"Should I grade this?" is the question we hear most. Grading can turn a nice card into a great sale — or turn a $20 card into a $20 card that cost you more to slab. Here's the simple checklist we use before anything leaves our card room for grading.
RawSells fast, no fees or wait. Best for base cards, big print runs and anything with a flaw.
GradedCosts money and weeks of waiting, but a clean slab can bring a real premium on the right card.Once you've decided to grade, see our guide to PSA vs. BGS vs. SGC vs. CGC to pick the right company.
Add up the grading fee, shipping both ways and insurance. If the card's value in a high grade isn't clearly above that total, keep it raw. As a rule of thumb, we only consider grading cards where a top grade would be worth several times the all-in cost.
Look at the four things graders look at: centering, corners, edges and surface. Use a bright light and a loupe or your phone camera zoomed in. One soft corner or a print line can be the difference between a 10 and an 8 — and that gap can be most of the card's value.
Grading companies publish how many copies of each card have been graded at each grade. A card with thousands of PSA 10s won't carry much of a premium. A short-printed parallel or numbered card with only a handful of 10s can.
Search eBay sold listings for the same card raw and in a 9 and a 10. If the raw price is already close to the PSA 9 price, grading usually isn't worth it unless you're confident it's a 10.
If you'd rather not deal with grading at all, we buy and consign cards too.
Questions about a card, an order or your collection? We reply within a day.
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