anyone still using psa?

it's been about 20 years since i've sent any cards in for grading, but when i did, i split my submissions between beckett and psa. in total, i've probably submitted a total of 10 cards, so i was by no means heavy into the grading scene.

it's a polarizing topic within the hobby, and i've recently seen more disdain for psa because of their "buyback" offers. having a program to buy back cards graded by psa as a 9 and then reevaluating them and potentially giving them a 10 grade and then reselling is pretty corrupt if that is, in fact, happening.

i did recently buy this card 

 

on the secondary market. i had thought about going for a psa rainbow of steve garvey's 1978 topps card (i have the psa 10 already, but sold my psa 9 a couple of years ago) but i scrapped that idea and instead figured i should get graded examples of all of his flagship base cards. 1976 was one i needed, but once it arrived i questioned this pursuit. i'd be looking for psa 7 or 8 at a minimum, and while i have a psa 8 version of his 1971 rookie card, his 1972 high number would be pricey. we'll see.

i talked with the owner of one of the local card shops recently about psa submissions and he said that he has stopped submitting cards for customers. he was running into issues with customers not paying for the grading because the time lapse between submission and return allowed for markets to change. i guess he wasn't collecting the full initial price up front? at any rate, he still sends his own cards and is excited to get the upcharge emails when a card grades highly. seems weird to me, but he's in this as a business so i understand.

if i decide i want more graded cards, i will continue to let others submit cards and then pick them up for less than the cost of grading, thank you very much.