How to Grade Your Pokémon Cards (and Whether It's Worth It)

Grading is a math problem disguised as a hobby decision. The right answer depends on three numbers: the raw market price, the PSA 10 premium, and your realistic odds of pulling a 10.

PSA still commands the largest premium for Pokémon, but CGC has closed the gap on modern, and BGS retains an edge on dual-graded vintage. Turnaround windows shifted again this quarter — PSA is currently the fastest of the three for cards under the $500 declared value tier.

Our working rule: do not submit a card whose PSA 10 price is less than 4x the raw market unless the population report is genuinely thin. Anything tighter and a single 9 erases the trade.