WHY USE AN INTERMEDIARY CARD GRADING SERVICE?

WHY USE AN INTERMEDIARY CARD GRADING SERVICE?

In the trading card community, consumers often use an intermediary to submit their cards for grading. In this blog, we look to explain what an intermediary is, and why you might choose to use one.

You may wish to grade your trading cards for multiple reasons; it may increase the card value; it protects the card from further damage or perhaps it’s the authenticity you’re after. Whatever the reason may be, you must first decide how you will be submitting your cards.

There are a few grading service providers out there; PSA and Beckett are the most popular choices here in the UK.  Both companies reside in the US which means for our non-American friends, cards must be shipped overseas. For some, this can be complex and costly and why you may opt to use an intermediary.

“What is an intermediary” I hear you ask? Ah… let us explain…

WHAT IS AN INTERMEDIARY?

An intermediary acts as the middleman between you and a service. The intermediary is a business or sole trader who helps the consumer (that’s you) to send their cards safely to the grading service provider.

The intermediary may also:

• Complete relevant paperwork, which can be lengthy and require a lot of detail.
• Package your cards correctly and safely for postage overseas.
• Manage customs tax so you don’t have to.
• Provide relevant insurance for your cards.

An intermediary will then take a commission for its service.  

WHAT’S THE BENEFIT OF USING AN INTERMEDIARY SERVICES?

We often get asked… what’s the benefit of using a service like Black Label Grading vs. going direct and cutting out the middleman. There are actually plenty of benefits in using an intermediary service… let’s break it down.

1. HASSLE FREE SUBMISSIONS – LIMIT YOUR PAPERWORK
   
   For most card grading services, you need to obtain a large amount of information about your cards before sending them in for grading. You’ll need to gather information on; set name, variation, release date, ungraded value, predicted graded value and more. Even if you do know all this information about every card you are submitting, you might not want to spend the time completing the paperwork, ticking the relevant boxes and deciphering which extra charges you need included.
   
   An intermediary does all this work for you, so you don’t have to. All you’ll need to do is provide some basic details along with your chosen cards to the broker of choice.
   
   
2. PEACE OF MIND WITH INSURANCE
   
   Yes… you can insure your cards yourself. However, in our experience this can be costly for an individual to do. As a business, an intermediary is able to take advantage of preferential shipping insurance rates. This means you can relax, knowing your cards are fully insured for their journey overseas and if something did go wrong, the intermediary should manage this directly with the Insurer.
     
   
3. AVOID GETTING STUNG BY CUSTOMS TAX
   
   If you choose to submit your cards as an individual, it is likely you will have to pay import fees when your package is returned to the UK if the declared value is above £135. This is a percentage of the value of your goods. More information can be found on the gov.uk website.
   
   An intermediary should manage customs duty as part of their service.
   
   
4. SAVE MONEY!
   
   If you add up the saving of customs duty, insurance, and shipping overseas… you could in fact, be saving money by using an intermediary. It’s worth making this calculation before deciding which route to go down.
   

So, there you have it… 4 reasons why you may choose to use an intermediary card grading service like us.

We hope you found this information useful and welcome any further questions.

Black Label Grading is an intermediary for Beckett Grading Services. If you have any further questions on our services or wish to find out more, get in touch today!