Forgive me in advance for the long post. I am somewhat out of my element here i think. My son wanted to get some of his Pokémon cards graded for his 10th birthday (end of April), we decided the Tag slabs looked really good and had a fair price (I'm a single mom so the idea of a possible upcharge was a no go for my budget). I submitted 5 of his cards, got the submission kit and packed them exactly as they instructed and sent them off. Itold him we more than likely would not get them back in time for his birthday but he was fine with that. They got them 3/24 and they were in image processing up until yesterday. I received an email yesterday that the order was rejected due to "Questionable Authenticity". Now I admit I am not a Pokémon expert, I'm learning all of this against my will LOL but I'm trying to make sure I do everything correctly for my son. I can't vouch for the 2 Japanese cards as he bought them when he was with his Dad but I know the others were legitimate because he pulled them himself. I did email Tag asking for more information as to what that rejection means but I'm assuming they're saying the cards are fake? If 1 or 2 out of the 5 were "fake", would the entire order get rejected? I know you guys don't work for Tag but I'm just trying to see if anyone else has encountered a situation like this. Potentially being out $170 on the order and not getting 1 of them graded is so disheartening. I wasn't going to tell him until I heard back from Tag but he looked on my phone and saw the status of them. The tears of disappoint did flow last night :( Has anyone else had a similar situation? Any guidance or advice? I appreciate it. I included a Pic of the Japanese card its not the best quality photo though.

Edit I should have waited until I had the cards back so I could include photos of them. I will update with photos as soon as I get them back. I appreciate all the feedback I really do, thank you.

Whether you prefer PSA or not, the main trump card PSA holds is that it fetches the highest resale values across the board. With the recent price and turnaround time increases, I wanted to see if PSA from an investment standpoint is even worth it compared to its competitors. What do you think???

(Beckett and SGC have been removed due to the PSA merger)

EDIT: To avoid repeat comments here is a simple FAQ

-Keep it resourceful! This is for investment and information reference, not to try and tear down one company or another.

- This study is hypothetical and based on the information provided by each grading company for the lowest available grading tier statistics posted on their website.

- While whether or not a company is currently accepting submissions is relevant to our opinions, it is irrelevant to THIS STUDY.

- For the sake of fairness (and I would say this is even in favor of PSA) we gave every card a 10 Grade in order to keep numbers as easy as possible to follow and show maximum expected yield.

- Yes, the graphics were made using Ai, this is to keep information clear and easy to follow along.

Overall could not be more thrilled with the entire process and the amount of detail on these. Turnaround times were a bit longer than expected but the email came out like a week after my cards got there.

Originally didn’t care about grades since these are for the pc but since I got so many 10s on the surges if anyone in the group has the others shoot me a message. Last picture has all the ones I need to replace.

The slabs look great and are about the same as cgc minus the label and blue plastic. Pretty happy with the overall process and am glad to be able to display these amazing cards again. Sitting on top is a temporary solution while I clear some space for my favorites.

Metrics: 49 submitted
2 not graded
2 5s
1 8
3 8.5s
9 9s
29 10s
3 pristine 10s

Pulled this one back in February from an ETB.

Door to door to TAG in Canada was ~3 mo. It was well worth the wait!

Extended art case is from Quiet Customs, also in Canada.

I’m not really sure if I’m reading the tag report right on these, are they all ranked 1st for their grades?

They are my first tag cards, I have 15 cards getting graded right now but I just bought these online, so this is my first time really diving deep on my own tag report.

Thanks for the help in advance!

Received 3/30 and shipped 5/19

Didn’t look at grades but will update once I get them in… figured I’d do a blind reveal on the first sub 😎

Theyyyy loooook sooo goooddd.

Would cracking a BGS 9.5 manga and sending to TAG get a 10 👀. I’m keeping it forever as I pulled on anniversary and would just like a 10

Update: Thank you Reddit for doing your thing. Not even 24 hours into posting this and I see I have updated photos on my profile. So TAG did NOT lose my slabs. 😮‍💨

I hope they can adopt better communication in the future. And maybe even a better method for submitting reslabs.

Original post:
Opened a ticket on 4/11 for debris inside my slabs.
By 4/17 FedEx says the TAG shipping manager signed for the delivery. I was quoted 15 business day turn around.
5/6 I asked for confirmation that they have my slabs and if there’s an update in turn around time.
5/13 they emailed me back saying they would be escalating the issue to a CS rep who can help me.
I followed up again on 5/15 and got the same response
Yesterday (5/18) I just flat out asked if they lost my slabs. Still waiting on a response to that one.

Like I just want to be assured they have my slabs and they are in queue 🥲 the lack of direct response has me thinking they lost them and are scrambling…

(with the support ticket: they had their shipping manager email me a ship label and I had to include a return document that had all my info so there is no tracking on my profile like there is for normal submissions. I just know they haven’t been re-slabbed because my high rez photos are missing on my dig report)

Edit to add: Carlos Arellano signed for the delivery. Just saw another post from 42 days ago talking about him.

I got this 151 zard that i wanna send but im unsure if i should submit rn with express or wait until the businesss days goes back to normal

Trying again after reddit removed my first attempt at posting...

TAG received these on March 18 via their Express grading option, and I got them back on May 12. Extremely pleased with the results!

Pulled this Pikachu last week, I would like to send it for grading, it will be my first time grading a card and wanted to ask for opinions. My only worry is the front centering.

Used the centered cards tool and it gave me a different result than I got while manually measuring it, to be honest I probably wasn’t super exact with my measurements, so prefer to ask for other opinions. Do you think it’s worth sending it for grading?

My manual measurements results:

Top: ~2.5mm / 45.45%
Bottom: ~3mm / 54.55%

I, like many of you, recently had my first grading experience with TAG. I wanted to share my experience from submission to delivery, along with a few thoughts based on what I’ve seen throughout the grading community. Hopefully this helps newer submitters or gives current submitters some light at the end of the tunnel.

Submission

I created my submission on 3/8 back when the basic tier was still $22 with an estimated 30 business day turnaround time. I submitted 8 cards total: 6 pack-pulled cards with personal significance to me, and 2 cards I picked up at a card show (Umbreon & Darkrai GX and Mega Absol).

The actual submission process was smooth and on par with other grading companies. No complaints there.

One thing I strongly recommend: take pictures of the front and back of your cards before submitting.

I foolishly only photographed 5 of my cards because 3 were last-second additions. With the amount of delays and shipping horror stories you see online, having pre-submission photos gives you peace of mind and proof if damage ever occurs.

Timeline / Process

My cards were marked received on 3/13.

One thing I genuinely appreciate about TAG is the submission portal. Being able to see each stage of the process and when your submission enters that stage is a really nice feature. That said, it also became a source of anxiety because I found myself checking constantly for updates that usually weren’t there.

My advice: check weekly, not daily. Out of sight, out of mind.

There was one thing during the process that felt a little off-putting, though.

Originally, my portal showed:

• Order Prep: 3/23
• Image Processing: 4/01

However, once the submission reached verification, those dates changed to:

• Order Prep: 4/01
• Image Processing: 5/08

Now, is this inherently a huge issue? No. I still received my cards. But for a company that heavily markets transparency, changing stage dates after the fact raises questions.

Either:

1. The original dates were accurate and later adjusted to compress the appearance of processing time.
2. The submission was incorrectly placed into stages during processing.

Neither explanation feels great from a consumer perspective.

That said, my submission took 44 business days from received to shipped. Reflecting on it now, that really is not terrible considering some of the delays people have experienced recently, especially with express tiers.

Once my order got moving, the final stages actually progressed fairly quickly. I received my order on 5/18 through FedEx 2-day shipping.

The Grades

Out of the 8 cards:

• 4 received 10s
• 3 received 9s
• 1 received an 8.5

Honestly, I think I did better than average.

TAG grades tough. Cards that may slide as PSA 10s probably won’t with TAG, and first-time submitters should absolutely keep that in mind. Not everything gems, and that’s okay.

The DIG reports are incredible.

Even on the 10s, I found myself scanning the QR codes and studying the reports and media downloads. The level of detail is genuinely impressive. My Mega Absol report identified texture loss and edge wear in exact locations I honestly never would’ve noticed myself.

That alone made me better at pre-grading.

I will say, my Mega Charizard EX shows a corner ding on the report that I personally cannot identify on the physical card, but for now I’m willing to trust TAG’s process.

I was also really hoping my Rosa’s Encouragement would pull a pristine, but it missed by a single centering point. Mildly heartbreaking, but fair.

The Slabs

The slabs speak for themselves.

The clarity, etched labels, QR integration, overall presentation, I mean they’re just beautiful slabs. In my opinion, no other grading company currently matches TAG aesthetically.

They also feel much sturdier than early criticism suggested. The slabs have a nice heft to them and feel secure in-hand.

I did notice small dust particles or debris trapped inside one or two slabs. Not enough to ruin the presentation, but definitely more noticeable because the slab is so transparent.

Still, overall, the presentation experience when opening the package was fantastic. The ability to rip open the slab like a pack is a brilliant idea and was an elite experience.

Customer Service

I contacted TAG once during the process after hitting the 30 business day mark with little visible progress.

I sent a message through the chat feature on 4/17 and received a response 4 days later on 4/21. The response itself honestly felt AI-generated, though the estimated completion window they gave me ended up being accurate.

A 4-day response time for a seemingly “live chat” feature is too long, though.

At that point it really isn’t live chat, it’s just delayed messaging. I think customer service is currently one of TAG’s biggest weaknesses, especially considering how many people in the community have reported waiting weeks for responses.

Overall Experience

Before receiving the slabs, my experience was probably around a 6/10.

I’d constantly refresh the portal, get frustrated seeing no updates, complain about it, and repeat the cycle the next morning. Some of that was definitely my own impatience, but TAG also clearly struggled to manage expectations during this period.

Once the slabs actually arrived, though, my opinion changed pretty dramatically.

Opening the package, seeing the slabs in person, scanning the reports, it genuinely felt premium. I’m very happy with the results overall, and despite the frustrations, I absolutely plan on submitting with TAG again once turnaround times stabilize.

Final experience: probably an 8/10.

What I Learned

First: patience really is a virtue with grading.

Second: I need to pre-grade MUCH harder.

TAG does not let things slide. Tiny edge wear, texture issues, centering flaws, they’ll find them. I probably could’ve saved myself money by being more selective with a couple of my submissions.

Finally: if you’re submitting high-end cards, seriously consider paying for the 1000-point score.

For cards like my Lucario SIR and Rosa’s Encouragement, I now really wish I knew where they ranked numerically. That scoring system is one of TAG’s coolest differentiators and something I underestimated going in.

Final Thoughts on TAG

TAG’s biggest strengths when I submitted were:

• Transparency
• Turnaround time
• Slab design

Right now, I think only the slab design remains unquestionably elite.

The delays themselves honestly aren’t even my biggest issue, it’s that TAG seemed slow to communicate just how backed up they truly were. They had been referencing “unprecedented volume” since January, but many February/March submitters were still operating under turnaround estimates that clearly were no longer realistic.

Customer service also needs serious improvement. Even a small dedicated support team handling live responses would go a long way toward maintaining trust during delays.

Also, why are we still using FedEx? I got my submission fine, but the amount of horror stories I have seen about FedEx stealing or damaging submissions is scary. I was genuinely scared something would happen to my order on its way here. Yes I know it is like 0.1% of cases, but the most prevalent perpetrator for tampered submissions is in fact FedEx.

That said, I still believe TAG has the best-looking slab in the hobby and the most interesting grading technology available right now. The DIG reports are genuinely useful, and the consistency of grading gives TAG 10s a level of credibility I personally value more than a lenient PSA 10.

Hopefully they can stabilize operations and regain the advantages that made so many people excited about them in the first place.

What’s Next for my Slabs?

I’ll probably be selling the Rosa’s Encouragement while holding onto the other 10s and the Umbreon & Darkrai GX for my personal collection. I’ll also try to move the 9s, though I know TAG cards don’t have the same market liquidity as PSA yet, so that may take some time.

I’ll likely crack the Mega Absol as well since I’m building out a Mega Base Set master set and still need the Lucario and Absol SIRs raw for the binder collection.

Planning to try selling primarily through Facebook Marketplace to avoid eBay fees, though I’m curious to see how TAG cards actually move locally compared to online comps. For pricing, I’m generally aiming around PSA 10 market prices with TAG recent sales acting as my floor.

I’m also planning to pick up some extended art displays for the Mega Lucario SIR and Mega Charizard promo. If anyone has recommendations for good custom extended art creators, definitely drop them below. I’d love to match the guard/case color scheme to the cards similar to GradedGuard setups, though finding perfect matches for TAG slabs might be a little tougher.

I’ll also probably pick up some TAG bumper guards from Dragonscale for a few of the slabs.

For now though, just sitting pretty on my tiered slab display on my shelf.

If you read all the way through, thank you. Curious to hear everyone else’s experiences with TAG so far.

this went in the washing machine when i was kid. its hilariously bad.

My daughter pulled two Bubble Mew’s over the last year. Which I graded with CGC and both hit 10 Gem Mint. After grading my last few submissions with TAG she is absolutely obsessed with TAG slabs and the idea of extended art cases.

Just wondering if it would be the worst dad move ever to crack and send to TAG? She obviously doesn’t care about what they grade but I don’t want to go backwards on investment only because once she turns 18 she can do whatever she wants with them and I’d like them to be able to resell for her if she so chooses.

They are both in great shape and well within TAG centering but just not sure it’s worth the risk?

Part of me wants to because they are technically her cards but also haven’t seen much on CGC to TAG crossing and it could end up brutal… 🤣

I know they’re busy but I just feel as if this is a little beyond the “have patience,” point.. I paid extra for a 10-15 business day turnaround and its business day 27. They also won’t answer my support tickets which i’ve been waiting for 10 days. Who else is in the same position, help me feel better lol. 😂

So I got extremely lucky and pulled the sunbreon. I was beyond excited and immediately wanted to get it graded. I’m new to grading but I submitted this to PSA and got a 9… hoping for a 10. Granted I see some whitening in a corner but otherwise I thought it was a fantastic copy to possibly 10. Let me know thoughts and if it’s worth resubmitting? I also thought about sending it to TAG as I love their slabs. Thanks in advance!