I’m looking to grade with PSA for the second time. Their office is about a 2 hour drive from me, and I don’t mind making the trip since I can handle other errands on the way. The main reason I only use PSA is the peace of mind of dropping my cards off directly to an employee. Since they have chain of custody from the start, I know they’re responsible if something happens, whereas if I ship them and they get lost in transit, that’s on me.
My first submission arrived at their facility just a week after drop off and everything went smoothly, which was great, but I have major concerns about the return shipping. I’ve heard enough FedEx horror stories that I’m hesitant to send cards I truly care about especially since this next sub is going to be more expensive than my first.
Is there a way to choose USPS for the return? I’m happy to pay extra just to avoid FedEx entirely. Is my distrust warranted, or am I overthinking a rare occurrence?
Also, a question on upcharges. I know you pick a tier based on the potential card value, and if it grades high, you get upcharged if you didn’t guess correctly. Does that upcharge actually increase the insurance value for the return shipping? Or do they just charge you more for the service without increasing the protection on the card? I want to make sure I’m not being punished for a lower tier without at least getting the corresponding insurance if they hit me with a higher fee.
I am not going to send everything on value tier. I will make 2 submissions based on value i think it will get. Sorry for all the questions, I just came back to the hobby last year and am still catching up on how everything works when it comes to grading.