become real, and the more real it becomes, the more desperately they want it. Capitalism at it's finest." Gordon Gekko.

It is a question to ponder: if the replacement cost of a slabbed Exhibit card is the card plus +$50, why isn't the existing population of those cards worth at least $50+ per card?

I'll take that one...it was likely a mistake to grade that card if it's not worth the grading cost after being slabbed. happens.

[D. Bergin]

I can't find what PSA considers a "Standard Sized" card anywhere on their website, and no mention of not taking Exhibits under a standard sized designation.

For an experiment I inputted a Ted Williams Exhibit onto a submission form under a Standard sized submission, and it accepted it.

SGC's site states anything bigger then 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 is oversized, which comfortably fits Exhibit cards into the Standard sized slot. Just submitted a few exhibits with them recently as a matter of fact.

[sflayank]

i called and they said anything bigger than a tall boy is considered supersized at $75...if its still in the drop down i guess you can send it in
who knows?

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by sflayank

i called and they said anything bigger than a tall boy is considered supersized at $75...if its still in the drop down i guess you can send it in
who knows?

Vague answer. It would be useful if they actually provided dimensions for you (or anybody else).

[Jcosta19]

They used to list it when you pick the card type. Now they probably hope you don't notice and send in supersized cards under regular so they can upcharge.

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[D. Bergin]

Coins and Pins at $75 is staggering BTW. They must really not want to do them for some reason, or they have to ship them out because they don't have anybody on staff to do them. Hell, it can't be the price of the plastic. It costs less to slab an 8x10 photograph.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Jcosta19

They used to list it when you pick the card type. Now they probably hope you don't notice and send in supersized cards under regular so they can upcharge.

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So Exhibit is very close to "Tall Boy". Not as wide but slightly longer.

It would be nice if they clarified...or stopped pretending the phrase "Tall Boy" is somehow more common in the hobby then "Exhibit" or "Postcard". Or maybe they think they're all interchangeable...I don't know.

[53toppscollector]

They could just say "anything 4x6 or less falls under standard size" which could cover trading cards, tall boys, and some exhibits. 4x6 is very easy to understand.

[glchen]

I don't think this is as bad as it seems. First grading prices are up across the board at all TPG's. Nobody is cheap anymore. Next previously, for PSA, you had to put standard size and postcard size cards in separate submissions, which would accrue additional postage/insurance to send it back. Now you can combine this. Finally, PSA is the only one left that grades jumbo sized 8x11 items. To my dismay, Beckett has stopped grading jumbo items. I'm happy that there is at least someone left who will grade items that large, and I'm definitely willing to pay the $75 fee for this. (I love the PSA jumbo holders, btw.)

The coin/pin grading fee definitely stinks. Most pins won't be worth the grading fee, even for HOFers like Ruth. I do like PSA's pin holders a lot, however.

[Jcosta19]

Originally Posted by glchen

I don't think this is as bad as it seems. First grading prices are up across the board at all TPG's. Nobody is cheap anymore. Next previously, for PSA, you had to put standard size and postcard size cards in separate submissions, which would accrue additional postage/insurance to send it back. Now you can combine this. Finally, PSA is the only one left that grades jumbo sized 8x11 items. To my dismay, Beckett has stopped grading jumbo items. I'm happy that there is at least someone left who will grade items that large, and I'm definitely willing to pay the $75 fee for this. (I love the PSA jumbo holders, btw.)



The coin/pin grading fee definitely stinks. Most pins won't be worth the grading fee, even for HOFers like Ruth. I do like PSA's pin holders a lot, however.

They still don't allow mixing of different sizes in the same order. Choosing the size/type is actually the first step of every submission.

I think the complaint is more about paying an extra $50 for a postcard sized card because it is a quarter inch too wide, not a jumbo sized card.

I have plenty Exhibits and similar sized cards (1933 Worch for example) and most aren't worth enough to justify the $75 cost when SGC does it for the same price as their standard cards.

Until this year PSA Supersized, which is the postcard size, was the same price as Tallboys and Regular cards.

Attached some examples of my recent SGC subs since every thread needs a card and I refused to pay $75 per card for these.

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[steve B]

Originally Posted by glchen

I don't think this is as bad as it seems. First grading prices are up across the board at all TPG's. Nobody is cheap anymore. Next previously, for PSA, you had to put standard size and postcard size cards in separate submissions, which would accrue additional postage/insurance to send it back. Now you can combine this. Finally, PSA is the only one left that grades jumbo sized 8x11 items. To my dismay, Beckett has stopped grading jumbo items. I'm happy that there is at least someone left who will grade items that large, and I'm definitely willing to pay the $75 fee for this. (I love the PSA jumbo holders, btw.)

The coin/pin grading fee definitely stinks. Most pins won't be worth the grading fee, even for HOFers like Ruth. I do like PSA's pin holders a lot, however.

That looks like just a standard PCGS coin holder. I wonder if PCGS will grade pins etc? They're doing it for PSA already.

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

SGC's site states anything bigger than 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 is oversized, which comfortably fits Exhibit cards into the Standard sized slot. Just submitted a few exhibits with them recently as a matter of fact.

Not exhibits, but I just had these odd sizes done by SGC at $18 per in a group sub…just to give some examples of what they’ll slab at normal prices.

[glchen]

Originally Posted by Jcosta19

They still don't allow mixing of different sizes in the same order. Choosing the size/type is actually the first step of every submission.

I think the complaint is more about paying an extra $50 for a postcard sized card because it is a quarter inch too wide, not a jumbo sized card.

Hi Justin,

Have you done a recent PSA sub where you confirmed that PSA does not allow mixing of different sizes? If you see my attached picture, standard and tallboy sizes are now in the same item type category. If I remember correctly, they were separate in the past.

Same for postcard sized cards. Has someone tried to submit postcard sized items, and they were upcharged to $75/card? The reason that I am saying this is that I have over a hundred submissions to PSA over the years, and I've always considered supersized to be either tickets or 5x7. See my submission from late last year. Or maybe I just slipped through the cracks on this.

[Jcosta19]

Originally Posted by glchen

Hi Justin,



Have you done a recent PSA sub where you confirmed that PSA does not allow mixing of different sizes? If you see my attached picture, standard and tallboy sizes are now in the same item type category. If I remember correctly, they were separate in the past.



Same for postcard sized cards. Has someone tried to submit postcard sized items, and they were upcharged to $75/card? The reason that I am saying this is that I have over a hundred submissions to PSA over the years, and I've always considered supersized to be either tickets or 5x7. See my submission from late last year. Or maybe I just slipped through the cracks on this.

Standard and Tallboys have always been able to submit under the same category. At least for the last several years.

The price change on supersized cards happened in Jan 2023 so your order probably wouldn't have qualified for an upcharge even if it had 2 different sizes.

It is definitely possible they might slip through the cracks. I have been tempted to try that out and see if an exhibit would slip through.

But 99% of my submissions are for my collection and although I prefer PSA I am also fine with SGC, so my motivation to attempt it is minimal even if the price increase is annoying.

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[Misunderestimated]

My understanding (and recent experience) is that Exhibit-sized cards are part of the "Tallboys" definition for PSA and are treated accordingly for grading submissions --> they do not cost extra.

[raulus]

Lucky us, for just $49.99, you can get your jumbo pieces graded. Limited time special!

*offer expires 8/31/2023

**Oh yeah, must be a member of the club

[Exhibitman]

Well. looks like I gotta sign up and get some cabinet cards slabbed...

[frankbmd]

PSA was never created to please their clientele. They know they have you by the short hairs with a vice grip.

Customer service - leave a message
One year turn around times - or pay more for expedited grading
Larcenous pricing - worth more than the card without a slab
Deaf ears to complaints (like these threads) - don’t hold your breath

The bottom line is the only number they look at.
As long as their mailbox is filled daily with submissions, everything is fine.

They are a virtual monopoly, having been blessed by the hobby and the registry.

FedEx and UPS impacted the USPS decades ago. Who will impact PSA ???

PSA, with their market share, doesn’t even have to respond to their competition.

Have a great day.

PS: They have never got a dime from me.

[puckpaul]

Originally Posted by raulus

Lucky us, for just $49.99, you can get your jumbo pieces graded. Limited time special!

*offer expires 8/31/2023

**Oh yeah, must be a member of the club

What is meant by “supersized” in this context by PSA?

[raulus]

Originally Posted by puckpaul

What is meant by “supersized” in this context by PSA?

This is the chart they have on the website outlining the various sizes. I could be wrong...but I think the supersized (check) is the one that they use for cards as well. Just wish they actually said that, instead of making us guess.

[hockeyhockey]

anyone know if the 1914 B18 blankets are considered oversized?

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by raulus

I think the supersized (check) is the one that they use for cards as well.

It is, if the card just exceeds the specs on the tall boy:



SGC, with the custom inserts, can put this card into a postcard-sized holder.