PSA launches repack certification program

Grading giant PSA expanded into one of the fastest growing businesses in the hobby Wednesday with the launch of a new repack certification program.

Through the program, PSA will serve as an outsourced partner to physical repackers by providing logistics, certification and authentication.

According to Nathan Wolfe, PSA’s president of marketplaces, the company will authenticate every card included in the checklist, validate the checklist and randomly place cards into the repacks. PSA will also help repackers source cards for the product through its partnership with eBay, the PSA Vault and the PSA Offers program.

Repacks will be assembled in-house by PSA with custom packaging, heat wrapping and other security features. The product can then be shipped to the repacker for distribution, or PSA can facilitate drop-shipping to customers.

“Trust in the hobby is everything,” Wolfe told cllct in a statement. “PSA has helped to facilitate the massive growth of the hobby over the last five years by creating a standardized, reliable, and consistent understanding of authenticity and quality through grading. As repacks continue to gain momentum, the same needs to exist for repacks.”

The first repack product from the program launches July 30 in partnership with Atlanta-area card shop CardsHQ and its founder Geoff Wilson.

Titled Graded Grails, the initial repack launches with one series for football, one series for basketball and two series for baseball. Each series debuts with 432 boxes, each containing one PSA-graded card for $299. Additional series, including Pokémon, are in development and are planned to release in August.

According to CardsHQ, grail chases are valued around $1,800 or more with floor cards valued around $140 at the time of acquisition. Each card will be displayed on the Graded Grails website.

Among the fastest growing businesses in the sports and trading card hobby, repack products have become a massive but controversial part of the industry.

Wilson, best known as the creator of the Sports Card Investor brand and third-party data tool Market Movers, told cllct the collaboration is an important step for a controversial business.

“Repacks, unfortunately, can be a shady part of the industry,” Wilson told cllct. “It’s a major conflict of interest for breakers to pack their own repacks and know what cards are in what box. This has to be cleaned up and made better to make the hobby more fair for everyone.

“Collectors should demand more integrity, and that’s what we’re delivering with Graded Grails as the world’s first PSA Certified Repack.”

Typically created by third-party vendors — these can range from local card shops or breakers and live-sellers to individual dealers at shows — repacks contain random cards that have already been pulled from manufacturer packs for a set price.

The allure of repacks are the chase cards, with products typically built around high-dollar grails worth much more than the cost of the pack itself. The rest of the packs contain cards worth less than the cost of the repack.

Considered a worthwhile gamble to some — supporters believe repacks offer better value than traditional products released by the major card manufacturers — detractors point toward the industry’s inconsistency as a critical issue.

Though some repacks offer transparency into the process, poorly curated products typically provide little insight into the sourcing process and don’t offer odds or a checklist. Repacks without odds or a checklist can often serve as a dumping ground for either low-dollar cards or high-value chases with major flaws unfit for grading.

Tackling the lack of transparency has been a recent focus for some new businesses hoping to enter what has become a highly lucrative market. Fanatics launched its own repack product in March under the Fanatics Rips title, promising a living checklist that would update as cards are pulled and added to the offering.

According to Wolfe, the repack program works in conjunction with PSA Offers and requires significant infrastructure that has been made possible through years of expansion. A critical piece has been the PSA Vault, which Wolfe says was built as a “scalable platform” to service a variety of needs, including eventually the repack certification program.

Wolfe says PSA is currently in discussions with “a variety of large and small players” in an attempt to bring the program to a larger market. Pricing details for the service weren’t immediately made available.

“This program could be the beginning of a new offering, a ‘Repack as a Service’ platform to make repacks more accessible to a wide variety of would-be repack creators,” Wolfe said.

“We see this as an important opportunity to enable local card shops, dealers, breakers, and other companies large and small to enter the repack market and bring more selection and choice to collectors.”

Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.