Where Are My PSA Grader Notes, and What Do They Explain?

Start with the original order confirmation

Record the service level, submission type, country of submission and order date. Compare the service description attached to that order with current support guidance. PSA’s live US service page lists Grader Notes for Express, Super Express and higher listed services; do not assume a lower service includes them because another collector posted a screenshot.

The FAQ names exclusions including reholder and autograph-only services, submissions outside the US, PSA 10 and No Grade results, and Review cards that upgrade. Notes concern the card in an eligible dual-service submission, not the autograph. Use those distinctions to decide whether you have an access question, an eligibility question or simply an expected absence.

Look in the account that placed the submission

PSA directs customers to My Orders and a Grader Notes tag once grades are ready. If a shop or group submitter placed the order, start with that submitter and ask whether the eligible notes can be shared for your card. A card in your collection inventory is not necessarily an order placed through your own account.

Keep the cert and the submitter’s item reference together when asking. A statement such as my blue rookie got a nine is too vague in a batch containing several similar cards. You do not need another customer’s full order screenshot; request only the information relevant to your own item.

Translate a note into an inspection question

Use a worksheet with category, location, exact observation and your remaining question. Corners, edges, surface and centering are different ways to describe condition. A general category should lead you to inspect the corresponding area through the holder, not to invent a more specific defect than the note actually states.

For example, in a fictional worksheet a note about an edge issue would prompt you to record which edge is named and whether it is visible in your images. If you cannot see it, write not resolved in these photos. A scan may fail to show an angled surface feature clearly. You are comparing evidence, not independently certifying that the grader was right or wrong.

Avoid turning notes into a grading formula

A note is not a points-off invoice. Do not assume that removing one visible concern would automatically raise the grade, or that a card with fewer written observations must grade higher. Different issues can have different significance, and your photographs may not reveal the full physical condition.

Also keep condition and market price separate. Two cards with the same grade can appeal differently to buyers, while a detailed note does not supply a comparable sale. If you are deciding whether to keep, sell or request Review, combine the actual condition evidence with your collecting goal and the full cost of the next service. Do not clean or alter the card to chase a hypothetical outcome.

Ask for clarification with the right evidence

A useful message identifies the order, cert, submitted service, grade and specific access or interpretation issue. Save a view showing what is missing or the exact field you are asking about, without sharing payment or unrelated customer information. For a third-party order, let the submitter coordinate where account ownership requires it.

PSA’s FAQ says notes cannot be requested during or after authentication and cannot simply be added to lower service levels. Asking support to explain an apparent access problem is different from purchasing notes retroactively. Preserve any reply with the original order record. If you later pursue Review, that record can help you frame the issue without claiming the notes guarantee an upgrade.

Frequently asked questions