PSA Price Hikes: Paying More for the Same Old Magnifying Glass
✍ The Collector’s Crossroads
by Brews & Breaks
PSA just raised grading prices again. No new tech, no faster TATs, no AI scans—just a bigger invoice. Collectors are asking: if we’re paying 20–30% more, shouldn’t we at least get something better than a guy squinting under a desk lamp?
Sticker Shock at the Submission Form
Nine months for your cards back during the pandemic felt like prison time. Today it’s “only” 2–3 months… but now you’re paying premium rates for the privilege of waiting. That’s like USPS raising stamp prices because they can’t figure out how to hire more mail carriers.
The Monopoly Math Nobody Talks About
PSA’s strategy looks a lot like:
Buy competitors.
Hike prices.
Cut gem rates.
Watch collectors keep submitting anyway.
It’s the same playbook monopolies run in every industry: corner the market, squeeze the consumer, call it “efficiency.” Except here, the product is cardboard with a fancy label.
Why This Hurts the Hobby
Innovation Stalls – Other industries use AI for quality checks; we get a guy named Carl with a loupe.
Collector Fatigue – Rising fees + falling gem rates = why bother?
Market Manipulation – When grading fees rival box prices, collectors are effectively paying a “hobby tax.”
How We Fix It
Vote With Your Submissions – BGS, CGC, TAG, SGC, and Arena Club… spread the business and force PSA to feel it.
Demand Tech Upgrades – AI scanning, transparent gem-rate reporting, and real-time order tracking should be table stakes.
Hold Influencers Accountable – Stop cheering every PSA 10 reveal like it’s the second coming. If collectors keep acting like PSA is the only game in town, PSA will keep acting like it too.
Final Sip
At some point, we have to ask: are we collectors, or just PSA subscribers with a side hobby? Until grading companies start offering innovation equal to their invoices, the only thing they’re really minting is money.
Until next time, keep sippin’ and rippin’. ☕🔥
#SportsCards #CardGrading #PSA #SportsCardInvesting #SportsCardHobby #PSAFees #BrewsAndBreaks #TheCollectorsCrossroads
