You don’t have to mail your cards to get them graded. PSA and the other big grading companies take submissions at card shows, and PSA also has four staffed Official Submission Centers. You still create your order online first, but you hand the cards over in person instead of shipping them. Unless a show advertises on-site grading, your cards are then graded at the company’s facility on the normal turnaround for your service level, and mailed back to you.
The benefits of dropping off in person:
- Someone can help you with your first order.
- Your cards don’t go in the mail, so there’s no outbound package to insure. (Carriers are strict about insuring trading cards; Chapter 4 explains.)
- No outbound shipping cost.
Return shipping still applies, since your graded cards are mailed back to you.
PSA drop-off options
- Card shows: PSA staff take submissions at shows around the country and will help you finish an order. See PSA’s upcoming events.
- Official Submission Centers: staffed by PSA inside Burbank Sports Cards (Burbank, CA), CardsHQ (Atlanta), Dave & Adam’s (New York City) and Mojobreak (Santa Clara, CA). Details are on PSA’s locations page.
- PSA Authorized Dealers can submit cards on your behalf, usually for their own fee. Find one in PSA’s dealer directory.
At a show or a Submission Center, you still start by creating your order in PSA’s Online Submission Center. How to submit cards to PSA walks through it.
Other grading companies
CGC, SGC and Beckett also take submissions at some of the bigger card shows, including the National. Check their websites and social media before a show to see who’s attending.
This is part of our step-by-step guide to grading sports cards.
Looking for a show near you? Our card show calendar lists upcoming shows by date, and the card shop directory covers local shops in the same cities.
