The SIMPLE Sports Card Arbitrage They Don't Want You to Know About!

[@ryanpohl3386]

It is definitely not guaranteed profit. I tried this by spending over $10,000 on 9.5's to send it in to PSA to get graded. I sent in about 75 cards. You make good money when they come back as a 10 but the issue is when they come back as 9's or even 8's which the majority will come back as 9's or 8's. The difference in price between 10's & 9's is huge with most cards. I lost money on 90% of the ones that came back 9s & couldn't even sell the 8's. You are basically gambling by buying cards to break open to get regraded. Also you need to take into account the taxes & shipping when you purchase, PSA fees to get the cards graded & shipped, & Ebay fees when you sell. This doesn't take in all the time this takes either. It is not as easy as it sounds.

[@scottd8624]

Grading is arbitrary. Taxes and ebay fees are outrageous. I agree. Definitely not worth the risk.

[@montana01]

That's odd, i send in some BGS 8's and 9's and they come back as PSA 10's. It all depends on the grader at PSA , no consistency between 8's, 9's, 10's; yet huge premiums for the 10.

[@ryanpohl3386]

@@montana01 I'd recommend sending in 50-75 cracked open BGS 8's & 9's to PSA & let us know what you get back.

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

These guys are obviously shilling for PSA over BGS. Encouraging people to crack 9.5 BGS to cross over and risk going to PSA. But will tell you not the do the reverse 🥴

[@sp123]

PSA is a lot stricter on corners,edges, and surface so a BGS 9.5 corner or edge could grade a PSA 7-9. A BGS 8 surface grade could grade PSA 6. We also have to keep in mind that BGS total grade is the lowest subgrade +0.5 while PSA assigns total grade by lowest subgrade. If you don't believe that PSA grades tougher, try to find an ultra modern card graded lower than BGS 8. You wont find many, while PSA loves to slap 4, 5, and 6 grades on new cards all the time.

[@toddsupreme]

Running a comp on BGS 9.5 vs PSA 9 would be a way to measure risk/reward. I would want that number to be even or better before I cracked the BGS card. PSA grading is all over the place.

[@ryanpohl3386]

The taxes & shipping when you purchase, PSA fees to get the cards graded & shipped, & Ebay fees when you sell all have to be used to figure out for the break even price. Like a posted above, I lost on 90% of the 9's that came back. Sending in 75 cracked open cards to PSA was an informational experiment but definitely not a profitable one.

[@GhostsAndGarbagePailKids]

spot on. yep. couldn't agree with you more.

[@tyrithofmuse]

The use of the word "guaranteed" in the first sentence just invalidates the rest of the video. Anyone that knows anything about crossing graded slabs know it's not "guaranteed." It's a clickbait statement designed to trick newer people in the hobby into watching videos and paying for an app, without any balance or nuance.

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

The fact that PSA will FAR more likely give a 10 grade on a cracked BGS 9.5 card over a crossover BGS 9.5 is all you need to know about the lack of honest and consistent grading with PSA. Market Mover shills think the card audience are idiots.

[@greekperspective2076]

@@user-xf2tl8ee3c they have been.

[@jasonrhyland]

It was clearly "tongue n cheek"...

[@KingKuba1313]

Don't bother with the way psa grades now. You'll just get a bunch 9s and damaged cards.

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

You are not wrong, another irresponsible video pump of PSA by Geoff Wilson

[@matthew1072a]

Appreciate the video. I’m a member and was not aware of this feature.

[@ricecakejohnson]

This would be an awesome strategy if this was 3-4 years ago. PSA as of late have been so inconsistent and way too tough with giving out 10s(especially when it comes to superstars like MJ, TB12, Kobe....etc).

[@stevem9203]

I agree. It varies so much from grader to grader.. also the diff between 9 and 10 can be so random with it seeming to be easier to get a 10 the less valuable the card is.

[@SpursCards21]

I’ve had good luck cracking and crossing but it’s been a while since I’ve done it. Standards change so often, especially for graders. Thanks for sharing T-Pott! Take care!

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

You thanking him for an infomercial? 😂

[@lancefinke2006]

Anyone that does cracking and re-submitting is going to be very disappointed 90% of the time. Talk about a miserable way to turn a profit in the hobby. This is it. Worst recommendation ever, Tpot turning the kettle black.

[@Liftoff2theclouds]

Lol 😂these guys have no idea how to grade / cross for profit. The up charges on high end cards through PSA can be insane and eat into your profit and if you don’t know what you’re doing you will lose big.

[@greekperspective2076]

Bad idea right now, to go along with the bad Card predictions.

[@oneshot2605]

It's ridiculous that people prefer PSA over BGS. PSA is so inconsistent on grading. Why would anyone buy a PSA 10 knowing there's a chance that the card didn't really deserve the grade it got?

[@GemRippers]

Says who?! Are YOU sending in 100s of cards to PSA for grading and thinking you're getting too many 💎s you didn't deserve? Highly doubt it. And people buy PSA 10s because theyre so insanely more valuable than anything else, why would they not?

[@fleamarketmixtape3793]

idk i figure green flip csg 9 an 9.5's would be the best way to go since no one can really compare to how hard of a grading scale they started with and can be found pretty cheap.

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

The fact that PSA will FAR FAR FAR more likely give a 10 grade on a cracked 9.5 BGS card then over a 9.5 BGS crossover ( which cost $40) is all you need to know about their lack of consistency in grading with PSA.

[@GemRippers]

How's that inconsistency on PSAs part? Sincerely asking. Of course you'll get more 💎s via cracking slabs than crossing over. That's common sense. I've cracked 100s of BGS, SGC, HGA, CSG, GMA, & others (actually was a big part of our business model for a while) and it's been the same thing for every single one of the slabs from companies not named HGA/CSG; they clearly overgrade. HGA & CGC are the most consistent, strict, and closest to PSAs quality. However, there is one major thing no one's mentioned and that's what is the person cracking the slab doing with/to the card now that it's slab-free? Because anyone can just crack & send, which I honestly think is what most ppl in this thread must be doing if they're regularly failing when doing this but the successful people 1- know how to find the right cards meant for success w/ this strategy, and 2- know how to clean up / prep the card so that it has the best chance possible for gemming (and I am NOT talking about using ANY type of products). Again, this is based on my experience, and I have a lot of it in this department, and I🔬every single card that's brought to me for grading / cracking, and have legit 100s of videos of me cracking, scoping, cleaning. I've always wanted to put a major video together about this because I already have all the content necessary, but that's a whole different level of videography for me. For now, I can post SHORTS & 3-5 min longs, including a 3-part series just posted Part1 about a BGS 9 Josh Allen Prizm Rookie Disco Auto I cracked for someone. Once that card came outta the BGS slabbed we were apalled. Sorry for the novel, just a really fun topic to discuss, and one that people really should start looking into more because there's lotsa $$$ to be made.

[@blessembreaks]

psa is MUCH tougher at grading Jordan rc’s. If u crack the bgs u are lighting your money on fire.

[@fitcoachmarshall4310]

No offense, but providing 30 das of data for graphing/charting is either in ignorance, greed, or both. You want to provide a real service to the community, stop charging as a monopoly. You cannot make proper trades/buys/sells without understanding the larger patterns. Cracking slabs graded tough for a higher PSA value is one of many issues that will destroy the space, unless there are industry standards established. Same thing with bringing gambling into the community space through online box breaks. I’m not talking about live breaks of a box you bought, but gambling on teams and spots that MIGHT be in a pack. It’s not a good thing for the space, no matter how you look at it.

[@lancefinke2006]

Spot on. Imagine if grading fee revenue (sunk costs) was money that could be kept within the marketplace for consumers to actually purchase more Sportscards. Maybe you’d see card values consistently rise. Grading companies suck 10’s of $millions out of the hobby each year.

[@jakesorrentino7230]

What about SGC 9.5?

[@GoBigBlue80]

I have been collecting Trea Turner for a few years. He has been very underrated

[@mitchgilbert6894]

Ppl only want 10s until all thats lefbto buy is 6s and below

[@fivethreeone]

you can get some complete sets cheaper than a gem'd up rookie from the same set- I just discovered that two days ago

[@LuisMendez-tx2dn]

Let’s see if there’s a run on BGS 9.5 card with people trying out o flip it for 10’s.

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

This isn’t a new practice. Actually a very misleading and dangerous one …..the odds are HIGHLY against you receiving a PSA 10 from a BGS 9.5

[@GemRippers]

If you know what cards to look for based on subgrades, it's not difficult whatsoever to make very good ROI by doing this. And like he said before me, this been going on for a while, just one of those "left untouched" practices.

[@simondaughtry4619]

this is not remotely new....

[@Optable]

Crazy, there's actually less BGS 9.5 Dunkin's than PSA 10s

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

That’s only because of Volume …it’s not on percentage

[@Optable]

@@user-xf2tl8ee3c Incorrect (for this specific card). In 90% of instances, you'd be right. But according to the certs on this one, many more were graded with Beckett as they were the leader in the 90s for late 90s sets and market share alone behind their price guides. There are a few cards with a smaller gem rate on Beckett. Volume technically doesn't matter here for a %, which Cajun Cardbord has gone over on this card extensively. If 900 total were graded and 34 gemmed, that's the gem %. The company doesn't matter to determine gem rate. Only the % of gems compared to total graded. Not the total number that gemmed. The % that did. But in this case the total volume is extremely close. I agree with your point that the data can be skewed to look a certain way because of the number submitted though

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

To be honest the PSA/ BGS discrepancy isn’t nearly as pronounced with Baseball. PSA attracts much more of a Basketball crowd

[@daniellarsen889]

So should psa create a "platinum label" 10 so they can market this and upcharge the hell out of people?

[@sp123]

PSA is the first grading company and they established the gem mint distinction. BGS and SGC came up with 10+ / Pristine grades to distinguish themselves from PSA 10s.

[@popmapaxman8179]

glad to know that goldin and pwcc are now in the data base how about rea?

[@michaeltan296]

I hate that this arbitrage opportunity even exists... A 2x multiple means new 'investors' value the plastic slab as much as the card within the slab... 😅 I'll continue to be old school and seek out BGS slabs

[@jonathonsantamont8527]

You must crack, and even then, PSA is very inconsistent. Not cracking is suicide, might as well light money on fire…

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

This man knows what he is talking about. Also a slabbed crossover by PSA will cost $40 before shipping and insurance. While cracking will cost $19 before shipping and insurance

[@teddo997]

have you not seen they are tracking this now?

[@montana01]

This ONLY applies if you are looking to sell/flip now. If your a collector; i'll easily take 4X BGS Jordan Dunk N Go Nuts; over one PSA. The market premium for the 10 cannot sustain. Years from now; when we are in the junk slab era; it will be more about the card; than the slab it's in. Just hoard the BGS for now; and wait till the next big thing grading company to come up.

[@sp123]

PSA/Collectors Universe is essentially the Apple of collectibles. Until another grading company comes out with their own app and data tools like PSA pop report, APR, set registry, etc. The gap between PSA 10s and gem mint from other grading companies will continue to widen. In my opinion, I think people should by what they can afford and what makes the most sense for their budget. I buy PSA 9s if I can't afford the 10 because I want it, I don't expect it to appreciate much in value because the rich whales that pump up the market don't care about 9s. The same idea applies to the gap between BGS 9.5s and PSA 10s.

[@curtislundberg3570]

I would NOT buy ultra modern BGS 9.5s. However, there are some HOF players that seem like good buys at BGS 9.5 that are half of what PSA 10s sell for.

[@James-ux5kv]

Wait till AI grading takes over with a whole new set of parameters. Then maybe time to crack or not. Just saying wont be too long. Lol.

[@KingKuba1313]

This was good a year ago or longer. Just stop sending cards to psa like idiots and let them drop the price to $5. Their submissions are already way down for sports. Once the Pokémon idiots are done then they'll be desperate.

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

Exactly

[@sp123]

I'm waiting for the next $15 special, that was the only time I got fair grades on my cards.

[@greekperspective2076]

Yeah I think your absolutely right card grading needs to come down to at least the original 10 dollars a slab

[@sp123]

This is a decent idea, but PSA 10 sells for a lot more because they grade much harder than BGS. If you don't believe that PSA grades tougher, try to find an ultra modern card graded lower than BGS 8. You wont find many, while PSA loves to slap 4, 5, and 6 grades on new cards all the time.

[@brockbyrd4671]

Why crack? Why not submit it for a cross submission?

[@KingKuba1313]

Because then your chances are basically zero. You think psa will give you a 10 on your bgs 9.5....😂

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

@@OleLockAndKey it mitigates risk but it also is a guaranteed way to throw away $40 per card in grading fees and that doesn’t include shipping and insurance cost. The fact that PSA will FAR more likely give a 10 grade on a cracked card over a crossover is all you need to know about their lack of consistency in grading.

[@jimpanek9680]

People so brainwashed about PSA

[@u_s_a_cards]

😂😂😂

[@sportscardcoalition]

This advice is really throwing off pop counts across all grading companies. How much do you think pop counts are inflated because of this?

[@angelou1]

T POTT the brainiac. I think PSA is king and wish l had the heart to crack a bgs 9.5 and resubmit to psa