In the spirited sphere of sports card collecting, patience is becoming an increasingly valuable—and ironically scarce—asset. Fans and collectors meticulously crafting their submissions to the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) might need to start practicing their deep-breathing exercises or perhaps take up meditation because the wait times for grading their prized possessions have just been stretched like a baseball season into extra innings. Along with the extended wait, collectors will also need to part with a bit more cash, as PSA has raised prices for certain service levels—again.
If you’re someone who hands over your cardboard treasures to PSA, you’ve probably come to expect a certain degree of delay. However, on April 7, PSA decided to extend those delays as a new standard of normal. The updates are as follows: the Value and Value Bulk submissions will now take 65 business days, and if you’ve opted for the Value + Bulk Dual Service, prepare yourself for a 75-business day wait. Those hoping for a faster turnaround might find themselves caught in a sticky web, especially with the TCG Bulk tier, which now comes with an added sting—the cost per card jumping from $16.99 to $18.99 as of April 8.
Does this sound familiar? It should. This is the second time this year the timeline and costs have shifted, with January seeing PSA expand the bulk turnaround window to 45 business days. Now, collectors are facing an additional three-week pause before their freshly graded cards return from PSA’s bustling headquarters.
Hold your horses, though—the delays aren’t all thanks to PSA’s adjustments. The soaring demand for graded cards has skyrocketed, adding pressure on PSA and its peers. In particular, submissions from January and February are clogging the systems, leaving many collectors eagerly, albeit frustratedly, twiddling their thumbs.
Of course, serious collectors are no strangers to disruption, but this latest wave has them looking around the grading landscape for other options. SGC, another venerable entity in card grading, finds itself similarly swamped. Despite their valiant efforts to manage the surging submissions, it’s clear that heightened demand is rivaled only by the lengthening lines of cards awaiting evaluation.
For those whose cards have managed to dart through the numbers game, another surprise awaits on the other side: stricter standards. This past year saw PSA tightening its criteria, particularly with centering—one of the critical components in evaluating a card’s condition. If you’ve seen a decrease in those coveted Gem Mint 10s and an uptick in the ‘oh-so-close’ 9s, know that you are not alone. More precise grading standards could leave some collectors re-evaluating which cards are worth the wait—and the risk.
The ripple effect of these changes is both understated and substantial. Speculative submissions—those borderline cards collectors might have optimistically prayed into a perfect score—could see a downturn. Hobbyists are starting to exhibit a more calculated prudence regarding which cards they’d like to send into the extending PSA timelines, potentially easing the backlog en masse. However, for now, the tides of change continue to lap at PSA’s shores while demand remains unchallenged, continuing its steady, relentless flow.
Amidst these challenges, PSA’s standing in the world of card grading remains unfaltering. After all, being one of the most recognized and trusted names bears weight—and occasionally, a longer queue. So, what should collectors do? As submission strategies become more deliberate and discerning, there might be an eventual easing of the logjam.
Until then, for those ready and eager to see what fate lies in the hands of PSA’s grading experts, a few things are certain. Choose your submissions wisely, leverage your patience, and prepare to have your wallet weigh a little less. Whatever your strategy might be, the game is still very much the same—made anew in how the cards are played. Grading is a waiting game, and like any good collector knows, when the game is afoot, embrace the ride, delays and all.
