How to send a card for grading: the complete guide

Grading a card means sending it to a specialist company that checks it's authentic, examines it from every angle and gives it a condition grade, usually from 1 to 10. The card comes back sealed in a hard plastic case, the slab, with a label: the card's name, its set, its grade and a unique certificate number.

That number can be looked up on the company's website: any buyer can check the slab is the real one. That's what makes a graded card easier to sell, especially online, and why a very high grade pushes the price up.

They are not all equal on resale: at the same grade, a card sells for more or less depending on the logo on the slab. Here are the companies you come across most for Pokémon, One Piece and Lorcana cards, with approximate prices and turnarounds to give you a rough idea.

Comparison

Approximate prices per card, in euros, for a card with a low declared value, excluding shipping, insurance and VAT, converted from dollars, pounds or yen: ballpark figures, to check on the official website before sending. Turnarounds are those announced once the cards are received, excluding transit: they get longer when a company is swamped.

Company by company

What about other companies in Europe?

Other, smaller companies exist in Spain, Italy, Germany or Belgium, and new ones appear every year. Their value is mostly local: before sending, check that their certificates can be verified online, that they publish a population report, and read recent reviews.

The big companies sometimes have drop-off points or partners in other countries, and the list changes: check their official website.

Which one to choose?

To resell an expensive card, PSA remains the safest choice for Pokémon, and PSA and CGC also lead resale for One Piece and Lorcana. To keep a card, pay less or avoid customs from France, PCA and Collect Aura are handy. To chase a perfect grade and show it off, CGC Pristine and BGS Black Label have their fans.

Smaller companies (AGS, GMA, HGA, MNT…) cost less and are often faster, but their slab adds little resale value: they are mostly for protecting and authenticating a card you keep.

Each company has its own scale, but they all look at the same things: centering, corners, edges and surface. The final grade follows the worst flaw, not the average: a perfect card with one white corner won't get a 10.

Half grades

PSA gives half grades from 1.5 to 8.5, but no 9.5. CGC, Beckett and SGC use half grades up to 9.5.

Subgrades

Beckett grades centering, corners, edges and surface separately and shows them on the label. CGC offers them as an option. PSA doesn't give any.

BGS Black Label

A Beckett 10 Pristine with all four subgrades at 10. Extremely rare, it often sells for far more than a PSA 10 of the same card.

PSA 10 or CGC Pristine?

The PSA 10 "Gem Mint" is the most sought-after 10. CGC has two 10s: Gem Mint 10, close to a PSA 10, and Pristine 10, near flawless even under magnification. For Pokémon, a PSA 10 usually sells for more than a CGC Gem Mint 10; a CGC Pristine 10 can come close or beat it depending on the card.

Qualifiers

A card can come back with a qualifier that lowers its value: at PSA, OC (off-center), PD (print defect), ST (stain)…

No grade

A card judged altered (trimmed, recoloured, pressed) or questionable comes back ungraded, and you still pay for the service.

The real question: what will it be worth graded, minus what it costs? A €15 raw card that would be worth €40 as a PSA 10 makes nothing once fees are paid, and nothing guarantees the 10.

gotem. gives the market price of every raw card, by language and condition: compare it with recent sales of the same card graded before you decide.

The grader looks at your card under strong light and magnification. Do the same before paying: take it out of its sleeve, lay it on a clean, plain surface under a lamp, and look at it straight on, then tilted.

Centering

Compare the left / right and top / bottom borders, front and back. For a PSA 10 you need roughly 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back; beyond that, the maximum grade drops.

Corners

All four corners should be sharp, with no white specks or rounding. Look especially at the back, where white shows the most.

Edges

Look for whitening: small white chips along the edges, especially on the back. A rough or badly cut edge counts too.

Surface

Tilt the card under the light: scratches, fingerprints, dents, creases, stains. On holos and textured cards, look for print lines and coating flaws.

Factory defects

Print lines, misprints, crooked cuts, small dots: even fresh out of the booster, a card can have a flaw that keeps it from a 10.

Curl

Lay the card flat: if it bends, it counts. Foil cards, Lorcana's in particular, tend to curl.

Don't clean it with any product, don't press it, don't trim anything: an altered card comes back ungraded. At most a dry microfibre cloth, gently, for a fingerprint.

A card damaged during grading is most often damaged in transit or when unpacked. Good packing is simple:

1. 1Photograph every card front and back, in good light, before packing it: that's your proof if anything goes wrong.
2. 2Slide it into a new penny sleeve, clean and dust-free inside.
3. 3Put the sleeved card in a card saver (semi-rigid, like a Card Saver I): that's what PSA and most companies ask for. No rigid top-loader, no screw-down case, no tape on the holders.
4. 4Stack the card savers in the order of the submission form, sandwich them between two slightly larger rigid pieces of cardboard, and hold it all with a rubber band that doesn't squeeze the cards.
5. 5Put the bundle in a plastic bag against moisture, then in a sturdy box well padded with bubble wrap: nothing should move when you shake it. Never a padded envelope on its own.
6. 6Include the printed submission form, and write on it or on the box whatever the company asks for.
7. 7Ship tracked with signature, insured for the cards' real value.

Two ways to do it: send directly to the company yourself, or go through a group submission.

Customs and VAT

Sending to the US or the UK means leaving the European Union: the parcel goes with a customs declaration (CN22 or CN23 depending on value) describing the cards and their value. On the way back, import VAT (20% in France, your country's rate elsewhere) and the carrier's clearance fees may be charged before delivery.

Depending on how the shipment was declared, the tax can apply to the cards' value or only to the grading fee, since the cards were already yours (returned goods, outward processing). Ask the carrier or customs before sending, keep all your proof of shipment, or let the group submission handle it.

With a company based in France, like PCA or Collect Aura, there's no customs within the EU: a tracked, insured parcel is enough.

Declaring the value

The declared value is what the card will be worth once graded, not what you paid for it. It sets the service level, the company's insurance and the payout if it's lost. If your card comes back with a grade that makes it worth more than your tier's cap, the company charges the difference.

Don't under-declare to pay less: if it's lost, you'd only get back what you declared, and a false customs declaration is an offence. Also read your shipping insurance terms: many exclude collectibles or cap the payout.

The price depends on the company, the service level (economy, standard, express) and the declared value. At the big companies, the cheapest tiers usually start at around €20 to €30 per card, with long turnaround; high-value cards and express services cost much more. Price lists change several times a year: always check the official website.

The company comparison above gives a rough price and turnaround for each one.

As for turnaround, expect a few weeks to several months door to door with a US company, shipping and customs included. The advertised time often only starts when the cards are received, and it gets longer when the company is swamped. With a French company, it's usually shorter.

When it arrives

Film yourself opening the parcel, check each slab really holds your card, that the label is right (name, number, language, edition) and that the case isn't cracked. Report a label error to the company right away.

The slab

Never open it: an opened slab loses its grade. Store your slabs upright in a suitable box, away from sunlight and moisture. A scratched case can be replaced by the company (reholder).

The population report

Every big company publishes its population: how many copies of a card it has graded, grade by grade. A card with few 10s sells for more; when the number of 10s climbs, their price drops. Check it before sending, and before buying.

Reselling a graded card

To set your price, look at recent actual sales of the same card, same company, same grade, not asking prices. Sell on a platform that protects buyer and seller, give the certificate number and sharp photos of the slab front and back. A graded card can also be sent to another company (crossover) if you think it'll be valued higher there.

Track your graded cards in gotem.

The more a graded card is worth, the more it attracts fakers: fake slabs, copied labels, real slabs opened and resealed around another card.

And when sending: only trust your cards to a well-known group submission that gives tracking and a written summary. Organisers vanishing with everyone's cards does happen.