SGC-Incredible Turnaround Time!!!

[Moonlight Graham]

I know there have been other threads about SGC and their great customer service, but listen to this: I sent three cards to them on Monday 9-26. SGC received them on Thursday 9-29. Graded them on Thursday 9-29. And shipped them on Friday 9-30. The cards are being delivered today 10-3! Now that's pretty incredible, right? And that was at the 30 dollar level!!

Joe Kemmett

[bobbyw8469]

I had the same experience. They graded my cards the next day.

[scooter729]

Good for those who are sending cards in for grading, but is it a bad sign for SGC that they don't have much business these days? Did they staff up too much, and no longer have the demand?

Scott S@r!@n

[ClementeFanOh]

Moonlight- that’s incredible, happy for you. Imagine that, a TPG doing what they promise to do Trent King

[BobbyStrawberry]

This seems to be the norm for them for some time now... I have a stack of cards I would send them, but I'm waiting for a price drop on standard service. (That has to be coming soon, right?)

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

This seems to be the norm for them for some time now... I have a stack of cards I would send them, but I'm waiting for a price drop on standard service. (That has to be coming soon, right?)

Same.....right now there is ZERO benefit for me to use them. PSA has cheaper pricing just as a normal member.

[Lorewalker]

I have been quite critical of SGC's grading...PSA's as well. I recently saw a friends semi large vintage submission come back from SGC. It was all lower to mid grade cards but grades appeared to be spot on. Also the order was processed and back in his hands within 10 calendar days with 4 of those days being in the postal system.

[gabrinus]

That's a pleasant surprise...Jerry

[ValKehl]

Inasmuch as SGC seems to barely have enough business to keep its expanded grading staff busy, I, too, expect to see a price decrease before long.

[cammb]

[QUOTE=scooter729;2269695]Good for those who are sending cards in for grading, but is it a bad sign for SGC that they don't have much business these days? Did they staff up too much, and no longer have the demand?

Scott S@r!@n[/QUOTE

No, unlike PSA they are doing the job they pledged to do

[ClementeFanOh]

Cammb wins, that's the correct answer. Sad (but understandable) that so
many people have become jaded by bad business practices, that they
become suspicious of the good- Trent King

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

Cammb wins, that's the correct answer. Sad (but understandable) that so
many people have become jaded by bad business practices, that they
become suspicious of the good- Trent King

What is the saying?? One bad apple spoils the bunch?

[NATCARD]

SGC site states now that bulk orders fo 50+ cards are $18 per!

[NATCARD]

Another amazing turnaround.
Sent 98 cards to them Last Friday (October 7th)
received on Monday, October 10th.
graded on the 12th and shipped back to me.
expected arrival tomorrow October 14th.
Service means a lot and being able to turn cards back into $$ this quick far outweighs the months the same cards would be at PSA never mind the inevitable upcharges and fact that the max values for the same priced tiers is significantly different.
Jeff Weisenberg

[jbsports33]

Great to hear Jeff! will be sending some in soon, give them a little business!

see what happens, I hoping all grading prices are starting to change again - looks like PSA did as well!

Jimmy

[jimmer77]

I sent a submission there on Monday 10/17, received by SGC on 10/20, graded and shipped 10/21... it's amazing

[Oscar_Stanage]

another post about SGC turnaround times...
it baffles me why people think this is a good thing for the company.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

Same.....right now there is ZERO benefit for me to use them. PSA has cheaper pricing just as a normal member.

Then why did you use them, as you said in post 2, unless I am misunderstanding?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by scooter729

Good for those who are sending cards in for grading, but is it a bad sign for SGC that they don't have much business these days? Did they staff up too much, and no longer have the demand?

Scott S@r!@n

Scott, you know better than to be rational on this subject around here. SGC IS THE BEST PERIOD PARAGRAPH.

[ClementeFanOh]

PeterSpaeth- is it "rational" to type snide remarks in all caps? We get it,
you're a PSA lean. That's great for you, so long as the bottom doesn't fall out
of their (grotesquely undeserved) pole position status. It is rational, by the
way, to appreciate a TPG that actually delivers on their turnaround times.
Start an "I love PSA" thread if SGC bothers you so much, jeesh!

Trent King

[Peter_Spaeth]

It's all good, Trent.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by jimmer77

I sent a submission there on Monday 10/17, received by SGC on 10/20, graded and shipped 10/21... it's amazing

What would be amazing is if SGC maintains these turnaround times coupled with reasonable grading fees well into the future. My guess is that they are getting significantly fewer cards and have the same number of staff that they had at the peak.

If they are willing to work on lower margins, and they continue to offer reasonable grading fees with incredible turnaround times, fantastic. My hunch is that this is very temporary until they decide to lay off and cut overhead. What was once being done in a day will then be done in a month.

[BobbyVCP]

Looks like the Card Craze has come to an end and back to normal...no more long waits and crazy prices, for grading at least

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

What would be amazing is if SGC maintains these turnaround times coupled with reasonable grading fees well into the future. My guess is that they are getting significantly fewer cards and have the same number of staff that they had at the peak.

If they are willing to work on lower margins, and they continue to offer reasonable grading fees with incredible turnaround times, fantastic. My hunch is that this is very temporary until they decide to lay off and cut overhead. What was once being done in a day will then be done in a month.

Most of us PSA fanboys would be pretty ecstatic about 1 month turnaround time, particularly at the bulk service/price level.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by raulus

Most of us PSA fanboys would be pretty ecstatic about 1 month turnaround time, particularly at the bulk service/price level.

I remember the days when bulk $5 or $6 per card would take up to a month and how frustrating it was when it took closer to 6 weeks. Now we can pay PSA $100 per card and wait at least a month to get it back. And most of us will do that well before we would pay SGC $18 to $24 per card for 1 week door to door service.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

I remember the days when bulk $5 or $6 per card would take up to a month and how frustrating it was when it took closer to 6 weeks. Now we can pay PSA $100 per card and wait at least a month to get it back. And most of us will do that well before we would pay SGC $18 to $24 per card for 1 week door to door service.

With any luck, all of this capacity that PSA has developed will chew through their backlog, and if submissions stay low, then they will have to lower their prices to keep all of those graders busy, with hopefully quicker turnaround to boot!

But right now, that seems more like wishful thinking more than a solid conviction.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by raulus

With any luck, all of this capacity that PSA has developed will chew through their backlog, and if submissions stay low, then they will have to lower their prices to keep all of those graders busy, with hopefully quicker turnaround to boot!

But right now, that seems more like wishful thinking more than a solid conviction.

Nobody is seriously threatening their very high market share. It seems to me the biggest risk to them is if overall market submissions drop, because prospectors change their minds about submitting endless volumes of new stuff.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Nobody is seriously threatening their very high market share. It seems to me the biggest risk to them is if overall market submissions drop, because prospectors change their minds about submitting endless volumes of new stuff.

Precisely.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Random ebay search.
PSA Jasson Dominguez 2300+
SGC Jasson Dominguez 243

PSA Mike Trout 16000+
SGC Mike Trout 1000_

Carry on.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by raulus

With any luck, all of this capacity that PSA has developed will chew through their backlog, and if submissions stay low, then they will have to lower their prices to keep all of those graders busy, with hopefully quicker turnaround to boot!

But right now, that seems more like wishful thinking more than a solid conviction.

My, admittedly cynical opinion, is that PSA and SGC lay off people to keep profits high before they maintain the overhead simply to provide us better turnaround times. Especially in PSA's case, they know we will wait 18 months to get cards back and the way we show how upset we are is to keep sending them more and more stuff.

Not sure how much lower prices can go at SGC but PSA could lower bulk rates but I doubt they will lower any other grading tiers. Maybe PSA will start to offer regular monthly specials for the high tiers as things continue to slow down.

[Snowman]

I keep reading that PSA outsells SGC every time. Meanwhile, I keep crossing laughably undergraded PSA slabs into accurately graded SGC holders.

[jimmer77]

I will continue to use both SGC and PSA, as I have subs at both companies right now, but have been leaning towards PSA for higher end cards and SGC for some niche cards that I like in their holders better than PS, but if SGC pricing came down and they had a registry then I may come back to SGC for all subs or if PSA came down in price and kept their current turn times then I don't know...my problem I don't have a loyalty and just sub to whoever I am in the mood for on the day I get my sub together...for example if I have something I want back fast then SGC if not then PSA...I guess just wishy washy alas Charlie Brown

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Snowman

I keep reading that PSA outsells SGC every time. Meanwhile, I keep crossing laughably undergraded PSA slabs into accurately graded SGC holders.

Or one is more lenient than the other.
.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Leon

Or one is more lenient than the other.
.

That's one way to look at it. But when you compare cards in old PSA holders to new ones, the difference is striking. Seems like PSA has become stricter by about 2 grades, some times even more.

When I look at SGC cards that were graded a decade ago, yes SGC has gotten slightly more strict, but overall seems a lot more consistent over time than PSA.

I think this relative consistency by SGC is a good thing.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

That's one way to look at it. But when you compare cards in old PSA holders to new ones, the difference is striking. Seems like PSA has become stricter by about 2 grades, some times even more.

When I look at SGC cards that were graded a decade ago, yes SGC has gotten slightly more strict, but overall seems a lot more consistent over time than PSA.

I think this relative consistency by SGC is a good thing.

Exactly this. It's not an issue of SGC being more lenient than PSA. It's an issue of competency at PSA with their 100+ newly hired inexperienced graders. These guys simply don't know how to grade vintage. PSA grades are wildly inconsistent. It's a HUGE problem. They truly are off by a full 2 grades these days on a ton of cards, and reliably off by at least one full grade. SGC has tightened up a little bit compared to prior industry standards, as you mentioned, but many of the grades coming out of PSA right now are facepalm worthy. I would argue that consistency is the single most important aspect of the grading industry behind the ability to spot a fake.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Exactly this. It's not an issue of SGC being more lenient than PSA. It's an issue of competency at PSA with their 100+ newly hired inexperienced graders. These guys simply don't know how to grade vintage. PSA grades are wildly inconsistent. It's a HUGE problem. They truly are off by a full 2 grades these days on a ton of cards, and reliably off by at least one full grade. SGC has tightened up a little bit compared to prior industry standards, as you mentioned, but many of the grades coming out of PSA right now are facepalm worthy. I would argue that consistency is the single most important aspect of the grading industry behind the ability to spot a fake.

This one was a mystery to me but PSA just confirmed the grade.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Exactly this. It's not an issue of SGC being more lenient than PSA. It's an issue of competency at PSA with their 100+ newly hired inexperienced graders. These guys simply don't know how to grade vintage. PSA grades are wildly inconsistent. It's a HUGE problem. They truly are off by a full 2 grades these days on a ton of cards, and reliably off by at least one full grade. SGC has tightened up a little bit compared to prior industry standards, as you mentioned, but many of the grades coming out of PSA right now are facepalm worthy. I would argue that consistency is the single most important aspect of the grading industry behind the ability to spot a fake.

Absolutely agree that PSA is a wreck in the grading room. Too many graders. SGC on higher grade vintage is not doing much better from what I am seeing unless they are cards in submissions from the major auction houses.

I do not like what I am seeing coming from either of them on NM or better vintage. They both are failing miserably at their job. PSA might have more inexperienced graders but SGC is a very close second. Couple that with dudes seeing mostly modern stuff and you have a recipe for nice vintage getting crushed.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

Absolutely agree that PSA is a wreck in the grading room. Too many graders. SGC on higher grade vintage is not doing much better from what I am seeing unless they are cards in submissions from the major auction houses.

I do not like what I am seeing coming from either of them on NM or better vintage. They both are failing miserably at their job. PSA might have more inexperienced graders but SGC is a very close second. Couple that with dudes seeing mostly modern stuff and you have a recipe for nice vintage getting crushed.

Ya, SGC is grading the NM+ stuff pretty harshly as well right now. But they're more fair with the mid grade stuff, which is what I mainly collect. I don't like VG cards, but I sure have been buying a lot of PSA 3 holders lately. I just crack them out the moment they arrive and laugh at the grade. Then SGC gives them 4s and 5s every time. It's pretty funny honestly.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

This one was a mystery to me but PSA just confirmed the grade.

Sending a card in to PSA for review is generally not a good idea. They have a serious problem with hubris. Unless there's some significant surface flaw that we can't see from the scans, there's just no way that card is a 4. It should be a 6 at minumum today, and if graded 10+ years ago, the same card would be in an 8 or 9 holder. They're such a joke. It baffles my mind that the hobby awards them the level of respect that they have.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

This one was a mystery to me but PSA just confirmed the grade.

Is there a surface wrinkle on the front, in the red border, below the name Santarosa'?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Leon

Is there a surface wrinkle on the front, in the red border, below the name Santarosa'?

I don't think so?

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Sending a card in to PSA for review is generally not a good idea. They have a serious problem with hubris. Unless there's some significant surface flaw that we can't see from the scans, there's just no way that card is a 4. It should be a 6 at minumum today, and if graded 10+ years ago, the same card would be in an 8 or 9 holder. They're such a joke. It baffles my mind that the hobby awards them the level of respect that they have.

Agreed. Having PSA review something they have already graded expecting a change in the grade is dreaming.

The example above is not a good one to truly showcase the harsh grading. That issue is literally newsprint. Super thin and prone to small bends/crinkles/wrinkles. Most graded examples look like 9s or 10s and are in 4s and 5s due to those imperfections that do not even break the surfaces. The one posted above has to have several of those bends.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Sending a card in to PSA for review is generally not a good idea. They have a serious problem with hubris. Unless there's some significant surface flaw that we can't see from the scans, there's just no way that card is a 4. It should be a 6 at minumum today, and if graded 10+ years ago, the same card would be in an 8 or 9 holder. They're such a joke. It baffles my mind that the hobby awards them the level of respect that they have.

Thanks. I looked at it closely and so did a friend who's been doing this for 30 years and neither of us saw anything.

[Lorewalker]

As I was saying...and confirmed by the first seller of this card back in March 2021:

"Spectacular copy of the assigned grade. Possessing large red borders with four dagger corners and sensational surfaces. A lone, very light wrinkle on the reverse is all that keeps from grading higher. A steal for the assigned grade. One of over 36,000 cards, lots and sets up for bid in our March Auction of 2021. Click on the link above to view the other PWCC auction lots."

Never too late for an eye exam...especially the guy with 30 years in.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Hmmmm. I must need an exam too, I sure don't see any wrinkle. So it goes I guess.

[Lorewalker]

Easy to beat up the grading companies and often they deserve it. A 4 that looks like a 9 is always more than the grading service being tough.

Might want to get a new guy with less than 30 years in the hobby for opinions and advice.

[steve B]

So just what is the "sweet spot " for experience?

Some complain that the graders are all new now, and don't know cards.
Then it's "get someone with less than 30 years of experience"

The same for potential conflicts
"cards should be graded by people who don't collect"
"Cards need to be graded by people who actually know something about cards."

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

Easy to beat up the grading companies and often they deserve it. A 4 that looks like a 9 is always more than the grading service being tough.

Might want to get a new guy with less than 30 years in the hobby for opinions and advice.

Common sense tells me to always take the guy with 30 yrs experience over someone new, all other things being equal. As the original auction mentioned, there is a very light wrinkle somewhere.
.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by steve B

So just what is the "sweet spot " for experience?

Some complain that the graders are all new now, and don't know cards.
Then it's "get someone with less than 30 years of experience"

The same for potential conflicts
"cards should be graded by people who don't collect"
"Cards need to be graded by people who actually know something about cards."

Actually, it should be that cards aren't graded by anyone that has a vested interest, or any other real or perceived conflict of interest, in the cards they are grading. Whether they actually collect cards themselves doesn't really matter as long as the person doing the grading has a sufficient and appropriate level of training and/or experience.

And a grader doesn't necessarily need 30 years of experience if they've received the proper training and supervision. However, there seems to be a lack of transparency (or at least a lack of knowledge and understanding) for many people in regard to TPGs and as to exactly what training, instruction, and supervision their graders do receive. The common perception is often that someone with 30 years of experience has had enough "on-the-job" training, so to speak, to where they don't/didn't need any formal training and supervision. An appropriate blend of the two, training and experience, is what you'd ideally look for and want in any profession, including a card grader.

But even then, what exact training, instruction, and supervision did that grader receive, or what exactly did their 30 years of experience entail? With no common and agreed upon across-the-hobby standards, no independent review and certification of training programs being given, and absolutely no idea of exactly what a person's experience with cards may have been, there is no guarantee that someone that went through supposedly rigorous training, AND had years of experience collecting cards, would end up being a good card grader.

[Snowman]

My observation is that attention to detail is far more important than experience when it comes to someone's ability to accurately grade cards. Some people are just much more detail-oriented than others. I've encountered no shortage of dealers with 30+ years in the hobby who think their VG cards are "Near Mint". I respect them and their experiences for some things, but grading often isn't one of them. That said, I'll take a detail-oriented dealer with 30 years of experience over a detail-oriented one with 5 every time.