Collector Guide · PSA® Grading
PSA Grading Costs & Submission Tiers
PSA prices its grading tiers by the declared value of your card, not the sport or era. Pick the cheapest tier whose declared-value ceiling covers your card's fair market value — go one tier up if you expect a PSA 10 to push the value past that ceiling.
Related Guides
Ready to submit? Use the PSA Submission Center to pick your tier, or read the full step-by-step walkthrough.
Interactive · Tier estimator
Find your cheapest legal PSA tier
Enter your PSA 10 comp (declared value) and how fast you need it back. We'll pick the cheapest PSA service level that covers the value within your turnaround window, and add Rookie's flat $4.99/card service fee for the total.
Recommended tier
Value
Turnaround
~45 business days
- PSA fee / card
- $24.99
- Rookie service fee / card
- $4.99
- All-in / card
- $29.98
- Cards
- × 1
- Estimated total (excl. shipping)
- $29.98
PSA's tier fee is pass-through with no markup. Rookie's flat $4.99/card covers intake, prep, insured ship-to PSA, tracking, and return. Insured ship-to and return shipping are billed at cost.
The tiers, at a glance
| Tier | Price / card | Declared value | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value Bulk | $19 | Up to $199 | ~65 business days |
| Value | $24.99 | Up to $499 | ~45 business days |
| Value Plus | $50 | Up to $999 | ~45 business days |
| Regular | $80 | Up to $2,499 | ~25 business days |
| Express | $150 | Up to $4,999 | ~15 business days |
| Super Express | $299 | Up to $9,999 | ~7 business days |
| Walk-Through | $599 | Up to $24,999 | ~7 business days |
Prices and turnaround windows change — always confirm current numbers on PSA's official service-levels page before you ship. Add-on services (Dual Service, Reholder, MiniSlab, Autograph Authentication) are billed separately.
How to pick the right tier
- Pull recent PSA 9 and PSA 10 sales comps for your card.
- Use the PSA 10 comp as your declared value — that's the ceiling PSA will insure against.
- Pick the cheapest tier whose declared-value ceiling is at or above that comp.
- If the card is peaking (rookie season, playoff run), bump one tier up for the faster window.
Other costs to plan for
- Shipping to PSA: insured ship-to, typically $15–$40 per submission depending on value.
- Return shipping: scaled to the total declared value; can be the biggest surprise line item on high-value orders.
- Collectors Club membership: annual fee that unlocks bulk vouchers and discounted Value-tier pricing.
- Prep supplies: penny sleeves, semi-rigids (Card Savers), team bags, painter's tape — under $1 per card.
Common mistakes new submitters make
- Declaring a value below the PSA 10 comp to save money — you lose the insurance ceiling if the package is lost.
- Submitting cards with visible surface damage or off-center prints at the Express tier — the fee is the same whether the card grades a 10 or a 6.
- Skipping the pre-grade review step. Photograph every card front and back before shipping.
Let Rookie handle your PSA submission
The PSA Submission Center inside Rookie ATX Card Vault pulls PSA 9 / PSA 10 comps for every card, recommends the cheapest legal tier, and generates the form. Prefer white-glove? PSA Grading via Rookie is PSA's tier fee pass-through (no markup) plus a flat $4.99 per card — we prep, ship insured to PSA, and return the slabs to your vault. Fees are held in escrow and released only when your grade report is delivered.
Want a documented grade without PSA's price? Rookie AI Grade — sleeved, stored, AI-graded — is a flat $9.99/card + shipping (cheaper than PSA Value Bulk and AGS Value Bulk) with a same-week turnaround.
Start a submission →