Hey all, I am planning on sending in my first PSA submission and I am hoping to get some advice on the most efficient and safest way to ship the cards. I want to submit about 150 cards, each below $199 dollar value, with an estimated total graded value of $11,000. I am wondering if it would be safer and more cost effective to split the order into multiple order smaller orders. I am also curious if anyone has any insights into whether to use USPS, FedEx or USP offers the best insurance policies. Thank you!
It is neither safer nor more cost effective to split them.
Why not just get an appropriately sized box that will fit 3 stacks of 50 card savers sandwiched in between stiff and flat cardboard & rubber bands? That with bubble wrap is plenty protection. Always just ensure the contents aren’t sliding around all over.
PSA charges return shipping (insurance) for each order. That is pricey in my opinion, at usually $30 an order.
UPS and Fedex don’t insure over 1k value without having some sort of business account with them. USPS registered mail is all I ever use. Safest method to ship high value around the country, bar none. They can insure the full 11k and it should only cost you around $30-50 depending on weight and dimensions. It does a little longer though. Some opt to use overnight, but I am never in a hurry so it doesn’t matter for me personally.
I’d strongly recommend doing a few cards at a time, just so you can guage the turn around times and how you handle the anxiety of not having your cards for 8-10 months. I’ve always used USPS and have never had an issue, this has been with been both sports and Pokemon cards that exceed values of $5,000 per.
Break it down to 25-50 at a time.
If using bulk expect more like 18-24 +months. I have things that still haven’t entered grading from May 2020. I keep seeing people mention timeframes from 6 to 12 months and all I know is there are going to be a lot of unhappy people later this year.
Ask any grading service how their volume increased from May to the end of the year and current and you’ll see that if orders from May still aren’t done the orders from October through December especially should be even longer turnaround times.
Send all at once fully insured. USPS registered mail will cost about $50 to fully insure the shipment to PSA.
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Pretty much and this is why CGC and BGS have grown more popular as of late for people who want their cards back quicker, though I’d still advise going with PSA over the others whether its for personal collection or long term investment.