Does PSA give favoritism to certain dealers/customers?

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

I don't think it is uncommon in the world today that a large client would get better service than a smaller client.

Oh, better service, as in faster turnaround time and the like, for sure for the bigger clients. Better grades, though? I just can't see a PSA honcho telling any grader or group of graders about a particular submission or collection, "these guys are our friends" (wink wink, nod nod) or the like. Call me naive, but I can't imagine it for a number of reasons. OK, you say, it's nothing ever said, it just goes without saying, as in the corporate culture, etc., but as I said before it would be too easy for that to become widely known and all credibility is lost along with millions of dollars worth of business. Now I hear you saying that it IS widely known, that's why we're discussing it, but I want to see actual evidence of some kind, be it studies of some kind, testimony from employees, etc., before I'd be willing to accept what I view so far as merely anecdotal disparagement based on nothing in particular.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

Oh, better service, as in faster turnaround time and the like, for sure for the bigger clients. Better grades, though? I just can't see a PSA honcho telling any grader or group of graders about a particular submission or collection, "these guys are our friends" (wink wink, nod nod) or the like. Call me naive, but I can't imagine it for a number of reasons. OK, you say, it's nothing ever said, it just goes without saying, as in the corporate culture, etc., but as I said before it would be too easy for that to become widely known and all credibility is lost along with millions of dollars worth of business. Now I hear you saying that it IS widely known, that's why we're discussing it, but I want to see actual evidence of some kind, be it studies of some kind, testimony from employees, etc., before I'd be willing to accept what I view so far as merely anecdotal disparagement based on nothing in particular.

I am not here to convince you or tell you what you should think or believe. You are entitled to your opinion as each of us are and I do understand your skepticism. I just do not agree that it would be hard to pull off favoritism in the grading room. Here is one way it could go down: Favorite Dealer #1 gets back a submission, does not like grades, contacts his person at PSA. That person tells Favorite Dealer #1, just send those back and I will have the graders take another look.

In the short time I have been on here I have read numerous threads that refer to PSA invitationals and what goes on at them and who gets invited, etc. I think the culture of grading has an element of corruption and not all submissions are treated equally. Again this is from talking with many presumably seasoned dealers, some who have auction houses and not just guys who are bent because their 8s are usually 7s.

[Fandom0610]

They 1000% do and its been going on for years

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Fandom0610

They 1000% do and its been going on for years

Wow, 1000%! There must be lots of proof, then.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

I am not here to convince you or tell you what you should think or believe. You are entitled to your opinion as each of us are and I do understand your skepticism. I just do not agree that it would be hard to pull off favoritism in the grading room. Here is one way it could go down: Favorite Dealer #1 gets back a submission, does not like grades, contacts his person at PSA. That person tells Favorite Dealer #1, just send those back and I will have the graders take another look.

In the short time I have been on here I have read numerous threads that refer to PSA invitationals and what goes on at them and who gets invited, etc. I think the culture of grading has an element of corruption and not all submissions are treated equally. Again this is from talking with many presumably seasoned dealers, some who have auction houses and not just guys who are bent because their 8s are usually 7s.

It could be much simpler, and still technically conform to blindness.
Grader A, B and C... All consistent. Except grader B is consistently lenient normally being a grade or two higher than the others.

Big customer is sending in a big order, office wants to expedite to make the big customer happy. So they know the tracking number and when it's delivered the pull it out and log it specially, jumping the line.

Then walk it over the grader B and ask him to do this order right away.

Quick service and better than average grades, and grader B has no idea whose card they were.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

I am not here to convince you or tell you what you should think or believe. You are entitled to your opinion as each of us are and I do understand your skepticism. I just do not agree that it would be hard to pull off favoritism in the grading room. Here is one way it could go down: Favorite Dealer #1 gets back a submission, does not like grades, contacts his person at PSA.That person tells Favorite Dealer #1, just send those back and I will have the graders take another look. In the short time I have been on here I have read numerous threads that refer to PSA invitationals and what goes on at them and who gets invited, etc. I think the culture of grading has an element of corruption and not all submissions are treated equally. Again this is from talking with many presumably seasoned dealers, some who have auction houses and not just guys who are bent because their 8s are usually 7s.

Fair enough, and here's my final thoughts about all this: on your first point, what you've left out is where the submitter's person at the TPG tells the original grader, or a different grader, what grades the submitter would be happy with for what cards, or even to bump them all up a notch or two, or even that the submitter wasn't happy, leaving it to the imagination of the grader as to how far to go to please said submitter. I just can't see that happening, for all the reasons I have laid out before. As to your experiences listening to the complaints of those convinced they don't get the love for their submissions as the AHs, whales, etc., I have no rebuttal that other than the same vague feeling I get when I take my 2007 Highlander into the dealership for service that I might not be getting quite the same level of care and attention as the guy with his brand new Sequoia. No proof, mind you, just a feeling, and don't get me wrong, I love both my Highlander and my dealer.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

Fair enough, and here's my final thoughts about all this: on your first point, what you've left out is where the submitter's person at the TPG tells the original grader, or a different grader, what grades the submitter would be happy with for what cards, or even to bump them all up a notch or two, or even that the submitter wasn't happy, leaving it to the imagination of the grader as to how far to go to please said submitter. I just can't see that happening, for all the reasons I have laid out before. As to your experiences listening to the complaints of those convinced they don't get the love for their submissions as the AHs, whales, etc., I have no rebuttal that other than the same vague feeling I get when I take my 2007 Highlander into the dealership for service that I might not be getting quite the same level of care and attention as the guy with his brand new Sequoia. No proof, mind you, just a feeling, and don't get me wrong, I love both my Highlander and my dealer.

Well I know for a fact that my car dealership gives much better service to their entertainer clientele than I get because I have gotten friendly with a few of the employees since I keep leasing cars from them and they like to share stories with me about how high maintenance these clients are. I think it goes without saying that bigger clients get much better service. In the grading world it is clear service does not just mean cheaper grading fees and faster turnaround time.