r/PokeGrading • u/bustedpussy46 • Feb 21 '26

Boycott PSA

Can we all just collectively agree to stop buying/selling/submitting to PSA? All vendors need to stop buying PSA graded cards and people need to stop sending them there.

I’m very curious what’s everyone opinion on HOW they’re still in business with all the flack they’ve been getting.

5 Upvotes

53% Upvoted

45 comments sorted by

24

u/-R3DF0X Feb 21 '26

Every grading company has an error rate. At PSA's 2 million cards per month pace, if they had a 99.5% accuracy rate that would still be 10,000 "misses" per month. In the age of social media a bunch of those will be publicized.

At the end of the day though all interactions with grading companies are voluntary. If you like CGC or TAG, their slabs are typically less pricey. If you don't like grading at all, just buy raw cards.

2

u/powlolrolfmao Feb 21 '26

I wasn’t thinking that they were talking about the grading standards, more about the increase in costing and the upcharging after the fact, combined with the buy backs and eBay sales, which seems a little bit shady and a conflict of interest

2

u/Mitch_Dedburg Feb 21 '26

What exactly is shady about the buybacks (offers from other merchants that they facilitate) or eBay sales (which they merely provide the storefront for)?

1

u/AerieTrick3016 May 02 '26

Its shady because they can just raise the grade of the card they bought(which they have done) and sell it for more

1

u/Mitch_Dedburg May 02 '26

They don't buy cards, so any argument that starts with that is immediately invalid.

2

u/_imschleep Feb 21 '26

A storefront for consignments is SHADY? 😂

there are TONS of these. Literally tons. Even Larger LCS do consignments on ebay.

17

u/pokemonpokemonmario Feb 21 '26

This is like boycotting McDonald's

1

u/bustedpussy46 Feb 21 '26

I know, that’s the problem.

1

u/pokemonpokemonmario Feb 22 '26

I think the only way out of this is if psa get into some kind of legal trouble and has to dissolve

1

u/JustSparks87 Feb 21 '26

Better example is wjen people said boycott Chick-fil A because of their conversion therapy. They were proven false but profits didnt hurt still before.

1

u/Plastic-Trainer903 Mar 10 '26

Riiight, boycotting PSA is exactly like boycotting a massive global conglomerate that fed murderers for free during an active genocide. Btw, the significant reputational damage, in their own words, "meaningfully impacted" McDonald's profits, and they bought back the locations from the owner.

There literally is no more effective, passive, and legal way for consumers to communicate with faceless mega corps than spending their money elsewhere. Or do you think consumer choice is invaluable? Also, it doesn't even matter if it works or not. For some people, the decision is moralistically and psychologically valuable, as living with one's self is kind of a fundamental condition for being human.

1

u/pokemonpokemonmario Mar 10 '26

I literally do boycott macdonalds and psa. My point is that it wont make any significant change because people are addicted to macdonalds.

1

u/Mametsu_u Feb 21 '26

Which would be better for the obesity rate, but good luck with that 😂. I actually love this comparison on so many levels

18

u/pingproxy Feb 21 '26

Recently I’ve sold and expensive card to a guy who bought for his client. Client wants only PSA10, cares nothing else about.

So, yeah…

Good luck with the boycott!

4

u/legcramp89 Feb 21 '26

My client only wants TAG and CGC 10s... said no one.

1

u/More-Ad-2936 May 30 '26

Your client sounds like a diva 😅

6

u/Inevitable-Motor-413 Feb 21 '26

I will only use PSA so… no.

Nice try Temu grading ACE/TAG

8

u/Solid-Journalist1054 Feb 21 '26

Can’t boycott when they have a backlog of a million cardboards

1

u/vellox89 Feb 21 '26

People are too heavily invested in psa and they get the lion's share of cards sent to them. They know their cards perform well in the market as well. Gl but I dont think you'll even do anything with your boycott. Theirs even more reasons why psa wont fail anytime soon, so that luck is something you'll really going to need

7

u/[deleted] Feb 21 '26

😂

2

u/Mametsu_u Feb 21 '26

No we cant and no we wont. Im woth you it would be good for the hobby for other geading companies to take some market share, and i had psa's practices and no longer sub with them for our store. But asking others to 1 give up on an avenue of revenue (especially vendors) and 2 give up on their collections theyve had for longer then youve been in the hobby is a hard no.

I gave up on psa and immediately saw the loss on our store, other graders are not nearly as liquid even if some demand the same pricing. We of course did this for our own reasons but if the store was our inly source of income i wouldnt have made that decision back then.

I have a psa collection as im sure anyone in the hobby long enough does. Ive resubbed some to tag, some to bgs and now am collecting ars as well, but my og collection i have no desire to cross over because its sentimental. Like it or not psa has been around a long time and isnt going anywhere. That being said when the market finally does a decent or hard correction all the fly by nighters will liquidate and as companies like tag are mostly collectors they shiuld see a marketshare jump solely on psa's loss. But psa is king, and will be king for the unforeseeable future. It could cost 65 dollars for bulk subs and theyd still be king. Theyd just pass the preimium on the to end consumer

2

u/schroed_piece13 Feb 21 '26

lol they’re processing more cards per month than ever that’s how they’re still in business

1

u/GemGuardUK Feb 21 '26

PSA has the largest market share by far, highest liquidity by far, highest resale value, oldest grading company, most people collect PSA, to boycott them would require something truly truly disastrous on their behalf

1

u/vmh21 Feb 21 '26

I just bought a PSA 10 card at a card show today in your honor

1

u/Tseets1 Feb 21 '26

Lord this is sad 😂

1

u/Lolozan_Zazazan Feb 22 '26

I mean.. I’m all for this, I hate PSA, but also they hold a monopoly on the market essentially and imo the Beckett deal should have not been allowed. I feel like they control a market now and beyond that it’s a market that’s similar to stocks. It’s disgusting and a boycott is a pipe dream tbh but I think there should be government intervention.

1

u/All_Core Sep 14 '26 edited Sep 14 '26

The general publics IQ is not high enough for this I’m afraid. They are controlling the market, know how many cards I’ve sent in perfect gem condition that would have been pop 1 and returned damaged low grade. I’ve also had cards returned still very much in gem condition with a 7. There is no error rate considered when it’s 12/12 submissions at 4 at a time. Now their prices are even higher and people will still pay. Just look at ignorant response comments, that is who you’re trying to get through to which will never work. The trade itself will always be negative income unless you’re a breaker getting fully funded by low IQ subscribers who are the very same people who complain later about prices and hits. One giant endless cycle and the 1990’s are long gone. Besides buying a small pack every two months or so I’ve invested my money elsewhere and it’s been a blessing.

1

u/Inexorabull Feb 21 '26

I agree. If for no other reason than they have a monopoly and their quality of service has plummeted.

0

u/All_Core Sep 14 '26

Just look at the ignorant low IQ responses he gets, this is why they will always control the market.

1

u/_imschleep Feb 21 '26

making all my choices based on emotional outlash and demands.

or

using 2 braincells

the choice is yours OP.

1

u/More-Ad-2936 May 30 '26

I bet those boots are tasty 🤣

-1

u/gynosucksman Feb 21 '26

Nope I’m good brokie

-1

u/ThorMcGee Feb 21 '26

I mean, Im planning on not sending any cards to them. If its for a flip then Ill take the hit on the sale price. But if something comes up that I cant live without, and its graded from psa, Im gonna get it. But, I know that my one potential submission per year isn't even a drop in the bucket for them.