Card grading costs compared
What PSA, CGC, Beckett and SGC charge per card, how long they take, and how often each one's slabs show up for sale on eBay.
Checked September 29, 2026
Cheapest and fastest options at each grader
| Grader | Cheapest tier | Fastest tier | Share of graded eBay listings (sports / card games) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | Standard: $59.99about 90–100 business days | Premium 1: $999about 5–7 business days | 71% / 78% |
| CGC | Bulk: $15about 90 business days | WalkThrough: $300about 2 business days | 2% / 14% |
| BGS | Base: $14.9575+ business days | Priority: $124.95about 5 business days | 9% / 3% |
| SGC | Standard: $5040+ business days | Expedited: $1502–3 business days | 8% / 0% |
Listing share: graded cards newly listed on eBay on September 29, 2026 (40,591 sports, 25,043 card-game), from HobbyGM's daily market snapshot. TAG made up the rest.
What changed in 2026
- PSA paused its cheapest Value tiers, renamed Regular to Priority ($79.99) and raised Express to $199.
- SGC raised Standard from $15 to $50 for cards up to $1,500.
- Beckett paused new Base submissions on September 24.
- CGC's January price schedule kept Bulk at $15, now the cheapest mainstream option.
Which grader for which card
- High-value sports cards: PSA, for resale. PSA vs BGS covers when Beckett wins.
- Pokémon and card games on a budget: CGC Bulk. See PSA vs CGC.
- Vintage: PSA or SGC, whose black slab is a vintage favorite.
Before paying any of these, check the math on the is-it-worth-grading calculator.
Questions sellers ask
- What's the cheapest way to grade cards in 2026?
- CGC Bulk at $15 per card (25-card minimum, up to $500 each) and Beckett Base at $14.95 when it's open. PSA's cheapest tier is $59.99 while its Value tiers are paused.
- Which grading company is best for resale?
- PSA by a wide margin on volume: it was on 71% of graded sports cards and 78% of graded card-game cards newly listed on eBay in our September 29, 2026 snapshot.