How to submit cards for grading

Both PSA and CGC take mail-in submissions through an online form, and both publish packing instructions. The details differ in ways that can delay an order: PSA wants clear penny sleeves and semi-rigid holders and bans toploaders, while CGC asks you to mark faster tiers on the outside of the box. Everything below was read from the graders' own pages on October 13, 2026; both can change their rules, so check the linked pages before you ship. SGC, Beckett and other graders publish their own requirements, which this page does not cover.

Before you fill in anything

1. Identify the card exactly. PSA's getting-started guide lists what it needs: year, manufacturer, set, player or character, card number and, if there is one, the parallel.
2. Check its condition. Look over surface, edges and corners, and measure the borders with the centering calculator. The PSA grading scale explains what each grade allows.
3. Estimate what it will be worth graded. PSA suggests checking eBay completed or sold listings from the past three to six months for the same card at your estimated grade. That figure becomes the declared value — PSA calls it the Max Insured Value — and it decides which service level the card belongs in.
4. Open an account. PSA says you must register before starting a submission; its FAQ adds that joining the paid Collectors Club is not required. CGC offers a free account, with paid memberships from $39 a year that discount grading.

Pick a service level

Both graders price by tier: the more a card is worth and the faster you want it back, the more it costs. PSA's levels, limits and turnaround estimates are in our PSA fees and turnaround guide. CGC's listed tiers for card grading were:

Under-declaring does not save money. CGC says that if it finds a card's fair market value is higher than stated, it moves the card to the appropriate higher tier and the submitter pays the difference; PSA likewise moves an under-declared item up a level and charges the extra fee.

Fill in the online form

• PSA: fill in the form in the Online Submission Center, print it and mail it with your cards. Each service level, holder size and submission type needs its own form. PSA chooses the holder size for each card and does not take holder-size requests.
• CGC: list your cards and choose services in the submission form under My Submissions, then print the packing slip that goes in the box. CGC states that orders cannot be changed or cancelled once they are in transit, and that it does not return Mylars, backing boards, card savers, sleeves or other packing materials.

Pack the cards

1. The card, identified and checked before you fill in the form.
2. Clear penny sleeve — PSA asks for clear, not solid or opaque; CGC asks for a protective sleeve.
3. Semi-rigid holder, both sides visible (PSA: 3 5/16 × 4 7/8 in for standard cards). No toploaders for PSA.
4. Stack in form order, item #1 on top.
5. Two cardboard boards and gentle rubber bands — PSA says 2–3 bands; both graders warn against over-tightening.
6. Padded, sealed box with the form or packing slip inside; PSA's tracking label or CGC's tier marking goes on the outside.

Ship it

• PSA (cards): by USPS to CU Receiving, P.O. Box 6180, Newport Beach, CA 92658; by UPS, FedEx or DHL to CU Receiving, 1600 E. St Andrew Place, Santa Ana, CA 92705. Autographs, tickets, comics and other items have their own addresses on PSA's shipping guide.
• CGC: CGC Cards, 6802 Energy Court, Sarasota, FL 34240.
• Inbound risk is yours. PSA's getting-started page says it does not insure items on the way to PSA, and its shipping guide says claims for shipping damage or loss go to the carrier. CGC says you are responsible for shipping your cards to it safely.
• Drop-off. PSA's FAQ says a self-printed label can go in a FedEx drop box and recommends asking for a receipt as proof of drop-off; a QR-code label has to be scanned by a FedEx employee.

After it arrives

PSA's FAQ lists the stages an order moves through — Order Arrived, Order Prep (when the submission barcode is scanned), Research and ID, Grading (including a second review), QA Checks and Complete — and sends emails when the order is entered, when grades are ready and when it ships. PSA requests payment when grading is complete, shows grades once payment is received, and charges return shipping; you pay shipping both ways.

CGC says a submission appears in Submission Tracking once its contents have been confirmed and entered in its system. Its turnaround estimates count working days from arrival, are not guaranteed, and exclude national holidays and the Fridays before major conventions.

Quick checklist

• Card identified; grade and graded value estimated
• Service level chosen from the declared value
• Form or packing slip printed, cards in the same order
• Clear sleeve plus semi-rigid holder on every card (no toploaders for PSA)
• Cardboard boards, gentle rubber bands, padding, new or sturdy box
• Seams taped; tracking label (PSA) or tier marking (CGC) on the outside
• Tracking number and drop-off receipt kept