What is the (predicted) future of card grading services?

[raulus]

To answer the original question: what is the future of grading? Obviously none of knows for sure, but it’s hard to see a big shift away from the current regime.

Understandably, it’s temping to surmise that technology will have a bigger role going forward. After all, grading has been largely driven by human labor, and with machines destined to take over everything, it should only be a matter of time until they take over this thing.

At the same time, Snowman has written extensively on the challenges of leveraging technology to perform grading. Many of the challenges seem to stem from the difficulty in using images to truly identify the condition of a card, as well as being able to have a big enough data set to make sure that the technology can really differentiate between fake and real cards. Throw in the fact that computers struggle to do simple things that are important elements for us such as our tactile feel for thickness and surface texture, not to mention smell.

It’s also tempting to think that the many inherent limitations concomitant with the grading process will spell its downfall. And that’s still a possibility, for sure. But to date, the many scandals and grading failures over the last 35 years have failed to slow down this grading juggernaut. If those events couldn’t even break the stride of the graders, it’s difficult to imagine that further improprieties could possibly lead to a downfall in grading.

So as an earlier response noted: pain. Tech seems unlikely to have an impact, and the need for 3rd party graders is just too acute to get rid of them entirely, which is why any failures on the part of the graders are unlikely to be more than a speed bump.

[Exhibitman]

Easy answer: higher prices and worse service.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Easy answer: higher prices and worse service.

I'm not so sure. If it breaks up the present monopoly whereby a few people get rich beyond avarice for providing opinion by charging a lot of money to do so, then I am 100% in favor of it...once the bugs are worked out.

[Belfast1933]

I'm going to reply to my own post...

It's all so frustrating and I feel like we will continue to deal with the poor service, questionable fee structures, etc. until we/collectors move to another solution and force the TPGs to meaningfully improve.

Case in point - I have a high end card in process which is (shocker) late in spite of the inflated fee they demand that I pay for "express service"

In their cut & paste reply, they didn't even take the time to fill in the blank in their own reply (we're allowed 5 days to process and it's only been X days... with the "X" left blank)

But I found it telling what they DIDN'T forget to get right - they had the section that reminds me that their estimated turn around is ONLY AN ESTIMATE (was highlighted in yellow for emphasis).

Something tells me they lean on this a lot.

I'd love to find a way to force a change here - still looking (actively!)

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Belfast1933

I'm going to reply to my own post...

It's all so frustrating and I feel like we will continue to deal with the poor service, questionable fee structures, etc. until we/collectors move to another solution and force the TPGs to meaningfully improve.

Case in point - I have a high end card in process which is (shocker) late in spite of the inflated fee they demand that I pay for "express service"

In their cut & paste reply, they didn't even take the time to fill in the blank in their own reply (we're allowed 5 days to process and it's only been X days... with the "X" left blank)

But I found it telling what they DIDN'T forget to get right - they had the section that reminds me that their estimated turn around is ONLY AN ESTIMATE (was highlighted in yellow for emphasis).

Something tells me they lean on this a lot.

I'd love to find a way to force a change here - still looking (actively!)

Regarding the parts in bold... See my post directly above.