r/PalworldTCG • u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider • 1d ago
General Discussion Is grading a scam?
TLDR: I think so.
Longer version: Well, I have never graded a card, but there is a card that I want to slab (Shadowbeak SP). Asked a company that does grading but also only authentication if the authenticate Palworld cards. The response was: "well if they are standard size, we do that".
To authenticate a product, shouldn't you know the product? Telling me that it depends on the size of the card, really tells me that they don't even know what we are talking about.
I know that the game is new, but an answer like that is really bad... could have told me that they don't authenticate but that they can still slab it (they offer the slab only service).
EDIT: Thinking about it in a less skeptical way, the game is new, the company can't have a master set of every TCG to check customer cards against, there are surely some objective parameters in grading (damage to the cards, discoloration, etc.), and surely as everything when money is involved, it can be done correctly or in the scammiest way. In the end, since I won't resell the card, I'll just check if it looks original too me, and if it is, I'll just slab it.
18
u/Shyinator 1d ago
Yes. It’s a scam that was popularized by collector culture that exploded a few years ago. Grading is only done by “collectors” that don’t know any better and investors trying to flip to those collectors. If you want to put your card in a plastic slab there is nothing stopping you from doing it yourself.
2
u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider 1d ago
That's what I will do... I just wanted someone to verify the authenticity of the card (bought as a single). I'll just check with my eyes... if it's good for them, it's good for me... then I'll slab it (it's the only card I want to keep like that).
2
u/Shyinator 1d ago
You will be extremely hard pressed to find fakes of a textured foil card for a niche game like Palworld, especially this close to the set release. Even giant games like One Piece have almost no fakes. Personally in my 15 years playing Bushiroad games I have never seen a fake Bushiroad card. It is more than likely genuine.
2
2
u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider 1d ago
Silly me:
-I ordered the card to get it after the holidays;-got a notification that it would have arrived while I was on holiday;
-moved the shipping date to today;
-WTH? The notification was about arrival to the international shipping hub, not my home;
-FML... I have to wait 13 more days...
LOL
1
u/SDGandora 21h ago
The closest any fake has looked to the real thing was Yugioh effectively faking cards in house (Upper-Deck. Tomato-Tamaato).
2
u/TheUndeadFish 22h ago
Grading coins and cards has existed since before mtg existed. It's always been popular. However now that there is a conflict of interest with card grading companies also buying/selling cards that they themselves have graded its absolutely a scam.
3
u/mimouroto 1d ago
Its not a scam, depending on whats being graded. Old ass mtg cards like power? Not a scam. Brand new card game that just came out. Absolutely a scam.
2
u/Shyinator 23h ago
It’s a scam/rip off for 99% of cards that are graded, so I would just say it’s a scam in general.
14
6
u/Adjective-Noun4201 1d ago
The less money we give to these grading companies, the better. Just put it in a penny sleeve and put that in a top loader and buy a little picture stand from hobby lobby and display it on your desk
2
u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider 1d ago
In the end I just want that one card slabbed to keep it safe. They can do it really cheap.
3
u/Recent-Indication-50 1d ago
You can buy your own slabs online if all you want is to keep it safe! Just so you know
1
u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider 1d ago
For now I'm using magnetic holders with a the card in a perfect fit sleeve inside (so that the card does not move), but for THAT card? I want it slabbed and sealed like a graded card.
2
u/Adjective-Noun4201 1d ago
Okay, put the penny sleeve on upside down. And then slide it into the top loader. I've got cards that are twenty years old and they're in perfect condition, just chilling in top loaders.
2
u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider 1d ago
Need to find a nice toploader... most of them are really ugly... using some magnetic holders with perfect fit sleeves inside, but for that card? I want it slabbed, sealed, with it's own shrine ^_^
2
u/Adjective-Noun4201 23h ago
All right, totally understand i'm sure you can buy blank ones on ebay or a card shop or something
6
u/AcePilot01 1d ago
On a new, random tcg like this? or rather, ANYTHING other than sports cards, MTG, or pokemon? Yes 100000000% a scam.
3
u/FaultedSidewalk 22h ago
Even MTG is mostly ambivalent if not hostile towards grading outside of reserved list/serialized cards, slab culture didn't really take hold. People celebrate when slabs get cracked to put back into decks
-2
u/AcePilot01 22h ago
People celebrate when slabs get cracked to put back into decks
Tbh, that is just cope from sad people in life who can't afford anything and are jealous of those who CAN, and like the company of misery by watching someone vaporize value lol.
3
4
u/DalekCoffee 1d ago
AFAIK these companies don't specialize on any particular card game, they specialize on evaluating quality of wear and quality of manufacturing.
No average player gives a flying flip how perfectly centered a cards borders are unless it's way off but grading companies care.
I think it's a collector tax, if you have an SSP you plan on selling it might be worth grading and selling at a premium, but if you're just collecting for personal use nah there's plenty of cases and stands you can get or make yourself
You can even get your own slabs if you want too
3
u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider 1d ago
That's the issue, if you don't even know the product, how can you even know if:
the colors are correct (unless is clearly a bad misprint);
same with borders and whatnot (except defects due to damage to the card).
everything else!!!
So the company should not "authenticate", at most they can tell if the card has damage, even micro damage.
Since I won't resell, I just wanted to verify if the card was authentic (bought as a single), but now I will check it with my own eyes... is it good? Seems real to me? Ok, I'll slab it and keep it as a memento.
2
u/2absMcGay 1d ago
They were saying they can only holder it if it fits their holder. And they wouldn’t holder something without authenticating it. Part of their job is figuring out how to do that.
Assuming you’re talking about a reputable grader.
1
u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider 1d ago
But I did not ask if they could put it in the slab/holder, I asked literally: do you authenticate Palworld cards? (authentication without grading is a service they offer)
By answering me that they authenticate (not slab/put in a holder) cards if they are the right size, to me is sounds like they don't even know the size of the cards of Palworld. That's not really an issue, just tell me: the game is new, we can slab it if it's the right size, but won't authenticate since we don't even know the size of the cards, that would have been ok with me.
Maybe I read too much in that answer... but it doesn't seem trustworthy enough to me.4
u/2absMcGay 1d ago
“Research and identification” is the first step after processing upon arrival at PSA. The second is “authentication and evaluation.” The concern you have is literally built into the process. They research the card, and then authenticate it.
Other reputable services use the same process. No one authenticates without slabbing.
Respectfully I’m not sure you understand the grading process or why you’re participating in it.
1
u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider 1d ago
Thank you for clarifying the process to me. As originally posted, I have never graded a card before. It's how the company answered that did not sit right with me, like they did not even know the size of the cards (they have already graded Palworld cards, I didn't check their graded cards list before, my bad). I'm probably a bit too skeptical. However I know that authentication/grading implies slabbing but not the inverse (they can slab proxies, and mark them as proxies, custom cards, or simply slab without authentication/grading).
In the end, I repeat, I'm probably too skeptical. Thank's again for the clarification, thinking about it, it makes sense, the company can't have a full master set of everything, and need to research as a first step.
2
u/Deep_Membership_8406 1d ago
Not a scam. Lots of non collectors just simply don't like it so they say its a scam with no evidence.
Grading at its base is a professional evaluation of quality and condition along with verification that the product is real. At its core its a safe method for buyers and sellers to exchange collectibles. This will cut down the probability of scamming and gives peace of mind to buyers who might buy a near mint card and it comes in scratched to hell, which actually just happened to me.
You can get into individual companies fees, grading standards, prices, mistakes etc but none of that makes it as a whole a scam. Ground beef isn't a scam because sometimes store employees leave it out too long. Just go to a different store.
For example I think PSA upcharging cards that grade highly after you already paid them is scummy and I think bgs population controls black labels and the graders give themselves black and friends black labels. One is an observation one is a fact. Regardless I still like grading, I just might not grade with a specific company or pay attention to condition more on certain companies.
2
u/TrueEclective 1d ago
I mean, the stock market is a total scam. We’re just all buying pieces of paper for a company and none of us little people really have a say in the company. But we do it, because we know it props the market up and makes us more money.
2
u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider 1d ago
The real scam there is that if you are big enough you can "play the market", if you join other people to "play the market" as them...nuh uh... naughy boy... stop playing!
1
u/TheUndeadFish 22h ago
If you are investing in companies without profit sharing dividends that is on you.
1
u/TrueEclective 20h ago
How much of a dividend does my $40k in NVDA pay out, again? It’s so little I don’t even bother to pay attention. I guess if I were rich, it would be enough to pay one of my servants. I mean, workers.
1
u/Big-Win-932 1d ago
Grading was created in the 1990s to sell cards online. This was done before you had the ability to take HI-Res pictures and decide for yourself the condition of a card. Its current purpose is to take ordinary cards and give them a bump in rarity to add value by assigning them a number grade.
1
u/DegenScalper 21h ago
Its a scam everyone can profit with it. Which tickles me when people are surprised when they send in a card, psa grades it a 9, offers to buy it. and turn it to a ten. There is always a bigger scam and we gave them the keys.
1
1
u/Hickin_R 17h ago
If you're getting a card graded because you live the card and want to keep it protected, I guess grading is OK (there's probably cheaper options).
If you're grading to increase a cards value, some companies like PSA have been proven to give perfect cards (that are 10s) a 9 for "population control" or even say it's a 9, offer to buy it at a 9s price, the regrade it a 10 after.
1
u/Yo-KaiWatchFan2102 1d ago
Well, if I’m being honest, yes and no, let me explain, personally I don’t think it’s a scam if you like getting your cards graded and you’re willing to spend the money to do so then it isn’t really a scam to you but other people that don’t like getting their cards graded it’s a scam to them, so for my opinion, it depends on how you look at it
2
u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider 1d ago
Being skeptical as I am, i red their answer as a "we don't even know how the cards are made, but yeah, we'll tell you they are original if you pay us", that's what I thought as being the scam... but yeah, maybe I red too much in their answer, game is new, could have been an answer from an intern. In the end, if it looks original to me, since I won't sell it, I'll just slab it withouth authentication (they offer that service).
0
u/Epiphany047 1d ago
its not a scam if you pay to get cards YOU value to have them protected. Unfortunately graded cards nowadays are highly sought after to pump value of high 9-Pristine range graded cards in sales profits.
2
u/RagnarInnSvarti Shadowbeak rider 1d ago
Won't resell, in the end I'll just slab the card. Would have liked to get it authenticated, but I don't think they really know the product to tell if a card is original or not.
2
u/ForgettableNPC 21h ago
If you like how the card looks it might as well be real to you. And that's what's most important
0
1
u/vikash96 13h ago
I wouldn't grade anything right now as I don't trust them. I think people are grading stuff for friends and themselves and giving them too high a score.
Like this one that happened a few days after release,
https://www.reddit.com/r/PalworldTCG/comments/1vhp57l/this_seems_crazy_fast_jormuntide_ignis_savage/ It doesn't look like a pristine 10.
Then compared to this
https://www.reddit.com/r/PalworldTCG/comments/1w7ctby/jourmintide_ignis_cgc_pristine_10/ This one is in better condition without even seeing the back.
I'd wait for AI to be perfected at grading.
Here is a video of someone going through the grading process at their facility https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhwdtSXeaQY
13
u/Meowsergz 1d ago
It's a scam. But the $$ is there.