Quote from: xSlyy on Today at 09:49:53 PM

I had sent a high value card into PSA to be graded (Paid close to $200 for the grade). It came back much, much lower than it should have. It was a brand new card directly from the pack, and received a NM7. After I made a bit of noise, here is the response I was given…
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> Thank you for reaching out to PSA Customer Care for some additional insight. We understand the desire to know the "why" behind a grade. Comparing your card to a picture online can be an instinctive response, but there are a lot of things that you simply can't see via images. Keep in mind that grading is three-dimensional, meaning that images flatten defects. There are many types of defects that, in order to see them, you must be able to move, tilt, and rotate the cards. Along with moving the cards to view them at multiple angles, lighting also plays a huge part in being able to see tiny defects. When reviewing your card, try putting your card in a low, single-light setting in a dark room, since bright lights can often "blow out" imperfections.

You may also find it interesting to learn that grades do not average out. If you have corners that meet the criteria of a 6, but you have a surface that meets the criteria of an 8 - your card would be a 6. It does not average out to a 7. You're welcome to review our grading standards here, but please keep in mind that in the end, the final grade is at the discretion of our experts.

While providing a detailed report regarding the result is not a part of our services, please be assured that your cards are always seen by a minimum of two independent graders and that their results must match before the order can be completed.

We hope that this information is helpful, and should you have any other questions please don't hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for choosing PSA.
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I find the way they do things very unethical. Clearly they grade cards in the dark and make up reasons for low grades without explaining further. I will be using Beckett from here on out. I like that there are sub-grades with Beckett. Even though the cases are a little less appealing than PSA, I believe Beckett does a better job. Lesson learned going with the “standard for grading” PSA…

PSA has rejected baseballs I have had autographed by the player right in front of my eyes, they also authenticate signatures that are forged or fraudulent, and it doesn’t take a ‘grading expert’ OR a handwriting and signature expert to spend the time to research the condition and/or authenticity of whatever it may be that is sent to PSA. I understand, PSA is the ‘gold standard’ when it comes to third party authentication and grading, that said, I take EVERYTHING I see regarding authentication or grading as nothing more than an ‘expert’ opinion, and apparently with PSA, two expert opinions. At best, the most well researched, highly experienced, and knowledgeable grading expert is providing us with an opinion, nothing more. So if I see a baseball signed by Satoshi, and PSA has authenticated it, I am not taking that to the bank. Same goes for, GAI, JSA, SGC, etc. Obviously grading and authentication are not the same but there is crossover amongst the most reputable companies responsible for third party authentication and grading throughout the industry. Some collectors are very particular in regards to this, it’s extremely important for these collectors to have an item they are buying certified authentic and graded by PSA, or Beckett. Many treat third party authentication as the word of God, and will not even consider purchasing an item without it having been graded by PSA and/or authenticated by PSA. On the other hand, you have hardcore collectors who are willing to do their own due diligence, and could care less about PSA or any of the other third party authentication and grading companies. I have had enough experience with grading and authentication that has led me to believe it can be accurate but there have been numerous occasions where I have submitted items for authentication and was told that it was a forgery by these so called experts even though I had been present when the signature of these items had taken place. And again, I have seen items all over the place that are authenticated and graded but are could be fingered as a forgery by anyone with even the slightest bit of research into what they are looking at. I guess what I am trying to say is, it does matter to some, and may not matter to others. But it will always impact the market value, those items I spoke of that were declared as ‘forgeries’ by PSA are worth a lot less than the same exact item stamped with a PSA sticker or in the case of card grades, a high grade vs a lower one. Lastly, I have a strong suspicion that the more items submitted, and the more spent on the grading/authentication, the higher grades and higher the likelihood that items will be authenticated. When someone is submitting 100 cards, and paying top dollar to have them graded, PSA is going to analyze these items with a bit more bias, giving more benefit of the doubt to those long term, big fish type collectors, than to someone who submits 3 or 4 items every year or so. And their responses seem to be so generic and automated, lacking authenticity when questioning how they came to whatever conclusion they do. Sorry for such a long post, goodness, I’ll leave it at this. It’s a business, they are a for profit company and ethical standards might be something they claim to uphold regardless of the situation, but in my opinion, it’s all about making money to these companies. Maintaining a reputation is a priority for them but at the same time turning a profit is just as important. PSA and Beckett are still the most reputable, and their grading and authentication have the most transferable value when compared to a JSA or SGC, or in most cases a card that isn’t graded at all.