Have you ever had a dilemma between grading your Pokemon TCG cards yourself or with a third-party service?
What did you end up choosing? 🤔
If you had not done it yourself, likely you must have thought that the process appears very troublesome.
Just take a look at PSA or CGA stringent packing guidelines, and there are numerous pages and details to fill in on their online forms. 🤯
For most, it is enough hassle to just send their cards to a third party for bulk grading (also known as bulk submission services).
But what are the drawbacks of going through a third party?
Horror stories of third parties swapping out cards for their own inferior quality cards, to pass off as the customer’s card, tops the list of things that could go wrong. ❌
And think, other than yourself, who will care more about your cards? Certainly not the third party.
In most cases, in fact, sending your cards to PSA by yourself may end up being a better option.
Here’s why.
Source: Pexels
Your Valuable Card May Be Switched Out By A 3rd Party Provider
Imagine you were a third-party service provider and a customer hands you a 1999 Charizard that you know will be a PSA gem mint grade.
And you have other Charizards that are in worse condition, will you be tempted to swap it? 🤔
It is easy to switch the cards before or after they are sent off to the graders and difficult to prove.
So would you trust that they will not swap it out for another copy, risking thousands of dollars (if not hundreds of thousands) in the process?
So the rule of thumb is this: For higher-value cards (you have to estimate this), you may want to think twice about going through a 3rd party.
Bulk Submission Service Providers May Be More Careless With Your Cards
If you are sending your own cards for grading, you are likely going to be extra careful.
When going through a 3rd party, they may mishandle your cards because they deal with so many cards on a daily basis.
Don’t believe us? Just get on to TikTok and watch how the live streamers handle cards and you be the judge.
There Are Many Online Resources To Guide You On Self Submission To PSA
Understandably, inconvenience is a big factor as to why one would go through a bulk submission service.
However, there are so many videos on YouTube of individuals demonstrating the entire process.
Yes, there will be some level of effort required, but it is worth it.
And remember, sending in your cards to PSA yourself is the only guarantee that the card will not be swapped out. 👍
Joining The PSA Collectors Club Members Offers Discounted Grading Prices
The PSA Collectors Club is available at $149 per year (all prices are in USD).
It will give you access to bulk grading prices (min. 20 pieces per submission).
Furthermore, you will gain access to PSA Grading Specials from time to time, giving even better prices. 🎉
| Value Pricing | $24.99/Card |
| Value Bulk (Collectors Club Only) | $18.99/Card |
| Pokémon Grading Special (Collectors Club Only) | $12.99/Card |
With access to more affordable prices, you can easily recoup your investment. ➕
Here are some simple calculations to prove the point:
If you grade at least 25 cards in one go, you will have gotten your money’s worth.
- $24.99 – $18.99 = $6
- $149 / $6 = 24.8 cards
And, If you grade at least 13 Pokemon TCG cards in one go, you would have gotten more bang for your buck
- $24.99 – $12.99 = $12
- $149 / $12 = 12.4 cards
Other Than The Cheaper Prices, There Are Even More Perks To The Membership
Receive Dollar Credits To Spend Online
Receive $120 and $60 credit to spend on Loupe and Fanatics Live respectively.
Receive A Monthly Psa Magazine Subscription
Each edition of the monthly PSA magazine may come with a limited edition promotion TCG card.
The most recent July issue included an exclusive PSA promo Luffy card (which costs about $150 on average on eBay as of writing).
Be Aware Of Shipping And Insurance Costs
On top of the prices listed above, there are a few more costs to take note of.
You will have to cover the return shipping, where the return leg is based on PSA’s choice of courier, with insurance included.
In the first leg, you will have to find your shipping service and insurance (optional, but if you have a highly valuable card, it is highly recommended).
Source: Pexels
3rd Party Bulk Submission Services May Provide Pre-Grading Services
You may have a bunch of seemingly good-conditioned cards on hand are are excited to send a bunch of them to PSA for grading.
To an untrained eye, many cards will appear in good condition. 👁️
But if you just send a bunch of cards blindly, you may only receive a high grade on a few cards only.
Thus, it might be useful to pre-grade (for a small fee) your cards before sending them in to PSA.
(Note: Pre-grading is a skill to estimate a TCG card’s likely grade from PSA)
Experience is key when it comes to pre-grading cards.
In most group submission services, the staff is very experienced and will have a good eye for cards in good condition.
Selectively sending cards to PSA ensures that you do not waste your money (remember you are paying per card).
Group Submissions Is Most Cost Effective If You Only Have A Few Cards To Grade Per Year
Going through a bulk submission service will save you a lot of time and effort.
Furthermore, it is the cheapest solution if you only have a few cards you want to be graded annually.
It would be more expensive to send cards to PSA yourself if you do not meet PSA’s 20-card minimum for its cheapest submissions.
However, if you have a highly valuable card (check value here), it is best to send the cards to PSA yourself to prevent any risk of it being swapped out.
Related to Grading TCG Cards:
Scarlet & Violet Shrouded Fable: New Pokemon TCG Pack And What To Expect
