Should I Grade It?
Grade a card only if the graded sale price, minus the selling fee, the grading fee and shipping, beats what you’d keep selling it raw. With eBay’s 13.25% trading-card fee, PSA’s $59.99 Standard tier and $20 of shipping, a card that sells for $40 raw has to sell for at least $132.21 graded just to break even.
Enter the sold prices you find for each grade and the tool shows your net at every grade and the lowest grade that still beats selling raw. It never guesses your odds of a 10; add your own if you want an expected value.
Free · no sign-up · works on your phoneUpdated 8 sources
Should I Grade It?
Your card
Raw vs. graded
You need at least a PSA 10 Gem Mint to beat selling raw
Net if sold raw
$34.30
$40 − $5.70 fees
Grading + shipping
$79.99
Paid whatever grade comes back
| Grade | Sells for | Net | vs. raw |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 Gem Mint | $200 | $93.11 | +$58.81 (better) |
| PSA 9 Mint | $70 | −$19.67 | −$53.97 (worse) |
| PSA 8 NM-MT | $45 | −$41.35 | −$75.65 (worse) |
Why — each grade against selling raw, best first
- 01Selling raw nets $34.30; grading and shipping cost $79.99 whatever grade comes back
- 02PSA 10 Gem Mint: nets $93.11, $58.81 more than raw
- 03PSA 9 Mint: nets −$19.67, $53.97 less than raw
- 04PSA 8 NM-MT: nets −$41.35, $75.65 less than raw
How this was calculated
- Grading fee
- $59.99 · PSA Standard — cheapest open tier for a $200 card
- Shipping both ways
- $20
- Selling fees
- eBay 13.25% + $0.40
- Fees apply to
- sale price only
Worked example
A $40 card: is a PSA 10 the only grade that pays?
Example numbers, not a price quote. Say the card sells for $40 raw, and sold listings show about $200 in a PSA 10, $70 in a PSA 9 and $45 in a PSA 8. Grading is PSA Standard at $59.99 (PSA’s price list, September 22, 2026), shipping is an assumed $20 for this card’s share, and it sells on eBay at 13.25% + $0.40.
| Sold as | Sells for | eBay fee | Grading + shipping | Net | vs. raw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | $40 | $5.70 | $0 | $34.30 | — |
| PSA 10 Gem Mint | $200 | $26.90 | $79.99 | $93.11 | +$58.81 (better) |
| PSA 9 Mint | $70 | $9.68 | $79.99 | −$19.67 | −$53.97 (worse) |
| PSA 8 NM-MT | $45 | $6.36 | $79.99 | −$41.35 | −$75.65 (worse) |
Raw: $40 − ($5.30 + $0.40) = $34.30. PSA 10: $200 − $26.90 − $79.99 = $93.11. The 9 and the 8 both lose money against selling raw, so you need at least a PSA 10 Gem Mint. A graded copy has to sell for $132.21 or more to break even.
Reference
The defaults the tool starts from
Every default is shown in the tool and can be changed. Grading fees are each company’s cheapest open tier for the card’s value, from the grading cost calculator’s price list (September 22, 2026). Beckett’s temporary form lists no value limits, so its Base tier shows at any value; TAG doesn’t price by value.
| Sale price | eBay fee | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $1.63 | $8.37 |
| $25 | $3.71 | $21.29 |
| $50 | $7.03 | $42.97 |
| $100 | $13.65 | $86.35 |
| $250 | $33.53 | $216.47 |
| $500 | $66.65 | $433.35 |
| $1,000 | $132.90 | $867.10 |
| $10,000 | $1,052.90 | $8,947.10 |
| Company | Card worth $200 | Card worth $2,000 |
|---|---|---|
| PSA | Standard: $59.99 | Express: $199 |
| CGC Cards | Economy: $20 | Standard: $55 |
| Beckett (BGS) | Base (with subgrades): $17.95 | Base (with subgrades): $17.95 |
| TAG Grading | Priority: $149 | Priority: $149 |
| Company | Grades |
|---|---|
| PSA | PSA 10 Gem Mint · PSA 9 Mint · PSA 8 NM-MT · PSA 7 or lower |
| CGC Cards | CGC Pristine 10 · CGC Gem Mint 10 · CGC 9.5 Mint+ · CGC 9 Mint · CGC 8.5 or lower |
| Beckett (BGS) | BGS 10 Black Label · BGS 10 Pristine · BGS 9.5 Gem Mint · BGS 9 Mint · BGS 8.5 or lower |
| TAG Grading | TAG 10 Pristine · TAG 10 Gem Mint · TAG 9 Mint · TAG 8.5 NM MT+ · TAG 8 or lower |
How to use it
In 5 steps
- 1Look up what the card sells for raw and in each grade, using sold listings for the exact card — the price check tool builds those searches.
- 2Pick the grading company and enter the raw price and a price for each grade you might get.
- 3Check the grading fee (the cheapest open tier for your card's value is filled in) and your share of shipping both ways.
- 4Keep eBay's fee or enter your own marketplace's. Read the net at each grade and the break-even grade.
- 5Optional: tick "Add my own chance of each grade" and enter your own estimates to see an expected value.
Why most cards don't pay to grade
Grading costs the same whatever grade comes back. On a cheap card the fee and shipping are most of the value, so only the top grade clears the bar, and a 9 or an 8 can leave you with less than if you’d sold it raw. The gap between a 10 and a 9 is often large, which is why the break-even grade is the number to look at, not the PSA 10 price on its own.
Condition decides the grade. Before paying for grading, check centering with the centering calculator and look at corners, edges and surface under a bright light. A card that can’t reach the top grade rarely pays.
Your chances are your call. Grading companies don’t publish the odds of any one card getting a 10, and neither do we. If you want an expected value, enter your own estimate of each grade and the tool does the arithmetic. Keep in mind it’s an average: any one card comes back with a single grade.
Comparing companies? PSA vs. CGC vs. Beckett vs. TAG covers price, scales and slabs, or browse the graded slabs aisle.
FAQ
Grade or not: questions
Is it worth grading a Pokémon card?
Only when the graded sale price, minus the selling fee, grading fee and shipping, beats what you'd keep selling it raw. With eBay's 13.25% fee, PSA's $59.99 Standard tier and $20 of shipping, a card that sells for $40 raw has to sell for about $132 graded just to break even (September 2026 prices).
What grade do I need for grading to pay off?
It depends on the card's prices. Work out the net at each grade (sale price minus selling fee, grading fee and shipping) and compare it with the net from selling raw. The lowest grade whose net still beats raw is your break-even grade; for many modern cards it's the top grade.
What are eBay's fees on trading cards?
As of September 2026, eBay's final value fee for Collectible Card Games and Non-Sport and Sports Trading Cards is 13.25% of the total sale up to $7,500 per item and 2.35% of the part above $7,500, plus a per-order fee of $0.30 for orders of $10 or less or $0.40 above. The total includes shipping and sales tax the buyer pays.
What are the odds of getting a PSA 10?
PSA, CGC, Beckett and TAG don't publish the odds of any card getting a given grade, and this tool doesn't guess them. You can enter your own estimate for each grade to see an expected value, based on the card's centering, corners, edges and surface.
Where do I find what a graded card sells for?
Use sold listings, not asking prices, for the exact card in the same company's slab and grade. Our price check tool builds eBay sold, 130point, TCGplayer and PriceCharting searches for the card in one step.
Not answered here? Ask us — a photo of the card helps.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
- [1]eBay, “Selling fees” (opens in a new tab)Collectible Card Games (and Non-Sport and Sports Trading Cards): 13.25% of the total sale up to $7,500 per item, 2.35% above; per-order fee $0.30 at $10 or less, $0.40 above; the total includes shipping and sales tax. Read 2026-09-22.
- [2]PSA, trading card grading service levels (opens in a new tab)PSA tier prices and value limits used for the default grading fee (Standard $59.99 up to $1,000). Read 2026-09-22.
- [3]CGC Cards, Services & Fees (opens in a new tab)CGC tier prices and value limits. Read 2026-09-22.
- [4]Beckett, temporary card grading submission form (opens in a new tab)Beckett Base $17.95, Standard $34.95, Express $79.95 while beckett.com is offline. Read 2026-09-22.
- [5]TAG Grading, Pricing & Services (opens in a new tab)TAG Priority $149 and Walkthrough $299; Basic, Standard and Express at capacity. Read 2026-09-22.
- [6]PSA, “Grading Your Cards” (opens in a new tab)PSA grade names (10 Gem Mint, 9 Mint, 8 NM-MT, 7 NM). Read 2026-09-22.
- [7]CGC Cards, grading scale (opens in a new tab)CGC grade names: Pristine 10, Gem Mint 10, Mint+ 9.5, Mint 9, NM/Mint+ 8.5. Read 2026-09-22.
- [8]TAG Grading, grading scale (opens in a new tab)TAG grade names and 1000-point score bands: Pristine 10 (990–1000), Gem Mint 10 (950–989), Mint 9, NM MT+ 8.5, NM MT 8. Read 2026-09-22.
Last reviewed . Spot something wrong? Text (760) 453-6389 and we’ll fix it.
Related tools
- Grading Cost CalculatorPSA, CGC, Beckett and TAG fees for your declared value, turnaround and card count — September 2026 price lists.
- Card Centering CalculatorMeasure the borders (or line up guides on a photo) and see the best grade centering allows at PSA, CGC and TAG.
- Pokémon Card Price CheckOne search, four price sources — sold listings first, because an asking price isn't a price.
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