Key Takeaways
- PSA graded about 65% of all trading cards in August and CGC about 28%. That covers all trading cards, sports included, not only Pokémon.
- Across 12 Pokémon cards in PokeInsider’s Card Data as of November 10, 2026, a PSA 10 sells for 1.3 to 3.9 times the CGC 10 price, and at least double on eight of the 12.
- The gap is widest on vintage and cheap modern cards (Base Set Charizard at 3.9x) and narrowest on expensive modern cards like Umbreon VMAX and Rayquaza VMAX (1.3x to 1.5x).
- A PSA 9 is not a safety net: on six of the 12 cards, the PSA 9 price is at or below the raw Near Mint price.
- PSA Value reopened October 29 at $39.99 per card, up from $32.99. Value Bulk is still closed, and the backlog was 6.8 million on November 3 against a 5 million target for fully reopening.
PSA graded about 65% of all trading cards in August, CGC graded 28%, and the PSA label still sells for far more at the same grade. That is the picture from a report published November 6, built on industry grading-volume data and dealer interviews.
I checked the price claim against PokeInsider’s Card Data. Across 12 Pokémon cards, from a $3.69 Double Rare to the Base Set Charizard, a PSA 10 sells for between 1.3 and 3.9 times the CGC 10 price. On eight of the 12, the PSA 10 is at least double.
What the Report Says
- Market share: PSA handled about 65% of trading-card grading volume in August and CGC about 28%. That figure covers all trading cards, sports included, not only Pokémon.
- One owner, three brands: PSA’s parent company, Collectors, also owns Beckett (bought in December 2025) and SGC. Together the three came to roughly 71% of August volume among the major graders tracked.
- The price gap: A 1999 Base Set Charizard in PSA 9 sold for about $3,440 on eBay on September 29, against roughly $1,890 for a CGC 9 the same day. The PSA copy brought 82% more.
- Dealer view: Dealers quoted in the report say sellers accept higher fees and longer waits because the PSA label resells better. They also say PSA’s restrictions have hit people who buy raw, grade and flip, and that more raw cards are changing hands at shows.
- No comment: PSA did not answer the report’s detailed questions. In its own published updates, PSA has put the service limits and price changes down to demand running ahead of capacity.
The volume data behind those shares shows about 3.40 million cards graded in August: 2.20 million by PSA, a then-record 937,000 by CGC (up 114% year over year) and 42,000 by SGC. In September, PSA rose to 2.46 million and CGC set another record at 962,000. CGC is growing faster, but from a much smaller base.
The Backlog and What PSA Changed
PSA paused its four Value tiers on June 2. The backlog peaked at 12.4 million items on July 28 and was 7.2 million on October 20, the figure cited in the report.
It has dropped again since. PSA’s backlog tracker put it at 6.8 million on November 3, down 45% from the peak. PSA said the decline slowed in that period because submissions picked up after Value reopened.
Value came back on October 29 at $39.99 per card, up from $32.99 before the pause, a 21% increase. Value Bulk, which cost $24.99 before the pause, is still closed. PSA’s stated target for fully reopening is a 5 million backlog, and its November 3 update says it will evaluate reopening Value Bulk in the coming months.
Here is how the lower tiers compare today, per PokeInsider’s grading calculator:
CGC is about half the price at the bottom, but its Bulk tier is not faster than PSA Value. The speed gap shows up one step higher: CGC Standard returns in about 10 business days for $55, while PSA Standard takes 70-80 for $59.99.
PSA 10 vs CGC 10 on 12 Cards
These are prices from PokeInsider’s Card Data as of November 10, 2026. Raw is the TCGplayer Near Mint market price (an ungraded sold price for the Base Set Charizard), and graded figures are recent sold prices.
The Unlimited Base Set Charizard’s $3,250.51 PSA 9 price is in the same range as the $3,440 sale in the report, so the two data sets agree.
Three things stand out:
- The gap is widest on vintage and on cheap modern cards. The Base Set Charizard is 3.9x, and the $3.69 Mega Charizard X ex Double Rare is 2.8x.
- The gap is narrowest where the raw card is already expensive. Umbreon VMAX, Mega Charizard X ex 125 and Rayquaza VMAX sit between 1.3x and 1.5x.
- A PSA 9 is not a safety net. On six of the 12 cards, the PSA 9 price is at or below the raw Near Mint price.
The CGC 10 premium over raw can also be thin. The Rayquaza VMAX is only $44.36 higher in CGC 10 than raw. A card worth more than $1,000 needs the $55 CGC Standard tier, so even a 10 does not cover the fee.
One caution: graded prices are recent sales, and a single sale can move a grade that trades rarely.
The Fee Math on Cheaper Cards
The report’s point about lower-value cards is the one that matters most for everyday submissions. Here is the math on three cards under $40 raw, using the Card Data prices above with PSA Value at $39.99 and CGC Bulk at $17.
All-in is the raw price plus the grading fee. The break-even column is the share of a submission that has to come back PSA 10, with the rest as 9s, to cover that cost. These figures are before shipping, insurance and marketplace fees, and they assume nothing grades below a 9.
A PSA 10 pays far more than a CGC 10 on every row, even after the higher fee. But every PSA 9 loses money at $39.99, and I have no CGC 9 prices in Card Data to run the same downside for CGC.
The tier change shows up clearly on the cheapest card. At the old $24.99 Value Bulk price, the Mega Charizard X ex Double Rare needed about 13% of copies to grade 10 to break even. At $39.99 it needs 47%. That lines up with what dealers told the report about buy-raw, grade and resell getting harder.
Risks to Weigh
- Time in the queue. PSA Value’s 90-100 business days is four to five months, and the estimates are not guarantees. Prices move in that time: over the last 30 days, Card Data shows Pikachu ex 238 down 14.9%, Mega Charizard X ex 125 down 13.7% and Charizard ex 223 down 11.3%.
- More slabs are coming. There are still 6.8 million items in PSA’s queue. PSA says its weekly output is up nearly 50% in 2026 and that it graded 59 million items in the last three years, more than in the 23 years before. As those cards come back, the supply of PSA 10s on modern cards grows.
- Fees can change again. PSA Value has gone from $27.99 to $32.99 to $39.99 within this year.
- The gap is not fixed. CGC’s monthly volume roughly doubled year over year, yet its 10s still sell at a steep discount in our data. That discount could narrow or it could hold. Either way, it sets the result of every grading decision.
- One company, three labels. With PSA, Beckett and SGC under Collectors, pricing and service decisions for most of the market sit with one owner.
What I Am Doing
The realistic options from here:
- Grade with PSA at $39.99, but only clean copies. The PSA 10 payout is the largest on every card in the table, and a 9 loses money on the cheaper ones. This works for cards with a real shot at a 10 and enough spread to absorb the misses.
- Use CGC for speed or cost. CGC Standard at $55 returns in about 10 business days, and Bulk is $17. The trade-off is a sale price that is often half of PSA’s at the same grade.
- Sell raw and skip grading. On six of the 12 cards, a Near Mint raw copy sells for as much as or more than a PSA 9, with no fee and no wait.
- Buy the slab instead of grading. A collector who wants a 10 and does not care about the label pays far less for CGC. A buyer who wants the easiest resale pays up for PSA.
- Wait for Value Bulk. PSA says it will evaluate reopening it in the coming months. The backlog is 6.8 million against a 5 million target, and PSA has not announced a new price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a PSA 10 worth more than a CGC 10?
Yes, in my data. Across 12 Pokémon cards in PokeInsider’s Card Data as of November 10, 2026, a PSA 10 sells for between 1.3 and 3.9 times the CGC 10 price. On eight of the 12 cards, the PSA 10 is at least double.
Where is the price gap between PSA 10 and CGC 10 biggest?
The gap is widest on vintage and on cheap modern cards. The Base Set Charizard is 3.9x and the $3.69 Mega Charizard X ex Double Rare is 2.8x. It is narrowest where the raw card is already expensive: Umbreon VMAX, Mega Charizard X ex 125 and Rayquaza VMAX sit between 1.3x and 1.5x.
How much does PSA grading cost compared to CGC?
PSA Value is $39.99 per card with an estimated 90-100 business days, and CGC Bulk is $17. One step up, CGC Standard is $55 and returns in about 10 business days, while PSA Standard is $59.99 and takes 70-80. CGC is about half the price at the bottom, but its Bulk tier is not faster than PSA Value.
Is it worth grading cheaper Pokémon cards with PSA at $39.99?
Only clean copies with a real shot at a 10. On the three cards under $40 raw that I ran, a PSA 10 pays far more than a CGC 10 even after the higher fee, but every PSA 9 loses money at $39.99. The Mega Charizard X ex Double Rare now needs 47% of copies to grade 10 to break even, up from about 13% at the old $24.99 Value Bulk price.
How big is the PSA backlog and when will Value Bulk reopen?
PSA’s backlog peaked at 12.4 million items on July 28 and was 6.8 million on November 3, down 45% from the peak. PSA’s stated target for fully reopening is a 5 million backlog. It says it will evaluate reopening Value Bulk in the coming months and has not announced a new price.
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