New PSA Service Features Coming Soon?

[inaka]

Not sure if everyone got this new PSA survey today about possible upcoming PSA services/features, but I wanted to share a few that were interesting.

Besides talking about the upcoming PSA Shop to buy/sell direct from PSA after grading, according to this new survey PSA is toying with the idea of adding services to card grading at an additional cost such as:

• PSA Branded Fitted Sleeve (+$1.99 card)

• Card Cleaning (+$2.99/card) - cleaning and light buffing service to remove fingerprints, smudges, dust, and reduce minor surface scratches prior to grading

• Premium Images (+$4.99/card) - Professional high resolution images of your cards with 3D imagery

• Grader Notes (+$7.99/card) - provides additional insights into why a card received a certain grade (e.g. identifying what/where the defects are: surface, corner, centering.)

Another service they are toying with adding is just sending a bunch of raw cards to PSA (a la COMC) and bypassing the online submission form entirely to have them enter everything in at +$4/card.









Probably the biggest one to jump out at me is PSA-authorized "card cleaning" that would "reduce minor surface scratches prior to grading"

And +$2 for a single sleeve?!? Wow.

[CorndogWasp]

I never clean my cards I assume they do it for me. Are they really going to just not move a tiny hair or piece of dust out of the way and grade/slab it? Shoulda paid 2.99 on this $1200 card bro!

This stuff should all be included already for free.

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

Everyone should be wiping smudges, fingerprints, and dust off their cards before submitting.

[Scottish Punk]

I would assume all of these things are going to be automated as much as possible. I don't think adding more turnaround time is going to fly. If they can put a custom sleeve on via machine right after the sealing the slab wouldn't add too much time.
High imaging and grader notes could be a cash cow on 1 million cards a month without a lot of extra work. I would assume grader notes will be really basic where graded just inputs a couple of drop downs.

I would like to know what 'light buffing' to reduce minor scratches is. If a adopted widely, will gem rates increase? Those that don't use the service, will those coin flips become 9's instead of 10?

[prospectorgems]

I didn't see the survey come through, that or I just ignored it as spam.

• PSA Branded Fitted Sleeve (+$1.99 card)

Really? that much? I think you can buy in bulk at like $0.03 each.

• Card Cleaning (+$2.99/card) - cleaning and light buffing service to remove fingerprints, smudges, dust, and reduce minor surface scratches prior to grading

I do agree that this should be done prior to sending in for grading but that doesn't mean that dust or hair or the grader's fingerprints can't make it's way onto the card depending how many people are handling. This should be a free service.

• Premium Images (+$4.99/card) - Professional high resolution images of your cards with 3D imagery

Some people may like this, seems silly to me as I can't display that when selling on ebay or any other marketplace.

• Grader Notes (+$7.99/card) - provides additional insights into why a card received a certain grade (e.g. identifying what/where the defects are: surface, corner, centering.)

To propose grading notes at $7.99 a card is ridiculous. Graders are already doing these notes as it is part of their process.

[metsandweezer]

Once again PSA is focusing on the wrong things. They should be focused on grading our cards in a timely matter!

[ophion]

I actually wouldn't mind card cleaning option for eBay purchases. Then I would think about sending some raw cards bought on eBay straight to PSA.

[inaka]

My gut tells me they'll introduce all of these add-on services on top of grading not for the service itself necessarily, but for the implied value add to increase the overall grading fee in phase two.

PSA will then increase the cost of grading by +$5/card, but include Card Cleaning, Premium Images, and a PSA Branded Fitted Sleeve...and then market the grading fee increase as a "A $10 value now included for free!" Or PSA Members get "free" PSA Branded Fitted Sleeves on every graded card, etc. "A $2 value for every card!"

PSA did this with the cost of a PSA membership that included all Card Ladder, Loupe credits, etc. which increase the perceived value of the membership, even though it was all about the specials to me, and the lack of specials make the PSA membership pointless to me now.

[discodanman45]

I hate grading more and more each day. When will PSA have the Kurt's Restoration Service?

[Blazed]

Originally Posted by inaka

Not sure if everyone got this new PSA survey today about possible upcoming PSA services/features, but I wanted to share a few that were interesting.

Besides talking about the upcoming PSA Shop to buy/sell direct from PSA after grading, according to this new survey PSA is toying with the idea of adding services to card grading at an additional cost such as:

• PSA Branded Fitted Sleeve (+$1.99 card)

• Card Cleaning (+$2.99/card) - cleaning and light buffing service to remove fingerprints, smudges, dust, and reduce minor surface scratches prior to grading

• Premium Images (+$4.99/card) - Professional high resolution images of your cards with 3D imagery

• Grader Notes (+$7.99/card) - provides additional insights into why a card received a certain grade (e.g. identifying what/where the defects are: surface, corner, centering.)

Another service they are toying with adding is just sending a bunch of raw cards to PSA (a la COMC) and bypassing the online submission form entirely to have them enter everything in at +$4/card.

Probably the biggest one to jump out at me is PSA-authorized "card cleaning" that would "reduce minor surface scratches prior to grading"

And +$2 for a single sleeve?!? Wow.

Card cleaning service (removing dust finger prints hair) has been free

That's what happens when you get investors involved in anything

$19.99 a card isn't enough, gotta look for add-ons and upcharges

Everyone thought Nat was going to be collector friendly, lol

Nat is an investor first just like Cohen, they want to 10x+ their investment

There's nothing wrong with that either, it's all business and the game is milk as much as you can from people

If people continue to pay, why stop

That said, I send a lot of stuff to PSA for grading, but the add ons are getting ridiculous

[rfgilles]

The survey is trying to assess how big of suckers their customers are.

[brev87]

"reduce minor surface scratches prior to grading"

Interesting.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by brev87

"reduce minor surface scratches prior to grading"

Interesting.

They don't want Kurt taking their piece of the pie.

[PLB9eight]

Originally Posted by Blazed

Card cleaning service (removing dust finger prints hair) has been free

That's what happens when you get investors involved in anything

$19.99 a card isn't enough, gotta look for add-ons and upcharges

Everyone thought Nat was going to be collector friendly, lol

Nat is an investor first just like Cohen, they want to 10x+ their investment

There's nothing wrong with that either, it's all business and the game is milk as much as you can from people

If people continue to pay, why stop

That said, I send a lot of stuff to PSA for grading, but the add ons are getting ridiculous

Nat used to have the same feelings as collectors or pretended to at least.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[thenightman]

I wouldn’t mind any of these things if grading was $10 per card.

[brev87]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan5990

They don't want Kurt taking their piece of the pie.

EXACTLY what I was thinking

[KPOD]

Originally Posted by CorndogWasp

I never clean my cards I assume they do it for me. Are they really going to just not move a tiny hair or piece of dust out of the way and grade/slab it? Shoulda paid 2.99 on this $1200 card bro!

This stuff should all be included already for free.

Are you serious???

[CorndogWasp]

Originally Posted by KPOD

Are you serious???

Which part and yes

[Chrominator]

Originally Posted by thenightman

I wouldn’t mind any of these things if grading was $10 per card.

This 100%

[salsdali]

just proves PSA is moving in the wrong direction and implementing what they want.

What the customers want is more accurate grading at a cheaper price.

PSA knows the market has become slaves to them and will now rule like any other King has done for a thousand years.

Quote from Mad Max: Fury Road: "Do not, my friends, become addicted to water. It will take hold of you, and you will resent its absence!".

[evileddie]

Why didn't all customers receive this survey?

[inaka]

This outta really help fix the issue with extended turnaround times.

[Scottish Punk]

I am going to speak a bit of business nerd for a second. Opinion from somebody who works in corporate world with an MBA. So the opinion is worth slightly more than a penny.

These proposals indicate a more mature market for grading. It also is an indication of a monoploy in the segment. PSA doesn't seem to be concentrating on getting more volume but extracting more value out of existing customers. There isn't really anybody for them to "steal" more of the pie from. Maybe it is just much more cost effective to extract more money out of the existing market share rather than growing the entire pie. It makes a lot of sense. The grading market will grow at whatever rate going forward, PSA owns almost all of it (in sportscards). They can expand capacity with the growth of the overall market. Maybe we are topping off on explosive growth and PSA forecasts are more smaller, steady growth in the future. Building moats by having more features and integrations.

[halldogg]

Originally Posted by inaka

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This outta really help fix the issue with extended turnaround times.

This is basically what happens when you submit through gamestop.

[inaka]

Originally Posted by halldogg

This is basically what happens when you submit through gamestop.

Yup, and the volume of GameStop orders is what's exactly what has caused the backlog.

Offering this to everyone will only cause more delays, not faster service.