I am wondering if some more experienced collectors could offer some advice on buying raw modern in the hopes of grading a 10. I know the 10 to 9 ratio is not great on English Modern. I’m specifically trying to get all the Prismatic SiR
Someone suggested not to buy any from vendors as they would not sell a PSA 10 candidate RAW and would send it in themselves or they are selling cracked 9s that obviously did not get a 10
Other then the obvious Centering and corner whitening what else to look for in ads / pics.
Or should I not even bother and just buy a Japanese set of already graded 10s and call it a day.
Why should you nott bother with online sellers? I get vendors but a lot of times I get some awesome deals on cards that I want from online sellers. Me selling cards wouldn’t have lasted long if I didn’t get those deals lol.
Very few people are selling MINT cards on ebay of the big chase cards. Why sell an Umbreon for $900 that is perfect when you can easily grade and sell for $3,000? That is why most copies you see are indeed only NM.
I don’t buy many chase cards, but my arceus that I bought is in mint condition and I’m planning to send it in. A lot of people buy grails online and regrade them (for example, one of them I know only buys gem pack 2 exclusives and other chase cards)
I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s not necessarily trying to find a needle in a haystack. I mostly use discord where it’s easier for personable conversation and also my connections with other sellers due to them buying from me and giving them free cards.
I’m with Vert on this one to be honest, you absolutely can find gem mint contenders on ebay or tcgplayer, it just takes a bit of trawling through images or (in tcgplayers case) buying quantity and expecting 30-40% to be gradeable
It’s doable, but takes a lot of experience, a really sharp eye, and some time/effort.
You need to be able to quickly assess conditions of cards based off of a few photos, as well as look frequently enough to nab cards before they are sold.
The biggest pitfall is buying cards that have small issues that are easy to look over or not visible in photos. That’s where experience comes in.
The easiest way to accrue modern English chase cards in PSA 10 condition is to purchase PSA 10s already graded. It’s so much easier and often cheaper, due to the fact that many knowledgeable sellers sell off the PSA 8 or 9 candidates raw.
That said, I can understand the desire to grade your own cards and build something organically. As others have said, your best bet is going to be trial and error at first to find the reputable (or ignorant?) sellers who won’t grade their cards. The rest of it is luck - luck that the card was sent in sufficient protection to not downgrade in transit, luck that the pictures matched the item received, luck that a grader agrees that your card is a 10, etc. etc.
Part of the fun of collecting is going your own way and learning at your own pace. It took me 2 years of trawling mercari for mint raws before I realized I’d rather buy bird-in-hand value with slabs
