What’s going on with TAG?

[pumpkinescobar]

Originally Posted by rfgilles

That can’t be it. There must be a more convoluted explanation rather than an actual customer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have graded 70 cards with TAG myself for my PC and sold a couple of them. Basically it's only me and mystery packers grading with TAG apparently and I'm thrilled to be in such esteemed company.

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by pumpkinescobar

I have graded 70 cards with TAG myself for my PC and sold a couple of them. Basically it's only me and mystery packers grading with TAG apparently and I'm thrilled to be in such esteemed company.

I graded over 500 cards with CGC when Omega Mystery was grading with CGC. Yes, some people are grading with TAG for PC. We will see the truth soon where all these 100,000 Pokemon cards are... 100 cards is nothing compared to the amount graded.

[hoi_ming]

Originally Posted by discodanman45

I graded over 500 cards with CGC when Omega Mystery was grading with CGC. Yes, some people are grading with TAG for PC. We will see the truth soon where all these 100,000 Pokemon cards are... 100 cards is nothing compared to the amount graded.

Yup we shall see

[hoi_ming]

Weekly update

[rfgilles]

Originally Posted by hoi_ming

Weekly update

I wonder how close to their capacity they are grading cards at.

[hoi_ming]

Originally Posted by rfgilles

I wonder how close to their capacity they are grading cards at.

They've hired more people in the last few months. I assume they'll hire more as they grow.

[Giroux]

What kind of volume do these things sell at? I wonder how much of the Pokemon these account for.

https://poke-collect.com/collections...ox-tag-edition

[varjakpaul]

https://my.taggrading.com/pop-report...tName=Base+Set

hoping seven packs and a foil card numbs the sting if that's where some of these bulk commons are going

[rfgilles]

Originally Posted by Giroux

What kind of volume do these things sell at? I wonder how much of the Pokemon these account for.

https://poke-collect.com/collections...ox-tag-edition

It sold out whatever the volume was so people are buying them.

[hoi_ming]

Weekly update

[varjakpaul]

For all the discussion of "PSA should buy TAG," which has swirled around since launch, I wonder if TAG could ultimately end up being the first grader purchased by a company with stronger ties to retail, such as becoming the grading wing of MJ Holding. Just a hunch, but wondering if the strong pivot to bulk Pokemon grading has more benefits in a retail capacity beyond overcoming TAG's inherent issues (Pokemon doesn't have memorabilia or thick cards and their consistently identical backs would be easier to train a computer system on and reduce grading times).

[hoi_ming]

Weekly Update

[varjakpaul]

In addition to the prior mentioned VIP box, there's now "Master Tier," "Ultra Tier," "Great Tier," and "Poke Tier" TAG Mystery Boxes at Poke-Collect, making for five total available TAG Mystery Box products on sale from them alone - https://poke-collect.com/collections/mystery-boxes

[Scottish Punk]

Originally Posted by varjakpaul

In addition to the prior mentioned VIP box, there's now "Master Tier," "Ultra Tier," "Great Tier," and "Poke Tier" TAG Mystery Boxes at Poke-Collect, making for five total available TAG Mystery Box products on sale from them alone - https://poke-collect.com/collections/mystery-boxes

Kind of what we suspected. A healthy chunk of all the Pokemon subs and why they seen a spike is because of mystery box content. Obviously we don't know exact numbers. We shall see how long this contract stays together. If we see a sudden drop in gemrate data, than we will know that is the end of the mystery box subs.

[hoi_ming]

Originally Posted by Scottish Punk

Kind of what we suspected. A healthy chunk of all the Pokemon subs and why they seen a spike is because of mystery box content. Obviously we don't know exact numbers. We shall see how long this contract stays together. If we see a sudden drop in gemrate data, than we will know that is the end of the mystery box subs.

So, the conclusion from several thousand Pokemon subs a week for a few months, and one seller selling multiple mystery boxes, is that it's mostly mystery boxes.

I'm not saying it's not a lot of mystery boxes, but that's a quick conclusion right now given the available information. We haven't even seen mystery boxes from other sellers. Sure they could be holding for a big release, but why didn't poke collect hold.

Pokecollect also sells a lot of opened TAG slabs on stream, so can I conclude half are not for mystery boxes based on this one seller.

[rfgilles]

Originally Posted by hoi_ming

So, the conclusion from several thousand Pokemon subs a week for a few months, and one seller selling multiple mystery boxes, is that it's mostly mystery boxes.

I'm not saying it's not a lot of mystery boxes, but that's a quick conclusion right now given the available information. We haven't even seen mystery boxes from other sellers. Sure they could be holding for a big release, but why didn't poke collect hold.

Pokecollect also sells a lot of opened TAG slabs on stream, so can I conclude half are not for mystery boxes based on this one seller.

1) PSA and CGC slabs are in mystery boxes as well. If you are going to be a major player in the TCG grading market you will end up in mystery boxes
2) Somebody is buying mystery boxes with TAG slabs

[hoi_ming]

Originally Posted by hoi_ming

Weekly Update

Can people still see the charts, I can't see it on mobile.

Edit: never mind, fixed it

[Grid]

Originally Posted by varjakpaul

For all the discussion of "PSA should buy TAG," which has swirled around since launch, I wonder if TAG could ultimately end up being the first grader purchased by a company with stronger ties to retail, such as becoming the grading wing of MJ Holding. Just a hunch, but wondering if the strong pivot to bulk Pokemon grading has more benefits in a retail capacity beyond overcoming TAG's inherent issues (Pokemon doesn't have memorabilia or thick cards and their consistently identical backs would be easier to train a computer system on and reduce grading times).

CGC is grading in house at Fanatics. There is no larger company with a stronger tie to retail when it comes to sports. You'll see more CGC factory grading "untouched" cards come out at retail, once fanatocs starts kicking out fully licensed sports cards. And Im sure that will include mystery boxes, like this Pokemon stuff TAG touched.

https://www.cgccards.com/news/articl..._Fanatics_0826

[Scottish Punk]

Originally Posted by Grid

CGC is grading in house at Fanatics. There is no larger company with a stronger tie to retail when it comes to sports. You'll see more CGC factory grading "untouched" cards come out at retail, once fanatocs starts kicking out fully licensed sports cards. And Im sure that will include mystery boxes, like this Pokemon stuff TAG touched.

https://www.cgccards.com/news/articl..._Fanatics_0826

Oh wow, this is big news. Fanatics picked their grader of choice. This could really boost their sports card output. There will be a ton of breakers that will just send cards through the pipeline without actually every having them. Break, grade, sell, dump money into fanatics account, repeat. Maybe you vault a couple of the keepers.

[auburn35]

Originally Posted by hoi_ming

So, the conclusion from several thousand Pokemon subs a week for a few months, and one seller selling multiple mystery boxes, is that it's mostly mystery boxes.

I'm not saying it's not a lot of mystery boxes, but that's a quick conclusion right now given the available information. We haven't even seen mystery boxes from other sellers. Sure they could be holding for a big release, but why didn't poke collect hold.

Pokecollect also sells a lot of opened TAG slabs on stream, so can I conclude half are not for mystery boxes based on this one seller.

Not sure if it's something you're tracking, but taking a quick look at some of the higher population cards, Connecticut is often the highest % on the submission map.

With all the attention Poke-Collect is getting (Alabama), if the map is accurate, someone (multiple people?) in Connecticut appears to be a significant source of the submissions.

[hoi_ming]

Originally Posted by auburn35

Not sure if it's something you're tracking, but taking a quick look at some of the higher population cards, Connecticut is often the highest % on the submission map.

With all the attention Poke-Collect is getting (Alabama), if the map is accurate, someone (multiple people?) in Connecticut appears to be a significant source of the submissions.

I haven't been tracking, but when Pokemon was first being accepted (beginning of the year), we saw a majority of them coming from Georgia. I believe in the beginning it was mostly one big submitter. It's probably now a bunch of bulk submitters from various states I assume. How many big submitters I don't know, how much of the volume is from them, I don't know. But there will be a significant amount of pokemon cards coming from bulk submitters.

[hoi_ming]

Originally Posted by auburn35

Not sure if it's something you're tracking, but taking a quick look at some of the higher population cards, Connecticut is often the highest % on the submission map.

With all the attention Poke-Collect is getting (Alabama), if the map is accurate, someone (multiple people?) in Connecticut appears to be a significant source of the submissions.

I also just did a quick scan after your post. It seems the majority of newer pokemon cards are from the Japanese sets. Is someone opening a bunch here? Is someone acting as a group submitters for collectors/other group submitters in Asia/Japan?

Something to track a little more going forward.

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by Scottish Punk

Oh wow, this is big news. Fanatics picked their grader of choice. This could really boost their sports card output. There will be a ton of breakers that will just send cards through the pipeline without actually ever having them. Break, grade, sell, dump money into fanatics account, repeat. Maybe you vault a couple of the keepers.

PWCC/Fanatics already offered this service. Only difference is the grading will now be done in house as opposed to being shipped out. The user won’t see any difference except a slightly faster turnaround time.

[Grid]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

PWCC/Fanatics already offered this service. Only difference is the grading will now be done in house as opposed to being shipped out. The user won’t see any difference except a slightly faster turnaround time.

Doing in house is a big difference. As Fanatics is already running Fanatics breaks.

They will make the cards, pack the cards, you pay for them to break the boxes and hand the best cards to the guy in the next room, who will grade the cards.

Then, you can put them directly in the Fanatics Collect Vault. And list them for sale with Fanatics as well.

Soup to nuts.

[varjakpaul]

Originally Posted by hoi_ming

I also just did a quick scan after your post. It seems the majority of newer pokemon cards are from the Japanese sets. Is someone opening a bunch here? Is someone acting as a group submitters for collectors/other group submitters in Asia/Japan?

Something to track a little more going forward.

If I were running a large enough operation in bulk, it would make sense to have cards sent to regional fulfillment centers to save on the costs of shipping to customers directly - Connecticut would make sense for east coast orders, certainly. Perhaps there's more to be looked into if a large quantity of orders come from a handful of central locations, for example. Or there could be a situation of a company whose Japanese experts may be more centralized - I do know in many, many cases, Japanese holographic cards can be purchased much more affordably than their US counterparts.

While I have been as skeptical as anyone regarding TAG's growth feeling inorganic, that's simply not the only way to do business - making bulk submission partnerships (most likely at extremely competitive pricing) may be the most sensible approach to getting a massive amount of slabs to customers quickly, and it does put a band-aid over TAG's biggest hurdle to adoption - their extremely limited submission guidelines. If you're working with someone who'll send X thousand Pokemon cards and follow your guidelines closely, you don't run into the issue of a less-informed customer getting disappointed when they find out TAG's the only grading company who won't accept a thick card or a relic card or a card from 1988.

If you're rooting for TAG, you're in the position of needing to see these sort of products succeed and hoping they don't carry the stigmas attached to the Omega Mystery Boxes.