PSA Backlog: the Cheap Tiers Are Paused
Anyone planning to submit to PSA in 2026 meets a changed situation: since 2 June, all four Value tiers are paused. The cheapest orderable tier therefore costs $79.99 instead of $21.99 – almost four times as much. The cause is a backlog that at one point reached 14 million cards. This article covers what applies, how long it may last and which routes remain.
Status of these figures: checked on 13 August 2026. The situation is moving – backlog, pricing and turnaround change continuously. PSA runs a public backlog tracker; the provider's own statements are always authoritative.
The short version
| Point | Status |
|---|---|
| What is paused? | All four Value tiers: Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, Value Max |
| Since when? | Announced 28 May 2026, effective 2 June 2026 |
| Why? | A backlog that peaked at 14 million cards, currently around 12 million |
| For how long? | Until the backlog falls to 5 million cards |
| When do they return? | A window between November 2026 and January 2027 is expected – with no commitment |
| Cheapest tier now | PSA Regular at $79.99 with 40–60 days |
| Previously | Value Bulk $21.99, Value $25, Value Plus $30, Value Max $40 |
| What comes on top | Shipping both ways, insurance and – when submitting to the USA – import charges |
What PSA has paused
PSA announced on 28 May 2026, effective 2 June 2026, that all four cheap tiers are suspended – Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus and Value Max. Those are precisely the tiers collectors used to grade larger quantities at a defensible cost.
Worth putting in context: this is a pause, not an abolition. PSA tied it explicitly to reducing the backlog, extended existing Collectors Club memberships at the same time, and set up a public backlog tracker – a notable step for a company that thereby makes its own overload visible.
Why: the backlog in numbers
The trigger was a demand surge that the announcement itself amplified: once it became known that the cheap tiers were going away, many collectors rushed cards in. The backlog rose to 14 million cards as a result.
It now stands at around 12 million. The pause is meant to hold until 5 million is reached. That is the real planning takeaway: roughly seven million cards of reduction still to go, against progress of about two million in a little over two months.
Industry observers therefore expect the Value tiers back between November 2026 and January 2027. That is not a commitment from PSA – plan for slippage, not punctuality.
What submitting costs now
| PSA tier | Price per card | Turnaround | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value Bulk | $21.99 | — | paused |
| Value | $25.00 | — | paused |
| Value Plus | $30.00 | — | paused |
| Value Max | $40.00 | — | paused |
| Regular | $79.99 | 40–60 days | orderable |
| Express | higher | 15–20 days | orderable |
| Super Express | higher | 5–10 days | orderable |
| Walkthrough | higher | 3–5 days | orderable |
The fee is only the visible part. On top come shipping both ways, insurance – usually scaled to declared value – and, as long as you submit to the USA, the import charges on the return leg. How much that adds is shown in Importing Japanese cards; the mechanism on a return shipment is the same.
For a single card from Germany that quickly reaches three figures. Whether it pays off at all at a given card value is covered in Is grading worth it?.
Which other services exist
The pause has turned attention to other services. The figures below come from the providers themselves or their published price lists and were collected on the check date – they change faster than any other number in this article.
| Service | Price per card | Turnaround | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| CGC | $17–55 | 10–150 working days | three tiers, also grades in Munich |
| SGC | approx. $15–25 | 40–50 days | good balance of speed and price |
| BGS (Beckett) | approx. $18–20 | 75+ days | subgrades and tiered top grades |
| Arena Club | $10–33 | approx. 15 days | aimed at modern cards |
The comparison reveals a pattern that is easy to miss when looking for a way out: cheap and fast are largely mutually exclusive. CGC shows it most clearly, because the range in the table spans three tiers: Bulk costs $17 from 25 cards but takes 150 working days. Economy sits at $20 and 90 working days – more than four months. Only Standard at $55 brings the wait down to 10 working days.
That puts the price advantage in perspective: Economy at $20 looks like a bargain next to PSA Regular at $79.99, but it costs half a year of patience. If you need speed, you pay at the alternatives too.
Disclosure: S.L.A.P is a partner of TCGPriceTracker and one of the routes through which private collectors can currently place PSA submissions in Europe. Once you register, your account shows a 5% discount code. We receive a commission on submissions made with that code – it has no bearing on the assessment in this article.
Market acceptance still differs as well. On many cards a PSA 10 achieves higher prices than the same grade from another service. If you grade for resale you have to weigh that; if you grade to protect and document your own collection, you can choose more freely.
Wait, or submit now?
The honest answer: it depends on why you are grading.
If you want volume graded – many cards in the low to middle value range – waiting is usually the better call. That use case lived off the Value tiers, and at Regular rates it no longer adds up in many cases. If the projection holds, that means a few months of patience.
If you want individual high-value cards graded, the pause changes little. On a card in the high hundreds or above, Regular was the obvious choice anyway, and the surcharge barely registers against the card's value.
If you plan to sell, factor in the schedule. At 40 to 60 days plus shipping, a card sent in August returns in late autumn at the earliest – in time for the strong pre-Christmas demand, but only if nothing goes wrong.
💡 Good to know: A low grade can lower a card's value rather than raise it. "Near Mint" leaves a buyer room for interpretation; a confirmed 8 does not. For cards where you do not expect a 9 or 10, waiting is not really the decisive question.
What Europe changes about it
Alongside the pause, PSA is building capacity – in Europe. In Frankfurt am Main, the first full-scale grading facility on the European mainland has been running since August 2026, as phase one of a 200 million dollar investment. The two belong together: the backlog is the problem, the build-out is the answer to it.
For European collectors that is the genuinely good news of this summer, because going via Frankfurt removes customs and import VAT on the return leg. So far, however, only authorised dealers and partners may submit there. What already works and what does not is covered in PSA now grades in Germany.
Keep track of what your cards are worth – even while they are away. Start free with 20 products, 30 single cards and 10 watchlist entries.
Related reading: PSA now grades in Germany · Is grading worth it? · Document your card collection
Frequently asked questions
Which PSA tiers are paused?
All four Value tiers: Value Bulk ($21.99), Value ($25), Value Plus ($30) and Value Max ($40). The pause was announced on 28 May 2026 and has been in effect since 2 June 2026.
What is the cheapest PSA option now?
PSA Regular at $79.99 per card with a turnaround of 40 to 60 days. On top come shipping, insurance and – when submitting to the USA – the import charges on the return leg.
When will the cheap tiers return?
PSA has tied the return to reducing the backlog to 5 million cards. It currently stands at around 12 million. A window between November 2026 and January 2027 is expected, but there is no commitment.
Should I switch to another service?
It depends on the purpose. For resale, PSA still has the highest market acceptance. For protecting and documenting your own collection, CGC, SGC or BGS are good options. Watch the turnaround: CGC Economy costs $20 but takes 90 working days.
How large is the backlog right now?
Around 12 million cards, down from a peak of 14 million in June. PSA publishes the figure through its own backlog tracker, so it can be followed.
Does the pause affect Europe too?
The tier pause affects the offering as a whole. In parallel PSA is building capacity in Frankfurt, where grading has run since August but so far only for authorised dealers and partners. For private collectors the route still runs through an intermediary or to the USA.
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