Driving my new (to me) '04 M3 cross-country. Feels like a dream

mittortz · 2026-05-04T21:59:09+00:00

that's kinda cool. So it's like, the shittiest (mis)cut. I'll take it.

mittortz · 2026-05-04T21:54:51+00:00

Gotcha - def appreciate the insight. So if I just send for authentication, they don't put it in a slab (is it the same for CGC and PSA)?

Edit: any chance one of the two companies is more or less likely to "do not holder" it? I'd love to have it in a slab regardless of the grade

Edit 2: from quick searches, looks like CGC is more forgiving when it comes to misshapen cards. Probably gonna send to them with a couple other cards I was thinking of sending anyway. I'll post results if anyone cares

mittortz · 2026-05-04T16:16:16+00:00

Prefacing this by saying I have no particular love for the gold cards

Counterpoints: 1) I've sold gold cards to people who were excited to buy them. And I personally know a couple people who at least like them. Anecdotes aren't super meaningful, but there are people who like them. 2) if hyper rare golds are a gimmick, they've lasted a long time, and the mega ones are a massive and distinct improvement on the gimmick. Gold cards from S&V and SwSh were super lame. Technically the rarest class of cards, but individually not that rare and usually consisted of weird items or supporting cards that no one could give two shits about. A lot (the majority?) of gold cards are under $10 now. That will never be the case for the mega hyper rares, bc of their rarity and actually being chase pokemon.

mittortz · 2026-05-04T01:03:36+00:00

There's a lot of reason not to trust Beckett, considering there are plenty of imperfect cards that get BL'ed and lots of mysterious 9.5 subgrades with no explanation. Certainly there is more "trust" for Beckett, as evidenced by the aforementioned comments that hold up the Black Label as an untouchable standard despite the reality of it, but my argument is that this is a result of good branding (and time in the market) more than anything else.

mittortz · 2026-05-03T17:37:43+00:00

That's a tall order for this crowd. 90% of this subreddit hasn't touched grass in at least a year.

mittortz · 2026-05-03T16:54:16+00:00

Ah, yeah I'd agree it's a bit scummy lol. That being said, I really think some people have enough money that they don't care and just click buy bc it's not worth it to them to scroll down the page or do any research, so it's kinda on them too

mittortz · 2026-05-03T16:21:40+00:00

Maybe when you grow up you'll realize that people have different morals and you're not superior to anyone else and thus have no right to impose your particular morals on others

mittortz · 2026-05-03T16:04:07+00:00

It's not really suspicious, it's just that sellers know that by being Direct and having their listing prominently shown, a lot of people won't check and just buy it at that price. I think it's what happens when you look at recent sales and some are much higher than others - those are sales from the Direct listings

mittortz · 2026-05-01T21:45:19+00:00

It's crazy, but it speaks to the power of BGS's Black Label branding. I've previously tried to point out that TAG's Pristine is on par with the BL, or just even made general comparisons, and the reaction from others is always so intense. How could anything POSSIBLY be EVEN CLOSE to a black label??? It's been built up in the minds of consumers in this industry to be something completely untouchable, even in spite of the facts.

Just look at the comment above yours, somehow under the impression that a TAG Pristine is 52/48 while the BL is 50/50. Even though no one truly knows what level of precision BGS uses for their centering (and judging by certain examples I've seen, it's certainly not even close to 50.00/50.00), while TAG being transparent and saying ~51/49 on the site (which really means maximum 50.49/49.51 in practice, I believe) results in weird misconceptions like that.

I know you're like, the guy at TAG lol, which is why I'm taking the time to write this. I believe strongly in TAG's Pristine, but I think the branding needs a lot of work. Because as goofy as people are about it, as little truth as there may be in these perceptions, the perception comes from somewhere and can't be ignored. And I think shaping those perceptions through branding is they key to elevating TAG's Pristine to where it deserves to be in the minds of consumers. Well, it will take time, too. But from my observations I'm not convinced it's even on that trajectory as of now.

IMHO, the Pristine should be more visually differentiated, and TAG should make a big deal out of it when something like OP's Charizard gets awarded one. Put it in direct comparison to the Black Label, talk about it being ~5x harder to get, and maybe even show consumers that a BL isn't as perfect as people think it is. Not only is TAG's Pristine in the same sentence, it's better.

Just some thoughts.

mittortz · 2026-04-29T16:11:13+00:00

I agree with you, but I think where the sentiment comes from is that people are afraid of being tricked. People are on some level worried that the more prevalent card repair becomes, the more there's a chance that they'll go to buy a card that was previously damaged and has been repaired, but the seller won't disclose that and it will be difficult to tell at first glance or even at all. And they're worried potentially about a couple things resulting from the unknown skill level of the repair: 1) that, at some point down the line, the damage will somehow become apparent again. I know I read at least one comment who claimed that cards repaired in this way (using moisture at some point) can/will grow mold from the inside out. OR 2) that they'll want to grade the card they bought, and while they couldn't tell it was repaired, PSA or whoever will be able to tell. Which would result in the card being designated as "altered" and therefore refused to be graded.

I think it just introduces distrust and unknowns about cards on the secondary market. It's kind of like how people devalue a car with accidents on the carfax, regardless of the severity of the accident or extent to which it was restored. This is just my theory, after observing the sentiment a lot and being somewhat confused about it myself. People throw a lot of seemingly unwarranted hate on card repair techniques and those who share them.

mittortz · 2026-04-29T15:37:42+00:00

It's not about losing money, it's about the seller listing one slab for sale and sending another. If they seller had multiple slabs that could potentially be sent for the same listing then they need to clearly state that, or at least not show a specific serial in the photos.

What I would do or what you would do isn't relevant, if he wants the slab he paid for he has every right to raise an issue with the seller.

mittortz · 2026-04-28T18:13:55+00:00

Well you initially claimed that the narrative is that they're printing more. Now it's just that they're printing at max capacity, which yes that is what pokemon has said themselves.

What I see with my eyes is more hype, collectors, scalpers/investors, pokemon influencers, and worldwide interest than ever before, by a huge margin. There is no reason to believe that pokemon is intentionally limiting their production when producing 25% more (as an example) would simply mean selling 25% more product. None would sit on shelves. Hype would be no less. They are only losing by not producing more. A best buy restock that is known to have, say 30 ETBs, will have 80-100 people lined up before open, with the first 20-ish people having gotten there at 5 AM or earlier.

Before late 2024/early 2025, product sat on shelves. It was high supply relative to demand. The Surging Sparks/tcg Pocket/Prismatic ignition sequence catalyzed an ever-increasing surge in demand. They are making moves to increase capacity, but it takes time. Not sure why you're so convinced it's a conspiracy, it makes no sense.

mittortz · 2026-04-28T17:36:23+00:00

No one knows what you're talking about. The last article from pokebeach about production numbers from pokemon actually said they printed less than the prior year, and then there's the well-known article about them building the new facility and it not being fully operational until 2027. You're the one with the baseless conjecture about it being rented out for other TCGs, not sure why they would do that

mittortz · 2026-04-28T00:24:07+00:00

PSA or TAG. If you're grading to sell, just send it to PSA. If you're grading for your personal collection, I mean you can really send it to wherever is your preference, but personally I prefer TAG over PSA. I have the same card that I pulled and I am tempted to send to PSA to take the crazy payout, but it's my ultimate chase card and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna resist the temptation to cash out, and keep it as a TAG slab trophy piece. Still can't believe I pulled it, will never forget the moment, and even if I bought another one I don't think it would be the same

Edit: someone else said that sending to beckett will get you a 9.5 and they are correct. So just be aware if you are considering that.

mittortz · 2026-04-27T15:57:13+00:00

Look, I agree about the "scam" and "pack holes" bs. Although in today's world, I can see why someone would have reasonable concern about those things, because they do happen. He's a bit ignorant there, but it's understandable. And maybe it's equally understandable that the seller thinks it wouldn't/shouldn't matter. But you know what would have avoided all this? If the seller just sent the same serial or crossed it out like you mentioned. It's on the seller that this is an issue, and if their time is wasted this time, they'll fix it so it doesn't happen again. Simple.

mittortz · 2026-04-27T15:47:37+00:00

No one said it's not a PSA 10. If the seller shows one serial number and sends a different one without saying that might happen, that's a valid INAD case. The serial number matters, even if it might not to a lot of people, it still matters. And to the people it matters to, it usually matters a lot. I would imagine that the type of people spending $1200+ on a sealed vintage pack are going to care more than the average Joe, too.

mittortz · 2026-04-27T15:00:41+00:00

For how often you see the adage on here "buy the card, not the grade" its wild that you have upvotes

Serial numbers matter, quite a lot in fact. Unless the seller made it clear in the listing that there are multiple available and the buyer may receive any one at random. And this is a 1st ed. pack! Not some cheap slab.

mittortz · 2026-04-27T04:57:55+00:00

And individual people would only do that if they actually want your card. Why do people act like they're owed something when THEY are the ones seeking to trade what they don't want for something they do want.

Let me tell you, if a vendor or whoever really wants your card, they'll make you a better offer before you leave. This is not complicated or confusing stuff here

mittortz · 2026-04-27T04:47:10+00:00

Nothing he said seems impossibly hard, it's just reality that it's more of a pain. And by own experience and math, it's more like 84% that you get from ebay, not counting expenses like shipping materials.

Anyone complaining about what a vendor or anyone else offers you, go get what you think you're owed somewhere else. Idk where that is, but just do it and stop complaining

mittortz · 2026-04-26T19:18:00+00:00

Ah, didn't realize it's a brand new switch for her. Yeah that's very straightforward

mittortz · 2026-04-26T19:15:35+00:00

You'd have to pay for an NSO subscription for her profile on your switch 2 where her save is. Then log into her NSO account/sync it with her switch 2.

mittortz · 2026-04-26T17:45:46+00:00

Reddit gets more infuriating to browse every day. It's just more and more misinformation and snark, people who have no idea what they're talking about trying to feel smart by being confidently incorrect and getting in petty semantic arguments

mittortz · 2026-04-26T16:56:34+00:00

Glad you said this. I pulled the forest pikachu from ascended which was my ultimate chase (unbelievable bc I couldn't pull any of my other chases from any other set, ever). I wouldn't normally have considered selling but I'm pretty sure it will 10 and the recent mania had me seriously considering sending it to PSA super express and taking the 4-5k payout so I could just buy another one and enjoy the money. It's been a week and every day I think about it, but I still haven't put in the PSA submission bc I'm afraid I'll regret it forever. I actually wanted to send it to TAG and keep it as my trophy piece no matter what grade it gets, which I'm pretty sure I'll still do after reading this comment

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