Notes from a former card Grader/Authenticator

[bn2cardz]

I recently ended my employment as a grader with CGC grading. While with them I worked primarily in the eBay authentication, but also did some grading when time permitted. I have seen some myths and assumptions consistently prior to my employment and even more so while employed. I am still under a NDA so I can't give specifics, but I did want to dispel some of these wrong ideas I saw circulating.

Myth 1: "Graders are minimum wage random people off the street"
Well I would hope that the fact that I am now outing myself as a grader, you may see that we aren't "random people off the street". There wasn't a single person that graded/authenticated cards that wasn't a collector in some way or another. A lot of us are incognito on social media and at card shows because we want to avoid conflicts of interest and having to answer too many questions that may go against our NDA. Along with that is that, no, we don't make minimum wage. Like any other job wage was a range based on our level of expertise being brought into the company. I will say that my pay was enough to lure me from another career and move my family out of state. I obviously left the company recently, but that is more personal in nature and not due to compensation nor lack of benefits. Sure there are higher paying career paths, but the compensation/benefits certainly wasn't in line with the claim that we make minimum wage.

Myth 2: This one showed up in various forms but something to the idea of "I bought this card on ebay. I doubt anyone there knows anything about this card." The first time I saw a claim like this I laughed, because I was the authenticator and not only had I seen the card, but own a copy of the same subject. I was one of the primary vintage people. Yet, so often I would see comments that questioned that anyone with any knowledge of vintage would see the cards in question and that we all looked at cards with a "modern eye". I was hired specifically because I collected vintage.

Myth 3: "I know what I am buying, I don't need eBay to tell me it is real." I saw this sometimes when an item would fail. This may be on eBay for not disclosing things better, but typically when I saw this I would look back at my notes and see I failed the card for alterations (Color Touch, Reshaped Corners, Built up corners, pressings, Trims), or for blatent mis representation of a card that had creases that were not seen in a listing. Sometimes this myth didn't come from a failing of a card, but just as a slam against the program in general. The problem is we saw bait and switches happening often. So, yes, the image in the listing was authentic, but it wasn't what we received.

Extra notes: This is an office job. So yes there are employees, like any other job out there, that may not put in the same effort or pride into their work. They don't last long as they make us all look bad when they mess something up. However I would suggest that when thinking of a grading company, that like any company, it is individuals that make up the greater company and they aren't all equal. Some of us take pride in our work and some skate by. I have seen this at any company I have worked at and grading was no different. The biggest difference is that if we made a mistake it made its way to social media and everyone in the department would know of your mistake. Some of our best accountability was not being shamed on social media.

Anyways I hope this was enough to remind you that graders are typically collectors also that are in the hobby alongside you. Like most dealers we just wanted to work in the hobby we love and chose grading as the avenue to pursue the dream.

Some may have dealt with me here, but you may also get more of an idea of my collecting habits on twitter (where some already follow and possibly interacted with me):
twitter.com/collecting4me




And because every thread needs a card, I attached one

[swarmee]

Thanks for the info. Luckily I don't think I pushed those types of complaints about the grading companies.

[Flintboy]

Thanks for the post….can you disclose what the pay range is for an entry level grader? I’ve always wondered what the pay scale is, there’s lots of people who think they know….

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by Flintboy

Thanks for the post….can you disclose what the pay range is for an entry level grader? I’ve always wondered what the pay scale is, there’s lots of people who think they know….

I didn't hire people so I don't know the full range. I only know what I made. I don't feel comfortable disclosing that, but I have a stay-at-home wife and 6 children (ages 4-13). So enough to maintain our living situation off my salary. I am now going to work from home, which is a huge reason why I am leaving.

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by bn2cardz

The problem is we saw bait and switches happening often. So, yes, the image in the listing was authentic, but it wasn't what we received.

That alone is worth a Yow-za!!

But, thank you for clarifying that when I complain about my cards getting bad grades, they most likely DESERVE to get bad grades. You've ruined my life.

[111gecko]

Appreciate this summary and I suspect you will get a ton of questions. We all understand if you can/can't answer some of them.

My question: Do graders know who the submission is from (we've all suspected they do) and do they keep track of a "certain" card from that submitter that gets resubmitted multiple times?

What state did you end up in? Hot or cold region.? HAHA!
Thanks!

[Fred]

Is there a 12 step process to coming out as a former TPG grader? I guess admitting it was the first step. Good luck with the final 11 steps.

Interesting insights and thank you for taking the time to share.

What I still can't wrap my head around is the total variance in the perception of the grading standards by different graders working for the same TPG.

Ok, let's not turn this into a TPG bashing thread. It'll be interesting to see what questions come up for our ex-grader on board.

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by 111gecko

Appreciate this summary and I suspect you will get a ton of questions. We all understand if you can/can't answer some of them.



My question: Do graders know who the submission is from (we've all suspected they do) and do they keep track of a "certain" card from that submitter that gets resubmitted multiple times?



What state did you end up in? Hot or cold region.? HAHA!

Thanks!

In grading we didn't have access to the submission information.

As far as keeping track of a particular card, I feel that would fall under procedure talk that I can't disclose.

CGC is in Sarasota FL.

[jfkheat]

So, you are the guy that said the 1970 Nolan Ryan that I sold on eBay was trimmed. A few weeks later it was graded a 6 by SGC.

[mrreality68]

Thanks for some of the insight into to the world of grading. Would love to hear more especially when the NDA is up

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by jfkheat

So, you are the guy that said the 1970 Nolan Ryan that I sold on eBay was trimmed. A few weeks later it was graded a 6 by SGC.

I see the smiley, so I am sure it isn't personal. However I still felt it was worth a response.

If we failed something we wanted to be sure. If it was a trim it would have been failed by a team effort with multiple opinions given prior to failing.

No one wants to have their work called out. Sure we were anonymous, but not internally. So if we messed up and it was called out on social media or through support, it is very likely we would be talked to about it. No one, at any job, wants to have that type of talk with their boss.

All that said, is it possible I made a mistake, even if it wasn't on your specific card? Absolutely, I am human afterall, there is no way I didn't make a mistake at some point.

[Schlesinj]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

That alone is worth a Yow-za!!

But, thank you for clarifying that when I complain about my cards getting bad grades, they most likely DESERVE to get bad grades. You've ruined my life.

Based on that statement alone, the authentication program has value despite the delay/annoyance.

[Pjere]

This may be mildly irrelevant to your situation but I thought that I’d ask. eBay has spent a ton on this authentication process with high end packaging and utilizing grading companies to authenticate. Have you seen it make a difference from when they started the program up until you left in the amount of fake cards sent by sellers?


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[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Kinda surprised that somebody with over 3000 posts has a username I don't ever recall seeing before. Recent name change, or did I miss 3019 of your posts?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

Kinda surprised that somebody with over 3000 posts has a username I don't ever recall seeing before. Recent name change, or did I miss 3019 of your posts?

Never changed his id (that I can remember)... only a moderator can change an id...
.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

It was an honest question. Username is unfamiliar somehow.

[ALBB]

Yes, very interesting look into that job

[Leon]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

It was an honest question. Username is unfamiliar somehow.

old age.....
.

[timzcardz]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

Kinda surprised that somebody with over 3000 posts has a username I don't ever recall seeing before. Recent name change, or did I miss 3019 of your posts?

No stranger to the username. As indicated in my signature I've even done some deals with him, and if I remember correctly it was both buying and selling!