How the calculator works
Grading is a bet on the grade. The calculator multiplies each possible sale price by your chance of getting that grade, adds them up, and subtracts selling fees to get your expected net graded sale. From that it subtracts the grading fee and your shipping and insurance per card, then compares the result with what you would net by selling the card raw today.
- Expected profit is the extra money you expect to make by grading instead of selling raw.
- Return on grading cost is that profit divided by what you pay to grade.
- Lowest-grade outcome shows what happens if the card comes back at the lowest grade you entered, which is the risk most collectors underestimate.
A sensible rule: only submit when expected profit is clearly positive and the lowest likely grade doesn't lose more than you can accept. If you're unsure of your odds, a photo-based AI pre-grade gives you centering, corners, edges and surface subgrades to base them on.
PSA grading fees (as of October 2026)
PSA prices each card by service level, and each level has a maximum declared value. The table below lists the per-card prices the calculator uses. Prices, turnaround estimates and promotions change, so confirm on PSA's site before you submit.
| Service level | Price per card | Max declared value | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA Standard | $59.99 | $1,000 | 90 to 100 business days |
| PSA Priority | $79.99 | $1,500 | 70 to 80 business days |
| PSA Express | $199.00 | $2,500 | 20 to 30 business days |
| PSA Super Express | $349.00 | $5,000 | 10 to 15 business days |
| PSA Premier | $599.00 | $10,000 | 7 to 10 business days |
PSA's lower-cost Value tiers (including the Collectors Club-only Value Bulk tier, listed from $24.99 per card) were paused for new submissions as of October 2026. Collectors Club membership is $149/year (Standard) or $199/year (Premium). Return shipping is extra and starts at $19.99 for 1 to 4 cards insured up to $2,000.
The default selling fee is eBay's US final value fee for trading cards as of October 2026: 13.25% of the total sale up to $7,500, plus a $0.30 to $0.40 per-order fee that the calculator leaves out. Change it to match where you sell.
Worked example
The calculator opens with this example. A modern card sells for $60 raw, $250 as a PSA 10, $90 as a PSA 9 and $55 as a PSA 8, and anything lower sells for about $40. You estimate a 30% chance of a 10, 45% of a 9 and 20% of an 8 (5% lower). The expected graded sale is about $128.50 before fees. With PSA Standard at $59.99, $10 for shipping and insurance, and 13.25% selling fees, you would expect to net about $111.47 graded versus about $52.05 raw. That is an expected loss of about $10.57 compared with selling raw, and about $74 worse if the card comes back a PSA 8. On these numbers, the card is better kept or sold raw unless your odds of a 10 are much higher.
The same math on a card that sells for $150 raw and $900 as a PSA 10 looks very different, which is why the old rule of thumb says cards under about $50 raw rarely justify grading.
What moves the answer most
- The gap between the top grade and the next one down. If a 9 sells for about the same as raw, almost all your profit depends on hitting a 10.
- Your real odds of a top grade. Centering alone can rule out a 10; see the card centering guide.
- Fee tier. Bulk-style tiers make cheaper cards workable, while higher declared values require more expensive tiers.
- Selling costs. Marketplace fees apply to graded sales too, and they scale with price.
For the reasoning behind these rules of thumb, read is my card worth grading?, the PSA grading cost guide and PSA vs BGS vs CGC vs SGC vs TAG.
