PSA Grading Tiers 2026: Value Pause & Backlog Update
PSA Value tiers remain paused. Standard, Priority, and Express are open. Latest pricing, turnaround estimates, and what to check before submitting.
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PSA Value tiers remain paused. Standard, Priority, and Express are open. Latest pricing, turnaround estimates, and what to check before submitting.
PSA's four lower-priced Value services—Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max—remain paused for new US trading-card submissions. On the live PSA trading-card service page checked September 21, 2026, Standard at $59.99 per card is the lowest currently orderable direct tier. PSA lists a $1,000 maximum insured value and an estimated 90–100 business days for Standard.
PSA has not announced a guaranteed reopening date. Its Backlog Tracker says reopening is tied to reducing the active backlog to 5 million units. Check the live tracker for the current figure.
That makes this a status page, not a countdown. Check PSA's live menu and tracker before building a submission around a paused price or an assumed reopening month.
| Status checked September 21, 2026 | PSA service | Published price | Published timing | Value limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Standard | $59.99/card | 90–100 business days | $1,000 maximum insured value |
| Open | Priority | $79.99/card | 70–80 business days | $1,500 maximum insured value |
| Open | Express | $199/card | 20–30 business days | $2,500 maximum insured value |
| Open | Super Express | $349/card | 10–15 business days | $5,000 maximum insured value |
| Open | Walk-Through | $599/card | 7–10 business days | $10,000 maximum insured value |
| Open | Premium 1 | $999/card | 5–7 business days | $25,000 maximum insured value |
Published turnaround times are estimates, not door-to-door guarantees. PSA says its service clock begins after an order enters the grading system. Carrier transit, intake, return shipping, and an order-specific hold can add time outside the listed service window.
For all current price bands and the costs beyond the advertised fee, use the PSA grading cost guide.
PSA announced the pause on May 28 and stopped accepting new submissions for the four Value tiers on June 2. The prices below were published for those services before the shutdown. They remain useful for understanding the search terms and the fee difference, but they are not currently orderable offers.
| Paused service | Last published per-card price | Important context |
|---|---|---|
| Value Bulk | $24.99 | Collectors Club service; PSA had raised the minimum to 50 cards before the pause |
| Value | $32.99 | Closed to new submissions |
| Value Plus | $49.99 | Closed to new submissions |
| Value Max | $64.99 | Closed to new submissions |
PSA said active submissions would continue to be processed under the submitted turnaround times. If PSA already has your cards, use the order details in your account and PSA's support channels rather than treating the current public menu as a replacement promise for an existing submission.
First-party sources: PSA's May 28 service update, May 14 grading-experience update, and February 2026 pricing update.
PSA's Backlog Tracker reports operational figures that change over time. The table below shows historical snapshots from mid-2026:
| PSA update | Company-reported active backlog | What PSA said |
|---|---|---|
| June 2, 2026 | Approaching 10 million | Value pause began; PSA projected 5–6 months to reach its 5-million target after another influx |
| June 30, 2026 | About 12 million | PSA described the backlog as trending down |
| July 14, 2026 | 11 million | PSA said output was accelerating |
| July 28, 2026 | 12.4 million | PSA attributed the increase to higher-tier demand, eligible post-shutdown arrivals, and convention season |
These figures are PSA-reported historical data, not independently audited measurements. Check the live Backlog Tracker for the current status.
The honest answer is: PSA has not guaranteed a date.
PSA ties reopening to an operational milestone of 5 million backlog units, not a fixed day. Check the live tracker for the current figure rather than relying on historical projections.
Before waiting or submitting at a higher tier:
The separate 2026 grading-backlog guide compares the live capacity picture across PSA, TAG, and CGC.
The grading line item for ten cards at current Standard pricing is:
10 × $59.99 = $599.90
At the last published Value price, the same count would have been:
10 × $32.99 = $329.90
The difference is $270 before shipping, insurance, supplies, optional services, selling fees, or taxes. This is an illustrative fee comparison, not a claim that either batch will be profitable.
Use the grading ROI calculator to list the assumptions explicitly. A useful card-level test is:
Expected after-fee graded proceeds − expected raw proceeds > complete grading and selling cost
Use a range of plausible outcomes instead of assuming every card earns a 10. Recent completed sales for the exact card, variation, grade, and marketplace are more useful than broad rules about a PSA premium.
An active PSA tier may make sense when:
Waiting for Value may make sense when:
The how to get cards graded guide covers the full workflow, while the PSA grade predictor and centering tool can help organize a visible-condition review before the final decision.
An image-based pre-screen can help review visible centering, corner, edge, and surface signals in clear front and back photos. That can make a submission list more deliberate.
It cannot:
Inspect the physical card under good light and use PSA for the final authentication and grading decision. CardGrade is an independent pre-screening service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by PSA.
PSA Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max remain paused. Standard at $59.99 is the lowest active direct US tier. Reopening is tied to a 5-million-unit target, not a guaranteed date.
Check the live sources, compare the correct active tier, and make the decision card by card. Do not plan a shipment around a paused price, an old turnaround figure, or an assumed reopening month.
Last verified: September 21, 2026
Yes. PSA's US trading-card service menu checked September 21, 2026 still says Value services are temporarily paused. The affected tiers are Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max. Check PSA's live service page before creating an order because availability can change.
PSA currently lists Standard, Priority, Express, Super Express, Walk-Through, and Premium value bands as orderable direct trading-card services. Standard is the lowest active direct tier at $59.99 per card with a $1,000 maximum insured value and a 90–100-business-day estimate.
Before the pause, PSA listed Value Bulk at $24.99, Value at $32.99, Value Plus at $49.99, and Value Max at $64.99 per card. Those figures are useful historical context, not currently orderable offers. Value Bulk also carried Collectors Club and minimum-card requirements.
PSA's Backlog Tracker reports operational figures that change over time. As of July 28, 2026, the tracker showed 12.4 million units. Check the live tracker at psacard.com/info/backlog-tracker for the current figure—these are PSA-reported operational numbers, not independently audited counts.
PSA has not published a guaranteed reopening date. It ties reopening to reducing the backlog to 5 million units. Check the live Backlog Tracker for the current figure rather than assuming a calendar date.
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TAG backlog at 63% with October catch-up estimate; PSA active global backlog ~9 million as of the September 22 tracker print (down from 9.9 million on September 8); CGC entry-tier waits. Verified September 24, 2026.
A June 2026 snapshot of PSA, SGC, Beckett, CGC, and TAG pricing, capacity, turnaround, and what collectors should verify before submitting.
Yes. With all four Value services paused, PSA Standard is the lowest currently orderable direct US trading-card tier at $59.99 per card. Shipping, insurance, supplies, optional services, and any intermediary costs are separate from that grading line item.
Decide card by card. Compare the current active tier's complete cost with recent completed sales for the exact card at plausible grades. Waiting may make sense when the lower fee is essential to the economics; submitting now may make sense when an active tier fits the card, insured-value limit, timing, and evidence-based resale plan.
No. An image-based pre-screen can help review visible centering, corner, edge, and surface signals in the supplied photos. It cannot authenticate a card, identify every physical flaw, issue an official grade, guarantee PSA's result, or replace an in-hand examination.
