PSA Grading Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Guide for All Service Tiers

How Much Does PSA Grading Cost in 2026?

PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) is the most recognized card grading service in the world. Whether you're grading a One Piece manga rare, a vintage sports card, or a Pokemon chase card, understanding PSA's pricing tiers is essential to making smart grading decisions.

As of February 2026, PSA implemented its latest round of price increases — the second in less than six months. Here's a complete breakdown of every service tier.

PSA Grading Prices: Full Tier Breakdown

| Service Level | Price Per Card | Turnaround Time | Max Declared Value | |---|---|---|---| | Value Bulk | $24.99 | 95 business days | $499 | | Value | $32.99 | 45 business days | $499 | | Value Plus | $49.99 | 45 business days | $999 | | Value Max | $64.99 | 35 business days | $1,499 | | Regular | $79.99 | 25 business days | $1,499 | | Express | $149 | 10 business days | $2,999 | | Super Express | $299 | 5 business days | $4,999 | | Walk-Through | $599 | 5 business days | $9,999 |

Value Bulk — Best for Budget Submissions

At $24.99 per card, Value Bulk is PSA's most affordable tier. In February 2026, PSA consolidated the old TCG Bulk and Value Bulk tiers into a single service level, which now accepts cards from all categories including TCG.

Requirements:

• Minimum 20 cards per submission
• PSA Collectors Club membership required
• Maximum declared value of $499 per card

The trade-off is turnaround time: 95 business days (roughly 4–5 months). If you're not in a rush, this is the most cost-effective way to grade.

Value Tiers — The Sweet Spot

The Value ($32.99), Value Plus ($49.99), and Value Max ($64.99) tiers offer progressively faster turnaround and higher declared value limits. Most collectors submitting 5–15 cards at a time land in one of these tiers.

Express Tiers — When Speed Matters

For time-sensitive submissions — say you pulled a chase card and want to sell while hype is high — Express ($149) gets you a 10-business-day turnaround. Super Express ($299) and Walk-Through ($599) shrink that to 5 business days.

What Changed in 2026?

PSA raised prices across all value-level tiers by roughly $5 per card in February 2026. Several turnaround windows also got longer:

| Tier | Old Price | New Price | Old Turnaround | New Turnaround | |---|---|---|---|---| | Value Bulk | $21.99 | $24.99 | 95 days | 95 days | | Value | $27.99 | $32.99 | 45 days | 45 days | | Value Plus | $44.99 | $49.99 | 40 days | 45 days | | Value Max | $59.99 | $64.99 | 30 days | 35 days | | Regular | $74.99 | $79.99 | 20 days | 25 days |

Express, Super Express, and Walk-Through pricing remained unchanged.

PSA President of Grading Ryan Hoge cited "unprecedented demand" as the driver: PSA graded 8.89 million cards in the first half of 2025 alone and currently processes around 90,000 cards per day.

Additional Costs to Factor In

Shipping & Insurance

Return shipping starts at $19.99 for 1 item insured up to $2,000, and increases for larger submissions.

Receiving Time

PSA's receiving phase — from when your package arrives to when it enters the system — currently averages about 15 business days for Bulk and Value tiers. This is on top of the stated turnaround time.

Upcharges

If PSA determines that your card's graded value exceeds the declared value limit for your chosen tier, they'll apply an upcharge to bump it to the appropriate service level.

Dual Service

If your card needs both grading and authentication (common for vintage cards), dual service pricing applies:

| Tier | Dual Price | |---|---| | Value Max | $85 | | Regular | $105 | | Express | $205 | | Super Express | $400 | | Walk-Through | $750 |

Is PSA Grading Worth the Cost?

The answer depends on your card's raw value and the premium a PSA grade adds.

General rule of thumb: A card should be worth at least $50–75 raw before Value Bulk grading makes financial sense. For higher tiers, the card should be worth proportionally more.

When Grading Is Worth It

• High-value chase cards (manga rares, alt arts, vintage rookies) where a PSA 10 adds 50–100% to the raw price
• Cards you plan to sell — graded cards sell faster and for more on every marketplace
• Cards in near-mint condition — a PSA 9 or 10 maximizes value; a PSA 7 on a common card may not be worth the grading fee

When It's Not Worth It

• Common cards worth under $20 raw
• Cards with visible damage (corners, surface scratches) unlikely to grade above a 7
• Cards you're keeping in your personal collection with no plan to sell

Tips to Maximize Your Grading ROI

1. Self-grade first. Inspect centering, corners, edges, and surface under good lighting. Only submit cards likely to grade 9 or higher.

2. Use Value Bulk when possible. The per-card savings add up fast across 20+ cards. Patience pays off.

3. Time your submissions. If a new set just released and prices are high, faster tiers make sense. If the market is stable, save with slower tiers.

4. Declare accurately. Under-declaring saves nothing — PSA will upcharge. Over-declaring costs you more in shipping insurance.

5. Consider alternatives. CGC offers grading starting at $15 per card with faster turnaround. BGS starts at $14.95. For cards where PSA brand premium isn't critical, these can be smarter choices.

Track Your Graded Collection

Once your cards come back graded, you need a way to organize, showcase, and sell them. Kard lets you scan your PSA cert number, build a visual collection, set asking prices, and share your profile link with buyers — all in seconds.

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Prices accurate as of February 2026. PSA adjusts pricing periodically based on demand. Always check psacard.com for the latest rates before submitting.