How to Submit Cards for Grading, Step by Step

Submitting a card for grading means sending it to a company like PSA, which judges its condition, gives it a grade and returns it sealed in a case. This guide walks through the PSA process step by step from PSA's own pages, then covers how CGC, Beckett and TAG differ, whether to use a group submitter, and how to decide which cards are worth sending.

Grading services open, pause and change their process often. Everything here is from each grader's pages as of October 10, 2026. For prices and turnaround, see our guide to card grading costs.

Before you submit: which cards to grade#

Grading costs money and months of waiting, so send only cards where it can pay off.

1. Pre-check the card. PSA's grader notes cover four areas, centering, corners, edges and surface, and collectors usually check the same four before sending anything. Look at the front and back under a bright light held at an angle, ideally with a loupe or magnifier, to catch scratches, print lines, dents and whitening. For centering, use a centering tool or measure the borders on a clear, straight-on photo. Handle cards by the edges with clean, dry hands. Pre-grading is subjective: your estimate is a guess, not a grade.
2. Check the value. Find what the card sells for raw and at the grade you realistically expect. Our guide to pricing trading cards shows how to find sold comps.
3. Compare. If the card only makes sense at a perfect 10, it's a gamble. Most cards don't get one.
4. Rule out problem cards. PSA says cards it finds trimmed, restored or otherwise altered come back unencapsulated and are still charged the full grading fee.

Submitting to PSA, step by step#

1. Set up an account#

You need a PSA account to use its online form. PSA's FAQ says you don't need a Collectors Club membership to submit, though some service levels and specials are for members only.

2. Decide the declared value and service level#

For each card, you declare a value: PSA asks for your own estimate of what the card will be worth once graded, based on your research. That number decides which service level you must use and how the card is insured. PSA's own example: a card declared at $1,200 has to go at Express or higher.

Declare honestly. If PSA decides a card is worth significantly more than you said, it contacts you to pay the difference in service level and shipping.

3. Fill in the online submission form#

PSA's submissions page says cards must go through its Online Submission Center; it no longer takes paper forms for cards. Enter each card, choose the service, and print the confirmation. PSA asks for two copies in the box. Different services need separate submissions.

4. Pack the cards the way PSA asks#

PSA's shipping guide is specific:

• Put each card in a clear penny sleeve, then slide it into a semi-rigid holder (3 5/16 by 4 7/8 inches for standard cards). No toploaders, tape, pull tabs or sticky notes.
• Stack the cards in the same order as your form, with item 1 on top.
• Put the stack between two pieces of cardboard and hold it with two or three rubber bands, firm but not tight.
• Wrap the bundle, place it in a new box, and fill the gaps so nothing moves. Put the printed form inside.
• Seal every seam with packing tape, and stick the tracking label ID from your confirmation page on the outside of the box.

5. Ship and insure it#

You're responsible for insuring the package on the way to PSA. Ship with tracking to the address on PSA's shipping guide. PSA's pages disagree on carriers: the submissions page says only USPS and FedEx, while the shipping guide gives an address for UPS, FedEx or DHL. Check the current page before you ship.

6. Track the order#

Your order shows up in your PSA account once it arrives. A card-shop directory's guide lists the status stages as Arrived, Order Prep, Research and ID, Grading, grades ready with payment requested, QA checks and Complete. PSA says each card is examined by at least two graders.

7. Pay, see your grades and get the cards back#

For mail-in orders, PSA charges you once the submission is complete and ready to ship, and grades are revealed after payment. Return shipping is set by the number of cards and their declared value, and goes out insured with a signature required. If you disagree with a grade, a review is a paid service.

How CGC, Beckett and TAG differ#

The basic idea is the same everywhere: account, form, declared value, careful packing, insured shipping. The details differ.

• CGC needs a free account, with paid memberships from $39 a year. Pack each card in a sleeve and semi-rigid holder, and mark the box with your tier's code. CGC's FAQ says card payments are processed when your submission arrives, grades appear in Submission Tracking once it ships, and collectors submit by mail or at select shows, not at the office.
• Beckett had its website and app offline when we checked. Its maintenance page says Base and Standard are paused and Express is open through a temporary form; payment is requested by email after Beckett reviews the order. Each submission is capped at 100 cards and one card type (sports, or non-sports and TCG). A September news report said the paused tiers had reopened, but Beckett's own page still said paused.
• TAG works the other way around on payment: you pay upfront by buying a number of card slots, TAG creates your account from the order email, and you then enter your cards in its portal. It also sells an optional submission kit with supplies and a prepaid label in the continental US.

Should you use a group submitter or dealer?#

A group submitter or dealer collects cards from many people and sends them in under one account, which can lower the cost per card. PSA runs a licensed Dealer Program, and many card shops and online groups offer submissions. We don't recommend specific submitters, because we can't verify how any one of them handles your cards.

The risk is that your cards sit with a middleman. PSA's page on Marx Cards, a group submitter that filed for bankruptcy in February 2022, describes about 50,000 customer cards in roughly 600 orders caught up in the case, with owners asked for ID and receipts to get them back. PSA advises researching and vetting any group submitter or dealer, and notes that people who submit that way have no direct account or relationship with PSA, so they can't ask PSA about their cards themselves.

The other risks are the ones you'd expect from an extra handoff: more shipping legs where cards can be damaged or lost, insurance that may not cover your full value, and slower returns. If you use one, check its reputation and get its pricing, insurance and policies in writing. Ask: is it an authorized dealer on the grader's own site? Will you get the grader's order number? Who pays upcharges and return shipping? What happens if it goes out of business?

After the cards come back#

Check each case and its label against the grader's online certification lookup. To keep slabs and raw cards in good shape, our guide to storing cards and sealed product covers the basics. For selling, see our guide to reselling Pokémon cards.

Grading and cards on OOSClub#

OOSClub lists tools, cook groups and marketplaces for card resellers. Browse the Pokémon & TCG and sports cards niches.