Grading & Submission
PSA Grading Cost
What the tiers are, what drives the price, and why the number moved three times this year.
By Brijon M. · Published October 6, 2026 · Last updated October 6, 2026
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The short answer
The price is set by declared value and speed, in that order
Every PSA service level pairs a price with a maximum insured value and an estimated turnaround. You are not choosing a quality of grading — the grading is the same — you are choosing how fast and how much coverage. Pick the cheapest tier whose declared-value cap is above your card's value.
How the pricing is structured
PSA sells service levels, and each one bundles three things: a price per card, a maximum declared value the service will cover, and an estimated turnaround. The grading itself does not change between tiers. What changes is how quickly the card moves through the building and how much value PSA will insure.
That means the correct tier is the cheapest one whose declared-value cap sits above your card's value. Paying for a faster tier on a card you are not in a hurry to sell is simply spending money on impatience.
The 2026 picture
Two events defined PSA's 2026 pricing. On 2 June 2026, PSA paused new submissions on all four Value service levels — reported as Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus and Value Max — while it cleared a submission backlog that trade coverage put in the millions of cards. That removed the cheapest routes into PSA overnight.
On 14 September 2026, PSA introduced a new Standard tier reported at $59.99 per card, with an estimated turnaround of 90 to 100 business days and a maximum insured value of $1,000. Coverage of the full published range at that point described Priority, Express, Super Express, Premier and Premium tiers rising in price, shortening in turnaround, and carrying progressively higher declared-value caps.
| Tier | Reported price | Reported turnaround | Max insured value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $59.99 | 90-100 business days | $1,000 |
| Priority | $79.00 | 70-80 business days | $1,500 |
| Express | $199.00 | 20-30 business days | $2,500 |
| Super Express | $349.00 | 10-15 business days | $5,000 |
| Premier | $599.00 | 7-10 business days | $10,000 |
| Premium | $999.00 and up | 5-7 business days | $25,000 and up |
As reported by trade coverage in September 2026 and cited below. Not a quote, not current by definition, and superseded by PSA's own price list.
What else is on the bill
- Shipping both ways. You pay to send cards in and PSA charges return shipping. On a small order this is a meaningful share of the total.
- Insurance and declared value. Coverage above the base has been reported to carry a surcharge on value over a threshold — check the current terms, because this is where a high-value submission gets expensive.
- Supplies. Sleeves and semi-rigid holders for every card. Small per card, real across two hundred.
- The cards that come back low. The fee is the same whatever the grade, which is why pre-screening is the highest-return part of the process.
Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CG Cardboard Gold Card Saver 1 Every submission has to arrive in a semi-rigid. This is the one at the size PSA names. The holder the fee assumes | Standard modern cards going to PSA | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | L Luxiv Card Grading Centering Tool Kit The best way to spend less on grading is to grade fewer cards. A gauge catches the ones that were never going to come back well. The cheapest way to lower your bill | Pre-screening centering before you pay a fee | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | UP Ultra Pro Platinum Soft Card Sleeves Clear sleeves inside the holder. Opaque sleeves cause delays, and delays on a paid tier are expensive. Required, and trivial | The default penny sleeve | Check price on Amazon |
#ad We earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no cost to you. Prices move constantly, so we link to the live listing instead of printing a number that would be wrong next week. How we are funded.
1. The holder the fee assumes
Cardboard Gold Card Saver 1
Cardboard Gold · Standard modern cards going to PSA
The semi-rigid holder PSA's own shipping guide points you toward, at the size its instructions name. If you submit standard-thickness modern cards, this is the default and the decision is made.
Why it takes this slot: Every submission has to arrive in a semi-rigid. This is the one at the size PSA names.
- Holder size
- 3 5/16" x 4 7/8"
- Card thickness
- Standard cards up to roughly 20pt
- Material
- Acid-free, PVC-free rigid vinyl
- Common pack sizes
- 50, 100 and 200 count
What it does well
- Matches the semi-rigid dimensions PSA's shipping guide specifies
- Consistent fit from pack to pack, which matters when you are loading 200 cards
- Thin enough to band and ship in bulk without a bulky box
Where it falls short
- A snug fit — a thick or already-curved card needs care going in
- Priced above generic semi-rigids precisely because it is the submission standard
#ad We link to the listing rather than printing a price that would be wrong next week. How we are funded
2. The cheapest way to lower your bill
Luxiv Card Grading Centering Tool Kit
Luxiv · Pre-screening centering before you pay a fee
An acrylic centering guide plus a 30x magnifier and cloths. Centering is the single most common reason a card misses a 10, and this is the cheapest way to find that out before you pay for grading.
Why it takes this slot: The best way to spend less on grading is to grade fewer cards. A gauge catches the ones that were never going to come back well.
- Contents
- Acrylic centering guide, 30x magnifier, two microfiber cloths
- Material
- Transparent acrylic
- Works with
- PSA, BGS and CGC centering standards
What it does well
- Catches an off-center card before a submission fee is spent on it
- The magnifier doubles as your surface and edge check
- Costs a fraction of one grading fee
Where it falls short
- Measuring by eye on a gauge is less precise than a scan-based measurement
- Does nothing for surface or edge wear on its own
#ad We link to the listing rather than printing a price that would be wrong next week. How we are funded
3. Required, and trivial
Ultra Pro Platinum Soft Card Sleeves
Ultra Pro · The default penny sleeve
Clear, acid-free, consistently cut, and sold everywhere in 100-count packs. It is the sleeve every other sleeve gets compared to, and the one PSA's guidance effectively asks for: clear, not opaque.
Why it takes this slot: Clear sleeves inside the holder. Opaque sleeves cause delays, and delays on a paid tier are expensive.
- Size
- Standard 2 5/8" x 3 5/8" trading card
- Material
- Acid-free, PVC-free polypropylene
- Pack size
- 100 count, sold in multipacks
- Clarity
- Clear — grading-submission appropriate
What it does well
- Clear sleeve, which is what grading submissions require
- Consistent cut, so cards do not catch going in
- Cheap enough to sleeve a whole box without thinking about it
Where it falls short
- Thin by design — a sleeve is not protection on its own
- Static cling makes single-handed loading fiddly
#ad We link to the listing rather than printing a price that would be wrong next week. How we are funded
How to actually spend less
Grade fewer cards. That is the whole answer, and it is unglamorous. Every other lever — bulk tiers, minimums, promotions — moves the per-card cost by a modest amount. Not submitting a card that was never going to grade well saves the entire fee.
In practice: measure centering with a gauge, check corners and edges under a loupe in good light, and be ruthless. Then decide whether the graded price actually exceeds the raw price plus the total cost — the arithmetic is in is card grading worth it.
If the fee is the obstacle rather than the card, other graders have had materially cheaper entry tiers through 2026 — see best card grading company and PSA vs CGC.
Common questions
How much does PSA grading cost per card?
Why did PSA pause its Value tiers?
Is there a bulk discount at PSA?
Does the grade affect what I pay?
What is declared value and why does it matter?
Back to Grading & Submission.
Sources
About the author
Brijon M. is the hands-on owner behind MadGrey LLC and the person who writes and maintains every page on Slab & Stack. He buys supplies in bulk, submits cards for grading, and keeps this site's recommendations tied to what a working collection actually needs.
Brijon M. · Owner, MadGrey LLC · Read the full bio
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