Looks like there was something to last week’s smoke. After a week of rumors, PSA did in fact raise their prices as of September 25th. But not only have prices for their grading services gone up as high as an additional $5, but they’ve increased turnaround time as well.
We’re seeing continued high demand for our authentication and grading services in 2025, and we’re grateful for your continued trust and patience.
Submission volumes are at unprecedented levels, and we have made the difficult decision to increase estimated turnaround times and pricing for select service levels…
-PSA via their website announcement.
PSA is citing unprecedented demand as a major reason for their most recent price hike and delays in turnaround and there is more than likely some truth to that. It’s not an industry secret that a PSA 10 generally holds a higher value than a gem mint grade from their competitors.
Time and time again, the GemRate Weekly Grading Recap shows PSA outpacing their major competitors by as much as 24x! From a business standpoint, all of this makes sense. If demand goes up and you’re having trouble fulfilling orders, then you’ll need to increase the price to be able to afford more employees to meet said demand. It sounds like that’s what PSA is saying they’re gonna do.
We are actively working to improve estimated turnaround times, keep you informed, and set clear expectations … We’re expanding our team and onboarding new graders to process more submissions while maintaining our trusted grading standards.
-PSA via their website announcement.
What Does the Hobby Think?
Overall, the hobby has had mixed takes on this. When the price increase was just a rumor, the online chatter split pretty cleanly by collector type.
PC Collectors hated this the most, repeatedly saying that they’ll jump ship and turn to the more reasonably priced companies like SGC or Beckett.
The Sports Card Investors seemed to look at this more positively. Higher prices could weed out the people grading base cards and create faster turnaround times for people who are looking to grade and flip.
Will This be Good for the Hobby?
Time will tell. If PSA puts these extra dollars straight into hiring graders and speeding up turnaround, then this move could actually be very helpful to the hobby. The catch is, PSA has other priorities too. They’ve already announced plans for new grading centers in Germany and Toronto, and some of this money may go there instead. That means turnaround times might not improve as much as collectors hope. Here’s a timestamp of what wait times look like on the first day of this price increase. In a few months we’ll check again and see if there’s any improvement.
One thing’s clear: every time PSA raises prices, their Collector’s Club looks less appealing. As it stands with the new rates, you pay $149 annually for the privilege of saving $6 on their standard grading service with the worst turnaround times, BUT only if you grade at least 20 cards at a time.
For the average collector, this deal is brutal. You’re not saving a dime until you’ve shelled out for at least 25 cards, and by then you’re already in for nearly $700. But you do get a magazine… 👀
We’ll be keeping receipts on PSA’s promises. If higher prices mean faster service, collectors may stomach it. If not, expect the grumbling to get louder.
Disclaimer: The content in The Hobby Wire is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Commentary, analysis, and opinions on sports cards, rookies, and the hobby are not financial, investment, or professional advice. Collectors should always do their own research before buying, selling, or trading cards. Market values are volatile and can change rapidly—past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Unless specified, all pricing references are based on the Prizm/Refractor parallels of an athlete’s Chrome rookie card, with prices from alt.xyz & 130pt.com.
Any odds mentioned were derived from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Great read! The price change definitely makes you rethink what cards you send out for grading.