Card grading has been around for a long while now, and it’s a big part of the sports card hobby, but how much does it cost to get a card graded?
Well, the cost of grading per card depends on multiple factors, such as the grading company you choose, like picking PSA or SGC or BGS, among others.
For someone new to grading, the whole process can seem daunting – You’re sending off your valuable cards, whether that’s monetarily or worth to your personal collection, to a third party for at least a few weeks.
However, there are numerous reasons to get cards graded, but it’s not necessarily cheap, so it’s important to consider whether any given card is worth grading – The cost is a big factor in that consideration, so let’s take a look at the cost of getting cards graded.
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How Much Does It Cost To Get A Card Graded?
As I mentioned already, there’s no straight answer to the question ‘how much is card grading?’ because it depends on multiple factors, which makes it hard to give a quick answer.
The biggest factor is the grading company you choose – there are numerous companies to choose from, which all have different prices and service levels.
I’ll go into more detail about the requirements and definitions of the different service levels from the various grading companies further down this article, but here’s a snapshot of the grading prices from the biggest card grading services:
PSA:
TCG Bulk – $15/card, Value Bulk – $19/card, Value – $25/card, Value Plus – $40/card, Regular – $75/card, Express – $150/card, Super Express – $300/card, Walk-Through – $600/card, Premium Options – $1,000+/card.
BGS:
Collectors’ Special – $16-$18/card, Base – $18-$22/card, Standard – $30-$40/card, Priority – $100-$140/card, Next Day – $400/card, Immediate – $500/card.
SGC:
Declared Value <$1,500 – $15-$40/card, Declared Value <$3,500 – $85-$125/card, Declared Value <$7,500 – $250/card, Declared Value <$20,000 – $500/card, Declared Value <$50,000 – $1,000/card, Declared Value <$100,000 – $2,000/card, Declared Value >$100,000 – $3,750+/card.
HGA:
2-Day – $40/card, 10-Day – $30/card, 30-Day – $20/card, 60-Day – $14/card.
ISA:
2 Business Days – $22/card, 5 Business Days – $18/card, 10 Business Days – $12/card.
You can see from the data above that grading companies operate with different service levels and different pricing models, which backs up the point I made previously, that the cost of grading will depend largely on your choice of grading service.
However, should cost be the only factor to consider when picking a grading company to use?
No, in my opinion, there are a few other factors to consider:
If you’re looking to sell the card after grading, then it’s important to know that certain more established grading labels, like PSA and BGS, add more value to a card than some of the lesser established companies.
However, you’ll usually have to wait longer for the process to be completed with those bigger companies, because the demand and amount of cards being submitted is a lot higher, so if a quick turnaround time is key, then they might not be the best option.
There’s also the reputation and thoroughness of grading – How consistent are they with their grading scale and the grades they are awarding, and are they fair with their grading?
Lastly, the other factor to consider when picking which card grading company to use, is the look of the label and slab – If you’re grading to keep as part of a collection, and you’re after a certain look, then do some research and find the label that best fits the way you want your cards to look when they’re graded.
So, as you can see, there’s more than just the prices to look at and evaluate when picking the right card grading service for your cards.
Other Costs Of Card Grading
So we’ve established that the bulk of the cost when it comes to grading a card is from the grading service itself, but what other costs are involved to get a card graded?
Aside from the actual cost of grading, you’ve also got shipping costs, and any products required for the preparation and packaging of the cards.
You obviously want to make sure you’re packaging your cards safely to avoid damage while shipping for grading, and also prepping cards to give them the best chance of grading as high as possible.
Here’s a list of products you might need:
How Much Is PSA Card Grading?
PSA’s service levels:
TCG Bulk (Collectors Club exclusive): $15 per card – Card must have a declared value of $199 or less. Estimated turnaround time is 65 days. Minimum 20 card submission.
Value Bulk (Collectors Club exclusive): $19 per card – Card must have a declared value of $499 or less. Estimated turnaround time is 65 days. Minimum 20 card submission.
Value: $25 per card – Card must have a declared value of $499 or less. Estimated turnaround time is 65 days.
Value Plus: $40 per card – Card must have a declared value of $499 or less. Estimated turnaround time is 20 days.
Regular: $75 per card – Card must have a declared value of $1,499 or less. Estimated turnaround time is 10 days.
Express: $150 per card – Card must have a declared value of $2,499 or less. Estimated turnaround time is 5 days.
Super Express: $300 per card – Card must have a declared value of $4,999 or less. Estimated turnaround time is 3 days.
Walk-Through: $600 per card – Card must have a declared value of $9,999 or less. Estimated turnaround time is 3 days.
Premium: $1,000+ per card – Card’s declared value is $10,000 or more. Estimated turnaround time is 3 days.
How Much Is Beckett Card Grading?
BGS’ service levels:
Collectors’ Special: $16 per card without subgrades, $18 per card with subgrades – Card must have a declared value of $400 or less. Estimated turnaround time is 40-60 business days. Minimum 10 card submission.
Base: $18 per card without subgrades, $22 per card with subgrades – Estimated turnaround time is 40-60 business days.
Standard: $30 per card without subgrades, $40 per card with subgrades – Estimated turnaround time is 10-20 business days.
Priority: $100 per card without subgrades, $140 per card with subgrades – Estimated turnaround time is 2-5 business days.
Next Day: $400 per card – Estimated turnaround time is 1 business day.
Immediate: $500 per card – Estimated turnaround time is the same day.
How Much Is SGC Card Grading?
SGC’s service levels:
<$1,500 Declared Value: $15 per card for 5-10 business day turnaround time, $40 per card for 1-2 business day turnaround time.
<$3,500 Declared Value: $85 per card for 5-10 business day turnaround time, $125 per card for 1-2 business day turnaround time.
<$7,500 Declared Value: $250 per card for 1-2 business day turnaround time.
<$20,000 Declared Value: $500 per card for 1-2 business day turnaround time.
<$50,000 Declared Value: $1,000 per card for 1-2 business day turnaround time.
<$100,000 Declared Value: $2,000 per card for 1-2 business day turnaround time.
>$100,000 Declared Value: $3,750+ per card for 1-2 business day turnaround time.
How Much Is HGA Card Grading?
HGA’s service levels:
2-Day: $40 per card, plus optional label upgrade costs of up to $20 per card.
10-Day: $30 per card, plus optional label upgrade costs of up to $20 per card.
30-Day: $20 per card, plus optional label upgrade costs of up to $20 per card.
60-Day: $14 per card, plus optional label upgrade costs of up to $20 per card.
How Much Is ISA Card Grading?
ISA’s service levels:
2 Business Days: $22 per card.
5 Business Days: $18 per card.
10 Business Days: $12 per card.
What Is The Cheapest Card Grading Service Level?
ISA offer the cheapest card grading, at $12 per card for their 10 business day service.
Of the most reputable grading companies, SGC and PSA offer the cheapest card grading option.
The cost of getting a card graded with SGC is $15 per card for their standard 5-10 day service on cards that have a declared value of under $1,500.
PSA’s ‘TCG Bulk’ tier (Collectors’ Club exclusive) costs $15 per card. Cards must have a declared value of $199 or less, and you must submit a bulk of cards, with a minimum of 20.
