eBay Authenticity Guarantee for card sellers

Which cards go through it

You can't opt out. The listing also needs at least two photos. Sports Illustrated reported the change from $250 to $200 on July 31, 2026, and eBay rolled it out over the following weeks.

What happens after the sale

1. You ship the card to PSA, insured, within your handling time, and upload the tracking number in Seller Hub. You pay this shipping.
2. PSA inspects it, usually within one or two business days of it arriving.
3. eBay ships it to the buyer in tamper-evident packaging, by tracked shipping with signature confirmation, at eBay's cost.

eBay says some orders take seven days or more. Tell buyers in your listing or a message that a card over $200 goes through PSA first, so a slower delivery doesn't surprise them.

When you get paid

eBay doesn't publish a separate payout rule for these orders that we could find. Sellers on eBay's forums report the order showing funds available about three days after the card is delivered to the buyer, so expect the money later than on a normal sale. Newer sellers can see longer holds.

What PSA checks

• Raw cards: that the card is genuine, and that its corners, edges, surface and overall condition match your listing.
• Graded cards: that the case and label are genuine and the slab hasn't been opened. PSA doesn't regrade the card.

Why cards fail, and what happens

If a card fails, PSA sends it back to you and the buyer is refunded. eBay says you aren't charged for that return shipping, but you've lost the sale and the time.

For genuine raw cards, the usual problem is condition: the listing promised more than the card shows. To avoid it:

• Photograph the front and back, and close-ups of any flaw.
• Name the flaws in the description, and pick the condition honestly.
• Make the title, item specifics and photos agree on the card, the parallel and the grade.
• For slabs, show the label and the front and back of the case clearly.

Returns

If you accept returns, a returned card goes back through PSA, which checks within about two business days that it's the same card (or the same sealed slab) and still matches the listing. That's the main protection against a buyer sending back a different, cheaper card.

What it costs you

• No fee. eBay describes the service as free for buyers and sellers.
• Insured shipping to PSA. Build it into your shipping charge. A $200 card can't go by Standard Envelope anyway, since that stops at $20.
• No combined shipping. A buyer who takes two eligible cards gets two separate shipments, and you pay to send both to PSA.
• Slower payouts, as above.

Pricing just under $200

A card priced at $199.99 skips the program: it ships straight to the buyer, and you're paid sooner. The trade-off is that the authenticity badge reassures buyers of expensive cards, especially raw ones. If a card is honestly worth $210, cutting it to $199.99 to dodge PSA costs you $10 and some buyer confidence.

PSA grading at checkout

Since March 2025, buyers of eligible raw, unautographed cards (it launched at $250 and up) can add PSA grading at checkout. You ship to PSA exactly as normal; after the card passes, it goes on to be graded, and the buyer pays for the grading. A card graded this way is a final sale with no returns. We couldn't confirm whether the grading option's threshold moved to $200 with the rest of the program.

Sources

• eBay: Authenticity Guarantee for trading cards (terms)
• eBay: Authenticity Guarantee seller information
• eBay Community: Authenticity Guarantee is expanding to more trading cards
• Sports Illustrated: eBay lowers the threshold (July 31, 2026)
• PSA: grading built into eBay checkout (March 2025)