PSA turnaround times by service level
The Value, Standard and Priority figures are from PSA's announcement of October 28, 2026. The levels above Priority are as PSA listed them when we last read its price list in September 2026; PSA's October announcement did not change them.
| Service level | Price per card | Max insured value | PSA's estimate | In weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $39.99 | $500 | 90–100 business days | 18 to 20 |
| Standard | $59.99 | $1,000 | 70–80 business days | 14 to 16 |
| Priority | $79.99 | $1,500 | 50–60 business days | 10 to 12 |
| Express | $199 | $2,500 | 20–30 business days | 4 to 6 |
| Super Express | $349 | $5,000 | 10–15 business days | 2 to 3 |
| Premier | $599 | $10,000 | 7–10 business days | 1.5 to 2 |
| Premium 1 and above | from $999 | $25,000 and up | 5–7 business days | 1 to 1.5 |
Value orders sent to PSA's Japan office carry a longer estimate of 120 business days. Value Bulk, Value Plus and Value Max were still closed when we checked on November 10, 2026.
For what each level costs once shipping and upcharges are added, see PSA grading cost.
What a business day means for your card
PSA counts business days, so weekends and holidays don't count. Five business days is one calendar week, which is how the weeks column above is worked out. A holiday in the middle adds a day.
Three things sit outside the estimate:
- Shipping to PSA. The estimate starts once your order is received and entered at PSA, not on the day you post it.
- Return shipping. A graded order still has to travel back to you.
- Time in the queue before entry. In busy periods a parcel can wait at PSA before it is opened and scanned.
So a Standard order is realistically four months or more from the day you post it to the day the slabs arrive, and a Value order closer to five.
PSA is clear that these are estimates. In its October 28 announcement it said turnaround times "are estimates, not guarantees, and may change based on submission volume."
What changed in 2026
Turnaround has moved more this year than in the few before it, which is why so many pages disagree.
| Date | What PSA did |
|---|---|
| June 2, 2026 | Stopped taking new Value, Value Bulk, Value Plus and Value Max orders, with a backlog of more than 10 million cards. |
| September 14, 2026 | Opened Standard at $59.99 with a 90–100 business day estimate. Renamed Regular to Priority and Walk-Through to Premier. |
| October 28, 2026 | Cut Standard to 70–80 business days and Priority to 50–60, for orders submitted from that day. |
| October 29, 2026 | Reopened Value at $39.99, for cards worth up to $500, at 90–100 business days. |
PSA put its backlog at 7.2 million items when it made the October changes, and has said Value Bulk comes back once the backlog is down to about 5 million. Orders already at PSA keep the terms they were sent in under, though PSA said they "may benefit from increased speed."
How to choose a level by time
The level is set first by what the card will be worth once graded, because each level has a cap and PSA moves a card up and bills the difference if it grades above the cap. Within that, time is the trade.
- Card worth up to $500 graded, no hurry: Value. It is $20 cheaper than Standard and about a month slower.
- Card worth up to $1,000 graded: Standard. Paying $20 more for Priority saves about four weeks.
- You want to sell while a card is hot: Express or faster. Modern cards can fall a long way in four months, and a quick turnaround is the only protection against that.
Take Charizard VMAX (Shining Fates Shiny Vault). It sells for about $103 raw and $234 as a PSA 10. Whatever that gap is on the day you post it, it can be a different gap by the time a Value order comes back, so check the card's price history before you pick the slow level for a card you plan to sell.
Whether a card is worth sending at all is a separate question, covered in is it worth grading Pokémon cards.
PSA vs CGC turnaround
CGC's estimates are from its own services and fees page, read on November 10, 2026. CGC counts working days from the day a submission is delivered, and also says its estimates are not guaranteed.
| Grader and level | Fee per card | Max value | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA Value | $39.99 | $500 | 90–100 business days |
| PSA Standard | $59.99 | $1,000 | 70–80 business days |
| PSA Priority | $79.99 | $1,500 | 50–60 business days |
| CGC Bulk (25-card minimum) | $17 | $500 | 150 working days |
| CGC Economy | $20 | $1,000 | 90 working days |
| CGC Standard | $55 | $3,000 | 10 working days |
| CGC Express | $100 | $10,000 | 5 working days |
At the cheap end the two are now close: CGC Economy and PSA Value both sit around 90 days, and CGC Bulk is slower than anything PSA sells. The difference is in the middle. CGC Standard costs less than PSA Standard and comes back in about two weeks instead of about fifteen. If speed is what you need and the label matters less, that is the one to look at. The label does matter when you sell, and how Pokémon card grading works compares what each company's slabs sell for.
While you wait
PSA shows each order's stage in your account, from arrival through grading to shipping. The grades appear there before the parcel leaves. If you sent cards to sell, use the wait to watch the market: every card page here shows what PSA 9 and PSA 10 copies have sold for, so you know what your slab is worth on the day it lands. The step-by-step of sending an order is in how to get a Pokémon card graded.
