Collector tools
Grading screener
“Is this worth grading?” is really two questions: what would it be worth slabbed, and what would getting it there cost. This board answers both for every card we track, after PSA’s fee, postage both ways and the marketplace’s cut, and tells you the most you should pay for the raw copy.
How this screener works
Every number in the table is explained below, and each column carries the same explanation on its info icon.
The method
What does "max to pay" mean?
It is the break-even purchase price for the raw card. We work out what each possible grade would net you after the marketplace takes its cut and you have paid postage, weight those by how often PSA actually awards each grade to that card, then subtract the grading fee and the postage both ways.Pay less than that number and grading is expected to profit; pay more and it is not. It does not move with what the card currently costs, which is what makes it a ceiling you can carry to a listing.
Which costs are included?
The PSA service fee for the tier the card is actually eligible for, postage to PSA, insured return postage, the marketplace final-value fee on the eventual sale, and postage out to the buyer. The marketplace fee is the real tiered schedule rather than a flat percentage, so four-figure cards are not overcharged on the portion above the tier boundary.A fee-only model overstates the profit on a typical card by more than half.
Where do the odds come from?
From PSA’s own population report: the share of every copy ever graded that came back at each grade. That is a defensible base rate, but it is not a scan of your card, and it is self-selected, because collectors tend to submit their better copies. Treat it as an optimistic baseline for a card you have not inspected closely.Declaring a played condition on the per-card tool shifts the whole distribution down the ladder to compensate.
Why rank by headroom instead of by expected profit?
Because expected profit in dollars rewards expensive cards for being expensive. A $4,000 card with a five percent edge would outrank a $40 card that doubles your money, which is not what someone asking "what should I be grading?" wants to see. Headroom measures edge as a share of what the card costs.The expected-profit sort is one click away for when you want the biggest cheque instead of the best ratio.
What does "sell raw" mean?
It means grading is expected to destroy value at today’s raw price: the most you should pay is less than what the card already costs. If you own one, you net more selling it as it is than paying to slab it.That usually happens when the PSA 10 barely beats the PSA 9, so the upside does not pay for the risk of missing the top grade.
What does "buy graded" mean?
It means somebody is already selling a slabbed copy for less than it would cost you to buy the raw card and grade it yourself, with none of the risk of missing the grade. We read that from the cheapest clean asking price we track at each grade.
Why do some cards have no verdict?
Because we will not invent one. Below a minimum graded population the distribution is noise rather than signal, and some cards have no fair value at any grade to price an outcome against. Those cards are hidden by default and counted underneath the table.
Is this investment advice?
No. It is a model built on public population reports and recorded sales, and it prices the average outcome rather than yours. Grading is a per-card gamble: the model can be right about a hundred cards and still be wrong about the one in your hand.
Population data is sourced from PSA; grading and postage costs are modelled and change over time. Figures are estimates for research, not investment advice.