Problems with SGC ?

[biggsdaddycool]

It’s one thing to be behind and not be meeting “estimated” deadlines, which, as someone already mentioned, we pay extra for, but to be expanding.

A company like PSA, which is publicly traded, not putting money and time into expanding their facilities here to help with backlog and ever growing business, but rather to focus on expanding internationally, i.e. their newly planned Japanese submission office.

Doesn’t that rub some people the wrong way? They are not dedicated to taking care of the business we built here in the US effectively, but expanding to capture a more global share so that investors think more favorably about their stocks.

SGC’s rolled out “improvements”, which is obviously subjective, with apparently no forethought to think that loyal SGC submitters wouldn’t want their cards reholdered, is unthinkable.

At this point, what is the point of having tiers, other than to bilk the customers, who are so desperate to use their services, out of more money. This is no way to operate a business and with, apparently, no solutions aiming in the near future.

Someone else mentioned BGS and eluded to the grease fire going on over there. They have their own set of issues.

The whole industry of TPG and TPA is a multi billion dollar business. My question is, why hasn’t a quality alternative risen as yet to challenge these, obviously, poor business models other than the strong name brand recognition they have built in the hobby?

And I haven’t even touched on the certified authentic autographs, that are clearly not authentic, from JSA and the aforementioned TPG’s that surfaced this week.

This business, sports cards & memorabilia, is on the verge of another huge growth spurt and we are piddling around waiting months for submissions. Why hasn’t the real money in the hobby stepped to the forefront?

Are we really at their mercy?? No! We are the consumers. I think the movement needs to be that cards that do not need to be submitted be held back. We may need somewhat of a boycott, for lack of a better term. We control their $$$. Without submissions they have nothing. We keep paying them though.

And I understand there are thousands of businesses that run on TPG and that becomes a huge issue.

This whole industry, on the verge of a huge growth spurt, is, I fear, may, also, be on the verge of a catastrophic event that will set the hobby on it’s collective ear.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[whitehse]

I guess maybe its my turn to whine a little. I have only submitted cards to a TPG perhaps three times in the 40+ years I have collected. I came across a few cards that I really like and, while I never had any hope that these would come back at 8 or better, I felt that they all had a strong chance to grade well. I just received back my 9 card submission to SGC and honestly, I am a bit miffed at my grades when comparing them to the exact cards they have graded in the past.

I love the new holders but wow...if this is their new grading standards I guess the wait time for PSA may be worth it. Here are three of the cards I had sent back to me along with picks of cards that just sold on Ebay recently. It just seems that their grading standards have been tightened up tighter than the belt on a Biggest Loser contestant.

1962 Topps Ed Mathews SGC 5.5 (mine-new flip)

1962 Topps Ed Mathews SGC 5.5 (not mine-old flip)

1956 Topps Yogi Berra SGC 5 (mine-new flip)

1956 Topps Yogi Berra SGC 5 (not mine- old flip)

1956 Topps Harmon Killebrew SGC 6 (mine- new flip)

1956 Topps Harmon Killebrew SGC 6 (not mine- old flip) Has print line and softer corners as well as diamond cut.

I do plan on sending an email to SGC as these examples just seem to out of line but in the end, it is only their opinion I guess.

[Exhibitman]

Problem here is that we can’t just buy the steel from a different supplier. These three companies have established themselves as the sole arbiters of card quality. Everyone uses them. So you either put up with their bull or you go with raw cards or buy cards already slabbed. There’s enough of them. The people who are really screwed on this are the pros waiting for inventory to come back from grading purgatory. If you buy a collection and need some of the cards graded for resale you can forget about getting your money out quickly. I sent PSA some cards in November from a collection I purchased and I will be lucky to have them back by Easter. That capital is tied up for six months before I can even try to get out.

[glynparson]

I am sorry but I strongly disagree with you. those cards absolutely look properly graded to me and I do not feel they would have graded higher with psa in fact I feel two have a shot at being lower not higher from psa. Just one man’s opinion but i have had thousands and thousands of cards graded by them.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by glynparson

I am sorry but I strongly disagree with you. those cards absolutely look properly graded to me and I do not feel they would have graded higher with psa in fact I feel two have a shot at being lower not higher from psa. Just one man’s opinion but i have had thousands and thousands of cards graded by them.

Except for the old Mathews and old Berra. Those cards are clearly over graded. I have been working on up grading my t205 set to PSA/SGC 5 or better, but often when I find a card and compare it to my 4 or 4.5, the 4 or 4.5 is nicer so I pass. I don't know if the grading standards are tighter or maybe the companies are just doing a better training graders and there are fewer errors. It makes sense to me that dealers and collectors who have over graded cards would want to move them sooner rather than later. If the card is properly graded in an old holder, they wouldn't have a problem keeping it. So, you would see a lot of over graded cards in old holders for sale.

[whitehse]

Originally Posted by glynparson

I am sorry but I strongly disagree with you. those cards absolutely look properly graded to me and I do not feel they would have graded higher with psa in fact I feel two have a shot at being lower not higher from psa. Just one man’s opinion but i have had thousands and thousands of cards graded by them.

Thanks for your comments (and other's comments as well).

Honestly, I am not crazy upset at the grades but I did expect them to be higher based on those same cards I had seen in the past that had been graded by SGC and others. I will certainly accept the grades as I do plan on having these cards stay in my collection but I have learned one lesson here through all of this. I have been a raw card collector for 40+ years and it appears I need to stay that way. I saw these cards and thought they would be my chance to see how good my grading eye really is in terms of having cards slabbed but it appears my grading eye just isn't that good!

As someone else said in response to my post, I will now look for cards already graded if I intend to have slabbed cards in my collection because it seems the grades I tend to gravitate to are much cheaper already graded than buying raw and hoping to win the jackpot.

Thanks for your comments everyone!

[swarmee]

I think the top two look pack pulled recently and would have expected a 6.5 and a 7 or so on them. I would have been disappointed by the grades as well. And I'm usually tougher on grading than others.

[DeanH3]

Generally speaking, I think SGC was always a little more lenient on corner wear than PSA. Looks like they might be tightening up that area.