Is PSA Grading Worth It in 2026?

PSA raised prices for the second time in five months on February 10, 2026. Five service levels went up by $5 each. Turnaround estimates stretched further. The TCG Bulk and Value Bulk tiers were consolidated into a single Collectors Club-only service.

None of this happened in a vacuum. PSA went from grading approximately 15,000 cards per day globally in 2021 to roughly 90,000 per day in early 2026. Demand is driving the price increases, and demand is driven by the persistent reality that PSA-graded cards command higher resale premiums than cards graded by any other company. That dynamic hasn't changed. What has changed is the cost of accessing it.

The question isn't whether PSA grading adds value. The data is clear that it does. The question is whether the economics of a PSA submission still work in your favor after accounting for the full cost structure — and increasingly, the full time structure — and for which cards, under which circumstances, that remains true.

The Current Fee Structure

Here is what PSA charges as of February 2026, reflecting the most recent adjustments:

The Value Bulk tier was $18.99 roughly a year ago. At $24.99, it has increased approximately 32% in twelve months. That trajectory matters for anyone building grading costs into a longer-term collecting or investment framework.

The PSA Premium Is Real — and Quantifiable

The reason PSA can raise prices repeatedly without losing market share is straightforward: their graded cards sell for more. Industry data consistently shows PSA 10 cards trading at a 10–20% premium over equivalent grades from SGC, CGC, and Advanced Grading, with the spread widening further on vintage and flagship rookie cards. Major auction houses — Heritage, Goldin, PWCC — overwhelmingly feature PSA holders in their marquee lots.

Where the premium narrows or disappears entirely is in mid-range and lower-value modern cards — and that's precisely where the rising fee structure creates the most friction.

The Economics Have Shifted at the Lower End

Every grading submission is, at its core, a capital allocation decision. You are spending a known amount (the grading fee plus shipping, supplies, insurance, and membership costs) in exchange for an uncertain return (the difference between the card's raw market value and its graded market value, minus the probability distribution of possible grades).

The all-in cost of a PSA submission is higher than the per-card fee suggests. For a 10-card Value submission at $32.99 per card, total costs including outbound shipping, return shipping, card savers, and supplies run approximately $38–42 per card. Collectors Club membership ($99 annually) adds further overhead for anyone using the Value Bulk tier.

At these levels, the breakeven threshold has moved meaningfully upward. Cards that were clear grading candidates a year ago at $19 per card now require a larger spread between raw and graded value to justify the submission.

Rate of Return: The Metric Most Collectors Ignore

Collectors tend to evaluate grading in absolute terms — does the graded card sell for more than the raw card plus the grading fee? That's necessary but not sufficient. The more useful lens is rate of return on the grading investment, and once you apply it, the calculus between grading companies shifts in ways that aren't immediately obvious.

Consider two scenarios for the same card.

In the first, you submit to PSA at the Value tier. All-in cost is roughly $40. The card is locked up for four to five months. When it returns, the graded value exceeds your total cost basis by, say, 25%. That's a 25% return — but it took five months to realize. Annualized, you're looking at roughly 60% on that capital. That's solid.

In the second, you submit the same card to a competitor charging $15 with a 10-day turnaround. Your all-in cost is roughly $22. The graded card may sell for slightly less than the PSA equivalent — let's say the return on your grading cost is only 15%. But you realized that 15% in two weeks, not five months. Annualized, the rate of return on the grading investment is dramatically higher. And more importantly, the capital you freed up — both the card and the cash — is available to redeploy immediately.

Turnaround Time Is Not an Inconvenience — It's a Risk Factor

Most grading discussions treat turnaround time as a service quality issue. It's better understood as a financial risk.

Sports cards are not a static market. Player values move on weekly performance. A quarterback's card price can shift 30–40% over a single season based on wins, injuries, and playoff runs. Rookie cards spike around draft night and opening weekends, then often correct. Trading card game releases create price windows that open and close within weeks as supply enters the market.

A grading company with a 5–10 day turnaround doesn't just return your card faster — it fundamentally reduces your exposure to market-timing risk. You get the card back while the conditions that made it worth grading still exist. You retain the option to sell into strength or hold through weakness, rather than having that decision made for you by a processing queue.

The Hidden Advantage of Lower-Cost Grading

PSA's 10–20% resale premium is the number that dominates every grading comparison. But premium is only one variable in the return equation. Cost basis and velocity are the other two, and lower-cost grading companies often win on both.

When you pay $15–18 to grade a card instead of $25–50, your cost basis drops significantly. That means the card doesn't need to appreciate as much in graded form to generate a positive return. The bar is lower. The margin of safety is wider. You can be wrong about grade outcome more often and still come out ahead across a portfolio of submissions.

The obvious counterargument is that those cards sell for less in non-PSA holders. That's true in aggregate, and it matters at the top of the market. But for mid-range modern cards — the exact segment where PSA's fee increases bite hardest — the resale premium gap is narrower than most collectors assume. SGC, CGC, and Advanced Grading holders have gained meaningful buyer acceptance in the last two years.

When the Math Still Works for PSA

PSA grading remains the optimal choice in several clearly defined scenarios, and it's important not to overcorrect away from a service that does hold genuine advantages where it matters most.

• Cards with substantial raw value. When a card already commands meaningful value in raw condition, the PSA premium represents a small marginal cost relative to the total position. The grading fee becomes a rounding error on cards valued in the hundreds or thousands.
• Vintage holdings. The vintage market is PSA's stronghold. Auction results consistently show wider premiums for PSA-graded vintage than for any other segment. A 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle isn't losing value because of a Week 8 injury report.
• Cards intended for sale through major auction channels. If the exit strategy is Heritage, Goldin, PWCC, or similar platforms, PSA's brand recognition translates directly into sell-through rate and price realization.
• Long-term holds where time in transit is irrelevant. For cards you intend to hold across a multi-year horizon, the turnaround time and velocity arguments lose their force. Paying for the PSA premium is a reasonable long-term positioning decision.

When It Doesn't

• Lower-value modern cards. When the all-in grading cost represents a significant percentage of the card's potential graded value, you are taking a leveraged bet on grade outcome. The expected value of that bet has deteriorated with each fee increase.
• Cards tied to active player performance windows. Locking a card into a multi-month PSA submission introduces market-timing risk you cannot control. A faster grading service preserves your ability to sell into the window that made the card worth grading.
• Cards graded for personal collection rather than resale. If the card isn't leaving your collection, the PSA premium has no functional value. The card receives the same physical protection in any reputable slab.
• Volume submissions where capital velocity matters. A grading service that returns cards in days rather than months allows you to compound more frequently — and compounding frequency is a structural advantage.

The Competitive Landscape Is No Longer a Footnote

Two years ago, a grading discussion could reasonably begin and end with PSA, SGC, and Beckett. That's no longer the case.

SGC has carved out a distinct position with flat-rate pricing ($15 for modern sports cards, no upcharges based on declared value) and turnaround times that remain the fastest among established graders. CGC has grown rapidly since expanding from comic books into sports cards, and weekly grading volume data now shows them as the second-most-used company by total cards graded. Beckett (BGS) continues to offer the most granular grading with sub-grades. Advanced Grading represents the emerging category of technology-driven grading companies, applying AI to the authentication and grading process.

For a detailed comparison across all major grading companies, see our Complete Grading Companies Comparison for 2026.

A Framework for the Decision

Rather than prescribing specific thresholds, here is the framework we use when analyzing grading economics:

• Start with the spread. Look at completed sales data for the specific card in both raw and graded condition. If the probability-weighted spread doesn't comfortably exceed total submission cost, the economics don't support the submission.
• Account for total cost, not just the fee. Membership fees, shipping both directions, insurance, supplies, and the opportunity cost of having capital locked up all factor into the real cost basis.
• Time-adjust the return. A 25% return in five months and a 15% return in two weeks are not equivalent. Evaluate grading returns on an annualized or time-adjusted basis.
• Assess market-timing exposure. Vintage cards and hall-of-fame players carry low timing risk. Current-season rookies and recently released products carry high timing risk. Match the turnaround time to the volatility of the underlying asset.
• Match the grading company to the exit strategy. Where will you sell the card, and what does that buyer pool value? Auction house consignors should lean toward PSA. Collectors selling peer-to-peer may find that SGC, CGC, or Advanced Grading holders move just as efficiently.

Where This Leaves Us

PSA remains the market leader, and for the segments where their premium is most pronounced — vintage, high-end modern, auction-bound cards — it is likely to stay there. The brand has decades of trust embedded in it, and that trust has real economic value.

But the market is evolving in ways that reward a more nuanced approach. Rising PSA costs and extending turnaround times are not just inconveniences — they are structural changes that alter the return profile of grading as an investment. Collectors who treat every card as a default PSA submission are leaving money on the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Has PSA raised prices in 2026?

Yes. Effective February 10, 2026, PSA increased pricing by $5 across five service levels: Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, Value Max, and Regular. Express and higher tiers were unchanged. PSA also consolidated TCG Bulk and Value Bulk into a single Collectors Club-only service. This followed a previous round of increases in September 2025.

How long does PSA grading take right now?

Longer than the posted estimates. PSA's turnaround clock doesn't start until your order is entered into their system, and receiving time currently averages about 15 business days for lower-tier submissions. A Value Bulk submission has a realistic total timeline of four to five months from shipment to return.

Can you lose money grading cards with PSA?

Yes, and it happens more often than the grading community acknowledges. If a card's market value declines during the months it spends in PSA's queue — due to player injury, poor performance, product reprints, or general market correction — the card can return worth less than your total cost basis. This risk is directly proportional to turnaround time and the volatility of the card's underlying value drivers.

Is PSA or SGC better for vintage cards?

PSA commands a wider resale premium on vintage than on any other segment. Major auction houses overwhelmingly feature PSA-graded vintage, and the buyer pool for high-end pre-war and post-war cards is heavily conditioned to expect PSA holders. SGC is respected in the vintage space and offers faster turnarounds at lower cost, but the liquidity premium currently favors PSA for vintage intended for sale through major channels.

Do PSA-graded cards actually sell for more?

The data consistently supports this. PSA 10 cards trade at a 10–20% premium over equivalent grades from other companies across most categories, with wider spreads on vintage and flagship rookies. However, the premium is not uniform — it narrows significantly on mid-range modern cards where SGC, CGC, and Advanced Grading holders have gained meaningful secondary-market traction.

Can lower-cost grading companies actually produce better returns than PSA?

On a rate-of-return basis, yes — particularly for mid-range modern cards. A lower per-card fee reduces your cost basis, meaning the card needs less appreciation to generate a positive return. Faster turnaround times mean you realize that return sooner and can redeploy capital more quickly. The key is running the math on your specific cards rather than defaulting to brand reputation.