New SGC grading fees

[Edwolf1963]

Curious with the SGC adopting the PSA club pricing model and increased rates if Beckett has changed their model at all?

I know there's the never-ending debate on PSA vs. SGC - likes, dislikes, values, consistency, etc - but I rarely hear/see BVG thrown in? I know, I know, BVG resale values pale in comparison (especially to PSA), but I always wondered why? Aside from not liking the bullet-proof holders, I never understood why they are a distant 3rd option and/or garner so much less on resale? The cards that I have seen them grade seem to be fairly consistent - at least as much as PSA and SGC, if not even better. Everyone here has some horror story over PSA grading a creased or paper-loss card (especially prewar) as 4, 5 or better. And those damn qualifiers - inconsistency - one card with worse centering has no qualifier vs. another of the same card which does. I've also heard the common perception that PSA grades bigger spenders less stringently. True or not, if that perception is common place .. and if consistency is very much in question, why then doesn't that chip-away at the perceived value? Isn't that a core reason for why BVG grading is less in-demand/less resale value?

I really not a fan (or hater) of any of them - just curious how/why BVG fell to the 3rd string depths.

[SMPEP]

Ed - they have no registry. So you can't tell everybody how great your collection is. Hence, they are a distant third.

[sterlingfox]

I think BVG is so far behind because their vintage never crosses over at the same grade. It's usually 1 or sometimes even 2 grades higher than it should be. They also let more trimmed/altered cards slip by. I currently own a pre-war BVG slab with a numerical grade that very obviously measures short.

Their BGS brand for modern cards, on the other hand, seems to be a high quality product and sells even better than PSA.

Originally Posted by Edwolf1963

Curious with the SGC adopting the PSA club pricing model and increased rates if Beckett has changed their model at all?

I know there's the never-ending debate on PSA vs. SGC - likes, dislikes, values, consistency, etc - but I rarely hear/see BVG thrown in? I know, I know, BVG resale values pale in comparison (especially to PSA), but I always wondered why? Aside from not liking the bullet-proof holders, I never understood why they are a distant 3rd option and/or garner so much less on resale? The cards that I have seen them grade seem to be fairly consistent - at least as much as PSA and SGC, if not even better. Everyone here has some horror story over PSA grading a creased or paper-loss card (especially prewar) as 4, 5 or better. And those damn qualifiers - inconsistency - one card with worse centering has no qualifier vs. another of the same card which does. I've also heard the common perception that PSA grades bigger spenders less stringently. True or not, if that perception is common place .. and if consistency is very much in question, why then doesn't that chip-away at the perceived value? Isn't that a core reason for why BVG grading is less in-demand/less resale value?

I really not a fan (or hater) of any of them - just curious how/why BVG fell to the 3rd string depths.

[bnorth]

I have only directly submitted to SGC and they charge your CC as soon as they receive your cards. I personally think that is BS and they should wait till they are done with your order and they are mailing it back so they have actually earned the $.

How do the other companies do payments?

[CMIZ5290]

I would like to clarify a couple of things from my post. First of all, I was referring to the submission of raw T206 cards. If SGC's fees are now considerably higher than PSA's, why would you submit to SGC? That defeats the purpose of why you would be using SGC in the first place, doesn't it? Secondly, most of my T206s are high end grade wise. There is a much higher price difference between PSA and SGC with those types of grades (7's and higher), versus middle to lower grades (1's-6's), where the price difference is not that terribly different at all. I realize that most T206 collectors fall into the later, so I thought this was important to note....

[glchen]

The fees for SGC are still cheaper than PSA on the low end if you aren't submitting in bulk and/or don't have a membership. The cheapest regular PSA fee is $18 per card for $500 and under declared value. For SGC, it can be $10 for $250 declared value for 20 business days or $15/card for $500 declared value and 10 business days.

SGC also lets you combine tiers and card sizes within a single submission while for PSA, you need to separate each into its own submission with separate shipping costs for each. Therefore, if you have 2 standard cards at the $500 declared value, 3 oversized cards at $500, 1 card at $1000 declared value, and 1 card at $3000 declared value, for PSA, you would have to have four different submissions, each with its own shipping charge (w/ the minimum charge being $18/submission). For SGC, you can combine all of these different cards into one submission, and save on the shipping fees. (Turnaround time will typically default to the slowest tier.)

SGC and Beckett typically charge your order once you receive it. PSA charges when they ship your order. PSA/DNA (e.g., photos) charges when they receive it.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by CMIZ5290

I would like to clarify a couple of things from my post. First of all, I was referring to the submission of raw T206 cards. If SGC's fees are now considerably higher than PSA's, why would you submit to SGC? That defeats the purpose of why you would be using SGC in the first place, doesn't it? Secondly, most of my T206s are high end grade wise. There is a much higher price difference between PSA and SGC with those types of grades (7's and higher), versus middle to lower grades (1's-6's), where the price difference is not that terribly different at all. I realize that most T206 collectors fall into the later, so I thought this was important to note....

Well if a card would grade PSA 7 but would grade SGC 8 than even paying the same or a bit higher for grading would make sense there.

[CMIZ5290]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

Well if a card would grade PSA 7 but would grade SGC 8 than even paying the same or a bit higher for grading would make sense there.

Depends on the player, not necessarily though... If it is a very low pop common (Titus, Jake Stahl glove shows, Sherry Magee Port., etc) I would much rather have the PSA 7 hands down. You are now bringing in the high grade PSA registration collectors....Also, pertaining HOFers, I would rather have low pop PSA 7's than comparable SGC 88's....

[steve B]

Originally Posted by CMIZ5290

I would like to clarify a couple of things from my post. First of all, I was referring to the submission of raw T206 cards. If SGC's fees are now considerably higher than PSA's, why would you submit to SGC? That defeats the purpose of why you would be using SGC in the first place, doesn't it? Secondly, most of my T206s are high end grade wise. There is a much higher price difference between PSA and SGC with those types of grades (7's and higher), versus middle to lower grades (1's-6's), where the price difference is not that terribly different at all. I realize that most T206 collectors fall into the later, so I thought this was important to note....

That makes a bit more sense.

I think both companies have their strengths and weaknesses. All of which have been hashed over many times.

For the lower end collectors, it's not much of a change. I usually sent stuff in to SGC on specials, may not do more since the decent specials are now "members only". But most of what I would send in would qualify for the $10 fee so it's only a couple bucks more than I was getting on specials. They've done some stuff lately that I don't like at all. So has PSA.

I can see the PSA/SGC stuff mattering a lot more for higher grades and more expensive cards.

If I was organized enough I'd see about starting my own grading service. It would be tough to get any real traction, but with the right things to make it better I think there's room for at least a couple more.
A much higher end one. Although not quite as high end on fees as SGC is now (Maybe, I mean if you've got the dough to have a 100K card 3K plus for the grading isn't really all that much. )

And a lower end one something like BCCG but not as cheesy and confusing. Just lower fees for cheaper stuff.

Steve B

[Shoebox]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I have only directly submitted to SGC and they charge your CC as soon as they receive your cards. I personally think that is BS and they should wait till they are done with your order and they are mailing it back so they have actually earned the $.

How do the other companies do payments?

I know for sure SGC and Beckett charge as soon as the order is received. I imagine PSA does the same.

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by Shoebox

I know for sure SGC and Beckett charge as soon as the order is received. I imagine PSA does the same.

Negative, psa charges when order is graded

[conor912]

I still don't get it. Do graders spend more time inspecting a $10,000 card than they do a $10 card? If they don't, why does it cost more?

[irv]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Gosh, grading high valued cards must be a lot more difficult.

Originally Posted by conor912

I still don't get it. Do graders spend more time inspecting a $10,000 card than they do a $10 card? If they don't, why does it cost more?

I asked exactly that early last year when we were talking about PSA's new price increases.

Someone did reply to state, due to insurance/shipping costs, and maybe a few other things, the price was justified because of the value.
Don't shoot the messenger.

Speaking of grading, I just posted in Post war and want everyone to guess which cards graded what and why?
Just having a little fun, but I also want some info to further gain some knowledge.
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=235854

Thanks.

[Dpeck100]

Originally Posted by conor912

I still don't get it. Do graders spend more time inspecting a $10,000 card than they do a $10 card? If they don't, why does it cost more?

They realize they are handing you money and want a piece of the action. It seems pretty fair to me.

[Shoebox]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Negative, psa charges when order is graded

Good to know.

[Bruinsfan94]

Really would be cool if these companies would be more transparent. You think that would be important in a hobby like this. How does one even become a card grader? Are there any former or current graders on this fourm?