1545 - Fixing Grading

Dr. Beckett discusses how grading backlogs, especially at PSA, hurt the hobby’s liquidity and confidence more than pricing, noting long waits, submission shutdowns, and the impact on modern product timing. He reviews the current landscape (BGS improving, SGC positioned for vintage, CGC strong in TCG) and proposes “segmentation” with separate queues, pricing, and training lanes for TCG, modern, and vintage, arguing authenticity/alteration detection is the top priority. Beckett suggests operational fixes such as vouchers for customers willing to accept slower service, incentives for bulk/multiplicity submissions to speed grading, and loyalty points that can provide queue advantages while penalizing bad-faith submissions. He also highlights registries and pop reports as key infrastructure and suggests pre-screeners could offer labeled, non-binding raw grade estimates to avoid long grading limbo.

 

02:06 Backlogs and Hobby Impact

03:14 Separate Queues by Category

05:04 Training Lanes and Authenticity

08:04 Pricing and Voucher Ideas

09:53 BCCG Story and Bulk Efficiency

13:01 Queue Perks and Loyalty Points

14:31 Eye Appeal and Submitter Notes

15:50 Pre-Graders and Raw Reviews