This Probably Won't Go Anywhere, But...

[Seven]

Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5

Does an art restorer charge more to restore the Mona Lisa than some random painting in your living room? It's not about the exact action they are performing, it's that they are being entrusted with the possession and care of a very valuable item and have to take that in consideration in pricing. Potential liability is a part of a business's overhead. And all overhead is baked into the pricing structure. The only other way would be to raise grading costs for every card and spread the cost out. But that would be too big a pill for their average consumer to swallow, so they won't do it. Their bread and butter is grading a million base cards a month, not 5 52 Mantles.

In my opinion this comparison should be like comparing apples to oranges. Our hobby should not reflect what goes on the art world. But that's neither here nor there. I know Why it costs more, I'm saying it shouldn't, it's not fair to the average collector.

[OhioLawyerF5]

Originally Posted by Seven

In my opinion this comparison should be like comparing apples to oranges. Our hobby should not reflect what goes on the art world. But that's neither here nor there. I know Why it costs more, I'm saying it shouldn't, it's not fair to the average collector.

Remove the art restorer analogy. You are getting caught up in it. I wasn't treating cards like artwork. I just randomly chose a service where the same action performed costs different depending on how valuable the item they are performing it on. It could literally be any service. It costs more to change the oil on a Lambourgini than it does a Chevy. If you know why it costs more, then you wouldn't say it shouldn't. It costs more to the consumer because it costs more to PSA. Simple as that. And I just explained why it is actually more fair to the average collector. The average collector isn't sending 52 Mantles to get graded. If they spread the cost of risk for those grading 52 Mantles across the board, the average consumer would be paying $99 to grade a base card instead of $20.

[packs]

My collection is exclusively made up of collector grade cards. I don't really run into registry issues and I think people who do are doing it to themselves. I have no issue with TPA's and appreciate having my cards in a slab.