How to submit cards to PSA in 2026, step by step

That’s the whole process, but the order form is the easy part. What decides whether a submission pays off happens before you open it: which cards you send, which tier you put them in and how you pack them. This guide walks through all of it with PSA’s current tiers, rules and order stages, checked on October 21, 2026.

How to submit cards to PSA, step by step

There are seven steps, and the first two save the most money.

1. Pick the cards that can actually grade well.
2. Choose a service level by declared value and how long you can wait.
3. Create the order online and enter each card.
4. Wipe the cards with a dry cloth, and nothing more.
5. Sleeve each card and put it in a semi-rigid holder, in order.
6. Pack, label and ship the box with tracking and insurance.
7. Track the order through PSA’s stages until the slabs come home.

Step 1: Which cards should you send to PSA?

Send only the cards with a real shot at a PSA 9 or 10, and only when that grade is worth more than the raw card plus the fee. A PSA grade is capped by the weakest of four things, so check each one under a bright light before you spend anything.

Centering

Compare the border widths left against right and top against bottom. PSA’s published limits are the hardest line to cross, because no amount of sharp corners makes up for a lopsided card.

Corners and edges

Look at the back first. On a Pokémon card the blue back shows white wear far more clearly than the front. A PSA 10 needs four perfectly sharp corners; PSA’s 8 allows the slightest fraying at one or two. Any white dot you can see without a loupe usually rules out a 10.

Surface

Tilt the card under a single light so the glare runs across it. Scratches on holo foil, print lines, dents and fingerprint haze all show up this way. A 10 needs full original gloss with no staining.

The full grade-by-grade breakdown is in our PSA grading scale guide, and if you’re not sure a card clears the bar for money reasons, read is it worth grading Pokémon cards first.

Step 2: Which PSA service level should you choose?

Choose the cheapest open tier whose max insured value covers what the card will be worth after grading. Right now that’s Standard at $59.99 for anything up to $1,000, because PSA’s Value tiers have been paused since June 2, 2026.

Two renames trip people up when they follow an older video. In September 2026 PSA renamed Regular to Priority and Walk-Through to Premier, and raised Express to $199. Express and above also come back with grader notes that explain what held each card back; Standard and Priority don’t.

The price per card isn’t the whole bill. Return shipping is charged on top and rises with the tier’s coverage, and your own postage and insurance to PSA come on top. Our PSA grading cost guide adds it all up.

Step 3: How do you create a PSA submission online?

Every card order starts in PSA’s Online Submission Center; PSA no longer takes paper forms, even for cards handed over at a show. You need a free account on psacard.com, then the order takes about as long as it takes to type your cards in.

1. Select the item type. Choose Trading Cards. This is also where you’d pick autograph, review, crossover or reholder services instead of plain grading.
2. Choose the service level from the table above. If your cards range from $50 to $2,000, think about two orders so the cheap ones aren’t paying for a tier they don’t need.
3. Enter each card. Search by year, set and card number, for example 2023 Pokémon 151 Charizard ex 199. PSA’s research team corrects small mistakes, so don’t stress over the exact wording.
4. Declare a value for each card: what you think it will be worth once graded. More on this below.
5. Review the order and check that the list order matches the stack you’ll pack.
6. Add a payment card. PSA charges it when your grades are ready, not when you submit.
7. Print the submission form and the submission ID label from the confirmation page.

How do you set the declared value on a PSA order?

Enter what the card should sell for after grading, at the grade you realistically expect. That number decides which tiers you’re allowed to use and caps what PSA pays if the card is lost or damaged in its care.

• Coverage starts at PSA’s door. Once PSA confirms the card arrived, it’s covered up to the lower of its fair market value or the tier’s max insured value, until it reaches its next stop.
• Inbound shipping isn’t covered by PSA. Insure the box yourself. If you choose FedEx at checkout, PSA offers inbound insurance through its partner Cabrella.
• You can pick a faster tier than your value needs. A $200 card can go Express if you want it back in weeks.

Step 4: Should you clean Pokémon cards before grading?

Only wipe them. A gentle pass with a clean, dry microfiber cloth removes fingerprints and dust that a grader would otherwise read as surface wear. Anything stronger risks the card.

• Wipe the front and back from the center out, without pressing on corners or edges.
• Don’t use water, alcohol, glass cleaner, erasers or any product sold for “card restoration.” Liquids can lift gloss, cloud holo foil and leave marks that drop the grade.
• Don’t press out bends or dents. PSA inspects every card for evidence of doctoring, and a card it believes has been altered comes back in a holder without a number grade.

Step 5: How should you prepare cards for PSA?

Put each card in a clear penny sleeve, then slide it into a semi-rigid holder such as a Card Saver I. PSA’s shipping guide says not to use top loaders, tape, pull tabs or sticky notes.

1. Use clear penny sleeves only. PSA warns that solid or opaque sleeves cause delays.
2. Use semi-rigid holders sized 3 5/16 by 4 7/8 inches for standard cards, with both sides of the card fully visible.
3. Stack the cards in the exact order of your submission form, with item 1 on top.

Step 6: How do you pack and ship cards to PSA?

Sandwich the stack between two pieces of cardboard, hold it with two or three rubber bands, wrap it and box it with the printed form inside. Then ship with tracking and insurance, because PSA doesn’t cover the trip in.

1. Place the stack between two cardboard dividers and secure it with 2 to 3 rubber bands, firm enough to stop sliding but not so tight they dent the top card.
2. Wrap the bundle in bubble wrap and put it in a new box. Fill every gap so nothing moves.
3. Put the printed submission form inside. Keep separate submissions bundled separately.
4. Seal every seam with packing tape, not painter’s tape or Scotch tape.
5. Stick the submission ID label from your confirmation page on the outside, barcode fully visible. Without it the box won’t show as Arrived and processing can slow down.
6. Address it to the right PSA receiving address for your carrier. USPS goes to a PO Box in Newport Beach, California; UPS, FedEx and DHL go to a street address in Santa Ana. Both are listed on PSA’s shipping guide.

Insure the box for what the cards are worth. Some shipping insurance providers won’t pay out on ungraded collectibles at their appraised value, so check the policy before you rely on it.

Step 7: What do PSA’s order statuses mean?

Once the box arrives, your order moves through eight stages in your PSA account. Expect most of the wait in Research & Identification and Authentication & Grading, where cards sit in the queue.

If you’ve seen older names such as Order Prep, Assembly or QA in a video, they roughly match Order Verification, Encapsulation and Holder & Label Review.

How long does PSA grading take right now?

Plan on the full estimate and then some. Standard’s 90 to 100 business days is about four to five months on a calendar, and PSA is working through a backlog it put at 7.2 million cards on October 20, 2026.

• Business days, not calendar days. Weekends and holidays don’t count, so 20 business days is about four weeks.
• The clock starts when the box arrives, per PSA’s order status help page. Transit time to PSA is on you.
• Older orders go first. PSA says existing orders are prioritized ahead of new ones, and Standard orders queue behind the paused Value and Bulk orders already in its care.
• Estimates aren’t promises. PSA’s pricing page says turnaround can change quickly without notice as volume changes.

The backlog is falling, from 12.4 million units in late July to 7.2 million now, and PSA says it will reopen tiers in phases. Until the Value tiers return, the cheapest way into PSA is $59.99 and a long wait.

Other ways to submit cards to PSA

You don’t have to mail a box yourself. Drop-offs and group submitters take the packing and shipping off your hands, usually at the same or a slightly higher price.

• GameStop. Participating stores take ungraded cards in penny sleeves and card savers, with no form and no card minimum. GameStop lists $59.99 a card, a $9.99 flat shipping fee per order, $1,000 declared value per card and 90 to 100 business days. You pick the slabs up in store and can keep, sell or trade them in. PSA’s own support can’t give status updates on GameStop orders; track them in your GameStop account.
• PSA at card shows. PSA staff take submissions in person at drop-off events and trade shows, where you can also choose to vault the cards or consign them on eBay. The schedule is on PSA’s events page. You still create the order online first.
• Group submitters. Card shops and dealers bundle many collectors’ cards into one big order. PSA’s Dealer Directory lets you filter for dealers who submit. Prices, turnaround and how they handle upcharges vary by shop, so ask before you hand anything over.
• PSA Vault. Instead of shipping the slabs home, you can have graded cards stored in the PSA Vault and sell them from there through eBay or PSA’s partner offers.

If the wait or the price puts you off PSA, the other graders are open and some are faster. Our best grading company for Pokémon cards guide compares PSA, CGC, Beckett, TAG and SGC side by side. And before you send a card anywhere, it’s worth a minute to check it isn’t a fake; a fake still goes through the whole order before it comes back without a grade.