So far I have used CGC, Arena Club and PSA.
Arena Club: I like that you can see why the card received the grade it did. You can sell, buy and trade on the app. But, they destroyed every card I sent in. I don’t understand why they request a semi rigid holder if they are going to just rip it out with no care. They uploaded pictures and saw marks that weren’t there when I sent them in. Also their robot/ai machine picks up the card design/picture on card as surface damage. Didn’t send them anything expensive mainly for authentication but now can’t send anywhere. Wouldn’t recommend.
CGC: Respectable turnaround time I think it was 21 business days. Grading seemed bias. All sports cards were in great condition(sleeved as soon as it came out of pack) and not one got a 10. I know not every card can be a 10 but CGC dosnt show why it didn’t. Controlling the pop maybe? The pokemon I sent in seemed to get better grades. But the expensive ones got just a GM 10 and the cheap ones got a Pristine 10. Had one where the centering was off on a cheap card and it got a pristine and the other one that had better centering but worth more only a GM 10. My take was never send sports cards again and I’m taking a risk sending in nice cards but to get lower grades to control the pop count I think.
PSA: Well still haven’t received the cards or shown the grades on the app. Just stuck in QA. But when they uploaded the pics of the cards it looks like Arena Club took the cards out of the semi rigid holders. Cards are scratched up like crazy. Too long to wait. Seen cards take huge dips in 77+ days.
Going to try Beckett with sports next and maybe give TAG a try with a mix of diff cards. But wish there was a system in place where these huge corporations weren’t in control. What suggestions or ideas do you have as an alternative. What grading company is your favorite?