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| Frequently Asked Questions
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| How do grading companies determine a grade on a card? |
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Each grading company has it's own methods for determining the grade a card receives. However, every grading company looks at four key areas of a card: corners, centering, edges, and surface.
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| What does grading do for a card? |
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First, it authenticates the card. The experts at each grading company know exactly what to look for in order to determine whether a card is fake or not. Card grading minimizes the possibility of a fake card. Second, sports card grading also assigns a grade to the card so the buyer knows the exact condition of the card before he buys it.
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| I have searched eBay listings for graded cards and have found nearly 8 different graded card companies. Which are the best? |
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While each grading company has its own strengths, some are better known than others. These include Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Beckett Grading Services (BGS), SportsCard Guarantee (SGC), Global Authentication, Inc (GAI), and SCD Authentic (SCD). Most sellers include the abbreviation in their title, so if you are looking for cards from a specific grader, searching for the key-letters is effective.
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| Is there a way I can search for graded cards in each category? |
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Yes. Inside of each sport, categories are broken down into singles (categorized by each decade) and rookies. Inside of each of those categories you can search by "Graded" or "Non-Graded."
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| How can I tell how much a graded card is worth? |
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The best way to determine card values is to search eBay's "completed items" and see what the current market prices are for a particular card.
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| How do I go about getting my card(s) graded? |
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Currently the best way is to submit your cards directly to the grading company that you want to grade your cards. Soon, some of these card grading companies will be selling grading services on eBay. Stay tuned and check back here for updates.
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| If I have a huge card collection and I just want someone to sell it for me, what should I do? |
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There are a few routes you can take here. First off, you must decide whether the collection should be broken down and sold piece by piece, or sold as one lot. There are two ways of deciding this. If you have a minimal knowledge of sports cards, you can look up the items in a published price guide such as Beckett or Sports Market Report or in the completed auction results on eBay. If you have no knowledge of cards, then you should take the lot (or if it's too large, have someone come to the lot) to a local, knowledgeable dealer. It all depends on what is in the lot. If the lot is worth breaking down (i.e. there are cards valued at a high enough price where you can make money selling them one-by-one), then you should have someone sell them that way. However, if the lot consists of mostly common, non-valuable cards, then it should be sold as a lot.
No matter which method you chose to list the cards, should it be in the form or a lot or as single cards, make sure you include a great photo(s) or scan(s). This is especially important if selling a lot. It cannot be stressed enough that if you have minimal knowledge of what is contained within the lot, take as many photos of it as you can, as that may be the buyers only method of detecting the items in the lot.
Next you must decide how to sell the cards. Besides selling them yourself, there are several consignment services out there that will accept lots or single cards, and take a percentage out of the sale, and if listed on eBay, will also charge eBay listing and other applicable fees. You can also take them to a local, trustworthy dealer who can also piece out the cards or sell them as a lot.
eBay also has a Trading Assistants program where certain sellers on eBay, that must meet a list of qualifications, will list items for you in exchange for a share of the revenue. To learn more about the Trading Assistant program, click here.
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