Is this card worth grading? Work out the break-even first
Grading pays only when the graded sale, after the marketplace fee, beats selling the card raw by more than the grading fee. Run the numbers for the grade you are likely to get, not only for a PSA 10: plenty of cards come back a 9, and a PSA 9 often does not cover the fee.
Break-even calculator
Use recent sold prices in one currency. The calculator runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
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Extra vs raw at PSA 9
Extra vs raw at PSA 10
PSA 10 break-even price
Works the same for BGS (9.5 and 9) or CGC (10 and 9.5): enter those prices in the two grade fields.
The formula
Extra money from grading = (graded price − raw price) × (1 − selling fee) − grading fee
You pay the marketplace fee whichever way you sell, so it only shrinks the price difference. The grading fee is paid either way; include your share of shipping both ways, insurance and any handling or agent fee.
PSA 10 break-even price = raw price + grading fee ÷ (1 − selling fee)
Below that price, a PSA 10 earns you less than selling the card raw today.
A worked example
Illustrative numbers, not market data: raw 40, PSA 9 60, PSA 10 150, grading fee 70 per card including shipping, selling fee 13%.
| Outcome | Calculation | Versus selling raw |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 9 | (60 − 40) × 0.87 − 70 | −52.60 |
| PSA 10 | (150 − 40) × 0.87 − 70 | +25.70 |
| PSA 10 break-even | 40 + 70 ÷ 0.87 | 120.46 |
This card pays only at PSA 10. If it comes back a 9, you are about 52.60 worse off than selling it raw. Whether to send it depends on how sure you are about the corners, edges and surface, which a centering measurement cannot tell you.
The four possible answers
- Worth grading: even the second grade (PSA 9) makes money.
- Pays only at the top grade: a PSA 10 makes money, a PSA 9 loses. Check corners and surface before you decide.
- Not worth grading: even a PSA 10 earns less than selling raw.
- Centering rules out the grade that pays: the grade that would make money is outside what the measured centering allows.
Where the numbers come from
Prices. Use recent sold prices, not asking prices, for the same card: same set, number, language and edition. Take a typical recent sale rather than the single highest one, from the marketplace where you would actually sell.
Grading fee. Check the grading company’s current page before you calculate. In mid-September 2026, PSA’s pricing page listed its Value tiers as temporarily paused and its Standard tier at $59.99 per card for cards valued up to $1,000, before shipping. Tiers and prices change often; see also Beckett and CGC.
Selling fee. On eBay, the final value fee for trading cards is around 13%. In Japan, Mercari and Yahoo! Auctions charge 10%.
Why centering belongs in this calculation
Centering sets a ceiling. PSA’s grading standards describe a Gem Mint 10 as centered within approximately 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back; a Mint 9 allows about 60/40 on the front and 90/10 on the back. If your card measures 58/42 on the front, a 10 is off the table and the PSA 10 price should not be in your math.
Do not multiply by a guessed “chance of a 10”. Corners, edges and surface decide the rest of the grade, and a photo cannot put a reliable number on them. Look at them yourself instead: how to check corners and edges before grading.
Measure the centering first with the free centering calculator or the app.
Doing this in CenterMint
CenterMint’s Worth Grading? tool uses the same formula on the card you just measured:
- PSA 10 and 9, BGS 9.5 and 9, or CGC 10 and 9.5.
- Grades the measured centering cannot reach are marked and left out of the answer.
- Your grading fee is remembered; the selling fee starts at 13% (10% in Japan) and can be changed.
- In Japan, buttons open Mercari sold listings and Yahoo! Auctions closed listings for the card name and number.
- The app does not connect to eBay and never guesses prices or the chance of a 10. You enter the prices.
Worth Grading? is part of CenterMint Pro; every user can try it in full on one card.
Questions
Is it worth grading a card that will probably get a PSA 9?
Only if the PSA 9 price minus the raw price, after the selling fee, is larger than the grading fee. For many modern cards the gap between raw and PSA 9 is small, so a PSA 9 loses money once the fee is paid. Run the calculation with the PSA 9 price before you send it.
How much does a PSA 10 need to sell for to break even?
Raw price + grading fee ÷ (1 − selling fee). With a raw price of 40, a grading fee of 70 and a 13% selling fee, a PSA 10 has to sell for about 120.46 to match selling raw.
Should shipping be included in the grading fee?
Yes. Use the full cost per card: the grading fee plus your share of shipping both ways, insurance and any handling or agent fee.
Does centering alone tell me whether a card will get a 10?
No. Centering only sets the ceiling. PSA also grades corners, edges and surface, and a card with perfect centering can still come back lower.