Does PSA lose your submissions due to memberships?

[rdixon1208]

Originally Posted by Abravefan11

Yes they do. I don't submit many cards to be graded so when I chose to submit my first cards SGC was the company I went with because it didn't require a membership. Since my first submission I have received great customer service from SCG so I haven't even considered PSA again.

Me Too

[alanu]

Originally Posted by rdixon1208

Me Too

me 3

[Bobsbats]

I went to have some cards graded by PSA not knowing about the membership, when I realized this, I submitted the cards to SGC. I prefer the SGC holders anyway, but I thought I would give PSA a shot. After the membership aspect and the extra cost......I only use SGC now.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Bobsbats

I went to have some cards graded by PSA not knowing about the membership, when I realized this, I submitted the cards to SGC. I prefer the SGC holders anyway, but I thought I would give PSA a shot. After the membership aspect and the extra cost......I only use SGC now.

But if you plan to have six or more cards graded, it is no extra cost.

[steve B]

I know it's true in my case, and I'd guess for others.

I have something fundamentally against paying for the right to spend money with someone. In the case of a club with a cover charge, or a show admission I actually get something for the cover charge - I can hear a band without drinking, or I can view the show without buying (Ok, I know it;s a huge stretch there but I could if I wanted to) or just bring in an item or two to sell.

But having to buy a "club membership" to be granted the privilege of giving them my money? Even if thry make up for it with some free grading and a self serving inaccurate price guide? Not for me.

I do have some modern cards that I'd considered sending in. But they even want $25 to look at the population reports, which would be a big part of deciding which cards got sent in. Business is business, and they're not hurting without me, but I'll spend my money somewhere the arrogance and greed are at least not part of the corporate image.

Steve B

[bijoem]

not at all (they lose no submissions from me).

and as mentioned earlier - PSA gives you a batch of 'free' submissions with your paid membership.

It really isn't that big a $$$ difference.

[chaddurbin]

yea the free voucher about cancel the membership fees.

[Abravefan11]

The PSA mebership fee and its free voucher does pay for itself IF you get enough cards graded during the membership term. However if you're not a regular submitter and don't know that you will send in enough cards to cover the cost over the term of the membership it doesn't make sense to sign up when another service will grade your cards on a per card basis.

[HRBAKER]

The membership fee doesn't cost them my submissions, their superior (IMO) competition does. I have no issue with the fee and it is offset with vouchers.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by steve B

I have something fundamentally against paying for the right to spend money with someone.

That statement pretty much sums it up for me too, regardless of the vouchers or not. It would be like me buying a membership to Wal-Mart or Target for the privilege to shop there. Ridiculous!

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

That statement pretty much sums it up for me too, regardless of the vouchers or not. It would be like me buying a membership to Wal-Mart or Target for the privilege to shop there. Ridiculous!

Sam's Club and COSTCO has developed a very nice business model doing exactly that.

[chaddurbin]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

That statement pretty much sums it up for me too, regardless of the vouchers or not. It would be like me buying a membership to Wal-Mart or Target for the privilege to shop there. Ridiculous!

except walmart and target don't give you a $100 giftcard to cover for the membership fee.

grading is subjective, i've found crappy overgraded cards in both psa/sgc holders. i've also found undergraded that easily crossed psa-->sgc and vice versa.

[Matthew H]

There is a link for a non-member submission form on PSA website.

http://www.psacard.com/submission_ce...onmember.chtml

If you plan to grade 6 or more cards, the membership is cool because you receive a hard copy subscription to the SMR for a year. It's not Old Cardboard, but practically free if you sub 6 six cards.

I use PSA because it's about 30 miles from me which equates to lower "raw cards in the mail" induced stress.

I agree with above posts, SGC holders look better and in my opinion, hold the card better. I plan to use SGC for the first time, sometime this month.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Matthew H

There is a link for a non-member submission form on PSA website.

If you can submit cards w/o a 'membership' why would anyone bother w/a membership?

As for me, I think their grading and their holder are inferior to SGC and their attitude sucks, so no submissions from me, except I did sign up when they started the 1/2 grade scale so I could try and bump a bunch of stuff and cross-over some other stuff. A few of the modern SGC 96's that crossed to PSA 9's paid for the whole thing.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Matthew H

There is a link for a non-member submission form on PSA website.

I had noticed that recently as well. I have a card that I'd like reviewed and I had been meaning to call and make sure that you can submit without a membership. They did tell me a while back that you could make a first time submission without one, but that was before they had that non member form on the website.

[steve B]

The 6 free submissions do cover most but not all of the membership fee. And it's limited to cards under 499, which is fine since most of what I'd submit is much less.

But...

The SMR subscription is pretty much worthless to me, any price guide that lists prices for cards that don't exist can't be considered reliable or based in any sort of reality. You don't need to go much farther than looking up a Wagner. The best one is an 8, and yet they show a price for one graded 9. If there was any card with a solid trackable price history that would be it.


I'm not a member of Sams Club, Costco, or BJs wholesale either.

Steve B

[Mark]

I believe that you need to be a member to have a look at PSA's pop reports, if you're in to that sort of thing.