What’s going on with TAG?

[hoi_ming]

Originally Posted by rfgilles

I've enjoyed your posts Hoi, and agree it's the same group of people being negative about TAG.

Thank you sir

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by hoi_ming

If you're willing to have engage in normal conversation I'll engage too.

If you look at the last few weeks on this thread I usually just don't say anything after i post numbers, because i know people i won't change anyone's minds here and people will label me defensive if I give counterpoints.

So this week i started trolling for fun because I see the same comments every time.

And on Reddit most people get upset not because of people bringing up shortcomings. But because anytime someone shares their TAG results or bring up anything good about TAG they're labeled a shill. When people are fans they are excited to share the good things.

But they get met with shill comments because no one is willing to believe that people can be fans of a fledgling company, that grades very little. They just think it's not a real company that won't survive and the slabs sell for penny's on the dollar. They don't look into the company more.

I understand you were trolling but even you immediately went to the "hey, how much is TAG paying you" line

I'm pretty happy with who I grade and will do so, but sometimes I feel I want to dish out what people are giving, at least for these two days. But it comes off as defensive so I'll just stop posting here.

Most posts on Reddit are obvious bot/shill posts. Tons of “Got my first order” followed by a similar litany of talking points, with 2-3 people jumping in for high fives.

And while it seemed like I was trolling, I legitimately think you are an employee at this point. They are a small grading company, with sporadic following. General interest isn’t very high. Yet he we have weekly numbers posted religiously by a member whose entire post history since July of this year has been a single thread. You have the see the optics of that being peculiar.

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by hoi_ming

I'm pretty happy with who I grade and will do so, but sometimes I feel I want to dish out what people are giving, at least for these two days. But it comes off as defensive so I'll just stop posting here.

Make a thread about TAG grading and your pickups. That is what collecting is about. These TAG threads seem more about pumping a company that is not making any improvements for the past year, then people using it for enjoyment.

I have been critical about CGC, who I have used for the majority of my grading the last two years. Criticism from a loyal customer should have some impact on the company. I have complained about the stupid sleeves CGC uses and will continue to do so. CGC listened to these complaints and made special slabs to hold smaller cards like 1950 Bowman and T206 cards.

I think TAG grading ultra-modern cards is a good thing. I still think that grading vintage cards can't be done with their techniques and needs a trained and skilled grader to deal with vintage. However, for the past year they have had under "Coming Soon" the same three things. Yu-gi-oh, thicker stock cards, and memorabilia cards. They haven't made any progress, but have dedicated resources to art cards and the ability to have a card made of your dog. As a collector, this frustrates me when a grading company does this.

I think we put way too much weight behind a technical grade in the hobby right now. We are focused on the number and not the card inside. If I am looking to buy a 1989 Upper Deck Griffey, I don't care what slab it is in. Just give me the best card at the best price. I still buy HGA cards when I see something I want.

[hoi_ming]

Originally Posted by JeremyNick

Most posts on Reddit are obvious bot/shill posts. Tons of “Got my first order” followed by a similar litany of talking points, with 2-3 people jumping in for high fives.

And while it seemed like I was trolling, I legitimately think you are an employee at this point. They are a small grading company, with sporadic following. General interest isn’t very high. Yet he we have weekly numbers posted religiously by a member whose entire post history since July of this year has been a single thread. You have the see the optics of that being peculiar.

Join the discord, I've been tracking the numbers there for a long while, you can also see my interactions there. Somebody asked me there to post here.

Again, I'm just a fan, but if you think I'm an employee, i don't think I'll change your mind. So I'll stop posting here as I never really intended to in the first place.

Thanks!

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by rfgilles

You are one of the trolls on here. Stop.

Who are you?

[pumpkinescobar]

Anyone can feel free to join the TAG Discord here: https://discord.gg/gV7AmpMS

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by hoi_ming

Join the discord, I've been tracking the numbers there for a long while, you can also see my interactions there. Somebody asked me there to post here.

That is the problem IMO. The only posts you make here are promoting TAG as a perfect company and don't have any posts showing you collect. The majority of people seeing this will assume you either work for TAG or are pumping their company for personal profit selling slabs. I am not accusing you of either, but that is what it looks like.

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by hoi_ming

Join the discord, I've been tracking the numbers there for a long while, you can also see my interactions there. Somebody asked me there to post here.

Again, I'm just a fan, but if you think I'm an employee, i don't think I'll change your mind. So I'll stop posting here as I never really intended to in the first place.

Thanks!

Why would I join the discord?

My interest is legitimately at an observer level. I’m not into the pumping/shilling part of it.

It’s not about changing my mind, I posted support as to why I believe so. Most of the talk around TAG is very similar, your activity on here is amazingly singular. The optics are what they are.

[rfgilles]

Originally Posted by JeremyNick

Who are you?

Sure you don't know wink wink.

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by rfgilles

Sure you don't know wink wink.

Winking at me is just making it weird now.

[rfgilles]

Originally Posted by JeremyNick

Winking at me is just making it weird now.

That's almost as funny as your signature. Almost.

[varjakpaul]

the criticisms are pretty valid - collectors have been waiting for TAG to catch up and grade thicker cards, relics and vintage and instead there’s a sudden push of hundreds of AI-generated unlicensed and unauthorized novelty cards - great showcase for the slabs, but a shame you can’t put a 1980 Rickey in there after two years on the market

[JWBlue]

Originally Posted by varjakpaul

the criticisms are pretty valid - collectors have been waiting for TAG to catch up and grade thicker cards, relics and vintage and instead there’s a sudden push of hundreds of AI-generated unlicensed and unauthorized novelty cards - great showcase for the slabs, but a shame you can’t put a 1980 Rickey in there after two years on the market

I am a TAG believer but I don't think they will ever be able to grade those cards. Cards before 1989 seem to be a different medium that their machines can't grade.

I don't believe it is as big of a deal as most make it out to be. There will be always a demand for grading of modern cards.

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by JWBlue

I am a TAG believer but I don't think they will ever be able to grade those cards. Cards before 1989 seem to be a different medium that their machines can't grade.

I don't believe it is as big of a deal as most make it out to be. There will be always a demand for grading of modern cards.

Agree on both points.

They are making their hay right now on Pokémon. I’m still very confused as to where those slabs are going, because I see very little movement of them in the community.

[pumpkinescobar]

Weekly update:

14,757 cards graded last week.

[rfgilles]

2nd highest week total. 28 k over weeks. Steady growth.

[discodanman45]

This current trend of weeks of low pop reports for grading and high numbers, is strong evidence that the majority of the cards graded are by a mystery box product. Same thing could be said for CGC with Pokémon and Omega Mystery Boxes.

They sold more World Series art cards then how many baseball, basketball, and football cards they graded last week combined. Less than 2000 basketball cards graded in 10 weeks with all the Wemby's being graded by all the other grading companies should throw up some red flags about who is actually using TAG. For sure there are hardly any sports card collectors using their service at all.

[rfgilles]

Originally Posted by discodanman45

This current trend of weeks of low pop reports for grading and high numbers, is strong evidence that the majority of the cards graded are by a mystery box product. Same thing could be said for CGC with Pokémon and Omega Mystery Boxes.

They sold more World Series art cards then how many baseball, basketball, and football cards they graded last week combined. Less than 2000 basketball cards graded in 10 weeks with all the Wemby's being graded by all the other grading companies should throw up some red flags about who is actually using TAG. For sure there are hardly any sports card collectors using their service at all.

Broken record, troll post. blah blah blah

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by rfgilles

Broken record, troll post. blah blah blah

Same as ever, never seeing anything wrong with the company that you are pumping. How many of those "art cards" did you buy? Too bad they are not getting enough submissions to fill their slabs, so they have to make up Halloween cards and put pictures of people's pets inside of them.

How many more years will this be on their website?

[rfgilles]

Originally Posted by discodanman45

Same as ever, never seeing anything wrong with the company that you are pumping. How many of those "art cards" did you buy? Too bad they are not getting enough submissions to fill their slabs, so they have to make up Halloween cards and put pictures of people's pets inside of them.

How many more years will this be on their website?

More negative comments.

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by rfgilles

More negative comments.

Well yours are all positive, so the forums need to have both sides so people can make a rational decision.

Edit: I will say something nice about TAG. They are amazing compared to Arena Club. That company has no idea how to grade a card. They are transparently horrific!

[varjakpaul]

there’s nothing positive to report for sports card collectors there - seeing a grading company make their own bootleg cards is pretty wild, but so is expecting sports collectors to be guinea pigs for their product after multiple years and no progress on vintage or premium sports cards. if this company doesn’t respect what collectors value, there’s no incentive for gambling on it

[rfgilles]

Originally Posted by varjakpaul

there’s nothing positive to report for sports card collectors there - seeing a grading company make their own bootleg cards is pretty wild, but so is expecting sports collectors to be guinea pigs for their product after multiple years and no progress on vintage or premium sports cards. if this company doesn’t respect what collectors value, there’s no incentive for gambling on it

broken record.....

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by rfgilles

broken record.....

We wouldn't be a broken record if TAG actually made one grading addition in the past year.

[Giroux]

Originally Posted by rfgilles

Broken record, troll post. blah blah blah

Negative comments are not troll posts. There are many valid criticisms of this company and they can be discussed here.