What Can Be Restored?
Not every card is a good candidate for restoration, and saying so upfront is part of doing this properly. Some cards see a meaningful improvement. Others won't, no matter how the work is approached, and it's worth knowing which is which before a card is sent in.
A card with one specific, identifiable defect is usually the clearest case: a single crease, a corner indent, a patch of surface grime, with little else affecting its overall condition.
A card already graded lower than it visually appears to deserve is another common case, once the actual cause holding the grade down is identified and addressed.
A card bought deliberately at a lower price because of a specific, known flaw is also a strong candidate, for a collector planning to invest in restoring it as part of the purchase.
Heavy whitening or extensive wear spread across the whole card is a poor candidate. Restoration can meaningfully improve a specific defect, but it doesn't manufacture a top grade out of a card that's genuinely worn all over.
Cards with significant peeling that would need foreign material reintroduced to repair are outside what we do. That crosses from restoration into alteration, and we don't do that kind of work regardless of how it's requested.
If we don't believe restoration will meaningfully change a card's outcome, or if what's expected isn't realistic given its condition, we'll say so before the card is sent in, not after we've been paid for it.