This is Chapter 3 of How to Grade Sports Cards: A Step-by-Step Guide. Before you submit, make sure the card is worth it (Chapter 1) and ready to go (Chapter 2).
Submitting cards to PSA happens online, even if you plan to drop them off in person. You create a free account, add each card to an order, pick a service level based on what the cards are worth, and print a form to put in the box. Here’s each step, plus what to do when a card won’t show up in the search or you’re not sure which version you have.
Last updated September 2026. PSA changed its service levels in September 2026, so check prices on PSA’s pricing page before you order.
How to submit cards to PSA, step by step
1. Create a free PSA account
Sign up at psacard.com. You don’t need to join the Collectors Club ($149 a year). Its main perk is the cheaper Value tiers, and those have been paused since June 2026, so there’s little reason to pay for it right now.
2. Start a submission and choose what you’re sending
In the Online Submission Center, pick Trading Cards, then the standard grading option for most cards. The other options are for autographs that need authenticating (see below), cards already in a slab (Review, Crossover and Reholder), and oversized cards.
PSA’s website has two ways to fill in an order. “Assisted” picks the service level for you from PSA’s own estimate of each card’s value, and may split your cards into several orders. “Classic” lets you choose, and it’s the one you need for anything unusual. Classic is usually simpler for a first order of a few cards, because you choose the service level and declared value yourself, and everything stays on one order.
3. Pick a service level
Service levels differ in price, speed and the most each card can be worth. These were PSA’s open tiers in late September 2026:
| Service level | Price per card | Card value up to | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $59.99 | $1,000 | 90–100 business days |
| Priority | $79.99 | $1,500 | 70–80 business days |
| Express | $199 | $2,500 | 20–30 business days |
Every card on one form has to be the same service level. If you have a $50 card and a $2,000 card, that’s two forms, which can still go in the same box.
4. Add each card
Search PSA’s database by year, set, player and card number, and pick the match. Don’t worry about getting every detail perfect: PSA’s research team checks each card and fixes the description before it’s graded.
5. Enter a declared value for each card
PSA calls this the Max Insured Value. It’s what you think the card will be worth after it’s graded, not what you paid. Look up recent sales of the card in the grade you expect on eBay’s sold listings or PSA’s Auction Prices Realized.
It matters for two reasons. It decides which service level the card qualifies for, and it’s the most PSA will pay if the card is lost or damaged while in its care. If PSA thinks a card is worth more than your tier allows, it contacts you first, then moves that card up a tier and charges the difference. If you say no, the card comes back ungraded and you still pay the original fee. So guess honestly, and if you’re between two tiers, a little high is safer than low, even if it costs a bit more.
6. Check out
Review the order and add a payment card. PSA doesn’t charge it yet: you’re billed when grading is finished, and you see your grades once you’ve paid. Return shipping is added to the bill then, too. It’s $19.99 for one to four cards worth up to $2,000 in total, and that includes insurance and a signature on delivery.
7. Print the form and ship your cards
Print the submission form to go inside the box, and the submission ID label to go on the outside. Then pack and ship your cards following Chapter 4. Use the shipping address printed on your own form: PSA has different addresses for different carriers.
When a card doesn’t fit the usual steps
Your card isn’t in PSA’s database
In the PSA app, tap “Add Manually” above the search bar and type in the year, set, card number and player. If you’re not sure PSA grades that kind of card at all, send photos of the front and back through PSA’s Customer Request Center and ask first. If you send something PSA can’t grade, it comes back unslabbed and you pay the return shipping.
You don’t know which parallel you have
Pick the closest match and add what you know in the notes, like the serial number or the color. PSA’s research team identifies the exact version before grading, and you get a “Review Your Order” email to check the labels before your order finishes. If a label still comes back wrong, PSA corrects it for free. (CGC is different: it charges $5 for each card you don’t fully describe, so do the homework first. How to identify your sports cards can help.)
Autographed cards
- Autographs pulled from a pack (certified by the card company, 1998 or later) can go in any normal service level. PSA grades the card only; the signature doesn’t get its own grade.
- Autographs signed in person, through the mail, or before 1998 have to go through PSA’s Card & Autograph Dual Service, where PSA/DNA authenticates the signature. It starts at $79.99 per card (100 to 110 business days) and gives the card and the autograph separate grades.
- An autograph grade on a pack-pulled card also needs Dual Service.
PSA’s guarantee doesn’t cover autographs, and it doesn’t cover patch and relic cards at all, including their grade. PSA grades those cards, but it doesn’t vouch that a swatch is game-used.
Thick and oversized cards
Oversized cards, like tall boys and jumbos, go on their own form with the matching holder size, and PSA may charge extra for the largest sizes. For thick patch cards you don’t pick a holder: PSA chooses one based on how thick the card is. Our toploader guide explains card thickness in “pt” if you’re not sure what you have.
Cards that are already graded
- Review sends a PSA slab back for a second look. You pay the full grading fee, and if the grade doesn’t go up, you keep the original.
- Crossover moves a card from another company’s slab into a PSA one. You set a minimum grade; if it falls short, the card comes back in its old slab, and you pay either way.
- Reholder puts a PSA card in a new slab, usually with the same grade, for $12.99. PSA checks the card first and can lower the grade if its condition has changed. Useful for a scratched or cracked case.
Submitting to CGC or SGC instead
The steps are much the same: a free account, an online form, then a printed packing slip in the box. The main differences:
- CGC needs no membership. Its cheapest tier ($17, for cards worth up to $500) has a 25-card minimum, orders are capped at 300 cards, and it charges your payment card when the box arrives, not when grading is done.
- SGC charges a flat fee per card based on declared value, starting at $50 for cards worth up to $1,500.
Not sure which company to use? Our comparison of the grading companies covers price, speed and resale value.
FAQ
What if PSA can’t grade my card?
It depends on why. Cards that are trimmed, restored, cleaned or otherwise altered come back ungraded, and you still pay the full fee. Severe factory miscuts that PSA won’t grade, undersized cards and cards that won’t fit a holder come back with no grading charge.
Is there a minimum number of cards?
Not at PSA. You can send a single card. CGC’s cheapest bulk tier needs at least 25.
How long does PSA take?
Standard was quoting 90 to 100 business days in September 2026, counted from when PSA logs your order in, not from when you mail it.
Can I drop my cards off instead of mailing them?
Yes, at PSA’s events at card shows or its staffed submission centers. You still create the order online first. See getting your cards graded in person.
Next: Chapter 4: How to ship cards for grading and track your order.
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