[bostonmike77]

I have been buying and collecting psa and bgs since 2000.
When I got in a 1992 bowman Manny Ramirez would command $300-400
Then the whole market played out with saturation, correction, etc and prices dropped. Which is fine, it is what it is.

I dropped out of collecting after that and recently got back in. I have kept a eye on selling prices for modern cards and it has been rough on the demand /value of alot of bgs 9.5. My 9 cards are not even considered unless the players off the charts at the time.
While I Understand that they are not going to quadruple in price but to become somewhat undesirable, and harder to sell I start to question if it's worth it to send my cards to be graded . PSA values have been holding strong during this downturn in bgs 9.5 prices recently. I am not a big fan of psa for personal reasons but that's a discussion for another day.
So as the title says, is it true for you collectors? Should bgs be more in tune with the way things are going. I'm not saying I want all tens but some to make it worth it may keep values up and Collectors and customers rewarded. It may be beneficial for all parties. It may cause over saturation and backfire so I understand both sides. Just looking for constructive analysis from veterans.

Those are my two cents

What are thoughts

[scottishpunk]

You brought up some of the same thoughts that I have had/having. Five/Six years ago when I first started looking into graded cards and sending my cards in, I went with Beckett because of the brand name and strong protective holders. I have 80's and 90's rookie cards that are graded from 8 - 9. Outside of the super big rookies like Marino, Elway, Griffey Jr., etc, the card probably wouldn't sell unless it is a 9.5. This really holds true for anything post 2000. There just a ton of 9.5 grades on the market. Probably a combination of better print quality, smarter senders, and more lenient grading. It seems 9.5 is the norm now, and the 10 pristine is the lottery ticket grade. PSA is also starting to feel the effects of this with cards that aren't 10s. You can pick up a lot of low tier grade 9 psa cards for the price of sending the card in.

I still believe you are looking for sell value and long term stability in pricing, PSA is the way to go. Beckett (along with SGC) are still a distant 2,3 on the pecking order. Sure they both have their niches that seem to keep them going, but PSA still is the big dog. I am with you, and not really a fan of PSA.

The grading market is still young and evolving, particularly with the age of people collecting the cards.

[y2hood]

There is still value in BGS 8.5 and BGS 9 as well as BGS 9.5 depending where you are selling.

For instance, I've been having some luck lately with selling off duplicates of local players (Saints) via Facebook groups. Most towns have a "_______City swap shop" or "Buy and sell group of _____ City." Here and there you'll find a person who collected as a kid and sees one or two cards of a current player that look attractive to him or her.

I sold a BGS 8.5 Brees non auto Rookie for $50 last week on one local facebook group and he's interested in a few other things. As he gets money he's going to be meeting my negotiated asking price of $500 for not a lot of cards, but all graded and allowing me to cover my grading costs and make a profit. Just be OPEN AND HONEST, explain what grading is, what it means, what it costs, and why you're asking more than the guy at the flea market who's selling raw cards that are beat up, etc...


Plus you save on ebay, paypal, shipping, and other fees. It costs you the price of gas to meet up in a safe location (make friends with cops and have one ride with you to be safe or heck meet in the parking lot of the local station. DO NOT MEET AT YOUR HOME WHERE YOUR COLLECTION IS STORED!)

Now for argument sake, as far as a base 9.5 Andrew Luck or a base 9.5 Russell Wilson baseball card, those do not sell well in South Louisiana whether in a card shop or on a local Facebook group. Stuff like that you still would need to list on Beckett, Ebay, Bonanza, COMC, etc.. and hope you find someone that PCs those players in high grades. Should those cards grade out at a 9 or lower you'll probably lose money and sell for less than investment.

You're a veteran collector in your own right, so most of what I'm saying isn't news to you, hope I've helped you. Just make sure whatever avenue you take to maximize your profits you do it safely. Crack heads will steal trading cards if they think it'll make them a buck.

[branesergen]

I have never had a problem selling my 8, 8.5, and 9's for a profit. I don't run auctions. I list cards for sale. The demand for grading is low yet the submitters are high if that makes since. More people grade to sell than collect graded cards, especially modern cards that are more likely to get a 9.5 a week after being pulled. To use your Manny Ramirez as a reference - Its not just the graded that have dropped, its the whole genre. That same card sold raw for $50 back in the day and can now be had for $3 iirc. I have Emmitt and Barry cards that were $30 upon release and are now in dollar boxes. Its only logical that the 8.5's and 9's would drop as well. People want whats hot, you just have to find the people who collect what you're selling. And 99 cent, 7 day auctions are not going to find many of them.

[patrick54]

A lot has to do with the pop report.

[dmasci]

For a lot of the reasons several of you mention...I began changing out my PC over the last couple years to older HOFers. It is at the same time simple to find a players best RC....because there is only one out there but at the same time hard to find them that grade even BVG 9.

But do what makes you happy...is what I say.

[jt65]

I don't get many 9 grades on newer cards when I submit but when I do get them I still tend to break even or post a small profit on more than half of them. I'll lose up to a few bucks on the rest but the 9.5 and 10 graded sales make up for that big time. Most of my stuff is sold in 3 or 5 days auctions. I'll do BIN when I'm not in a rush which is not often. Having graded at least a couple thousand cards over the past several years I can assure you the "BGS 10 is not the new 9.5". I might get three to five 10s out of 100 cards but were talking a lot of newer Chrome and Finest type stuff that is a lot easier to land high grades.

[bostonmike77]

Good stuff guys, excellent points.