Pokémon card grading costs, 2026
What each grading company charges per card, how long it takes and which tiers are open right now. Several of the cheap tiers are paused this year, so older calculators that still assume $25 PSA grading overstate the profit. Checked 26 Sept 2026.
Fees per card
Published price per card for each service level. The declared-value cap decides which tier a card must go in; a card graded above its tier's cap is moved up and billed the difference.
| Company | Service | Per card | Turnaround | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | Value BulkPaused since 2 Jun 2026 (with Value, Value Plus and Value Max) until PSA's backlog falls. | $24.99 | — | Paused |
| PSA | StandardCheapest open PSA tier since the 14 Sep 2026 reorganisation. | $59.99 | 90–100 business days | Open |
| PSA | Priority | $79.99 | 70–80 business days | Open |
| PSA | Express | $199 | 20–30 business days | Open |
| PSA | Super Express | $349 | 10–15 business days | Open |
| PSA | Premier | $599 | 7–10 business days | Open |
| CGC | Bulk (25+ cards) | $17 | 150 working days | Open |
| CGC | Economy | $20 | 90 working days | Open |
| CGC | Standard | $55 | 10 working days | Open |
| CGC | Express | $100 | 5 working days | Open |
| SGC | Standard (up to $1,500)Raised from $15 on 2 Sep 2026; SGC calls it temporary. | $50 | 40–50 business days | Temporary price |
| Beckett | Base (with subgrades)Base and Standard on a waitlist since 24 Sep 2026; Express still open. | $17.95 | 75+ business days | Waitlist |
| Beckett | Express | $79.95 | — | Open |
| TAG | PriorityBasic, Standard and Express paused since May 2026. | $149 | — | Limited slots |
| ACE | BasicUK grader; prices raised 1 Jun 2026. | £18 | — | Open |
Checked 26 Sept 2026 against each company’s published fees and hobby press. We update this table whenever a price changes.
What else it costs
- Shipping to the grader: about $15 insured.
- Return shipping: PSA charges about $20–25 for an order under $499 declared value, more above that.
- Supplies: about $5 of penny sleeves, card savers and a box per submission.
- Membership: PSA Collectors Club costs $149 a year (Standard). It was required for the now-paused Value Bulk tier; it only pays off if you submit often.
- Selling fees: eBay trading cards take 13.25% of the sale plus $0.40 per order. They apply to a raw sale too, so they matter for the grade-or-sell decision.
Our calculator uses $42 per submission for shipping and supplies, split across the cards in the order (10 by default).
Which tier should you use?
Pick the cheapest open tier whose declared-value cap is above what the card will be worth after grading, not what you paid for it. With PSA that is Standard ($59.99, up to $1,000) for most modern cards. Faster tiers only make sense when the price is moving and the months of turnaround matter.
Cheaper graders cost less up front, but their slabs tend to sell below PSA’s for the same grade, so check what the card actually sells for in that company’s slab.
Before you send anything, check the card on our best cards to grade list or search for it and open its Grading tab: it shows whether a PSA 9 alone would pay for itself.
Questions
How much does it cost to grade a Pokémon card with PSA?
PSA's cheapest open tier is Standard at $59.99 per card (90–100 business days) since the 14 September 2026 reorganisation. The $24.99 Value Bulk tier and the other Value tiers have been paused since 2 June 2026. Add shipping both ways and supplies.
What is the cheapest way to grade Pokémon cards?
CGC Bulk at $17 per card (25-card minimum, about 150 working days) and CGC Economy at $20 are the cheapest open tiers we track. Other companies’ slabs usually sell for less than PSA’s, so compare the resale price, not just the fee.
What else does a grading submission cost?
Roughly $15 to ship to the grader with insurance, $20–25 for PSA's insured return under $499 declared value, and about $5 of sleeves and supplies — about $42 per submission, which we spread across the cards in the order. If you sell on eBay, the trading-card fee is 13.25% plus $0.40 per order.