[sonnyday]

I wouldn't place that burden solely on PSA. These are all businesses we're talking about here and I would bet that ANY of the "big three" would immediately have a bias as soon as they receive a card in another companies slab and would want to appear "harder" or "more strict". These are humans we are talking about here, not machines. I always recommend busting out of the slab if crossing over, thus taking away the bias.

Additionally, though I agree that the "stated" (key word right there) definitions are more difficult, application is a different story entirely. I'm sure companies like PRO grading said that they were top notch as well too. It's all in the application of the standards, and more importantly IMO, the knowledge that the grader has in whatever issue they are looking at. Nobody should ever take a grading company at 100% accuracy. I purchase certain cards graded online as it does up my chance that the card is not altered, though it's still not 100%. One should know what it is they are buying. Don't purchase blind just because it's in a slab. I recently learned this lesson the hard way with a BGS 9.5 Roberto Alomar RC.

I've also heard the stories about cards coming back from one company damaged/altered/trimmed/etc with each of the big three. PSA has done it, SGC has done it, and BGS has done it. A counter point to your comment about cards coming back as a lower grade, couldn't that also mean that maybe, just maybe, PSA applied their standards more strictly or noticed a flaw with the card that the other didn't? Or is that out of the realm of possibility? Take my advice, when you see Mr. Joe Internet claiming that he submitted a card graded XX by company XXX to company YYY and it came back lower, ask for some scans, cert number, or what the card was. Any time I've done that, I never get a legitimate answer. Why? Because people are going to try and pimp their favorite company while trying to knock the other with zero proof and/or evidence. Sad, petty, and dishonest but a sad truth in this hobby. People apparently feel like they have to legitimize their collection to other people instead of just going with and enjoying what they've got.

Your question about why more people don't cross over to try and get higher PSA scores? (Not sure that could ever really be proven as to how often it actually does/doesn't happen and is hypothetical in nature to discuss) It could very well be what I said similarly before. That one company, BGS in your case, is NOT more strict in their grading and the full confidence is not there in the application of their grading standards. Stated definitions are one thing. Human beings applying those definitions are a whole other ballgame. I don't understand how people do not grasp the human factor in all of this personally.

Here here,

No one is the strictest, no is better then the other when it comes to grading. I only prefer PSA due to their customer service. And I love SGC's wild card deals. I like BGS but there process worries me the most. It just scares me sending in a couple thousand dollars in cards and I can't see my order for 40 days! And when I call with questions or send an email it rarely gets returned. In my opinion that makes all the world of difference for me.

[nolan5000]

y'all know where I stand, so no comment is necessary.