How much more does a card need to sell for graded?
A 2026 break-even table for PSA and CGC grading, after grading fees, shipping and selling fees.
Short answer: at PSA's $59.99 Standard tier, the cheapest PSA tier open right now, a card has to sell for about $81 more graded than raw just to break even. At PSA Priority ($79.99) it's about $104. At CGC Bulk ($17), the gap is about $31. That assumes $10 of shipping and insurance per card and eBay's 13.25% + $0.40 trading card fee.
The break-even table
Find your card's raw sale price on the left. Each cell is the graded sale price you need just to match selling it raw today.
| Sells for raw | CGC Bulk $17.00 | CGC Economy $20.00 | CGC Standard $55.00 | PSA Standard $59.99 | PSA Priority $79.99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $41.12 | $44.58 | $84.93 | $90.68 | $113.73 |
| $25 | $56.12 | $59.58 | $99.93 | $105.68 | $128.73 |
| $50 | $81.12 | $84.58 | $124.93 | $130.68 | $153.73 |
| $75 | $106.12 | $109.58 | $149.93 | $155.68 | $178.73 |
| $100 | $131.12 | $134.58 | $174.93 | $180.68 | $203.73 |
| $150 | $181.12 | $184.58 | $224.93 | $230.68 | $253.73 |
| $200 | $231.12 | $234.58 | $274.93 | $280.68 | $303.73 |
| $300 | $331.12 | $334.58 | $374.93 | $380.68 | $403.73 |
| $500 | $531.12 | $534.58 | $574.93 | $580.68 | $603.73 |
PSA's cheaper Value tiers have been paused since June 2, 2026 and were still paused on Oct 7, 2026; check whether they've reopened. PSA fees checked Oct 7, 2026 on PSA's pricing page; CGC fees from 2026 fee guides. Assumes $10 shipping and insurance per card both ways and eBay's 13.25% + $0.40 trading card fee on the graded and raw sale.
Why the gap is the same at every price
Selling fees take the same percentage of a raw sale and a graded sale, so they cancel out except on the extra money grading has to earn. The break-even graded price works out to the raw price plus the grading cost divided by what you keep after fees:
For PSA Standard: ($59.99 + $10) ÷ 0.8675 = $80.68. That's why a $20 card and a $300 card both need about $81 of extra value to make PSA Standard worth it.
Break-even isn't the whole story
The table assumes you get the grade you're hoping for. You often won't. A $60 card that sells for $220 as a 10 and $110 as a 9 clears break-even at a 10 but loses money at a 9 (at PSA Standard, it needs $140.68), so whether it's worth grading depends on your odds of each grade.
- Use recent sold prices for each grade, not asking prices.
- Be honest about centering, corners, edges and surface. Population reports show how often a card gets each grade.
- Check the tier's maximum declared value. A card worth more than the cap after grading can be charged an upcharge.
Run your card through the calculator
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Check sold prices
Look up what the card actually sells for, raw and graded, before you run the numbers.
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