PSA offers various service levels for grading cards, with the costs varying depending on the specific service selected. Their most basic and economical service option is called “Value” service, which has a relatively fast turnaround time of around 30 days. For an individual card sent using Value service, the grading fees are as follows:
$10 per card for regular cards measuring up to 3.5″ x 5″ in size. This covers cards of standard size for the vast majority of baseball, football, basketball and hockey cards.
An additional $1 per card is charged for oversized cards larger than 3.5″ x 5″ but smaller than 8″ x 10″. This would cover jumbo sized cards and certain memorabilia cards containing larger game-used pieces.
Cards larger than 8″ x 10″ are considered “bulk” submissions and have different pricing structures. These types of extra large submissions would be rare for most baseball card collectors.
In addition to the per card grading fees, there is a shipping & handling fee charged by PSA depending on the submission size. For a single card submission using Value service, the shipping & handling fee would be $15. For multi-card submissions ranging from 2-9 cards, the shipping & handling fee goes up slightly to $20. shipping & handling fees decrease on a per card basis for larger submissions of 10 cards or more, starting at $3 per card.
The turnaround time for Value service is targeted at 30 days once PSA receives the submission. This is not guaranteed and turnaround may be longer during peak submission periods. Cards graded with Value service are also not eligible for any special designate designations like “Gem Mint” and are instead simply marked with an numeric grade on a 1-10 scale.
For collectors desiring a faster turnaround or cards to qualify for special designations, PSA offers two higher tiers of service – Express and Express Plus. Here are the costs for those services compared to Value:
Express service targets a return time of 15 business days for a cost of $20 per standard sized card and $21 for oversized cards. Shipping & handling costs are same as Value levels based on submission size.
Express Plus aims for the fastest turnaround of just 10 business days but comes at a higher cost of $30 per standard card and $31 for oversized cards. Shipping costs are also identical to the other service levels.
Both Express tiers allow cards to potentially receive special designations like “Gem Mint” if they grade high enough. This can add desirable value and appeal to sought-after graded cards.
There are also occasional promotions throughout the year where PSA may offer discounted bulk submission pricing or special member pricing for cards enrolled in their Collectors Club program. But generally speaking, the costs outlined for Value, Express and Express Plus represent the standard pricing structure collectors can expect to pay to have their baseball cards graded by PSA. When shipping, insurance, and potential added value of grading is considered, even the higher Express tier pricing is still often viewed as reasonable by many dedicated collectors and investors focused on long-term appreciation of their holdings. While upfront costs exist, a PSA or Beckets grade can significantly increase the secondary market price potential for a truly elite vintage or modern card in top preserved condition.
