You should think twice before regrading a Beckett 6 Alakazam because the financial calculation rarely works in your favor. When a card already carries a professional grade from Beckett Grading Services, resubmitting it costs money upfront, takes months to receive back, and offers no guarantee of a higher grade—meaning you could spend $100 or more to get the same grade or potentially a lower one. A Beckett 6 Alakazam from the Base Set era, for example, might be worth $400 to $600 depending on condition details, but the cost of regrading plus the risk of a lower grade or lateral result makes this proposition financially unappealing for most collectors.
The core issue is that Beckett graders are consistent with their standards, and if a card received a 6 the first time, there’s a limited biological pathway to a 7 or higher without actual improvement in the card’s physical condition—which doesn’t happen during the regrading process. You’re essentially betting against both the original grader’s assessment and your own ability to predict what a different grader will see under their light source and magnification. Even when you believe a card might deserve a higher grade, the reality of submission timelines, costs, and probability stacked against you makes regrading a speculative move rather than a calculated business decision.
Table of Contents
- Understanding the True Cost of Regrading a Beckett 6
- Grading Standards, Consistency, and What a Beckett 6 Actually Means
- Market Perception and the Reality of Card Values
- The Resubmission Timeline and Opportunity Cost
- Common Mistakes and Downgrade Risks
- Comparing Regrading Costs Across Different Alakazam Versions
- Market Evolution and Future Considerations
- Conclusion
Understanding the True Cost of Regrading a Beckett 6
The direct financial outlay for regrading is rarely recovered by a one-point grade jump. A Beckett 6 to 7 jump on an Alakazam card might increase value by $100 to $200 if it happens, but Beckett’s standard submission fees for cards in this value range typically run $50 to $100 depending on turnaround time, plus you may pay for shipping and insurance both ways. You’re looking at breaking even or operating at a loss even if the regrade succeeds, which statistically happens in less than half of resubmission attempts. If the card comes back as a 6 again, you’ve spent money for zero gain in value; if it downgrades to a 5, you’ve actually damaged your card’s marketability and lost more than your submission fee. Consider a real scenario: you own a Beckett 6 Base Set Alakazam with a market value of $500. You believe the centering is better than a 6 warrants, so you resubmit it with a four-week turnaround option for $75.
Four weeks later, it comes back as a Beckett 6 again. You’ve spent $75 and two months of time for no change in card value. Alternatively, if you submit it express and it comes back as a 5, you’ve now got a card worth $300 to $350—a loss of $150 to $200 before you factor in the submission fee. Even graders within the same company can have slight variations in strictness, and there’s genuine randomness in the outcome. The opportunity cost is another factor people ignore. That $75 to $100 you spend on regrading could be redirected toward acquiring a higher-grade Alakazam outright, or building another part of your collection. Time spent hoping for a regrade is time not spent hunting for deals on already-high-grade cards, which is often a more efficient path to improving your collection’s average grade.
Grading Standards, Consistency, and What a Beckett 6 Actually Means
A Beckett 6 represents “Excellent-Mint” condition in their official scale, which means the card has minor wear visible to the naked eye but remains fundamentally sound and presentable. For Alakazam specifically—a card that’s been printed in multiple sets and eras—the meaning of a 6 can vary slightly depending on the set, print year, and even the specific copy’s unique characteristics. A Base Set Alakazam graded 6 might have slightly more visible centering issues than a Base Set 2 Alakazam graded 6, because graders evaluate cards within the context of their era and availability. The critical limitation is that regrading doesn’t improve the card itself; it only subjects it to another grader’s interpretation of the same physical object. Beckett’s grading standards are documented and relatively consistent, but individual graders do have judgment calls within defined parameters.
If your card genuinely falls into the gray zone between a 6 and 7—which is rare—one grader might see it as a solid 6, while another might see it as a high 6 leaning toward 7. More commonly, if a card was graded a 6 the first time, the second grader will likely agree. The variance rarely breaks in your favor, and Beckett has incentives to maintain consistency, meaning they won’t often upgrade a card that was correctly graded the first time. One warning: each time you handle and resubmit a card, you introduce minor additional wear. The card spends weeks in a grading company’s environment, potentially exposed to humidity fluctuations and handling by multiple staff members. While Beckett’s process is generally safe, the physical risks of regrading are real and rarely discussed by enthusiasts eager to chase a higher grade.
Market Perception and the Reality of Card Values
A Beckett 6 Alakazam has an established market price, and buyers know what to expect. The moment you resubmit a card and it comes back in a new slab—even with the same grade—you’re introducing uncertainty into the transaction. Smart buyers notice when a card has been regraded or resubmitted, and some view it as a red flag (why would the seller regrade it unless they thought it should be higher?). This perception can actually depress the value slightly compared to an original 6 in its first slab, especially if the regrade came back as a 6. If your Beckett 6 Alakazam is worth $500 right now in the current market, there’s liquidity and buyer consensus around that price.
Once you resubmit it, that card temporarily disappears from the market while it’s being graded. During those weeks or months, market conditions can shift, comparable card prices can move, and you lose the opportunity to sell at the peak. This is particularly relevant for Alakazam, which has seen price volatility as the Pokemon TCG market matures and collector interest fluctuates based on set popularity and nostalgia cycles. Buyers also prefer cards that haven’t been in and out of slabs multiple times. A Beckett 6 that’s been graded once has more collector appeal than a Beckett 6 that’s been graded twice. This isn’t a major effect, but it’s real enough that experienced collectors factor it into their valuations.
The Resubmission Timeline and Opportunity Cost
Beckett offers multiple turnaround options, ranging from express (2-4 weeks) to standard (8-12 weeks), with costs scaling accordingly. For a mid-value card like a Beckett 6 Alakazam, the express option is usually necessary to make economic sense—waiting three months for a card ties up capital and extends your exposure to market risk. But express regrading adds $50 or more to your total cost, making the financial math even worse. During the time your card is away, you can’t sell it if a buyer materializes. You can’t move it to another collector’s hands. You can’t include it in a trade. This liquidity cost is often ignored but represents real opportunity.
Compare this to the alternative: if you’re convinced your Beckett 6 should be a 7, you could simply list it for sale at a 7-equivalent price and let the market decide. You might not get that price, but you’ve also not spent money and time chasing a grade upgrade. Or you could sell it as a 6, take the proceeds, and use that money to buy an already-certified Beckett 7 Alakazam, which might actually be available in the market. A concrete example: say you find a Base Set Alakazam graded Beckett 6 for $450. You could regrade it for a potential value of $600 (if it becomes a 7), spending $100 on the process. Or you could sell it for $450 and use that $450 plus an extra $200 from your collection to buy an already-graded Beckett 7 Alakazam at $650. In the second scenario, you get a guaranteed 7, you don’t wait three months, and you avoid the downgrade risk. The math almost always favors buying the higher grade outright rather than regrading.
Common Mistakes and Downgrade Risks
The most common mistake collectors make when regrading is underestimating how strictly graders evaluate minor surface wear, scratches, and corner damage. What looks like a 6.5 to your eye might be a solid 6 or even a 5.5 to a grader under professional lighting. Alakazam’s holographic pattern can be particularly tricky to evaluate because light reflection can make damage appear different depending on the angle and environment. If you’re regrading under home lighting conditions, you’re almost certainly misjudging the card’s true condition relative to professional grading standards. Another risk is assuming that grader variance will work in your favor. While individual graders do have slight differences in approach, Beckett’s internal calibration means that a second submission is statistically more likely to confirm the original grade than to improve it.
Downgrades happen regularly enough that this should be part of your calculation. If a Beckett 6 downgrades to a Beckett 5, you’ve lost $100 to $150 in card value plus whatever you spent on regrading, totaling a $200-plus loss. This worst-case scenario happens often enough that it should weigh heavily in your decision-making. A warning specific to older Alakazam cards: Base Set and Base Set 2 Alakazam cards are now 25+ years old, and graders have become stricter about age-related wear over time. What might have been considered acceptable wear for a 6 a few years ago might now be seen as 5-territory under current standards. If you’re regrading an older card that was graded several years ago, you’re actually increasing your downgrade risk because standards have shifted.
Comparing Regrading Costs Across Different Alakazam Versions
Not all Alakazam cards have the same regrading economics. A Base Set Alakazam graded 6 might justify consideration for regrading if it’s valued at $400+ because the potential upgrade value is meaningful. But a more common Alakazam from Jungle or Fossil, graded Beckett 6 and valued at $80 to $150, should almost never be regraded—the submission fee alone represents 30-50% of the card’s total value, making any positive outcome highly unlikely to justify the cost.
The rarity and desirability of the specific card matters enormously. First Edition Base Set Alakazam commands far higher prices and has more room for a grade upgrade to meaningfully impact value. An unlimited Base Set Alakazam or a non-holo Alakazam has much tighter margins. For most non-Base Set Alakazam cards, regrading is economically irrational because the absolute value of a one-point grade jump doesn’t justify the submission cost.
Market Evolution and Future Considerations
The Pokemon TCG market has shown signs of maturation, with certain eras and cards becoming more stable in value while others remain volatile. Alakazam, particularly the Base Set versions, has established itself as a collectible with relatively consistent demand. This stability actually argues against regrading—you already know what the market will pay for a Beckett 6, so the speculative upside is limited.
If Pokemon card grading ever becomes subject to greater standardization or if new grading competitors emerge, the value differential between grades might compress, making regrading even less worthwhile. The trend toward slabbed cards and professional grading for higher-value collections is mature enough that buying already-high-grade cards is increasingly feasible. Rather than spending money and time regrading a 6 to chase a 7, the market has evolved to offer plenty of already-graded high-condition Alakazam cards for sale. Collectors today have more options to simply purchase the grade they want rather than speculate on regrading outcomes.
Conclusion
Regrading a Beckett 6 Alakazam is rarely a sound financial decision because the costs, timing, and risk of no improvement or downgrade far outweigh the potential benefits. The submission fees, shipping, insurance, and two to four months of time represent a significant investment for an uncertain return, particularly when grade upgrades from a 6 are not guaranteed and statistically happen in a minority of cases. Even when regrading succeeds, the value increase often fails to exceed the total cost of the process, leaving you with no gain or a small loss.
Your time, capital, and collector energy are better spent either purchasing an already-higher-grade Alakazam outright or redirecting those resources toward other collecting goals. If you own a Beckett 6 Alakazam and believe it should be higher, the market will reflect accurate pricing at that 6 grade. Sell it, take the proceeds, and reinvest in the grade level you’re confident about. This approach removes speculation, reduces risk, and keeps your collection moving forward.
