What card grading actually costs
The number on a rate card is not what you pay. Here is every tier side by side, and the four costs that land on top of it.
Last updated 2026-09-13
PSA paused its Value tiers in June 2026 while it clears a submission backlog, so Regular at $79.99 is currently its cheapest option. Verify before you budget.
Every tier, side by side
Sorted cheapest first within each company. The ceiling is the highest a card may be worth before the tier refuses it, and the minimum is how many cards the company requires in one submission at that price.
| Company | Tier | Per card | Value ceiling | Min cards | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | ValuePaused | $24.99 | $499 | 20 | 65 days |
| PSA | Value PlusPaused | $39.99 | $499 | 10 | 30 days |
| PSA | Regular | $79.99 | $1,500 | 1 | 45 days |
| PSA | Express | $149.00 | $4,999 | 1 | 10 days |
| PSA | Super Express | $299.00 | $9,999 | 1 | 5 days |
| PSA | Walk Through | $600.00 | $24,999 | 1 | 3 days |
| BGS | Standard | $30.00 | $999 | 1 | 30 days |
| CGC | Bulk | $18.00 | $400 | 20 | 45 days |
| CGC | Standard | $30.00 | $1,000 | 1 | 25 days |
| SGC | Standard | $25.00 | $1,500 | 1 | 15 days |
The four costs the rate card leaves out
A tier price covers the grading. It does not cover getting the cards there, getting them back, protecting them on the way, or turning the slab into money afterwards.
- Postage to the grader
- about $20.00 per package
- Charged per package, not per card. This single fact is why sending one card is the most expensive way to grade anything, and why the planner exists.
- Return postage
- about $15.00 plus 1% of value
- The insured portion scales with what is inside, so a box of expensive cards costs more to send home than a box of cheap ones.
- Supplies
- about $1.25 per card
- Sleeves, semi rigid holders, team bags and a box. Small per card and easy to forget, and it is the cost people are most surprised by.
- Selling fees
- about 13.25% plus $0.40
- Plus roughly $6.00 to ship the slab to whoever buys it. A grade is only worth what you keep after selling it.
What that adds up to
The same arithmetic the calculator runs, on a card worth about $300 once slabbed, at three batch sizes. Nothing changes between these rows except how many cards share the postage.
| Tier | 1 card | 10 cards | 20 cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA Regularsticker $79.99 | $119.24 | $87.74 | $85.99 |
| SGC Standardsticker $25.00 | $64.25 | $32.75 | $31.00 |
| CGC Bulksticker $18.00 | $57.25under min | $25.75under min | $24.00 |
| BGS Standardsticker $30.00 | $69.25 | $37.75 | $36.00 |
A struck through figure means that company will not accept a submission that small at that price, however appealing the number looks.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page is read from the same table the calculator runs on, so the guide and the tool cannot disagree with each other. Postage and supply figures are typical rather than quoted: yours will differ by where you live and what you buy, and the calculator lets you change all of them.
Rates were seeded 2026-09-13. Grading companies change tier prices, ceilings and minimums with no notice, so check the company rate card before you post anything. If you spot one that has moved, tell me and I will fix it.
Run it on your own card
These are averages. Your card has a specific value, a specific condition and a specific batch size, and all three move the answer.
Check a card