PSA Grading Cost in 2026: Prices & Turnaround Times
Current PSA service levels, what they actually cost per card once shipping is included, and how long they really take.
Fee data last verified: June 5, 2026
PSA grading prices (June 2026)
| Service level | Price / card | Max declared value | Est. turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | $79.99 | $1,500.00 | 40–50 business days |
| Express | $149.00 | $2,500.00 | 20–30 business days |
| Super Express | $349.00 | $5,000.00 | 7–10 business days |
| Walk-Through | $599.00 | $10,000.00 | 5–7 business days |
| Paused tiers — closed to new submissions | |||
| Value Bulk (50-card min) | $24.99 | $500.00 | 140–160 business days |
| Value | $32.99 | $500.00 | 100–120 business days |
| Value Plus | $49.99 | $1,000.00 | 60–80 business days |
| Value Max | $64.99 | $2,500.00 | 40–50 business days |
Turnaround ranges begin when PSA scans your order in at its facility — not when you drop it at the post office. Return shipping is extra: $19.99 for 1–4 cards, $24.99 for 5–9, $29.99 for 10–19 (domestic, ≤$2,000 total declared value).
True cost per card
Grading fee plus PSA return shipping, spread across your submission (domestic, ≤$2,000 declared value).
- Grading fees
- $319.96
- Return shipping
- $19.99
- Total
- $339.95
- True cost per card
- $84.99
Is grading worth it? The break-even math
A card is worth grading when its expected graded value exceeds its raw value by more than your all-in cost. At today’s entry price — $84.99 per card on a 4-card Regular submission — a raw card worth $50 needs to be worth at least $135 in the slab just to break even. And that assumes the grade comes back the way you hoped: price the downside grade, not just the gem rate.
GameStop drop-off
GameStop’s authorized PSA drop-off now mirrors the Regular tier: $79.99 per card, $1,500 declared-value cap, 40–50 business days, plus $9.99 shipping per order ($5 off for Pro members). Same PSA label and standards — the convenience is local drop-off, not a lower price.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does PSA grading cost?
- As of June 2026, the cheapest open PSA service level is Regular at $79.99 per card (max declared value $1,500). PSA's cheaper Value tiers ($24.99-$64.99) are temporarily paused for new submissions due to a roughly 10-million-card backlog. Add return shipping - $19.99 for 1-4 cards - so a single card graded at Regular really costs about $99.98 all-in, or $84.99 per card if you submit four.
- How long does PSA grading take?
- PSA publishes turnaround estimates as ranges: Regular is 40-50 business days, Express 20-30, Super Express 7-10, and Walk-Through 5-7 (June 2026). The clock starts when your order is scanned in at PSA's facility, not when you ship it.
- Why are PSA Value tiers paused?
- On June 2, 2026, PSA paused Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max for new submissions after its backlog reached roughly 10 million cards. PSA says the tiers will reopen once the backlog drops to about 5 million units. Until then, Regular ($79.99) is the entry-level option.
- How does PSA grading work?
- You create a submission in your PSA account, choose a service level based on each card's declared value, and ship the cards in penny sleeves inside Card Savers. Once PSA scans the order in at its facility, it moves through research, grading, encapsulation, and quality assurance. Grades post to your account as they're finalized, and the slabbed cards ship back to you — turnaround clocks run from scan-in, not from when you mail the package.
- What is the PSA grading scale?
- PSA grades cards on a 1-10 scale: 10 Gem Mint, 9 Mint, 8 Near Mint-Mint, down to 1 Poor, with half-grades like 8.5 in between. Cards with a specific flaw can receive a qualifier (such as OC for off-center) appended to the grade. The grade drives the market price — the gap between a PSA 9 and a PSA 10 of the same card is often several multiples.
- Is PSA grading worth it?
- Only if the graded card's expected value exceeds the raw value by more than your all-in cost — grading fee, return shipping, and your shipping to PSA. At $84.99 per card (Regular, 4-card submission), a card needs to gain at least that much from the slab to break even, and realistically more to compensate for grade risk.
- Can I still get cards graded cheaper through GameStop?
- As of June 1, 2026, GameStop's PSA drop-off mirrors the Regular tier: $79.99 per card with a $1,500 declared-value cap, plus $9.99 shipping per order ($5 off for Pro members). It is no longer the budget loophole it was when it cost about $20 per card.
Sending a batch soon? Track it with the PSA submission tracker. Selling your slabs? Check the eBay fee calculator or the Whatnot fee calculator.