Guys, I need some help as to how I should approach grading a bunch of my raw stuff....I have about 600 or so cards (Hockey) from the 60's and early 70's and a few from the 50's and what I need to know, what is the cheapest way to get my cards graded?

I don't have to do them all at once mind you....But what I need to know, is it cheaper to simply ship here from Canada or because my Mom and Step dad live in the States for over half the year (Arizona) I was wondering, should I use their address and ship them from there????

I really do not have a clue about how to approach this but I do think it is much more expensive sending here from Canada down to the States for grading......or am I incorrect?

Help me out any of you Canucks or Americans on how I should approach this?

I am referring to grading with PSA of course. And probably grading 40 cards at a bunch.....definately not all at once...

Really...any insight is mucho appreciated to this illiterate person on this subject!

Thanks

Devon

Devon,

If you have the option of sending your cards into PSA directly from inside the USA - do it!!

This way you do not have to worry about cross-border delays and customs issues and/or fees. Packages shipped with FedEx from Canada to the USA are much more expensive than if you ship with FedEx from within the USA. This is due to FedEx charging their brokerage fees.

Hope that helps.

Paul

Open an account with psa and do it yourself. If you have your parents do it you will probably get a tax bill from revcan and have to fight to get your money back. Jim.

Hi Devon,

I also have some raw cards I want to grade and I live in Montreal.
I've started gathering informations a year ago about the process.

The biggest thing to avoid, imo:

A dealer at a card show here once told me of an horror story for a
canadian collector who sent his cards to PSA, in California.

On the way back, the package was inspected and the value of its content appraised.
When the package arrived at his home, the postman asked for PST + GST on the value
of the package. I don't know how much it amounted, but it costed him much more than
the simple PSA certifications.

Some dealers have an arrangement with the Canadian Customs so the package are not
taxed on the value of its content. The dealer will take care of collecting the proper
PST and GST amount and the package comes back free of duties.


GL!

Gilles

Gilles. PSA clearly marks the package as your property being returned to you and the cost of the service that they provided. Jim

Hi Jim,

I have no experience on this topic. I've simply repeated a story
told to me by a canadian card show dealer.

The only thing I know for sure from my little experience is when I purchase
insurance on cards bought in the US, the seller tells me he has to
write the full value of the package content on the US Customs green
slip in order for the insurance to be valid. I've experience this 4-5
times from different card dealers based in the US. They all said the same.
I understand the insurance company will insure the amount written on
the slip??? What if the package gets loss?? There's no way for them
to retrace the amount on the slip.

I still don't catch this...

As this happened to you?
Is there a way to circumvent this?

To tell you the truth, I have no idea if this applies to PSA when they
ship to Canada insured. A good thing would be to clear the issue with them
before sending the cards, especially if those cards have substancial value...

Also, maybe some canadian posters here, could share their experience on
this procedure?


Better saved than sorry!

Good day,


Gilles

I've only ever sent cards to be graded through the Canadian submission center of SGC, but from what I've heard, if you send cards to BGS or PSA from Canada, you might get charged taxes on the way back, but only on the fees it cost you to get your cards graded. You're not supposed to pay taxes on the value of your cards. It's not as if you had bought them from a dealer in the USA, the cards were yours all along the process, you just paid to get them graded and returned to you...

Sure, this would be the logical thing, but


How do you prove to these Customs guys that you were the original owner
of the cards before sending them for grading?

Gilles,

I'm sure you could get an email from PSA, or any of the 3rd party companies that you could mail to the customs people. Its a grading company, not a card selling company.

Andrew

I've sent close to 10 submissions to PSA from Canada....as long as you follow the 'rules,' there should be no problem. Once I had to clear the package myself, but that was just a formality, and it was the free submission....Customs couldn't understand the concept of 'free'

If you state on your export declaration "cards being sent for certification by collector, NOT for resale" that gives you a bit of protection.....also, PSA will return the package with the same declaration on it.

You can also use the PSA agent (len Pottie) but I'm not sure of his fee structure, and I know he is forced to charge HST (15%?) on it....

If you are planning on sending in 100's of cards, then the extra shipping costs are meaningingless.....if you send 1000 cards in, what will your shipping costs, per card, increase by??? cents...

Also, it goes without saying, what until there is a bulk special....and don't screw around wiht the valuation for insurance purposes, just in case the unthhinkable happens.

Having said all that, I would give your parents a project, and do all this from Arizona....although, you will need a credit card that matches your address (perhaps)...

Thinking about shipping costs to get them there and back, it actually may be cheaper and more fun to pack the cards in a suitcase, take a trip down and deliver them and pick them up in person from PSA. Might as well get a trip out of it if your going to pay that much for the shipping (based on weight to get them there and per card to bring them back).

Andrew

I do not know if it has been mentioned but you can contact Len Pottie at Platinum Promotions who sends shipments to PSA once a month. You pay $8 for cards valued under $50 and $10 for cards valued between $50 and $500. Over $500 is $35 a card. Len takes care of all of the shipping to PSA. I have a PSA membership but prefer to submit through Platinum Promotions.

Thanks Guys...I really don't know what to do still? I have used Len Pottie before as that was the easist way but isn't his prices quite expensive? Or are his prices reasonable?

I still wonder if I used my Mom and Step Dad's address in Arizona and did it from there that that wouldn't be the cheapest way?? I am really clued out on this subject?

Anymore insight guys???

I've never paid tax on any of my GAI pack submissions or my only PSA card submission. I had to instruct the GAI shippers years ago on how to do it and they've been pretty good about including very clear documentation that the items are simply being returned to the original owner, no purchase involved. I've had to pay ~$20 in brokerage fees occasionally to UPS but I figure it's worth that cost for their reliability in handling and tracking packages compared to the regular postal services on either side of the border. PSA was good about it as well so I've never understood why folks send their stuff down via a third party.
Coming back to Canada through a third party is a different thing though in that you basically have to have the US based sender fudge the customs merchandise value declaration and sweat out an underinsured package to get it across under the taxation radar. Same song and dance as with regular cross border ebay purchases.

Devon - What I like about sending my cards through Len is that it is 30 days and you have your grades back. When I send cards on PSA specials they usually take 90 days. I think PSA Canada's prices are reasonable unless you are submitting a bunch of $600 cards.

Len has to charge the HST on his submissions from Canada....that's a 15% premium you have to pay...

If you prepare your submission, exactly as required by PSA, you should get your grades in the turnaround times as advertised.

Dan that sounds intriguing! Do I have to join PSA or get a membership? How do I get a form from them?

I really don't care about how long it takes so that isn't an issue for me...that 15 percent that Len has to charge is a big matzah ball for me to swallow since I am going to be sending quite a bit...

Devon

with PSA, that will also get you some free submissions, and you can access the PSA collecter club specials.


http://www.psacard.com/join/index.chtml

Make sure you understand the process for grading submissions, as any error (ie not labeling each card properly) will delay your submission...

also, do you have the proper cardsavers for submissions? Card Saver 1's

Dan, what are these 'proper' card savers for submission? Can you point them out?

Devon

I have a question about this. Those card savers are the semi-rigid top loaders right ? The ones that are more flexible than your normal top loader. How the hell do you get a card in there without damaging it ? I have never been able to figure out how to do it properly; they are too tight and you have to somehow push the card down by the top edge. If you pinch it open by the sides it doesn't seem to open far enough to slide the card all the way in. I can't imagine trying to put a valuable card into one of those things.

I always send mine to Len (haven't sent them to PSA by any other means) in a regular top loader with a piece of paper over the top, not tape of course, and have never had a problem.

HI Devon, see scan:




Al, if you sent them in a regular toploader to LEn, that means someone in Nova Scotia repackaged them before sending to PSA..


Devon, you can buy these directly from PSA or a bit cheaper on ebay....I ordered 1000 last time, and sold them to local, fellow collectors...

Feel free to contact me directly if you have questions....I have done both....sending them directly from Canada, or using a California address when it was avaialable and bringing them across as luggage.

Al,
I am on your side man.I don't understand those card saver things???
I just don't get it at all??
For years I have been using a regular top loader they work fine for me and I have no problem geting cards in or out.
I just sent a Gretzky rookie to PSA and was scared to death trying to get it in a Card Saver.
Please someone fill me in here as to what I am missing
Jon

Whatever you send in to Len he will send directly to PSA. He does not put the cards in Cardsaver 1's. PSA is very clear, though, that they are not responsible for damage done to cards that are not sent in Cardsaver 1's.

I read that and I could not for the life of me figure out how there was more chance of damage putting them in a top loader than in one of those ridiculous things (never mind trying to get a card out of one).

I have never sent a card in one of those and I doubt very much that Len is repackaging anything, since you have to put the submission # on the holder too; would be too much work for him. The only reason I can think of that they push those things , other than a financial contribution from Cardsaver Inc, might be that people often send cards in a top loader with a piece of scotch tape over the top (depending upon the card and my mood I refer to these people as "idiots"); aside from the possibility of the card shifting and coming into contact with the tape, you quite often have to get the card out of an opening that has sticky residue on it once you remove the tape, if you can. SO, I fold a piece of paper over the top of the top loader, pinching it closed slightly (card first tapped down to bottom of loader)and then afix tape to the ends of the paper.

I had the same experience with these Card Save I before.

I never use them, too difficult to slide the card in or out.

Top loaders on top of a soft sleeve seems the ideal solution for keeping cards.
I wonder why PSA are saying know to them. Couldn't they accept them and provide
instructions on how to use them?.

One thing for sure, I will never put my cards in those Card Save I.
Even at card shows, I ask politely the dealer to take the card out of them
in order to have a closer look. I then ask to put it back themself. Too
risky for me!