Interesting that they specifically say that Patch/Thick cards arent allowed for this special. In PSA's grading anything thicker than an UD Glass/Trilogy Auto Focus is classed as a thick card.
To the original question, the problem with toploaders is that is not PSA's approved way of sending the cards. I know that when we sent Scottys Exquisites in Magnetic One Touches the order was delayed for a number of weeks as it went into the problem order pile. They finally contacted me and asked me to email them back to give them express permission to take the cards out of the one touches! Surely it's easier to take them out of the one touches than any other holder .. yes that's true .. but because of PSA's rules it did nothing but delay the order.
When I joined up to PSA I contacted Colin at
www.nwcardsupplies.com and bought a Global Priority envelope full of card savers for my submissions to PSA.
They aren't really as shit as you think - just use the method as described on the PSA website (INCLUDING the stickers on the back of each of the card savers - this helps speed it up!). Once you've got each of the card savers with cards and stickered, get two pieces of cardboard and tape the card savers in between. Then put them into one of the Aussie Post boxes with bubble wrap or newspaper as padding (I think from memory about $1.80 at the Post Office) and send it Insured Mail to the US. This gives you a tracking number and you can see when it arrives at the PSA Post Office Box safely. I only insure my parcels for $100, as it's not really the insurance i'm after, just the tracking.
Bottom line on this - do exactly as they ask for and it should go smoothly. I've had my share of orders delayed at PSA, and there is nothing more frustrating. Your grading time doesn't start until they log the order in, and they don't log it in until everything is ok with it. So if you send in toploaders and it goes on the problem order pile, prepare yourself for a hefty delay on top of the approx 45 business day turnaround for the special.
