TAG is so damn expensive it will never get the mystery slabs lol
My only agenda is the truth. If all you’re doing is using one month of data and comparing month-over-month gains to say that CGC has 25% market share, this is some of the worst data cherry-picking I’ve seen. We use longer-term data to smooth out the month-to-month variance, which is why I’m talking change over years and not weeks.
CGC’s big month-over-month increase is largely because they had a “bad” March, where they graded 100k less cards than they did in April. However they only graded 38k cards more in April than they did in January.
As you correctly note, grading numbers are influenced by price rises, turnaround time changes, the broader market, and much more. Most PSA submissions from before the January $15 to $17 bulk increase haven’t even been finished yet. CGC doesn’t have those backlog problems, so they’re likely clearing more submissions from the 2025 boom faster than PSA, which is boosting their numbers. PSA will eventually get around to grading all the subs from early 2025, but we’ll need to wait to see how that affects overall market share.
I’m interested to see where the data goes, initial signs are good for CGC, but claiming that CGC is taking 25% market share and on its way to 1/3 based off of one month of data is flat out wrong.
17 Likes
Actually im seeing every month was like this
January cgc was doing over 28%
Psa had a business boost in march because they announced price increase so there was a ton of subs trying to catch old price
But same thing will happen to CGC this month. Probably will show as their largest month of all time
Psa has seriously given up a tremendous amount of market share to CGC in a very short amount of time
“We use longer-term data to smooth out the month-to-month variance, which is why I’m talking change over years and not weeks” thats great Mr Sherlock
Do you not see how flawed this logic is when comparing a new grader to an old established one?
Seriously what was cgc 5 years ago? They didnt even announce a trading card division until 2020…
Not to be rude but your coming in with old (unverified) data while this discussion is literally about market trends
PSA make sale number go up.
Other companies make sale number go up less.
4 Likes
No, the logic is sound. CGC isn’t a new grader anymore in 2025. Your argument might make sense if CGC was slowly but consistently taking market share from PSA year-over-year, indicating growth at PSA’s expense. However, the data shows that CGC’s market share has been stagnant over the past three years, which is two years after CGC introduced their TCG grading division. CGC has been steady with 10-12% of the overall grading market. Maybe they are growing now, the data certainly looks good in the first part of 2025, but we need more time to be sure.
1 Like
To be honest I view grading as a way to increase or preserve the value of your cards and in that regard PSA is much better than TAG.
Aesthetically I think ARS is better than TAG, value wise I think PSA is better than TAG, grading wise I think my eyes are better than TAG.
1 Like
Would you agree that the majority of people looking to buy graded cards are including “PSA” in their search? For people looking to make money on graded cards this is important. Not only do they grade the most as a company but on the secondary market they sell the most frequently .
3 Likes
Another important distinction when considering market share changes is the cause for the change. PSA’s longer turnaround times could be driving short term volume to CGC. It will be interesting to see if they lose that volume back to PSA if/when turnaround times decrease.
I agree with @fourthstartcg that looking at the market share data over a longer period would smooth out any short term variance
3 Likes
Imo one of their greatest strengths in this moment is the cost to grade because it sets a higher bar of quality about what gets submitted, which translates into overall stronger secondary market value
7 Likes
Say your piece and stand by it. Even if others say it’s wrong. You have to be able to take licks if someone disagrees.
10 Likes
I too live by this 
1 Like
Anyone remember when AGS grading was the new shiny toy that everyone was talking about and would change the way we see grading? I haven’t heard one single thing since.
TAG to me is essentially the same thing but with a more boujee slab design.
9 Likes
Step 1 is to get the facts accurate. Then define your opinion from there. That way your opinion relies on a strong foundation and people will be more willing to take it seriously.
Without a shared understanding of the facts there can’t be a productive conversation about opinions
5 Likes
If TAG didn’t pay for folks to hype them up on social media, would people care at all about their product?
The first few years of any card grading business will be suspect, as their volume and slab market value are directly influenced by branding and social media deals with influencers. I am more curious how TAG will perform in 3, 5, or 10 years if they are still around.
CGC is pretty impressive. They swooped in during the massive PSA backlog and have held pretty steady ground for 5 years, despite countless PR fumbles and scandals.
BGS is on life support these days.
SGC is an afterthought.
/thread
13 Likes
Let’s not forget that SGC is now owned by Collectors aka the company that owns PSA
3 Likes
TAG as a company shouldn’t try to control the narrative in a free market because doing so limits authenticity and trust. I really value transparency and real, unfiltered opinions. That goes for anything not just grading companies.
If you have a genuinely great product you should let the consumers decide for themselves. When influencers and customers are free to share their honest thoughts it builds credibility and sounds more genuine. Trying to control aspects of the message can come across as inauthentic.
I prefer my recommendations how I like my eggs, free and organic.
3 Likes
This thread smells smelly.
Everything I’m about to say is just my opinion — I don’t have proof, just observations.
There’s a reason TAG sees so few vintage submissions: their system.
Collectors simply don’t care about subgrades or scores out of 1000. Most prefer whole-number grades. CGC even confirmed that fewer than 10% of submitters opted for subgrades. At the end of the day, people submit to the grading company they believe will give them the highest value bump.
That’s why PSA dominates — especially among bulk and modern submitters. CGC and TAG have taken some market share due to lower fees, but PSA still leads.
When it comes to vintage, TAG seems off. In my experience, their system is oddly lenient. I’ve seen multiple TAG 10 vintage cards that would likely get lower grades from PSA or BGS. They’ve even missed obvious flaws like dents — which raises questions about the reliability of their supposed AI grading.
Their marketing strategy feels more hype than substance, similar to streetwear drops — driven by FOMO and auction stunts. A small group of buyers appeared to inflate prices by purchasing and relisting TAG cards at a markup. One example I can confirm: a TAG 10 base Zard sold through a Z&G auction, then immediately relisted and resold for over double — before it even left the warehouse. I spoke to the seller, and he was pushing the same TAG talking points. The whole thing felt… off.
I think competition in the grading space is healthy — PSA could use the pressure to improve service — but TAG gives me bad vibes.
As for BGS in 2025: they’re still going, and their German branch seems to be picking up momentum with EU collectors. But they really need to improve — starting with basic features like card scans and a better app experience.
If they adjusted their grading scale and promoted 9.5s to Gem Mint 10s, I believe they’d see a noticeable boost in submissions. But I won’t hold my breath.
9 Likes
Sgc is only an afterthought for TCG..it increases share in sports basically every month!
2 Likes
PSA
CGC/BGS
TAG and other random companies
TAG has nice slabs, but will they exist in a few years when the hype dies down? Plus I have some doubts about this company, because at one point I saw several posts a day on every reddit forum praising TAG. Maybe it’s a coincidence, so I’m not suggesting anything.
And if someone thinks TAG is currently better than PSA, then they can think so. The numbers say otherwise.
3 Likes