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For an active direct tier without a bulk minimum, SGC Standard starts at $15. CGC Bulk is $17 with a 25-card minimum, CGC Economy is $20, PSA Regular is $79.99, and limited TAG Priority is $149.
Beckett lists Base at $14.95, but new online Base and Standard submissions are paused. Add shipping, insurance, supplies, minimums, and possible upcharges before deciding which service fits the card.
Regular is PSA's lowest currently orderable direct tier. PSA lists all Value services as temporarily unavailable; confirm availability before preparing a submission.
CGC Bulk is $17 with a 25-card minimum and a 150-working-day published estimate. Economy is $20 with a 90-working-day estimate and no bulk minimum.
SGC Standard starts at $15 per card with a 75+ business-day estimate. Its expedited service is faster but costs more; compare all-in cost and holder preference, not price alone.
Beckett still lists Base at $14.95, but new online Base and Standard submissions are temporarily paused. Express and Priority remain available.
TAG’s regular Basic, Standard, and Express tiers are paused. Priority is currently limited, so confirm live availability before planning a time-sensitive submission.
Published pricing was checked August 5, 2026; Beckett availability was checked August 8, 2026. Terms can change by service, card type, and declared value.
Published pricing last verified August 5, 2026. CardGrade is independent and is not affiliated with the grading companies listed.
Official sources: PSA trading card grading services · CGC cards grading services and fees · Beckett card submission services · SGC card grading services and pricing · TAG grading service availability
Beckett Base and Standard availability last verified August 8, 2026. Official update: Beckett Base and Standard service update.
Complete these steps in order. The goal is not to grade every card—it is to submit the right cards to the right service with fewer avoidable surprises.
Decide whether the goal is resale, authentication, registry participation, protection, or a personal collection milestone. Set a maximum total budget and a minimum result that would make the submission worthwhile.
Under bright, angled light, examine centering, corners, edges, surface, print defects, creases, dents, and signs of alteration. Add a 60-second AI pre-screen to rank the strongest candidates before paying a submission fee.
Match the card to the grader's market reputation, active entry price, turnaround, holder, minimums, and declared-value ceiling. Confirm the service is actually orderable before buying supplies or completing paperwork.
Identify every card precisely, estimate its value after the expected grade, select any minimum-grade preference carefully, and keep the physical cards in the same order as the online packing slip.
Use the company's required holder—commonly a penny sleeve and semi-rigid card saver. Protect the ordered stack between cardboard panels, avoid tape directly on holders, and place it in a sturdy box with no room to shift.
Photograph the cards and sealed package, ship with tracking and appropriate insurance, and retain the receipt. When the order returns, verify every label, holder, and card against the submission before storing or selling it.
The advertised per-card fee leaves out several expenses and risks. Add them to the budget before deciding whether grading creates enough value.
Carrier, insurance, destination, return method, and package size determine the total. Get current quotes for the exact shipment.
Coverage should reflect what you could actually lose in transit. Declared-value limits can also determine which grading tier you are allowed to select.
The lowest advertised price may require membership, a bulk card count, or a special submission window. Compare the total batch requirement before choosing.
Penny sleeves, semi-rigid holders, team bags, cardboard panels, painter's tape, labels, and a crush-resistant box are part of the real submission cost. Price the required materials before building the batch.
A card that exceeds the selected value ceiling after grading can trigger an upcharge. Autographs, oversized cards, imaging, and other services may cost extra.
A weak grade may add less market value than the total expense, while altered or ineligible cards can return without a numerical grade and still incur fees.
Before paying a grading-company submission fee, review an image-based condition estimate and inspect the flagged areas yourself. Use the result to prioritize—not to replace professional grading.
Choose a grading company, inspect and pre-screen the card, select a service level that covers its expected post-grading value, place it in the required sleeve and semi-rigid holder, complete the online submission form, pack the order in the exact listed sequence, ship with tracking and appropriate insurance, and monitor it until the graded card returns.
Published grading fees currently start at $15 for SGC Standard and $17 for CGC Bulk, which requires 25 cards. CGC Economy is $20, PSA Regular is $79.99, and TAG lists limited Priority service at $149. Beckett lists Base at $14.95. New online Base and Standard submissions are temporarily paused. Existing and in-transit submissions continue to be processed; Express and Priority remain available. Add outbound and return shipping, insurance, supplies, minimums, and possible value-based upcharges to calculate the all-in cost. Pricing was checked August 5, 2026; Beckett availability was checked August 8, 2026.
Beckett lists the lowest headline price at $14.95 for Base. New online Base and Standard submissions are temporarily paused. Existing and in-transit submissions continue to be processed; Express and Priority remain available. SGC Standard is the lowest currently active no-minimum direct tier at $15. CGC Bulk is $17 with a 25-card minimum, while CGC Economy is $20. TAG’s regular tiers are paused, and PSA’s lowest currently orderable direct tier is $79.99 Regular. Shipping, insurance, supplies, minimums, and value limits change the real total.
Choose based on the card category, likely resale market, holder preference, turnaround, service availability, declared-value limit, and total cost. PSA often has broad market recognition, CGC is prominent in TCGs, SGC has a strong vintage-sports following, Beckett is established across sports and gaming, and TAG emphasizes technology-driven grading.
Do not use chemicals, polish, erasers, moisture, or any process that could alter the card. You can remove loose surface dust with extreme care, but aggressive cleaning can create scratches or result in an altered designation. When uncertain, leave the card as-is.
Follow the selected company's current packing instructions. A common setup is a clean penny sleeve inside a semi-rigid holder, arranged in submission-form order, secured between cardboard panels without excessive tape, and placed in a sturdy box with void fill. Use tracking and insurance appropriate to the shipment value.
Turnaround varies by company and service level, from several business days at premium tiers to weeks or months at economy tiers. Add time for outbound transit, intake, quality checks, encapsulation, and return shipping. Published turnaround is usually an estimate rather than a guaranteed door-to-door date.
AI pre-screening belongs between your initial visual inspection and the paid grading submission. Before paying a grading fee, use clear images to review a condition estimate and the visible areas that need closer inspection. It helps prioritize candidates but does not replace official authentication, grading, or encapsulation.