How to Submit Cards to PSA

To submit cards to PSA, you create an account on PSA's website, start a new submission online, list each card with its details and a declared value, choose a service level, protect the cards in sleeves and semi-rigid holders, print the submission paperwork, pack everything securely, ship it with tracking and insurance, and then follow the order online until the graded cards come back. None of the steps is difficult. The mistakes people make are almost all in the preparation: sending the wrong cards, declaring the wrong value, packing them in the wrong holders, or shipping without proper insurance. This guide walks through the sequence in order and flags where those mistakes happen. For the underlying grading standards, see our companion guide PSA Grading: How the Whole Process Works. For current prices and tiers, see PSA Grading Cost: Every Tier Priced. This guide does not repeat those numbers, because they change often and belong in one place.

Before you submit: decide which cards are worth sending

The submission is the easy part. The decision to submit is the one that costs money. Grading a card means paying a fee per card, paying to ship it both ways, paying for insurance, and waiting. A card should clear all of that comfortably.

A practical filter before you build an order:

• Compare raw and graded sold prices. Look at completed sales for your exact card in ungraded condition and in the grade you realistically expect. If the gap is small, grading may not pay.
• Be honest about condition. Look at corners, edges, surface and centering under bright light. Our guide Card Centering: The Grade Killer explains the one flaw you can measure at home before you send anything.
• Count the full cost. The fee is only part of it. Shipping, insurance and return charges add up, and they take a larger share per card on a small submission.
• Consider the wait. PSA's turnaround estimates have been long in 2026, and they generally start when PSA logs your submission into its system, not on the day you mail it. Add shipping time both ways.

If a card is worth about the same raw as it would be graded, or it has a visible flaw that will cap the grade, leave it out.

Step 1: Create a PSA account

Submissions start with an account on PSA's website. You use it to build orders, pay, print forms, and follow progress afterward. Whether a paid membership is required for a given service level has changed over time and reports conflict, so check PSA's own membership terms before you plan an order and do the arithmetic on whether any discount covers a membership fee at the number of cards you plan to send.

Step 2: Start a new submission online

PSA's online submission flow, as it describes it, has these stages:

1. Scan or enter your cards. You can scan cards in the PSA app for instant identification, or manually enter the card details on the website.
2. Review service level recommendations. PSA estimates your card's graded value and recommends a service level card by card. You can accept the recommendations or adjust them yourself.
3. Choose a destination. PSA lists options of shipping the graded cards to your home, storing them in a PSA Vault, or listing them on eBay.
4. Review your order. Confirm everything is correct before checkout.
5. Check out. Choose an existing payment method or add a new one.
6. Get the order to PSA. Package and ship it, or hand deliver at a local submission event.

Take the review step seriously. Typing errors in the year, set, card number or variant create confusion at intake, and a card with the wrong description can be harder to identify and label correctly.

Step 3: Choose a service level and declare a value

A service level, sometimes called a tier, controls three things: the price per card, the estimated turnaround, and the maximum value PSA will accept for a card at that level. We cover the current levels in PSA Grading Cost: Every Tier Priced, and you should confirm the levels that are open on PSA's own site on the day you order, since some have been paused and others added during 2026.

The declared value deserves care.

• Declare what the card is likely to be worth at the grade it earns. Not what you paid and not the raw price.
• If the value exceeds the cap for your level, PSA can move the card to a higher level and charge the difference. One third-party guide describes the consequence of refusing an upcharge as the card being returned ungraded.
• Do not under-declare to avoid a charge. It creates problems with insurance if something goes wrong, and it is the number third-party guides treat as the one that matters.

If you have a mix of cards, you can put different cards at different levels in the same order. High-value cards and low-value cards do not have to travel the same path.

Step 4: Prepare the cards

Preparation is where graded outcomes and safe delivery both begin.

Handle by the edges. Fingerprints on a surface can be seen under bright light, and handling by the edges avoids adding a problem to a card that has none.

Do not clean the card with anything wet or abrasive. A soft, dry, clean microfiber cloth is the most that third-party guides suggest, and only to remove loose dust. Do not try to remove a mark, wax, or residue. Altering a card can disqualify it, and PSA marks cards it considers altered as Authentic without a numerical grade.

Sleeve each card. The standard approach is two layers: a soft penny sleeve around the card, then a semi-rigid holder. PSA's packing guidance, as quoted in its own search results, says to place each card inside a semi-rigid plastic sleeve such as a Card Saver. A third-party guide names the Card Saver 1 as the holder PSA recommends.

Do not use rigid top loaders for shipping to PSA. PSA's published packing guidance asks submitters not to send cards in rigid top loaders, and a badly packed submission can be returned or charged a handling fee. Check PSA's current packing page before you box anything.

Put the cards in the order of the form. PSA asks that cards be submitted in the same order they appear on your submission form. Matching the order is how intake staff confirm that the box contains what you listed.

Step 5: Print the paperwork

After you finish the online order, print the submission form and a Submission ID label. PSA's instructions, as they appeared in its guidance, are:

• Print a copy of your submission form and include it inside the package.
• Print the Submission ID label and affix it to the side of the package.

Keep your own copy of the form. It is your record of exactly what you sent and what you declared.

Step 6: Pack for shipping

A graded-card submission can be worth thousands of dollars in a small, light box. Pack it as though it will be dropped.

One third-party guide describes the method many submitters use:

1. Stack the semi-rigid holders in small groups.
2. Make a "cardboard sandwich" with a piece of stiff cardboard on both sides of each stack.
3. Secure each stack with rubber bands or painter's tape, never tape on the cards themselves.
4. Wrap the stack in bubble wrap.
5. Place everything in a sturdy box or mailer with the form inside, so the stacks cannot shift.
6. Seal the box and attach the Submission ID label on the side.

Two cautions. Do not let rubber bands press into card edges or corners, because the dent can look like damage. And leave no empty space in the box, because cards that can slide will bend.

Step 7: Ship with tracking and insurance

Use a carrier that provides tracking and a delivery signature. Insure the package for the declared value of the cards.

Some points to think about:

• Ship insurance is not the same as card value. Basic coverage on a standard carrier service can be low, and one third-party guide notes signature confirmation includes around $500 of coverage. For anything worth more than that, buy additional insurance or use a service built for it.
• Insurance should match what you declared. Under-insuring leaves you exposed, and over-declaring can push cards into a higher level.
• Keep the receipt and tracking number. If a package is delayed or lost, those are your evidence.
• Take photographs of the packed box and the cards before sealing it. If something goes missing, you have documentation of what you sent.

Shipping costs vary by carrier, weight and declared value. Third-party guides put typical costs in a wide range, so get a quote from your carrier rather than relying on a number in a guide.

Step 8: Wait for confirmation of receipt

When PSA receives your package, it scans the Submission ID label and sends an email telling you it arrived. If you do not see that email within a reasonable time after tracking says the package was delivered, contact PSA with your tracking details.

The clock for your estimated turnaround generally starts when PSA logs the submission into its system, not on the day you mailed it. In 2026 PSA has had a very large backlog, and its estimates for the cheaper levels are measured in months. Add intake and shipping time on both ends.

Step 9: Track the order

Your PSA account shows the status of the order as it moves through the process. One third-party guide lists the stages as Received, Research and ID, Grading, Assembly, QA and Shipped, though PSA may label them differently. Check the order page instead of contacting PSA repeatedly. Orders move in batches, and a status that does not change for weeks is common during a backlog.

Step 10: Receive and inspect the slabs

When the cards come back, inspect them before you do anything else.

1. Count the slabs against your submission form.
2. Check each slab for cracks, scratches or sealing problems.
3. Look up each certification number on PSA's website to confirm it matches the card, grade and label.
4. Photograph or scan the slabs for your records.

If something does not match, contact PSA promptly, with your submission number and photographs.

Watch cards on camera before you spend on grading

Buying and selling raw cards before grading is part of the hobby. Seeing a card on camera and asking a seller direct questions about its corners, surface and centering can save you from sending something that was never going to grade well. On ShopBidz, two sellers you can watch live for cards and collectibles are Houseofcards859, a card seller from Wantagh, New York, and HobbyboxNY, from Davie, Florida, who sells collectibles. A live stream lets you ask the seller to tilt a card under light or show the back, which is the sort of check that helps before you decide a raw card is worth submitting.

For how format choices affect how you buy, see Live Auction vs Timed Auction vs Buy-It-Now: Which to Choose. If you are deciding where to send a card, see SGC vs PSA: Which to Use and When and PSA vs BGS: Which Grade Holds Value.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting cards that are not worth grading. Do the math on the full cost first.
• Declaring the wrong value. Declare honestly to avoid upcharge disputes and insurance problems.
• Using rigid top loaders. PSA's guidance asks submitters not to send them.
• Skipping the printed form or the ID label. These identify your package.
• Packing loosely. Cards need a firm sandwich and no room to shift.
• Shipping without insurance and tracking. Cover the declared value.
• Ignoring centering. A clean-looking card with poor centering can still fall short of the grade you hoped for.

Bottom line

Submitting to PSA is a sequence you can follow carefully: choose cards that justify the cost, create an account, build the order online with accurate card details and an honest declared value, sleeve each card and place it in a semi-rigid holder, print the form and Submission ID label, pack with a firm cardboard sandwich, ship with tracking, signature and insurance, and track the order online until the slabs return. Confirm current service levels and prices on PSA's website, because both have changed several times in 2026, and send only the cards that clear the full cost and the wait.