What do you guys think about buying CGC graded cards to send into PSA to flip? Just a thought I had
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I wouldnāt unless Iām getting the cgc card for way less than a psa one
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hi e4 new collector here having a discussion wit mates abt a card we all know veryy well, redās pikachu. a psa 10 one was recently purchased for around 220 usd. last sold listed on pokemonprice, psa website etc. was around usd 300. wouldnāt it be a better option to purchase a raw one (or a few) for around usd 50 (i think) and grade it yourself while enjoying the lovely one yr turnaround time, given itās such a modern card and mint copies of them are probably fairly easy to come across in the sea of them available on the market? (just sussed ebay and the few listings i looked at seemed pretty spotless based on the photos) this is also one of those cards that exemplifies rarity vs popularity so pls lmk what u think true collectors ty xoxo
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Right so Iām thinking that a CGC 9.5 would correlate to a PSA 10. Donāt know that for sure, but if I see sales for a PSA 10 and a CGC 9.5 are significantly different I think it could be a good move
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Depends how good you are at grading cards in casesāesp from pics. And how much you know about the 3 big grading Cos. PSA 9 to BGS 9.5 is a common crack out. Also depends how much you trust the sub grades when evaluating submitting to another. If you feel confident you can do a CGC to PSA grade to grade, yes. Iām trying to do that right now with a few cards. But also understand most who are submitting Pk cards to CGC know what they are doing, and submitting there for reasons that are not always based on turn around times.
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Make sure that youāre not paying too much more than the price of a psa 9 though unless itās a quad or quad+
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Good points. Yeah if I had a lot more experience grading cards from pictures then I would be more confident.
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Itās a gamble, kind of like pack openings. And realistically the market is a moving target, both in terms of prices and the status of the grading cos. I think itās fun to try, though. Another creative way one can add a little more value to their collection.
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Yeah, now that you mention it, the majority of my listings are from the EX era (and, accordingly, the majority of my sales). EX-era holos and even nonholo rares have been selling really, really well, to say nothing of the exs themselves. I bought a number of exs at market a few months ago, intending to sit on them, and listed some at super inflated prices just for the heck of itā¦ Many have sold.
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If I can get some for really cheap why not.
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I personally would not buy CGC cards hoping to grade higher via PSA to flip. Sure there are some pretty weak 10s from PSA but Iāve also seen crazy strong 9s that baffled me as to why it didnāt grade a 10. Basically you can never expect a 10 from PSA even if you think you have a 10 in your hand. The margin of profit will be tiny, even negative after the grading fees, paying taxes and ebay fees. Just not worth it the risk and time.
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I think slowly more and more people will start seeing EX era holos and reverse holos for what they are truly worth. Early EX sets have some the lowest holo rates in the TCG ever, and the recent $1,100 sale of A PSA 10 Sceptile 11/109 Holo from EX Ruby & Sapphire should be a good indicator of where these holos are headed. Sceptile is a slight exception, being only Pop 6 in a PSA 10, but overall the population for most early EX holos are astoundingly low.
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How do you guys see the pros and cons of grading 4th print base set at CGC vs PSA? Iāll take a stab at it but looking for input.
CGC Pros
- cheaper to grade
- faster return
- recognizes the 4th print on the label
PSA Pros
- more recognized brand
- cards are selling for more? (cant really figure this out yet since not enough CGC data)
I wonder if these cards will become more sought afterā¦
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4th print is quite niche, even more so than shadowless and no rarity. I havenāt really observed any 4th print premiums at all
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For sure very niche. But I would think that those cards should be more valuable than unlimited because they are more rare.
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I have noticed that there is a slight premium paid for those cards when raw.
As for graded cards, thereās a couple reasons I think there isnāt much of a market yet:
The Base 2000 holos are especially rare, so they comprise a small percentage of the PSA pop for Base Unlimited.
Non-holo Base Unlimited wasnāt worth grading until recently, so there arenāt very many graded Base 2000 non-holos, either.
Note that rarity doesnāt necessarily translate to a high premium. As mentioned, these are incredibly niche.
I actually just submitted some Base 2000 starters. I was thinking about holding off until PSA officially recognizes Base 2000, but we donāt know if they ever will. I figure I can always reslab them someday, if they are eventually recognized.
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Did you consider going with CGC because they recognize the set?
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No, Iām not interested in grading with CGC at this time. All of the graded cards I own were graded by PSA. Iād prefer to stick with one service for all my cards. Maybe in the future Iāll consider a competitor, if thereās a clear and compelling reason to make that switch. Recognition of Base 2000 isnāt enough of a reason for me, because itās a very small part of my collection.
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Iām not knowledgable enough on the UK print to chime in on that front. But on the grading companies in general each company has pros and cons, and with the current state of grading it seems as if no matter what you wonāt get card back back when youād like and wonāt pay the price you were comfortable with last month. I think somefolks see CGC as a viable option, yes, but most seem them as a way to get their cards encapsulated right now and at least have them in their hands before December 2021. I canāt speak for the market as a whole but with myself and the handful of collectors I know personally, BGS or PSA seem to still be the best bet for express subs or high-value slabs at this very moment. When it comes to bulk or multiple larger sets, a lot of people are turning their heads in CGCās direction. I just donāt see the average collector shelling out $75 per card minimum to PSA in order to have them back before next summer. CGC sales have yet to match PSA, but that is expected. I think weāre in a transition period for sure and I look forward to seeing more CGC sales data over the coming months.
Side note; CGC slabs that I have purchased recently around the 8.5-9.5 range are looking very clean.
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I could see PSA looking down at a GCC slab and give it a lower grade by default but thatās just one of those conspiracy theories 
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