PSA is beatable, but not by playing their game. You can't out-corporate them. You can't out-spend them.
You beat them by being faster, cheaper, and more trustworthy.
By hiring the right face for the brand. And by relentlessly attacking their weak points.
Someone just needs the guts to actually compete.
>PSA Buys Beckett
>Mets Owner Beat Insider Trading Charges. Now He Owns PSA
1. Win on the Basics: Speed, Price, Value
Card dorks care about three things:
- Turnaround time - Get cards back faster
- Price - Charge less
- Market value - Make sure your slabs sell for comparable prices
Notice accurate grading is not one of the key aspects of beating PSA.
People only want 10s.
Figure out a way to deliver that to them cheaply and with speed.
2. Buy Back Your Own Slabs
Corporations buy back their own stock to signal confidence and support share prices.
Grading companies should do the same.
Set up a buyback program.
If people don't want to spend money on your slabs.
You should be willing to.
3. Slab the Iconic Cards
PSA dominates the high-end market because every iconic card—1952 Topps Mantle, 1986-87 Fleer Jordan, T206 Wagner—is primarily in PSA, SGC or now BGS slabs.
Change that.
Target the most expensive, most iconic cards in the hobby.
Offer premium services specifically for high-value vintage.
Get those cards in your holders.
When a $500K Mantle or $300K Jordan is in your slab instead of PSA's, it legitimizes your entire operation.
Collectors see that the big money trusts your grading.
Partner with auction houses.
Offer white-glove service.
Do whatever it takes to get iconic cards in your holders at auction.
4. Hire a Well-Dressed White Guy
See: Geoff Wilson at Sports Card Investor.
Peter Steinberg at SGC.
The hobby responds to well-spoken, well-dressed white men in suits who project authority.
It may not be fair. But it's reality.
If you're trying to challenge an established player, you need someone who fits the mold that collectors already trust.
5. Build Collector Trust, Not Corporate Partnerships
PSA partners with eBay, Fanatics, GameStop. That's the corporate route.
Go the opposite direction: build grassroots collector loyalty.
Sponsor local card shows.
Create transparent grading videos.
Publish detailed grading standards.
Engage directly with the community instead of through corporate deals.
When PSA screws up (and they will), be the company collectors already trust as the alternative.
The Bottom Line
You beat them by being faster, cheaper, and more trustworthy.
By putting your money where your mouth is with buybacks.
By cracking iconic cards and proving your grades hold value.
By hiring the right face for the brand.
And by relentlessly attacking their weak points.
Someone just needs the guts to actually compete.
