PSA is the most prominent third-party grading service for collectibles like trading cards, comics, and other memorabilia. They are considered the gold standard when it comes to authentication and preservation of condition for items. For baseball cards especially, a PSA grade holds significant value and can increase the price of a card substantially. The grading process does involve costs that card collectors need to be aware of before submitting their cards.
There are a few different submission options and associated costs with PSA grading. The standard turnaround time is approximately 6-9 months currently, which is considerably slower than in the past due to overwhelming demand during the pandemic. There are expedited options available that get cards graded much quicker. Below is a breakdown of the main submission types and costs:
Standard Submission – This is for the standard 6-9 month turnaround service. The basic submission fee is $10 per card with additional discounts available for larger bulk submissions of 50 cards or more. Shipping costs to send cards to PSA and back are additional.
Economy Submission – For a slightly higher volume submission of 11-24 cards, the fee is $8 per card. Turnaround is still 6-9 months.
Value Submission – For submissions of 25-49 cards, the cost drops to $7 per card. Again, standard 6-9 month wait time.
Bulk Submission (50+) – Any submission of 50 cards or more qualifies for the Bulk rate of just $6 per card. This is the most cost-effective per card option but still has the long 6-9 month estimated turnaround.
Express Submission – For a much faster 1-2 month estimated turnaround, the Express service costs $100 per card. Clearly this is a big premium over the standard rates but is necessary for rare or valuable cards where time is critical.
Ultra Modern Baseball Express- A special express tier just for cards printed within the last 5 years. Estimated turnaround is 1 month and costs $50 per card. A nice middle ground option for newer collectors.
All submissions also require a shipping fee to send cards to PSA due to insurance and tracking requirements. Economy shipping via USPS First Class Mail is around $15-20 depending on package weight/size. More valuable collections may warrant expedited or insured shipping as well which costs considerably more.
In addition to the submission grading costs, PSA also charges an authentication verification fee for certain items over $1000 in value. This ensures cards have not been tampered with or altered. The verification charge is 3% of the card’s value with a minimum of $10. For example, a $1500 card would incur a $45 authentication fee on top of regular submission rates.
There is a minimum order size of 10 cards for any submission to PSA as well. They do not accept single cards to keep costs down and maintain high volume efficiencies. Once graded, cards are slabbed and enclosed in a hard plastic magnetic holder. Replacement slabs cost $5-10 each if a new one is needed.
Returns shipping is also additional and dependent on package weight and dimensions. Most returns can expect to incur $15-25 in return shipping fees paid to PSA upon submission. Insurance is not included by default but can be added for international shipments or especially valuable cards.
Many experienced collectors recommend using a PSA Authorized Dealer to submit larger bulk orders rather than sending direct. Authorized Dealers get special discounted pricing and can consolidate submissions to help drive down costs even further to around $5 per card or less when bundling 500+ cards together. They also handle all logistics to simplify the submission process.
Of course, the true value is in what grades cards come back as. Even with grading and shipping costs, a PSA/DNA Gem Mint 10 pop 1 card can increase exponentially in value enough to justify the expenditure. For newer collectors, lower graded commons may not be worth spending so much to have encased versus keeping raw. It requires understanding individual card and population report details.
In summary, PSA remains the top service for ensuring authenticity, consistency, and preserving a collectible’s condition over time. While not inexpensive, their brand of authentication has increased values significantly for scarce and highly sought after vintage cardboard. With a bit of strategy, volume submissions can help make costs more palatable. But for rare keys, Express is usually worth it for consigners and buyers seeking that top grade. Proper research is key before pulling the submission trigger to any third party grading company.
