Sending a card away to be graded used to be a cheap, slightly tedious errand. In September 2026 it is neither. PSA, the largest grading company by volume, reorganized its service levels on September 14, and the lowest open price on its published list is now $59.99 a card, with an estimated 90 to 100 business days before the card comes back. The four Value tiers that handled the cheap end of the hobby have been closed since June 2.
That is not a company in trouble. It is the arithmetic of a queue that PSA’s own Backlog Tracker put at about 12 million cards at the end of June. This is a price trail through the published fees and wait times, where the demand came from, and the point at which the fee costs more than the job it is doing.
Trend Signal
80/100 Strong momentum
- Emerging
- Rising
- Mainstream
- Peaking
- Cooling
Record submission volume with the cheapest tiers still shut
Sports Illustrated reported on July 6, 2026 that GemRate counted 3.5 million cards graded across the major companies in June 2026, up 65% per business day on June 2025, while PSA’s four Value tiers stayed paused and its own Backlog Tracker put the queue at about 9 million cards on September 22, 2026.
Our editorial reading of the cited data, not a forecast. How it is scored
By the numbers
- 3.5MCards graded across the major grading companies in June 2026, per GemRateSports Illustrated
- 9MCards in PSA’s grading backlog on September 22, 2026, with Value tiers still pausedPSA Backlog Tracker
- $59.99PSA’s cheapest open service level, published price list read September 24, 2026PSA
- 71%Share of PSA’s June 2026 volume that was trading card game cards, per GemRateSports Illustrated
What grading costs in September 2026
PSA reorganized its service levels on September 14, 2026. The headline change was a Standard tier at $59.99 a card, maximum insured value $1,000, at an estimated 90 to 100 business days. On PSA’s published price list, read on September 24, 2026, the level formerly called Regular is now Priority at $79.99 and 70 to 80 business days, Express is $199.00 at 20 to 30 days, the old Walk-Through is Premier at $599.00 with a 7 to 10 day estimate, and a Premium tier starts at $999.00. ICv2 reported that PSA also opened a grading facility in Frankfurt, Germany on September 15.
CGC publishes a shorter and cheaper list, read on the same day: Bulk at $17 a card with a 25-card minimum and a 150-day estimate, Economy at $20 for 90 days, Standard at $55 for 10 days and Express at $100 for 5 days. CGC states plainly on its fee page that the figures are estimates in working days and are not guaranteed.
Two things the sticker price leaves out. The fee is per card, so 20 cards at PSA’s Standard level is a four-figure decision. And it does not cover getting the cards there and back: postage both ways, insurance and holders are on the sender.
| Service level | Price per card | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| PSA Value Bulk — paused since June 2, 2026 | $24.99 | Not accepting submissions |
| PSA Standard, new on September 14, 2026 | $59.99 | 90–100 business days |
| PSA Priority, formerly Regular | $79.99 | 70–80 business days |
| PSA Express | $199 | 20–30 business days |
| PSA Premier, formerly Walk-Through | $599 | 7–10 business days |
| CGC Bulk, 25-card minimum | $17 | 150 days |
| CGC Economy | $20 | 90 days |
| CGC Standard | $55 | 10 days |
The cheapest way into PSA today costs more than twice what the Value tier did before it closed.
How the queue reached ten million cards
The first move of 2026 was a price rise. Sports Illustrated reported on February 10 that PSA had added $5 that day to each of Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, Value Max and Regular, leaving the faster levels alone. It also folded the standalone $18.99 Bulk rate for trading card games into Value Bulk at $24.99, and added five business days to three estimates.
It did not slow anything down. PSA announced on May 28 that it would pause all four Value tiers from June 2, with its backlog approaching 10 million units. Its public Backlog Tracker then recorded about 12 million at the end of June, a high of 12.4 million on July 28, then 9.9 million on September 8 and about 9 million on September 22. The Value tiers return once the backlog is down to 5 million.
PSA said on June 2 that its projections put the 5 million target five to six months away, and has tied the reopening to that number rather than a date. Against a queue of about nine million and a steady inflow, the gap closes slowly, which is what the $59.99 tier is for: a cheaper door still priced high enough to meter the flow.
Why so many cards are being sent in
The grading numbers track the trading card boom rather than anything specific to grading. Sports Illustrated reported on July 6, 2026 that GemRate counted 3.5 million cards graded across the major graders in June, up 65% year over year on a per-business-day basis and past the previous record of 3.1 million set in April. PSA alone graded 2.50 million, up 74% on June 2025.
Of PSA’s June total, 1.78 million cards, or slightly over 71%, were trading card game cards such as Pokémon, One Piece and Magic: The Gathering, a segment up 95% on the year. Not every grader is riding it: SGC’s June volume fell 75% year over year, while CGC and Beckett set records.
The retail side matches. Circana reported on August 12, 2026 that US toy dollar sales rose 17% in the first half of 2026, the strongest first half in six years, naming trading cards and collectibles among the drivers; its Games and Puzzles supercategory grew 45% and Explorative and Other Toys 58%. More packs opened means more cards someone wants encapsulated.
The queue is a demand problem, and the demand is coming from trading card games rather than sports cards.
When the fee is larger than the job
A grading submission returns three things: a judgment that the card is genuine, a numeric opinion on its condition, and a sealed rigid holder with a label. At $59.99 plus postage, it is priced like the service it is.
If what you want is for a card to stay flat, clean and out of the light, a penny sleeve inside a semi-rigid holder inside a box does that for a few cents, this afternoon rather than in 90 to 100 business days. A card in a queue is also a card you do not have: a submission sent in September is a winter arrival.
We do not publish resale values, and this site does not treat collectibles as an investment or as likely to gain value. The answerable question is narrower: is authentication and a condition opinion worth the fee, two shipments and the queue?
Who should send now and who should wait
Sending now makes sense if you need the outcome rather than the price: a card you cannot authenticate yourself, or one going into a display where a sealed holder matters. The Priority and Express levels are open and moving.
Waiting makes sense for volume. Anyone with a shoebox rather than a handful is waiting on the Value tiers, and PSA has tied their return to a backlog of 5 million cards rather than to a date. From about 9 million on September 22, and PSA’s own five to six month projection made on June 2, that is months rather than weeks. CGC’s $17 Bulk tier, with a 25-card minimum and a 150-day estimate, is the open alternative at the low end.
- Price the whole job, not the tier: fee per card, postage both ways, insurance and holders.
- Check the declared-value ceiling on the tier, since it caps what the grader insures.
- Treat every published turnaround as an estimate; CGC says so on its fee page.
What to watch next
- PSA’s public Backlog Tracker, updated every two weeks, for whether it reaches the 5 million cards set as the condition for reopening the Value tiers.
- Monthly GemRate totals, for whether industry volume keeps setting records after June 2026’s 3.5 million cards.
- Whether PSA Europe in Frankfurt, open since September 15, 2026, shortens the US queues or mainly serves European senders.
Where to start
Paid links: we earn a commission if you buy through the buttons below, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Supplies that go with a grading submission
| Product type | Good fit for | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-rigid card holders | Fits cards going to a grader | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| Storage box for graded slabs | Fits slabs coming back | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| Rigid mailers for shipping cards | Fits shipping a small batch | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
Product types that fit the trend described above, not tested models. Check the exact listing before you buy. How we pick them.
Semi-rigid card holders
Where to look: Amazon
Semi-rigid holders cost cents each against a $59.99 service fee. Check the size code and whether the lip is tight enough to hold a sleeved card.
- Holds a card flat without pressure
- Cheap enough to buy in bulk
- Not a display holder
- Easy to buy the wrong size
Storage box for graded slabs
Where to look: Amazon
Slabs are thicker than raw cards, so a standard card box will not take them. Check the stated slab count, since listings quote capacity in very different ways.
- Sized for sealed holders
- Keeps labels visible
- Bulky for a small collection
- Capacities vary a lot
Rigid mailers for shipping cards
Where to look: Amazon
Shipping is the small line on the invoice and the one that can ruin a card. Check the interior dimensions against your holders plus padding.
- Rigid walls resist bending
- Cheap per shipment
- Not waterproof on its own
- Sizes are inconsistent
More: Collectibles and Toys trends and how the Trend Signal is scored.
Sources
- Card and Autograph Grading Services and Pricing — PSA
- PSA Backlog Tracker — PSA
- PSA Increasing Card Grading Prices and Turnaround Times — Sports Illustrated
- PSA Backlog Falls to 12 Million: What It Means for Card Grading in 2026 — Sports Illustrated
- PSA Leads Record-Breaking June as Card Grading Reaches New All-Time High — Sports Illustrated
- PSA Reorganizes Service Levels; Opens New Tier and European Facility — Sports Illustrated
- PSA Adds Grading Service Tier, Opens PSA Europe Facility — ICv2
- Services and Fees, Card Submissions — CGC Cards
- US Toy Industry Posts Strongest First Half in Six Years — Circana
Questions readers ask
How much does card grading cost in 2026?
On PSA’s published price list, read on September 24, 2026, the cheapest open level is the Standard tier at $59.99 a card, introduced on September 14, with Priority at $79.99, Express at $199.00 and Premier at $599.00. CGC publishes Bulk at $17 with a 25-card minimum, Economy at $20 and Standard at $55. Postage, insurance and holders are extra.
How long does PSA take right now?
PSA estimates 90 to 100 business days for the $59.99 Standard level, 70 to 80 for Priority, 20 to 30 for Express and 7 to 10 for Premier. Those are estimates rather than guarantees.
Why are PSA Value tiers closed?
PSA announced on May 28, 2026 that it would pause all four Value tiers from June 2, with the backlog approaching 10 million units. Its Backlog Tracker shows a high of 12.4 million units on July 28 and about 9 million on September 22. The tiers return when the backlog falls to 5 million.
Is grading worth the fee?
That depends what you want from it. The fee buys authentication, a condition opinion and a sealed holder, and nothing else. We do not publish resale values or present collectibles as an investment. To simply protect a card, a sleeve and a semi-rigid holder do that for a few cents.
