Two questions get asked together and answered separately, which is why people keep getting this wrong. What does grading cost, and is this card worth grading. The first has a number. The second has a test, and the test is easier than people think.
What it actually costs
PSA prices by tier, and the tier is set by the declared value of the card. On 22 October 2026 its cheaper Value and Value Bulk services were paused, so the cheapest open service was Standard at $59.99 a card, for cards declared at up to $1,000. Higher declared values move you up the tiers quickly: Priority was $79.99 and Express $199, and the top tiers run into thousands.
The number on the price list is not the number you pay. Add postage to them, insured postage back to you, and a sleeve and a semi-rigid holder per card. People routinely quote the headline fee and then wonder why the total was half as much again.
The test: is this card worth it?
Find the raw price and the PSA 10 price for the exact card, including the set and the card number. Then apply this:
- Work out the gap: PSA 10 price minus raw price.
- Take off the full grading cost, including postage both ways.
- Take off what selling will cost you, which is usually 10 to 15 percent of the sale price.
- Whatever is left is your upside, and only if the card grades a 10.
That last clause is the one that catches people. You are not buying a PSA 10, you are buying a lottery ticket on the grade. A 9 on a modern card is often worth a fraction of a 10, sometimes barely more than raw. So the sum has to work at a 10, and then you have to actually get one.
What the gap looks like in practice
Here is a real set, with the raw and PSA 10 columns side by side, live from our own prices. This is the table you want in front of you when you are deciding.
| Card | Raw | PSA 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Umbreon ex #161 | $955.00 | $4.25k |
| Sylveon ex #156 | $346.81 | $1.08k |
| Espeon ex #155 | $220.00 | $891.88 |
| Vaporeon ex #149 | $207.17 | $871.31 |
| Leafeon ex #144 | $261.14 | $661.65 |
| Glaceon ex #150 | $193.76 | $645.00 |
| Flareon ex #146 | $161.89 | $558.18 |
| Roaring Moon ex #162 | $146.50 | $552.50 |
Look at the top row and then the bottom row. At the top the gap between raw and PSA 10 is large, and grading obviously makes sense before you do any arithmetic. Toward the bottom the two columns close up, and by the time the gap is smaller than the fee plus selling costs, grading is a way of turning money into a plastic case.
That is the whole lesson. Grading is worth it on a small number of cards and not worth it on most of them, and the cut-off is visible the moment you put the two prices next to each other.
The three mistakes people make
Grading sentimental cards. A card can matter to you and still be worth $4. Slabbing it does not change that, and a slab is not a better way to keep something you love.
Grading in bulk to chase volume. The cheap tiers tempt people into sending fifty cards where three were worth it. Fifty times a fee you barely noticed is a real number.
Ignoring the grade risk on modern cards. Modern chase cards are notorious for centring and edge issues straight out of the pack. If you cannot see the flaws yourself, assume the grader will.
Check any card in ten seconds
We hold live raw and PSA 10 prices for 15,614 cards and update them daily. Search the card, put the two numbers next to each other, and run the four steps above. If the gap is not several times the fee, keep the card raw and spend the money on something you will enjoy more.
Useful next: a set page with the raw and graded columns, how the sets compare, or search any card on our set pages.
Questions people also ask
How much does CGC or Beckett grading cost?
Both price by tier the same way PSA does, and both change their tiers. Whichever grader you use, apply the same test: the graded price has to beat raw by more than the fee and the selling costs.
What Pokemon cards are worth grading?
Only ones where the PSA 10 price beats the raw price by more than the fee and the selling costs. Put the two numbers side by side, take off the fee and the selling costs, and see what is left.
Is PSA grading worth it for cheap cards?
Almost never. A fee of $59.99, PSA's cheapest open service on 22 October 2026, against a card worth $10 is money spent on a plastic case.
The short version
Budget $59.99 a card at PSA's cheapest open service (22 October 2026), more once postage is in. Then only grade cards where the PSA 10 price beats the raw price by well more than that, because everything else is eaten by the fee, the selling costs and the risk of a 9.