PSA Submission 2026

PSA grading in 2026 ranges from $24.99 per card on Value Bulk to $9,999+ on Premium 10. Most collectors use Value Plus at $49.99 (~45 business day turnaround). The biggest mistake is submitting cards that won't grade well: PSA still charges the full fee on 6 of 7 rejection codes. Pre-grade with AI first so you only ship cards likely to come back PSA 9 or 10.

Photograph any Pokemon card and our AI predicts a PSA-aligned grade in 30 seconds, so you can filter your stack before you spend $25-$300 per card.

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PSA Service Tiers and Pricing (2026)

PSA pricing was updated February 10, 2026. Submissions created before that date honor the old rates. Below is the current schedule. Always verify the live PSA fee chart before submitting on the higher tiers, where exact declared-value caps can shift.

Tier	Price/card	Max declared value	Turnaround
Value Bulk Collectors Club only ($149/yr). 20-card minimum per submission. TCG Bulk was folded in here in Feb 2026, so Pokemon, sports, and Magic all run through this single bulk queue.	$24.99	$500	~95 business days
Value Standard entry tier. No membership required.	$32.99	$500	~75 business days
Value Plus Most popular mid-tier choice. Turnaround extended by 5 days in Feb 2026.	$49.99	$999	~45 business days
Value Max For cards in the $1k range. Turnaround extended 5 days in Feb 2026.	$64.99	$1,499	~35 business days
Regular For cards under $5k. Turnaround extended 5 days in Feb 2026.	$79.99	$4,999	~25 business days
Express Fast lane for cards under $10k. Price unchanged in 2026.	$149	$9,999	~15 business days
Super Express For cards under $25k. Price unchanged.	$299	$24,999	~7 business days
Walk-Through In-person or premium-mail service.	$599	$49,999	~5 business days
Premium 1 / 3 / 5 For high-end cards. Caps approximate; check live PSA fee schedule for exact tier breakpoints.	$999 / $2,999 / $4,999	$74k / $149k / $249k	~5 business days
Premium 10 Top tier. The cards that make headlines.	$9,999+	$250,000+	~5 business days

How to Submit a Card to PSA

7 steps from account creation to getting your slabs back. Skip a step and PSA can reject the order or charge the fee anyway.

Step 1

Create a PSA account

A free PSA account is the starting point. To unlock Value Bulk pricing you also need Collectors Club membership: Standard $149/yr (with $120 in PSA credit and PSA Magazine) or Premium $199/yr (adds Card Ladder Pro). Do this before you start filling the form so card limits and pricing tiers reflect your membership.

Step 2

Build the order online

Use the PSA online submission center. Pick the service level, declare a value per card, enter card details (year, set, player or character, card number, variation). Print the packing slip. Order matters: cards must be packed in the same sequence as the printed form.

Step 3

Prep each card

Penny sleeve first, then a semi-rigid holder (Card Saver I style). Avoid hard top loaders for submission, they can shift in transit. Painter's tape can secure pull tabs without leaving residue.

Step 4

Pack the box

Sandwich the stack between two pieces of cardboard, tape securely, wrap in bubble wrap until rigid, place in a sturdy outer box with fill. Include the printed paperwork. Seal all seams. Take photos of the packed box before you ship.

Step 5

Ship insured and tracked

Use USPS Registered, UPS, or FedEx with insurance matched to your declared value. PSA recommends signature confirmation. Save all tracking numbers. Newport Beach, CA is the US destination; Japan submissions go to Tokyo; Europe-direct returns summer 2026 via the new Frankfurt facility.

Step 6

Track through grading

Status updates inside your PSA account: Order Received, Research and ID, Grading, Quality Assurance, Assembly, Shipped. Intake itself can add 3 to 4 weeks on top of quoted turnaround for Value Bulk.

Step 7

Receive cards back

PSA-paid return shipping with signature confirmation and PSA insurance. Return shipping for 10-19 cards at the $2,000 insurance band runs roughly $29.99; rates scale by card count and declared value. Or route directly to PSA Vault and skip the return leg entirely.

Why Cards Get Rejected (and Why You Still Pay)

PSA uses 7 rejection codes. 6 of the 7 still charge the full grading fee even though the card never gets encapsulated. The single biggest savings move is pre-grading to spot obvious issues before you ship.

Code	Reason	What it means
N1	Evidence of Trimming	Edge altered with blade, scissors, or sanding. Grading fee still applies. Grader will not encapsulate.
N2	Evidence of Restoration	Repaired or rebuilt areas. Grading fee still applies.
N3	Evidence of Recoloring	Surface or border colored in to hide damage. Grading fee still applies.
N4	Questionable Authenticity / Counterfeit	Grading fee still applies. Card never encapsulated. Returned with the rejection.
N5	Altered Stock	Card stock physically modified. Fee applies.
N6	Evidence of Cleaning	Surface chemically or physically cleaned. Fee applies.
N9	Don't Grade	Oversized, undersized, obscure issue, or otherwise not eligible for the holder. No grading fee charged. Card returned.

Pre-Grade Before You Ship

PSA's own app does not predict grades for raw cards. The gap is exactly where collectors lose money: ship a stack, get charged $25-$300 per card, half come back at PSA 7 or 8 where the resale doesn't cover the fee. Snap a photo of each card with our AI grader first. Submit only the ones likely to come back PSA 9 or 10. The math works out fast.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does PSA grading cost in 2026?

PSA grading in 2026 ranges from $24.99 per card on Value Bulk (Collectors Club only, 20-card minimum, ~95 business day turnaround) to $9,999+ on Premium 10 for cards over $250,000. The most common tier for collectors is Value Plus at $49.99 (cards under $999, ~45 business day turnaround). Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, Value Max, and Regular all received $3-$5 increases on February 10, 2026. Express, Super Express, Walk-Through, and Premium tiers were unchanged. Add return shipping ($30+ for typical submissions) and supplies ($5-$10) on top.

How do I submit a Pokemon card to PSA?

Five steps. (1) Create a PSA account and join the Collectors Club ($149/yr) if you want Value Bulk pricing. (2) Build the order online: choose service tier, declare value per card, enter card details, print the packing slip. (3) Prep each card in a penny sleeve plus semi-rigid holder, packed in the same order as the form. (4) Pack a rigid, well-protected box with the paperwork. (5) Ship insured and tracked via USPS Registered, UPS, or FedEx to Newport Beach, CA. Track status inside your PSA account and choose to ship the graded cards back to you or route them to the PSA Vault.

What is the cheapest way to grade Pokemon cards with PSA?

Value Bulk at $24.99 per card is the cheapest tier in 2026, but it requires Collectors Club membership ($149/yr), a 20-card minimum per submission, and a ~95 business day turnaround. For occasional submissions of 1-19 cards, Value at $32.99 per card with no membership requirement is usually the cheapest option. Pre-grade your cards with an AI tool first so you only submit cards likely to grade PSA 9 or higher; submitting low-grade cards at any tier is the most common reason collectors lose money on grading.

How long does PSA take to grade in 2026?

Quoted turnaround in 2026 by tier: Value Bulk ~95 business days, Value ~75, Value Plus ~45, Value Max ~35, Regular ~25, Express ~15, Super Express ~7, Walk-Through and Premium ~5. Three mid-tiers (Value Plus, Value Max, Regular) had turnaround extended by 5 business days in the Feb 2026 update. Quoted times are from when PSA actually starts grading your order, which can be 3-4 weeks after delivery on Value Bulk during peak season.

What can get my Pokemon card rejected by PSA?

PSA uses 7 rejection codes. N1 trimming (edge altered), N2 restoration (repairs), N3 recoloring (filled-in surface), N4 counterfeit / questionable authenticity, N5 altered stock, and N6 evidence of cleaning all still charge the grading fee even though the card is rejected. Only N9 ("Don't grade", for oversized, undersized, or ineligible cards) refunds the fee. Pre-grade with AI first to spot obvious issues before you ship.

Should I use the PSA Vault when I submit?

Yes if you plan to sell or hold the card on a marketplace. Routing graded cards directly to the PSA Vault skips the return-shipping leg, which saves $30+ per submission and removes the dispatch-then-resubmit-to-vault step. From the Vault, cards can sell instantly on eBay (PSA-operated) or consign to Goldin auctions ($7,500 minimum). For cards you plan to physically hold or display, ship them home as normal.

Does PSA do bulk grading in 2026?

Yes. Value Bulk at $24.99/card is the only true bulk tier. Collectors Club ($149/yr) required, 20-card minimum per submission, $500 max declared value per card, ~95 business day turnaround. TCG Bulk was discontinued in Feb 2026 and merged into Value Bulk, so Pokemon, sports, and Magic cards now run through the same queue.

Can I submit PSA from outside the US in 2026?

It depends on where you are. Japan: yes, via PSA's Tokyo facility, full direct submissions. Europe: a new PSA Frankfurt facility opens summer 2026, removing the 20% VAT on returned value for EU collectors; until then most EU submissions go through PSA Authorized Dealers. Other regions: direct mail-in to the US has been paused at various points in 2025-2026 due to tariff complications, so submit via an Authorized Dealer in your region. International return shipping carries higher postage and customs paperwork.

Does PSA have an AI pre-grading tool?

No. PSA's official Card Scanner and Grading app identifies cards, returns market prices, manages your submissions, and integrates with the Vault and eBay. It does not predict a grade for a raw card before you submit. That gap is what AI tools like CardGrading.app fill: predicting a PSA grade from a photo in 30 seconds so you only ship the cards likely to come back PSA 9 or 10.

Pre-Grade Before You Submit

Free AI grade prediction in 30 seconds. Don't pay PSA's $25 to $300 fee on a card that won't grade PSA 9 or 10.

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