Perhaps this may have been asked before but Id like to know people's thoughts/opinions of grading, the various graders, what's worth it and what isn't, as well as opinions on the future of grading as an archiving tool.
Specific questions-
What grading service do you take seriously? (PSA Beckett etc) and why? Have you ever used either service before and if so, explain the pros and cons of using either service provider
In the grading world with regards to Pokemon, PSA is the best way to go. Beckett is a great company don't get me wrong, but a PSA 10 version of a card will sell for much more than a Beckett grade 10 card. I personally prefer PSA, as I think their presentation of the cards in the case is much more aesthetically pleasing than a Beckett graded card. Regardless, if you plan on grading your card for re-sell/retaining value, I would suggest PSA.
What's the pros and cons of grading cards versus not grading them?
Grading cards will help them to retain their value over the years, and also help to keep that particular card in whatever condition it was in when it was put into the case. Graded cases are much harder to tamper with/break than your standard top-loader or however you store your cards. The only real con of grading is simply the cost. Unless you send a bunch of cards at one time, I believe is it something like $14 to grade one card by PSA. I normally send around 50 cards at a time, and it costs roughly $400 to get them all graded. If you are on a tight budget, grading may not be a feasible option for you. The only other con I could think of it that if a card you get graded receives a poor grade, or one that you were not expecting, it is going to be nearly impossible to get it out of the grading case without damaging the card.
How expensive is it to archive graded cards in a portfolio/binder/case (or whatever is possible to use for the plastic cases so that you can look through the collection like you would a binder)?
To my knowledge, there is only one binder that can store graded cards, and it is called a Monster Binder (just google it and it should pop right up). Of course you could always frame cards, depending on how much time/money/etc you have to spend. I personally am storing my graded cards in the Monster binders, and they run about $60 a pop for one binder (bit pricey I know). They are actually pretty sturdy binders, and can hold up to four cards per page.
In your opinion, do you think grading cards is a good practice or investment on cards you know will have collectibility? Why or why not?
I know many people, including quite a few users on here, that make quite a nice bit of cash by grading and then re-selling cards. However, like most investments, there is always a catch. As I stated above, grading can become quite costly, therefore unless you are 99.9% sure that the cards you are sending in will attain a high grade, you may wind up with a card receiving a poor grade. Generally speaking, cards that receives a grade of 8 or less, don't normally tend to sell well. Obviously there will be exceptions to this case, but a general rule of thumb is don't send a card in to be graded unless you are sure it will receive at least a 9. I would only recommend this kind of investment if you do a bunch of research, and essentially learn the trade. Also understand that if you choose this path, the profits may be nice, but they will not be instant. The cheapest way to grade cards takes roughly 45-60 days, and that does not include shipping to PA and getting your cards back. You may see profit, but as I said before it will not be instant.
Have you ever disputed a graded card before it ever got a graded card back with a lower grade than it deserved?
I have never personally disputed a grade, and I have only heard of a few exceptions where a dispute actually help achieve a higher grade for a card. The reason for this is that when a card is graded, it has to go through a minimum (four I believe?) number of graders before it is given a value. This helps to get a few different opinions from a few different graders, therefore the grade is not just based on one person's judgement. The only dispute I see that is common, is title dispute. Sometimes PSA/Beckett will slip up and incorrectly title one of your cards. They offer to change the title, you will just need to ship it back to them.
How drastic is the price difference between a 9 and a 10 (or a 9.5 and a 10)? Is that price difference enough to seek only the best of the best grades?
Beckett prices are a bit shotty, because the market for those kinds of cards is extremely slim. However, there are drastic price differences with regards to PSA. PokemonTrader posted this in another topic, and I believe it is quite and accurate rule. For most cards (of course there will always be exceptions, especially with extremely rare cards), you can expect the price to double for a PSA 9 grade, and triple/quadruple for a PSA 10 grade. As I said before, most collectors out there who are interested in purchasing graded cards, typically don't buy grades lower than 9s. Seeing as these prices differ drastically from ungraded counterparts, I would recommend seeking the best of the best when it comes to buying graded cards.
Would you ever crack open a graded case? If so, under what circumstance would you do so?
As stated above, I would not recommend ever cracking open a case. It will be nearly impossible to do so without damaging the card.
Hope all this info helps to answer your questions! Cheers.
-Colton
