PSA grading prices at a glance (as of October 2026)
| Service level | Price per card | Max insured value | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $59.99 | $1,000 | 90 to 100 business days |
| Priority (formerly Regular) | $79.99 | $1,500 | 70 to 80 business days |
| Express | $199 | $2,500 | 20 to 30 business days |
| Super Express | $349 | $5,000 | 10 to 15 business days |
| Premier (formerly Walk-Through) | $599 | $10,000 | 7 to 10 business days |
| Premium 1 | $999 | $25,000 | 5 to 7 business days |
| Premium 2 | $1,999 | $50,000 | 5 to 7 business days |
| Premium 3 | $2,999 | $100,000 | 5 to 7 business days |
| Premium 5 | $4,999 | $250,000 | 5 to 7 business days |
| Premium 10 | From $9,999 | $250,001 or higher | 5 to 7 business days |
| Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, Value Max | Paused | n/a | Paused since June 2, 2026 |
PSA's turnaround times are estimates, not guarantees, and PSA notes that they can change quickly with submission volume. Standard orders are processed after existing Value and Bulk orders that were submitted before the pause. What you get also differs by tier: every open tier includes front and back imaging, Priority and up return the slab in a fitted sleeve, and Express and up add grader notes that explain the card's defects.
The "max insured value" is the most a card can be worth (after grading) for that tier, and it's also the most PSA will pay if the card is lost or damaged in its care. In everyday hobby talk it is often called the declared value cap.
What changed in 2026
- February 10, 2026: PSA raised prices across its tiers. Value Bulk went to $24.99 and Regular to $79.99, and TCG Bulk was merged into a Collectors Club-only Value Bulk tier.
- June 2, 2026: after a 20% spike in submissions pushed its backlog toward 10 million cards, PSA paused Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus and Value Max for new submissions.
- September 14, 2026: PSA opened the new Standard tier at $59.99, renamed Regular to Priority and Walk-Through to Premier, and set Express at $199. PSA said Standard is not a replacement for the Value tiers, which remain paused.
- October 6, 2026: PSA's public backlog tracker reported an active backlog of 8.2 million units, down from 9 million on September 22, and said it is on a path to assess reopening more tiers in the coming months.
Return shipping, membership and other PSA fees
- Return shipping and insurance: PSA's domestic chart for cards starts at $19.99 for 1 to 4 cards with a max insured value of $2,000. At the same $2,000 level it's $24.99 for 5 to 9 cards and $29.99 for 10 to 19 cards, and orders of 20 or more add $0.39 per item. Higher insured values cost more; for example, 1 to 4 cards insured up to $12,500 is $34.99.
- Inbound shipping: you pay to ship your cards to PSA, and PSA does not insure inbound packages. PSA says you can add third-party inbound insurance at checkout if you ship with FedEx.
- Collectors Club: $149/year (Standard) or $199/year (Premium, which adds Card Ladder Pro). Its main grading perk, bulk pricing listed from $24.99 per card, is temporarily paused. PSA extended memberships that were active on May 14, 2026 for as long as Value Bulk stays paused.
Prices and tiers change often, so always confirm on PSA's site before submitting.
Total PSA grading cost per card: 1, 10 and 25 cards
These examples use the Standard tier and PSA's domestic return shipping at the $2,000 insured value level. They don't include your inbound postage, inbound insurance or supplies, which depend on your carrier and how you pack.
| Submission | Grading fees | Return shipping | Total before inbound postage | Per card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 card | $59.99 | $19.99 | $79.98 | $79.98 |
| 10 cards | $599.90 | $29.99 | $629.89 | $62.99 |
| 25 cards | $1,499.75 | about $32.33 | about $1,532.08 | about $61.28 |
The 25-card return shipping figure reads PSA's chart as the 10 to 19 card rate plus $0.39 for each card past 19; confirm the exact amount at checkout. If your 25 cards are worth more in total, the return package needs a higher insured value. At up to $12,500, for example, the base rate for 10 to 19 cards is $44.99 instead of $29.99.
The lesson: the grading fee is almost the whole bill, and shipping matters most on small orders. One card costs about $80 before you even mail it, while larger orders spread the return shipping across more cards. A single card on Priority would be $79.99 plus $19.99, or $99.98.
How PSA upcharges work
You pick a tier based on what you expect the card to be worth after grading. If PSA determines after grading that the card is worth more than your tier's max insured value, PSA upgrades that card (not your whole order) to a higher service level and notifies you of the additional fees. Once you pay, the card is covered up to the new tier's max insured value.
Example: you submit a card on Standard ($59.99, $1,000 cap), and it grades high enough that it's worth about $2,000. That's above Standard's cap and Priority's $1,500 cap, so the tier that covers it is Express ($199, $2,500 cap). Expect PSA to bill you to move it up. An upcharge is usually good news, since it means the card is worth more than you planned, but budget for it on cards that could jump in value at a 10.
Declaring a low value on purpose to get a cheaper tier doesn't save money if the card grades well, and it limits what PSA would pay if the card were lost. Declare honestly.
How to pick a PSA tier
- Start with value. Estimate what the card will sell for at the grade you realistically expect. Pick the cheapest tier whose max insured value covers that number.
- Then decide if speed is worth paying for. Moving from Standard to Express cuts PSA's estimate from 90 to 100 business days to 20 to 30, but costs $139.01 more per card. That only makes sense if timing really matters, such as selling into a price spike.
- Consider the extras. Grader notes come with Express and above. If you want to know why a card got its grade, that's part of what you're paying for.
- Group cards by tier. Each tier is priced per card, so submit cheaper cards together on Standard and keep high-value cards on the tier their value requires.
Cheaper alternatives to PSA
PSA has the deepest resale market for many cards, but it isn't the cheapest. Entry prices we checked on each company's site in October 2026:
| Company | Entry option we found | Price per card | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CGC | Bulk | $17 | 25-card minimum, $500 max value, about 150 working days |
| CGC | Economy | $20 | $1,000 max value, about 90 working days |
| TAG | Standard | $59.95 | $1,000 max value, 45 business days; no Base price listed as of October 18 |
| SGC | Standard | $50 | $1,500 max declared value, 40+ business days |
| BGS (Beckett) | Express | $79.95 | 15 business days, subgrades included (as of October 7; Beckett's pages could not be rechecked October 18) |
Beckett's submission form also lists a $3 upgrade fee for any card that grades a 10 and an insurance fee of $1.50 for every $100 of declared value, so check each company's add-ons, not only its headline price. If you're weighing TAG, read is TAG grading legit?, and for a full side-by-side see our grading companies guide.
Hidden costs most people forget
- Inbound shipping and insurance. PSA does not insure packages on the way in. If your cards are valuable, buy inbound coverage from a third party.
- Supplies. Penny sleeves, semi-rigid card savers and a sturdy box. They're cheap per card, but they add up on big orders. Our guide on how to store cards before grading covers what to use.
- Upcharges. Cards that grade into a higher value bracket get moved to a higher tier.
- Selling fees. If you sell on eBay in the US, trading cards carry a 13.25% final value fee on the total sale up to $7,500, plus a $0.30 per-order fee for orders of $10 or less and $0.40 above that. On a $300 slab that's about $40.
- Membership. Collectors Club costs $149 or $199 a year, and its bulk pricing is paused right now.
- Time. Months of turnaround means your money and your card are locked up while prices move.
The real cost is bad submissions
Say you submit 10 modern cards on Standard: about $630 with return shipping. If four come back PSA 8 instead of the 10 you hoped for, those four cards cost you about $240 in grading fees alone, and modern PSA 8s often sell for about what a clean raw copy does.
Serious submitters pre-screen everything and only mail cards with a realistic shot at a 9 or 10. Check whether a card clears its costs first with the is my card worth grading calculator.
Ways to save on PSA grading
- Pre-screen every card. The cheapest grading fee is the one you don't pay on a card that was never a 10.
- Batch your submissions. Return shipping is charged per package, so 10 cards cost far less per card to ship back than one.
- Use the cheapest tier your card's value allows. Pay for speed only when timing really matters.
- Declare honestly. It avoids surprise upcharges and keeps your coverage right.
- Watch for Value tiers to return. PSA says it will reopen tiers in phases as its backlog falls. Its Collectors Club page lists bulk pricing from $24.99 per card when that access returns.
- Use a cheaper company when PSA isn't needed. If a card's resale value doesn't depend on a PSA label, a lower entry tier elsewhere can make grading worth it.
How to protect your grading budget with Binder AI
Binder AI scans the front and back of a card and returns an AI grade estimate on the PSA, BGS or TAG scale, with centering, corners, edges and surface subgrades. It's an estimate, not an official grade, but it's a fast way to sort your pile before you pay PSA. The app is free to download, and grading is included in a subscription ($1.99/week, $3.99/month or $24.99/year on the website; $4.99/month or $29.99/year in the App Store). You can sign up for Binder AI on iOS, Android or the web.
- Scan every grading candidatePhotograph the front and back of each card. You get a grade estimate plus centering, corner, edge and surface notes in seconds.
- Sort into submit, hold or sell rawCards estimated 9 to 10 with strong sold prices go in the submit pile. Estimated 7 to 8 cards usually make more sense raw.
- Check the value spreadCompare raw sold prices with graded sold prices at your expected grade using Binder AI's eBay sold prices and graded value table. The grading ROI calculator does the math with current PSA fees.
- Submit with confidenceMail PSA only the cards where the expected graded price clears fees with room to spare.
Sources, checked October 2026: PSA trading card grading service levels, PSA pricing update, February 2026, PSA: new Standard service level, PSA service level update, May 2026, PSA backlog tracker, PSA return postage rates, PSA coverage and max insured value, PSA Collectors Club, CGC services and fees, SGC services and pricing, TAG Base grading, Beckett submission form and Beckett pricing page, eBay selling fees.
