PSA has reopened its lower-cost Value grading service after nearly five months of suspended submissions, giving Pokemon card collectors a more affordable option for sending cards to the grading company.
The service returned on October 29, 2026, at $39.99 per card, with an estimated turnaround time of 90 to 100 business days. PSA also announced shorter processing estimates for its Standard and Priority services as the company continues working through a substantial backlog of ungraded cards.
The reopening is welcome news for collectors who have been holding onto cards rather than paying higher grading fees. However, the new Value price is approximately 21% higher than before the suspension, and PSA still has millions of cards waiting to be processed.
For Pokemon collectors, the biggest question isn’t simply whether cheaper grading has returned. It’s whether spending $39.99 to grade a card makes financial sense, particularly when modern Pokemon cards can lose value between submission and return.
PSA Value Grading Returns at $39.99 Per Card
PSA suspended its lower cost Value grading services on June 2 after a surge in submissions pushed its backlog toward 10 million cards. The company needed additional processing capacity and temporarily restricted access to its most affordable grading options.
Nearly five months later, collectors can once again submit cards through the Value service.
The new pricing and turnaround estimates are:
| PSA service | Price per card | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Value | $39.99 | 90–100 business days |
| Standard | $59.99 | 70–80 business days |
| Priority | $79.99 | 50–60 business days |
The Value service has a maximum insured value of $500 per card. Standard allows up to $1,000, while Priority allows up to $1,500.
These are estimated processing times, not guaranteed return dates. PSA also specifies that the turnaround clock begins when an order is entered into its grading system, rather than when a collector ships the cards.
The biggest improvement is the return of an option below $40. During much of the suspension, collectors had to choose more expensive services or wait for PSA to reopen its lower-cost tiers.
There is a catch, though. Value grading previously cost $32.99 per card. The new $39.99 price represents a $7 increase, making grading more expensive even though the service is being presented as a lower-cost option.
For someone submitting 10 Pokemon cards, grading fees alone now total $399.90, compared with $329.90 before the shutdown. That difference becomes more significant for collectors regularly submitting dozens of cards.
PSA’s Backlog Falls to 7.2 Million Cards
The reopening follows a substantial reduction in PSA’s grading backlog.
According to the company’s October 20 update, its active backlog had fallen to 7.2 million items, down from 8.2 million on October 6. That represents approximately one million fewer outstanding items in just two weeks.
The improvement is even more significant compared with July, when PSA reported a backlog of 12.4 million items.
| Date | Active grading backlog |
|---|---|
| July 28, 2026 | 12.4 million |
| August 25, 2026 | 10.9 million |
| September 22, 2026 | 9.0 million |
| October 6, 2026 | 8.2 million |
| October 20, 2026 | 7.2 million |
PSA attributes the progress to increased processing capacity and operational improvements. The company says its graded-item output has increased nearly 50% during 2026, reflecting significant investment in its facilities and workforce.
The scale of PSA’s business has also changed dramatically. According to the company, it graded 59 million items over the past three years, exceeding the 57 million items processed during the preceding 23 years combined.
That growth helps explain why grading services have struggled to keep up with demand. Pokemon cards, sports cards and other collectibles have generated an enormous volume of submissions, particularly as collectors pursue high-grade examples for resale or long-term collections.
Despite the improvement, 7.2 million outstanding items remains a considerable backlog. PSA previously identified five million as a target for fully reopening its grading services, meaning there is still work to be done.
New Submissions Will Wait Behind Existing Orders
One important detail in PSA’s announcement is how the company plans to handle new Value submissions.
PSA says new Value orders will be processed after the orders already in its possession. The company is prioritizing collectors who submitted cards before the service reopened, including customers whose orders have exceeded their original processing estimates.
That means the advertised 90 to 100 business days should not be interpreted as a guaranteed four-month return.
For collectors submitting Pokemon cards now, it is reasonable to prepare for a wait of several months, with the possibility of additional delays if submission volume increases.
PSA has acknowledged that many existing orders are already late. According to the company, submissions during April and May were 2.5 times higher than during the same months in 2025, creating congestion across its grading operations.
The company is also keeping its cheaper Value Bulk service suspended.
Before the shutdown, Value Bulk was available to eligible Collectors Club members at $24.99 per card. PSA has not announced a reopening date or new price for that service.
For collectors submitting large quantities of modern Pokemon cards, the absence of Value Bulk is particularly important. A difference of $15 per card can substantially change the economics of grading an entire collection.
Is PSA Grading Worth $39.99 for Pokemon Cards?
This is where the reopening becomes more complicated for Pokemon collectors.
PSA grading can increase a card’s resale value, especially when a popular card receives a Gem Mint 10 grade. But not every Pokemon card benefits enough from grading to justify the cost.
At $39.99 per card, collectors need to consider the card’s raw market value, its likely grade and the actual prices buyers are paying for graded copies.
Consider a hypothetical modern Pokemon card worth $50 ungraded.
If that card sells for $150 in PSA 10 condition, grading might initially look attractive. But the collector would need to account for the $39.99 grading fee, shipping, insurance and any marketplace selling fees.
If the card receives a PSA 9 and comparable copies sell for only $60, grading could result in a loss.
The financial outcome can change dramatically based on a single grade.
| Hypothetical outcome | Market value |
|---|---|
| Ungraded card | $50 |
| PSA 9 | $60 |
| PSA 10 | $150 |
| PSA Value grading fee | $39.99 |
These figures are illustrative, not prices for a particular Pokemon card. They show why collectors should compare actual completed sales before submitting.
Condition is another major factor. A card pulled directly from a booster pack is not automatically a PSA 10. Centering, surface scratches, corner imperfections and print defects can all affect the final grade.
For collectors grading cards primarily for resale, the safest approach is to evaluate the economics of a PSA 9 as well as a PSA 10. If a PSA 9 would create a substantial loss, the submission becomes a much riskier decision.
That doesn’t mean grading is only worthwhile when there is a potential profit. Collectors may choose to grade cards for authentication, protection or personal enjoyment. Those reasons are valid, but they are different from grading as an investment.
Long Turnaround Times Create Another Risk
The estimated 90 to 100 business day turnaround introduces another challenge: Pokemon card prices can change considerably while a submission is being processed.
Modern chase cards often experience their strongest demand shortly after a set releases. As more packs are opened and additional copies reach the market, prices can decline.
A collector who submits a newly released Special Illustration Rare might be evaluating its value based on prices that no longer apply when the graded card returns.
This is especially important for cards from heavily opened expansions, where the supply of high-grade copies can increase quickly.
Vintage cards can present a different situation. Their supply is generally more established, and some collectors may be more willing to wait for grading. However, vintage Pokemon prices are not immune to market changes, and condition remains critical.
The reopening of Value grading could eventually increase the number of PSA-graded modern Pokemon cards entering the market. Whether that affects individual card prices will depend on submission volume, grading outcomes and collector demand.
For now, the practical takeaway is straightforward: collectors should evaluate a card using realistic future resale expectations, not just its current asking price.
What Happens Next for PSA?
PSA’s next major milestone will be reopening Value Bulk, which remains the company’s most important missing option for high-volume collectors.
The company says it plans to continue restoring lower-priced grading services in phases while monitoring its backlog and processing capacity.
The reopening of Value before the backlog reached five million suggests PSA is becoming more comfortable with its ability to manage incoming submissions. However, the company still needs to demonstrate that it can maintain reasonable turnaround times as demand returns.
There is also the question of pricing.
The new $39.99 fee is considerably higher than PSA’s lower-cost grading options earlier in 2026. Collectors hoping for a return to inexpensive bulk submissions will have to wait for further announcements.
For now, PSA has restored an important service, but it hasn’t returned to the pricing environment that existed before the suspension.
My Read
The return of Value grading is good news for Pokemon collectors, particularly those who have been waiting months to submit cards without paying $60 or $80 per card.
However, I don’t think $39.99 should automatically be considered cheap grading.
Once shipping, insurance and selling fees are included, the total cost can become difficult to justify for many modern Pokemon cards. Unless a card has strong PSA 10 potential or meaningful personal value, buying an already graded copy may sometimes be the better decision.
The backlog reduction is encouraging. Going from 12.4 million outstanding items in July to 7.2 million in October shows PSA has made measurable progress. But the company still has a significant amount of work ahead, and collectors should remain cautious about turnaround estimates.
I’ll be watching two things over the coming months: whether PSA can maintain its processing improvements after reopening Value, and when Value Bulk becomes available again.
For Pokemon collectors, the return of lower-cost grading is a positive development. The more important decision is still choosing which cards are actually worth sending.