I see alot of PSA graded evolutions on ebay now, and i was wondering is it worth buying now or waiting a little bit? Cuz i see a PSA 9 charizard going for a hundo when i could just buy one at 14 bucks a grade them myself, any thoughts?
I’ve bought 5 evolution charizards for about 14 pounds each and none of them will get a 9 from Psa gamble you take
@bobbystokes Exactly! This is why PSA cards have a higher price tag. There is an inherent risk in buying ungraded and grading, you have to know what you are doing, and even then, there is still a risk.
Evolutions has been an extremely easy to grade set compared to most others lately. Those grading cards are KILLING it. It is almost a no lose proposition at this point and I can’t believe I didn’t open more product to grade. I don’t think current prices are sustainable, yet I thought that a month ago when I sold my PSA 10 mega starter trios full arts. They are down a bit from them, but still higher than they should be for the ease at which people are grading these IMO.
10 rate on those full arts is WELL OVER 50% which is absurd, also the killer which are 8’s rates are extremely low.
Source: www.psacard.com/pop/non-sport-cards/2016/pokemon-xy-evolutions/139659
2 Likes
I just opened two boxes. All my full arts, EX’s, and breaks were PSA 10 quality except for a MegaVen that had a huge dent for some reason. Probably happened during the packaging. I’m amazed with the print quality tbh
BUT every single common/uncommon/rare had corner wear and every single holo rare was trash quality. Some even dipped into PSA 6-7 territory. Absolutely abysmal. None of the holos would score a 9.
The pull rates were excellent and the quality of the premium cards were perfect. It’s just…the rest of the cards were trash. I have very mixed feelings.
Yeah I should have noted I was speaking of ultra rare only (full art, ex, break). Holo pops seems pretty low rates overall. Charizard holo #11 is sitting at a 10% 10 rate which is similar back to original base set. Well over 50% 10 rate is insane. Most other XY sets had well under 10% 10 rates. Some of the best ones were hardly in the 25% 10 range. All previous had much higher 8 rates and 8’s are the real profit killers.
1 Like
what about zard normal holo 
~80% PSA 9 and ~10% PSA 10.
PSA 10 = $300+
PSA 9 = $50+
Raw ~$15 tops. Grading fee $10 tops as most were prob submitted under the Dec 2016 $10 20 day turnaround or bulk subs for ~$7 each. I see no losing here either. This set has been a goldmine for graders so far.
This isn’t entirely accurate. By and large, most raw cards on ebay are going to be NM-Mint.
Also, there is the big “T” word, “time”. Not diminishing that you can’t achieve those percentages. However, the cost of time=money of submitting cards to psa, listing them for sale, and then shipping is not $0. For most people who don’t have the time to submit to PSA, it is much easier buying already graded. The evolutions prices are not the best example of this, but that mentality is relevant nonetheless.
Don’t forget supply in the market as well as cards that were sent off. Most graders know what to look for when sending cards so 9s and 10s on pack fresh, brand new cards skew the results. The supply will most likely keep increasing as time goes by so the final values of the 9s and 10s will be dropping.
1 Like
Everyone saying evolutions grades well should see the box and loose packs I’ve opened… I think most would struggle to gets 9s to be honest. I think packs sold in the UK are printed in a different place to US packs though?
This is spot on… scratches all over, off center, peeling fresh from pack. even worse when it’s on a full art… Submission currently pending so let’s see how it goes.
1 Like
I just dont think a 9 right now should be $70+ 50 to 60 tops.
I’d recommend selling quick. As a collectible, I see these as being useless long term. Much like 90s baseball.
So make as much as possible now cause buyers will wise up. If you’re looking to collect these…wait. You’ll save a ton.
2 Likes
How long you think it will be like this, they will spike when it goes out of print you saying maybe 5 years go back to this set or even longer?
Evolutions singles saturate the market, there’s a high print run and it will probably be one of the more commonly graded sets in the game’s history.
It will be interesting to see if demand for the full arts can sustain these prices. Maybe it will be worth picking up some PSA 10s when people try offloading them.
But this holds true for almost all recently released core set pokemon stuff, supply is just astronomical compared to WotC era cards.
Everything in the set is dropping except for the FA M Zard and the reprint Zard, people will just keep grading the cheap cards to the point where PSA 9 might be too common to appreciate in 3+ years except for the starter trio full arts.
And they could pull a Roaring Skies type reprint as well.
1 Like
I remember a few guys on Instagram that got the first five 10s or so were trying to price collude to keep the price at $500 each for the M Charizards. It was such a raw and gut wrenching feeling to see a few sellers doing that. Not only is it illegal in the real world, but a pure profit motive around a lot of these early submitters. It’s many of these guys first business experience; most of whom are head over heels in risk. Pokemon has been fruitful as of late. Strong competition and low barriers to entry are going to crush many of these guys. In my opinion, these individuals bathing in risk are the biggest proponent of a collapse of the PSA market. No cash & illiquid assets. I’m not worried about the hobby as a whole surviving. It worries me when some guys drop most their cash on stuff they cannot sell and deals not happening affects their other ambitions.
Collect for fun, make money when you can, be conscious of your financial reach and do it the right way. Fire sales typically help bigger players or businesses that can take on the extra inventory. It’s okay to wait 6 months until the market stabilizes before spending $50 on a card. It would be a well thought out $50 versus a shot in the dark oozing with risk.
Another collector and I were discussing the Staff Zard PSA 10 price a few weeks back when one sold for just over 2k. I told him, “Yeah there are probably 1000 produced and there’s only 1 or 2 right now, but most people know about PSA and the extra value it can bring. I’m sure a good number of these will be graded and the POP 10 figure will likely rise. 2k may be a great price or a high price. Although, I’d rather wait 5 years to see where the POP and the sales go. If it ends up being a 5k card, so be it. It would be a healthy 5k invested versus a 2k shot in the dark.”
I enjoy this hobby and love interacting with other collectors. Please have patience & don’t always feel the need to jump on the hype trains. Most cards I thought I overpaid for have appeared again and again at lower prices. If I’ve learned anything over the years or watching the newer sets it’s that patience pays well.
12 Likes
This comment is so good I want to send it to PSA with a min 9 grade!
5 Likes
Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.
1 Like
What do you think about the market for ungraded staff zards? At around $350 I’m unsure, but if it is mint enough to be graded 8, I’m thinking its a decent long term investment , and based off the POP could decide to grade it later