So, Cardmarket.com has started grading cards, what are your thoughts?
I think that it is very good news for us Europeans
It’s the same question as all other startups: Does grading with them add value to my cards? The answer is, no. If you are looking for protection, card savers have done well for people for decades.
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Im not entirely sure what this means here. Cardmarket acts as a tcgplayer type of the place in the US here (correct?), with multiple stores/sellers on there to choose from. So are you saying Cardmarket started their own grading company or sellers now have the option to sell graded cards?
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Ah I see. In this case, id say its a wait and see game.
But as with any new grading company, I hold my doubts of it being anything anything more than a failed business venture we all look back on 10 years from now.
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Cardmarket is way more regulated than tcgplayer.
Also it’s not like there are better options in Europe, and sending to states nowadays is a long, harsh journey that might end in Costums service screwing us over on the comeback
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After the announcement, I wondered if their extremely harsh website grading scale you’re supposed to use when listing cards was the same one they use for their own grading service. This would for example mean that any single scratch is a NM 7 max.
Well…
The answer is no. Not really. I wonder how their customer service would react if I would dispute a refund claim/negative feedback I’d get for listing this as NM-MT. 
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There is no point in any grading service if it does not have a guarantee/protection service that you can take them up on in case of a misgrade. Part of what makes PSA so popular is that if you have an original slab of theirs and the card encased clearly does not represent the grade, that you’ll be reimbursed. That gives the grade and the company a much better reason to trust them.
Looking at more of the cards on eBay btw, this is a trend for vintage. Never ever could I sell any of the NM 7, let alone some 8s as NM or M on their own website. I’d probably even get some neutral feedback when listing them as EX (5s). Until they figure out this inconsistency within their own services, I wouldn’t touch them for that reason already.
Grading FAQ: “The border of NM card can have small white spots, but they must be very few and very small. When the card is inspected under bright daylight, the surface must generally appear clean. It can have a few minor spots, but scratches can never be allowed for NM cards.”
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That’s a PSA 2. Incredible
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Yikes👀
The label always seems to be an afterthought with these backwater grading companies.
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Even though I sell on Cardmarket I am definitely not going to use their grading service and rather wait for PSA to come to Europe.
It would shock me if this doesn’t happen in the next few years… PSA could make a lot of money here 
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It’s not a bad price if you just want your cards in a sealed slab and you can live with the shit label, no added value and inexistent standards.
Poor CGC. Harshest roasting yet
Cardmarket is big in Europe, bigger than ebay, I would say that cardmarket is the biggest marketplace in Europe for pokemon cards. So they have got a better reputation going for them, but I dont see how this will be a success, just like all other new grading companies. Especially if they grade cards like that pikachu gold star lol
Like @turtlemode said I expect PSA/CGC/BGS to come to Europe sooner than later. Some of these newer companies are actually becoming staples in the European market. If the bigger companies want to keep their market share in Europe I would even advise them to come here.
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Huh?
People pay about as much for GRAAD as PSA where I am at (although it is mostly high end modern cards, not a lot of vintage), some people also pay more than grading costs extra for cards from PCA and AP grading.
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Ah, I see.
Cardmarket is big in Europe but not for big cards, especially graded cards. Let alone that usually lacks of photos, and you have to ask to the seller for the pics that usually don’t answer… if you want to sell a card that would fly on ebay you will wait weeks or months to sell it on Cardmarket. First thing they should do is make photos mandatory for cards worth more than 500.
For the grading service… no comment.
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