Unnecessary grading

[tzofosho]

How frustrating is it when someone has a completely unreasonable price for an item you're looking for?!

I currently collect two different /25 parallel cards from a 2011 set (I don't want to say which one for fear of insulting this seller). I have 9 of one and 8 of the other. Over the last few months, one of the cards popped up on ebay. Happy Day!

Except oh wait, he had it graded, which is useless for my purposes (maybe if I am ever able to fill the set (doubtful) I would consider having them graded, but at the moment, useless. (Which brings up the stupidity (imo) of grading 2010s non-rookie, non-auto cards, which I'll save for another day.)

Not only is it graded, but he wants $200+ for it...the card books for $20 (the last I saw it), which means I generally try not to pay more than $10 for these cards. It's an 8.5 which isn't even that impressive to me for a 2010s era card, yet somehow this seller believes this has multiplied the value by at least 10 times. Recently the seller did drop it to an auction for $65, still, way above what I'd pay for it.

I offered $35 for it a while back (I'm sure an insulting number for him, but way more than I ever planned on paying for one of these cards), but that was just an attempt to allow him to recoup some of the cost of having a card graded that in my opinion should never have been submitted.

Obviously, it's his prerogative to list his card for whatever he deems fair, its just crazy pants to me, and I needed to vent.

What do you guys think, is an 8.5 grade on a 2011 card enough to bump the book value 10-20x??

[vikings]

Of course not, the only things that I would ever grade is something that is worth like $150+ before graded.

[hayn]

First and foremost, my reaction and comments are in of that why grade a base card. Unless the base card book value is more than the cost to grade the aforementioned card. An example would be a 2012 Topps Chrome Rookie Card Andrew Luck. Due to it's collectibility of this Chrome card and the financial draw, is by no means a long shot. This is truly a it is what it is scenario. As for overpaying for a graded card, especially one that's graded at a 8.5, makes no sense on two points. First, why spend $30.00 plus dollars when the best selling point of this card is $20.00. Second, charging astronomical amounts of money like the example you've given is morally unsound.

Hobbiest know and understand that these type of practices are from a technical standpoint, bad business. This will follow a sellar in the most negative way for a long time. This is where grading becomes a nuisance. I have no problem paying a premium for a graded 10 nor graded 9.5, but to charge that kind of money for an 8.5, is bordering on insanity.

In summation, I know this is a much used saying but here goes; "A collectible item will be only worth what a collector is willing to pay for is as old as time itself"

[bcw716]

I don't normally buy graded but in my experience with the few I have bought, a BGS 9 is basically the same price as buying a raw card. 9.5 & 10 is when the price jumps significantly(not that i'd pay the premium regardless).