No Minimum Grade at PSA?

[JackR]

I just learned that PSA no longer accepts Minimum Grades for crossovers. It’s all or nothing: either they’ll crack the slab (in this case, BGS) and grade the card in their sole discretion, or they’ll return the slab uncracked for another $50 in postage (I paid $100 in postage and insurance to get it to them).

With no Minimum Grade Guarantee, this turns into a pricey gamble.

Has anyone else bumped up against this new policy?

Any idea when it was first implemented?

BTW, the service level fee (Premium) for this card is $800.

[D. Bergin]

Seems to me this should have been the policy from the beginning. Don't know how you can properly authenticate and grade a card through a thick slab to begin with.

Also, at the risk of alienating people who insist they can do this with no problem, I don't see how you can guarantee not damaging a card in the crack-out process.

Especially when the minutest little flaw can be the difference between a 6 and a 7, a 7 and an 8, and 8 and a 9, and a 9 and a 10, etc. ....with theoretically thousands of dollars or more in the balance.

Best to leave the "crack-outs" to the collectors, flippers and investors.

[CardPadre]

Where do you do your learning? Still seems to be an option in the submission form for a crossover.

[JackR]

Thanks, CardPadre. You’re absolutely right. PSA’s webpage and online application form clearly state that Minimum Grades will be honored for Crossovers.

Nevertheless, this is what I received this morning from PSA’s Customer Service:

***

…I am contacting you on the behalf of the Customer Request Center Problem Order Team here at PSA.

Your order was brought to my attention for the following:

As part of the continued effort to streamline operations and process orders faster, PSA has removed the minimum grade option from the submission process.
We can process this order without the minimum grade, or we can send it back unprocessed with a $ 49.99 return shipping fee.

Please see under “Frequently Asked Questions” section on this link for the full update: https://www.psacard.com/support/faq
Please let me know how you would like to proceed.

PLEASE NOTE: If we do not receive a response by 8/12 we will be returning your order to you unprocessed and a shipping fee of $49.99 will be charged. However, we will attempt to contact you again before this date . Please respond and we will be happy to get your order to move forward.

[CardPadre]

Well that's absolutely dumb that you can select it on their submission page, really weird.

And they should comp you the return shipping charge since their site fully allows people to enter and expect a minimum grade service. You really have to dig beyond what a reasonable person could be expected to do to find that it is suspended (supposedly temporarily).




.

[JollyElm]

And they're trying to stick you with a $50 postage fee for THEIR error??? WTF?

[ricktmd]

No shock to hear PSA acting in an unfair manner. I still prefer to buy PSA cards but hate submitting to them. Its awful. If it were me, I would call and say I submitted using the information from your website which accepted minimum grades on crossovers. Since you no longer accept minimum grades on crossovers and changed the rules after I submitted you need to send the card back insured at no cost to me. Their request for shipping fees due to their rule change is highly unethical and I would think they would cave to your request.
Does their site still allow submittals with minimum grades on crossovers, or did they at least fix the false information?

[notfast]

Crossovers have minimum grades.

Regular grading does not.

[JackR]

Thanks, Rick.

As of an hour or so ago (last time I checked), PSA’s website stated:

Crossover Grading Service

Crossover grading is for cards previously graded by other companies that you wish to cross over into a PSA holder. PSA will evaluate the card inside its current holder. If PSA deems the card worthy to cross over at the customer’s specified minimum grade or higher, the card will be removed from its holder and placed into a PSA holder. Regardless of the result, the grading price will be charged.

There are other third-party grading companies out there, but just one industry leader. We offer our crossover service for collectors who would like to enhance the security and elevate the value of their previously authenticated and graded trading cards. Switching to the most respected and premium brand, PSA, can do just that.

***

[JackR]

Originally Posted by notfast

Crossovers have minimum grades.

Regular grading does not.

That’s what I thought, too, until I was notified otherwise by PSA this morning (see above).

[notfast]

Originally Posted by JackR

That’s what I thought, too, until I was notified otherwise by PSA this morning (see above).

I feel like someone made a mistake. My friend did a crossover with a min grade at the national. Wasn’t crossed and he was charged. Just like it’s always been.

[parkplace33]

I got lambasted last time I said this but I know of at least 2 instances recently of a psa reholder where they lowered the grade. And for those I inquiring, there appeared to be nothing wrong with the slab.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by parkplace33

I got lambasted last time I said this but I know of at least 2 instances recently of a psa reholder where they lowered the grade. And for those I inquiring, there appeared to be nothing wrong with the slab.

I don't believe these claims. I've heard them as well, but nobody ever provides evidence of it. And it is certainly not standard practice.

[parkplace33]

Originally Posted by Snowman

I don't believe these claims. I've heard them as well, but nobody ever provides evidence of it. And it is certainly not standard practice.

Snow, it’s not standard practice but I can promise you it has happened.

One member is on net54, one is not. They can post the results if they choose.

[Johnny630]

There is one way to see what happens For yourself. If someone has the Stones to submit an old graded say PSA 5 figure plus, high-end vintage card for reholder knowing themselves that the card would never grade an eight or in today's standards.

In no way will I take that gamble now.

[AndrewJerome]

Drew, did PSA compensate the two collectors for the value difference when PSA lowered the grade in the reholder service? Obviously this would be a situation where PSA is admitting they made a mistake.

I also have not heard of this happening.

Andrew

[Vintagedeputy]

I can’t understand why people continue to give PSA their money. The customer service is always awful.

[jchcollins]

These kinds of stories, lack of organization and communication from PSA are precisely why I don't submit with them personally. In addition to the notable grading inconsistency they seem to be stuck in since the pandemic, this kind of thing with them is not exactly new - and they never seem to care.

[parkplace33]

Originally Posted by AndrewJerome

Drew, did PSA compensate the two collectors for the value difference when PSA lowered the grade in the reholder service? Obviously this would be a situation where PSA is admitting they made a mistake.

I also have not heard of this happening.

Andrew

I was able to contact one to ask. No, they were not compensated.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by parkplace33

I was able to contact one to ask. No, they were not compensated.

That makes no sense. The whole purpose of their Grading Guarantee is to ensure that collectors don't lose money when they screw up. So long as you are not the original submitter, if you send a card back in and PSA decides hey, we screwed up, this card is not a 5, it's actually a 4 - they are supposed to pay out the market value difference - and at least to my knowledge this used to be standard practice.

Why do people continue to pay these clowns and send their cards in?

[Johnny630]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

That makes no sense. The whole purpose of their Grading Guarantee is to ensure that collectors don't lose money when they screw up. So long as you are not the original submitter, if you send a card back in and PSA decides hey, we screwed up, this card is not a 5, it's actually a 4 - they are supposed to pay out the market value difference - and at least to my knowledge this used to be standard practice.

Why do people continue to pay these clowns and send their cards in?

People continue to send in because their cards sell for the most in PSA holders.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

People continue to send in because their cards sell for the most in PSA holders.

I guess this will continue to be the case as long as money matters more than anything else, and collectors continue to be indifferent as to whether or not a valuable vintage card is accurately graded, but just that it's in a holder with a flip to their liking. Stuff trumps all. PSA hasn't been consistent at least with vintage grading in probably more than 5 years now. But incredibly, it just doesn't matter or move the needle with most...

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

There is one way to see what happens For yourself. If someone has the Stones to submit an old graded say PSA 5 figure plus, high-end vintage card for reholder knowing themselves that the card would never grade an eight or in today's standards.

In no way will I take that gamble now.

There's a 33g Ruth sgc 5 that someone should try...it's a High eye appeal Modern day 3

[AndrewJerome]

Hi Drew, thanks for the confirmation. Would love to hear a first hand account of this. Brutal if PSA can do that without giving compensation for the reduced grade (assuming of course the collector trying for the re-holder was not the original submitter).

Andrew

[JackR]

It’s been a saga, but I (the OP) am happy to report that PSA decided to process my crossover request at my minimum requested grade.

Whether they reconsidered their initial decision to “remove the minimum grade option from the submission process,” I don’t know. Their web page and application form still appear to allow it, but an FAQ apparently said the policy had been temporarily suspended.

In looking back on this episode, I have to agree with the comment by Rick Clemens: “I sill prefer to buy PSA cards but hate submitting them. It’s awful.”

[Beercan collector]

Originally Posted by JackR

It’s been a saga, but I (the OP) am happy to report that PSA decided to process my crossover request at my minimum requested grade.

Whether they reconsidered their initial decision to “remove the minimum grade option from the submission process,” I don’t know. Their web page and application form still appear to allow it, but an FAQ apparently said the policy had been temporarily suspended.

In looking back on this episode, I have to agree with the comment by Rick Clemens: “I sill prefer to buy PSA cards but hate submitting them. It’s awful.”

Happy for you but yeah they’re pretending to do you a favor ,
“ temporarily suspended “ ? why ? And what the hell ?

[JollyElm]

Apologies in advance if this post takes the thread a tad bit OT, but am I reading this right?

If I send in my 1973 Topps Al Kaline 'with bandage' cards in to PSA to have the variation noted on the slab* (for better ease of selling in the future), they could possibly crack them out and decide the grade or grades are wrong and send them back to me wearing lower numbers, even though the only thing I wanted was the added 'with bandage' verbiage??


*For years I tried to have them recognize the variation, but they rejected my requests every time.