A New Grading Company

[swarmee]

I personally don't see a new market entrant getting enough traction to become profitable.

[trambo]

Originally Posted by swarmee

I personally don't see a new market entrant getting enough traction to become profitable.

+1

Way too much capital involved to get enough traction to do it and get enough market share to make it work! Wouldn't mind seeing someone try, though!

[maniac_73]

I would like to see no grading companies and collecting brought back to what it should be where you collect for the card not the slab and a subjective number of grade. Guess you cant put the genie back in the bottle though.

[AGuinness]

Originally Posted by trambo

+1

Way too much capital involved to get enough traction to do it and get enough market share to make it work! Wouldn't mind seeing someone try, though!

Agreed. I don't think anybody who would attempt the same approach as the established graders would be able to steal enough of the market.

However, if somebody took a novel and different approach, it might work. If I were to do it, I would scrap the grades. No A/1-10 stuff; it would be replaced by three tiers that would offer a more general assessment. Something to the effect of: No Obvious Flaws, Minor Flaws Visible and Major Flaws (for the purpose of this exercise, slabs would have 0, M or F, respectively, to denote the assessment).
Each slab would have a QR code that goes to the card's page on the company's website. And here is where it can get fun... Each card's page has a section describing what we've observed on the card (creases, paper loss, corner dings, etc.), along with a series of photographs, including multiple backgrounds (white/black), one with the card under blacklight, set up with one of those centering tools, set against a ruler or some other measuring tool, at different angles, etc. All that is available to the public, too.
Furthermore, and perhaps a subscription fee would be needed, auction/sales history of each card would be available, along with any known history of the card (if it was in a PSA slab previously, for instance). Maybe under the same subscription, users could also see submission information (such as who did the submitting) in an anonymous way (each submitter gets a number code, for instance).
I think part of the problem of today's TPGs is the unknowns of why cards grade the way they do. 8s can look like 10s, 4s can have better eye appeal than some 7s, etc. etc. Each TPG has their grading standards, but it's up to the collector to try and figure out why a card graded the way it did and it is (or at least appears to be) inconsistent application of the standards at times.
I think this new TPG could help buyers make more informed decisions while "buying the card, not the flip."
But I'm sure this new TPG would also flop within the first year - way too much time spent on each card and too much money to start things up!

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by AGuinness

Agreed. I don't think anybody who would attempt the same approach as the established graders would be able to steal enough of the market.

However, if somebody took a novel and different approach, it might work. If I were to do it, I would scrap the grades. No A/1-10 stuff; it would be replaced by three tiers that would offer a more general assessment. Something to the effect of: No Obvious Flaws, Minor Flaws Visible and Major Flaws (for the purpose of this exercise, slabs would have 0, M or F, respectively, to denote the assessment).
Each slab would have a QR code that goes to the card's page on the company's website. And here is where it can get fun... Each card's page has a section describing what we've observed on the card (creases, paper loss, corner dings, etc.), along with a series of photographs, including multiple backgrounds (white/black), one with the card under blacklight, set up with one of those centering tools, set against a ruler or some other measuring tool, at different angles, etc. All that is available to the public, too.
Furthermore, and perhaps a subscription fee would be needed, auction/sales history of each card would be available, along with any known history of the card (if it was in a PSA slab previously, for instance). Maybe under the same subscription, users could also see submission information (such as who did the submitting) in an anonymous way (each submitter gets a number code, for instance).
I think part of the problem of today's TPGs is the unknowns of why cards grade the way they do. 8s can look like 10s, 4s can have better eye appeal than some 7s, etc. etc. Each TPG has their grading standards, but it's up to the collector to try and figure out why a card graded the way it did and it is (or at least appears to be) inconsistent application of the standards at times.
I think this new TPG could help buyers make more informed decisions while "buying the card, not the flip."
But I'm sure this new TPG would also flop within the first year - way too much time spent on each card and too much money to start things up!

Great ideas, if someone could actually implement them. Beneficial for the customer and for the hobby.

But could this enterprise be profitable and successful as a business model? For the answer to be "yes", you'd need to have a solid marketing team, lots of patience, and the ability to eventually sway thousands of people away from the current TPGs.

[h2oya311]

never underestimate the power of the registry.