PSA Prices Rise!!!

bdejong1 · 03-01-2021, 10:57 AM

For those interested in grading or the impact of grading on the hobby:

Seems like some levels just doubled in price

https://www.psacard.com/pricing

Clause37 · 03-01-2021, 11:01 AM

Wow, that should slow down the modern card submissions.

Ag121 · 03-01-2021, 11:05 AM

Yikes I definitely should have submitted this order last week.

Wade Mulroy · 03-01-2021, 11:06 AM

Woof - good grief that's rough.

SupermanBrandon · 03-01-2021, 11:07 AM

Awesome! I welcome this increase.

KingInTheNorth · 03-01-2021, 11:07 AM

A lot of people will just start subbing to other companies. I think this will make the price gap between psa 10s and other "Gem mints" even wider.

Jumpin Astros · 03-01-2021, 11:10 AM

PSA Raising prices is another part of the bubble to watch out for. If most of the country opens back up/releases most restrictions by summer time and people can go on vacation wherever they want, spend money to attend sports games and other kinds of entertainment not currently available (nationwide), millions of dollars that have been pumped into sportscards since the lockdown could be withdrawn from the industry.

I'm not going to be another person saying the bubble is going to pop "any day now," but from an economic standpoint, as soon as people have the ability to spend money on vacations etc, money will leave the sportscard industry. If money leaves the sportscard industry, prices may or may not fall. But as history shows, there is a massive slow down every May/June (except what happened last year due to lockdowns).

By PSA Raising prices, there is no longer much benefit to gain by sending a card to get graded unless you are okay waiting a year or just under to get your cards back. IF, and I say IF the card market cools down, PSA will be forced to reevaluate its prices for quicker turnaround or people will simply stop sending in a large variety of cards because there will be hardly any cards that will justify spending $100-$200 for the grading alone.

kykid4uk · 03-01-2021, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jumpin Astros

PSA Raising prices is another part of the bubble to watch out for. If most of the country opens back up/releases most restrictions by summer time and people can go on vacation wherever they want, spend money to attend sports games and other kinds of entertainment not currently available (nationwide), millions of dollars that have been pumped into sportscards since the lockdown could be withdrawn from the industry.

I'm not going to be another person saying the bubble is going to pop "any day now," but from an economic standpoint, as soon as people have the ability to spend money on vacations etc, money will leave the sportscard industry. If money leaves the sportscard industry, prices may or may not fall. But as history shows, there is a massive slow down every May/June (except what happened last year due to lockdowns).

By PSA Raising prices, there is no longer much benefit to gain by sending a card to get graded unless you are okay waiting a year or just under to get your cards back. IF, and I say IF the card market cools down, PSA will be forced to reevaluate its prices for quicker turnaround or people will simply stop sending in a large variety of cards because there will be hardly any cards that will justify spending $100-$200 for the grading alone.

The problem with this theory -- and you certainly aren't alone in having a "bubble" theory -- is that it assumes the reason people start something is the reason they continue doing it. I've stumbled upon plenty of new things by accident or dumb luck, only for them to become long-term interests.

I don't believe the only reason the market has taken off is because of COVID-19 lockdowns, but for the sake of this argument, let's assume it's true.

You still have to factor in that even those who came into sports cards because of this have learned to love the game -- both the cards and the profits that come with it. We've all found new things to occupy our time, frankly a new way of living, and to think all of that will be dropped when the world is "normal" again is not realistic.

You are also assuming that the people driving the big increases don't have the money to put into sports cards AND travel, go back to fine dining, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most people at the top of the economic food chain have not been impacted at all financially from this pandemic. They aren't spending stimulus checks on cards; they're spending investment funds that have only grown during this last year.

EricFozz · 03-01-2021, 11:28 AM

Not excited about the changes, but I think there could be potential benefits -

A little less being graded, which could eventually cut down on waiting time for subs to pop.

A little less being graded, which could lead to a.) more raw card sales on modern, and b.) added value to graded PSA cards, past & present, since it still costs so much time & money to get something graded. Even a sought-after modern card in an 8 or 9 could see yet another boost in the coming years.

It might open the door a crack for other grading companies. I know I'll be taking a look...

BlowoutBuzz · 03-01-2021, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingInTheNorth

A lot of people will just start subbing to other companies.

Which ones? The ones charging more or slower? Or the new ones?

(Curious about your thoughts on this trend as I'm also pondering the trends that this rise will create.)

danimal875 · 03-01-2021, 11:33 AM

You have no idea how important this is. Reps from PSA and BGS are getting massive submissions of just piles of cards. at $10 most cards of in demand players pay for themselves with a 9, every 10 is gravy and lots of it.

Cards and 401K · 03-01-2021, 11:35 AM

will also increase the value of already graded ultra modern cards IMO

afmastr · 03-01-2021, 11:35 AM

The Declared Values got raised to $499 on bulk (minimum 10 now) which is about the same as Economy level was a few months ago $20 to submit $499 declared value.

Jumpin Astros · 03-01-2021, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kykid4uk

The problem with this theory -- and you certainly aren't alone in having a "bubble" theory -- is that it assumes the reason people start something is the reason they continue doing it. I've stumbled upon plenty of new things by accident or dumb luck, only for them to become long-term interests.

I don't believe the only reason the market has taken off is because of COVID-19 lockdowns, but for the sake of this argument, let's assume it's true.

You still have to factor in that even those who came into sports cards because of this have learned to love the game -- both the cards and the profits that come with it. We've all found new things to occupy our time, frankly a new way of living, and to think all of that will be dropped when the world is "normal" again is not realistic.

You are also assuming that the people driving the big increases don't have the money to put into sports cards AND travel, go back to fine dining, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most people at the top of the economic food chain have not been impacted at all financially from this pandemic. They aren't spending stimulus checks on cards; they're spending investment funds that have only grown during this last year.

You have a good point. The PSA price increase is just another indicator to pay attention to. But, historically, every year the card markets cool down once summer comes and people can go on vacation. It will be interesting to see how much money leaves the industry this year if and once people have the ability to go on vacation/travel wherever they want to, and spend money on more forms of entertainment.

But, being someone that had about 1000 cards set aside to send in at some point, I am forced to wait about a year to get the cards back, or just sell raw. There are fewer and fewer cards that will be worth spending $100 to get a 10. From a business standpoint, good job at PSA for maximizing profits short term while the market is still smoking hot. But, they may have caused many more adverse factors to come as a result of the steep increase. Only time will tell.

LittleJimmies · 03-01-2021, 12:03 PM

If the price increase also leads to cutting current lead times in half or better, I have no problem at all with it.

Lonewolf · 03-01-2021, 12:06 PM

Keep bending over for them sheeple, lol

MoreToppsPlease · 03-01-2021, 12:10 PM

Raising prices like this was always in PSA’s business plans.

Their stated purpose is to make their slabs more expensive on the secondary market.

EastonElite · 03-01-2021, 12:10 PM

Double the price, double the scam.
Grading is now double the scam it was last week.

coachnip13 · 03-01-2021, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EastonElite

Double the price, double the scam.
Grading is now double the scam it was last week.

As long as what I'm paying to PSA is less than what I make from buyers, they can scam me all they want.

EastonElite · 03-01-2021, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coachnip13

As long as what I'm paying to PSA is less than what I make from buyers, they can scam me all they want.

Its the end user that gets scammed, c'mon, you've been here too long to pretend you don't know the game.
The grading company creates the game.
The flipper facilitates the game.
The end user, the one spending all the money, he's the one getting scammed.

DadofTwins · 03-01-2021, 12:34 PM

That collectors club voucher I bought last year before the last two price increases could be worth more than powerball soon.

ddearing · 03-01-2021, 12:37 PM

IF SGC ends up grabbing a significant of market share over the next five years - we will point back to this to say why.

There is an established market for Topps Flagship rookies in PSA 10's in the $40-75 range as a form of "currency" in the hobby right now. Think guys like Devers, Yordan, Gleyber, Lux, Albies, etc. At $25, you can't justify grading them anymore. So either, this current phenomena goes away, or it shifts to another company. BGS is certainly more established, but their prices aren't any different and there are MANY documented cases of being able to pay for grades there. So I guess SGC is the next best alternative. Pricing is fair enough that it still makes sense to use them for the ~$50 cards. No real blemishes on their reputation from an ethics standpoint that I know of.

I believe PSA keeps there majority market share and premier reputation, but there is a certain price point of the market that they are going to lose here. And I say this as someone who currently has 1800 of my own cards waiting in different stages at PSA.

rfgilles · 03-01-2021, 12:38 PM

Did PSA make any type of announcement on social media or otherwise, about their significant price increases, including the rationale for doing so?

I just see the new prices on the website with a general disclaimer to cover their base.

A company who values customer service would have had some kind of communication along these lines.

THammers · 03-01-2021, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfgilles

Did PSA make any type of announcement on social media or otherwise, about their significant price increases, including the rationale for doing so?

I just see the new prices on the website with a general disclaimer to cover their base.

A company who values customer service would have had some kind of communication along these lines.

They explained it in their newsletter.

D-Lite · 03-01-2021, 12:41 PM

This shafts the set builders on the Registry. It doubles the cost of filling out sets. They should have a tier for the lower end cards, like declared value under $5. You won't have people flooding that tier since you can't sub anything except commons and low end stars their. Not a lot of people flipping those.

03-01-2021, 10:57 AM	#1
bdejong1 Member Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 430 bdejong1	PSA Prices Rise!!! For those interested in grading or the impact of grading on the hobby: Seems like some levels just doubled in price https://www.psacard.com/pricing

03-01-2021, 12:10 PM	#17
MoreToppsPlease Member Join Date: Dec 2018 Posts: 8,676	PSA Prices Rise!!! Raising prices like this was always in PSA’s business plans. Their stated purpose is to make their slabs more expensive on the secondary market. __________________ IRS Tax Tip 2022-57 A hobby is any activity that a person pursues because they enjoy it and with no intention of making a profit. People operate a business with the intention of making a profit.

03-01-2021, 12:34 PM	#21
DadofTwins Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hartland Wi Posts: 2,225 Exposfan Exposfan1998	That collectors club voucher I bought last year before the last two price increases could be worth more than powerball soon. __________________ Never forget Baker Mayfield blew a 31-14 lead in the Rose Bowl.

03-01-2021, 12:37 PM	#22
ddearing Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 3,821 vintage-dan ddearing	IF SGC ends up grabbing a significant of market share over the next five years - we will point back to this to say why. There is an established market for Topps Flagship rookies in PSA 10's in the $40-75 range as a form of "currency" in the hobby right now. Think guys like Devers, Yordan, Gleyber, Lux, Albies, etc. At $25, you can't justify grading them anymore. So either, this current phenomena goes away, or it shifts to another company. BGS is certainly more established, but their prices aren't any different and there are MANY documented cases of being able to pay for grades there. So I guess SGC is the next best alternative. Pricing is fair enough that it still makes sense to use them for the ~$50 cards. No real blemishes on their reputation from an ethics standpoint that I know of. I believe PSA keeps there majority market share and premier reputation, but there is a certain price point of the market that they are going to lose here. And I say this as someone who currently has 1800 of my own cards waiting in different stages at PSA. __________________ If you have to explain why it's a 1/1, then it's NOT a 1/1. Looking for Andre Dawson Serial numbered cards that are his jersey number - either #8 or #10. So looking for cards like 8/8 or 08/99 or 10/250.

03-01-2021, 11:01 AM	#2
Clause37 Member Join Date: Jan 2020 Posts: 173 Clause37	Wow, that should slow down the modern card submissions.

03-01-2021, 11:05 AM	#3
Ag121 Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: Boston Posts: 72	Yikes I definitely should have submitted this order last week.

03-01-2021, 11:06 AM	#4
Wade Mulroy Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 2,738	Woof - good grief that's rough.

03-01-2021, 11:07 AM	#5
SupermanBrandon Banned Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: TN Posts: 15,843	Awesome! I welcome this increase.

03-01-2021, 11:07 AM	#6
KingInTheNorth Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Posts: 2,860	A lot of people will just start subbing to other companies. I think this will make the price gap between psa 10s and other "Gem mints" even wider.

03-01-2021, 11:10 AM	#7
Jumpin Astros Member Join Date: May 2019 Location: Central PA Posts: 124	PSA Raising prices is another part of the bubble to watch out for. If most of the country opens back up/releases most restrictions by summer time and people can go on vacation wherever they want, spend money to attend sports games and other kinds of entertainment not currently available (nationwide), millions of dollars that have been pumped into sportscards since the lockdown could be withdrawn from the industry. I'm not going to be another person saying the bubble is going to pop "any day now," but from an economic standpoint, as soon as people have the ability to spend money on vacations etc, money will leave the sportscard industry. If money leaves the sportscard industry, prices may or may not fall. But as history shows, there is a massive slow down every May/June (except what happened last year due to lockdowns). By PSA Raising prices, there is no longer much benefit to gain by sending a card to get graded unless you are okay waiting a year or just under to get your cards back. IF, and I say IF the card market cools down, PSA will be forced to reevaluate its prices for quicker turnaround or people will simply stop sending in a large variety of cards because there will be hardly any cards that will justify spending $100-$200 for the grading alone.

03-01-2021, 11:28 AM	#9
EricFozz Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Malden, MA Posts: 1,322	Not excited about the changes, but I think there could be potential benefits - A little less being graded, which could eventually cut down on waiting time for subs to pop. A little less being graded, which could lead to a.) more raw card sales on modern, and b.) added value to graded PSA cards, past & present, since it still costs so much time & money to get something graded. Even a sought-after modern card in an 8 or 9 could see yet another boost in the coming years. It might open the door a crack for other grading companies. I know I'll be taking a look...

03-01-2021, 11:33 AM	#11
danimal875 Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Central New Jersey Posts: 4,929 thunder_cards thundercards	You have no idea how important this is. Reps from PSA and BGS are getting massive submissions of just piles of cards. at $10 most cards of in demand players pay for themselves with a 9, every 10 is gravy and lots of it.

03-01-2021, 11:35 AM	#12
Cards and 401K Member Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: DFW Texas Posts: 3,568	will also increase the value of already graded ultra modern cards IMO

03-01-2021, 11:35 AM	#13
afmastr Member Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: NY Posts: 220 SaratogaSlabs	The Declared Values got raised to $499 on bulk (minimum 10 now) which is about the same as Economy level was a few months ago $20 to submit $499 declared value.

03-01-2021, 12:03 PM	#15
LittleJimmies Member Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: Chicago Posts: 5,553	If the price increase also leads to cutting current lead times in half or better, I have no problem at all with it.

03-01-2021, 12:06 PM	#16
Lonewolf Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: California Posts: 4,462	Keep bending over for them sheeple, lol

03-01-2021, 12:10 PM	#18
EastonElite Member Join Date: Nov 2018 Posts: 490	Double the price, double the scam. Grading is now double the scam it was last week.

03-01-2021, 12:38 PM	#23
rfgilles Member Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 4,331	Did PSA make any type of announcement on social media or otherwise, about their significant price increases, including the rationale for doing so? I just see the new prices on the website with a general disclaimer to cover their base. A company who values customer service would have had some kind of communication along these lines.

03-01-2021, 12:41 PM	#25
D-Lite Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 1,426	This shafts the set builders on the Registry. It doubles the cost of filling out sets. They should have a tier for the lower end cards, like declared value under $5. You won't have people flooding that tier since you can't sub anything except commons and low end stars their. Not a lot of people flipping those.