PSA Card Grading Backlog: Where It Stands in October 2026

How big is the PSA backlog?

PSA's active backlog was about 8.2 million cards on October 6, 2026, down from roughly 12 to 14 million in June.

Reports link the investment to new grading capacity, including facilities in Plano, Texas, and Frankfurt, Germany. More capacity is why the number keeps falling, but a queue that size still takes months to clear.

Why did PSA pause the Value tiers?

The Value tiers are where most bulk and lower-value cards go, so they make up a large share of the queue. Pausing new Value orders lets PSA work through cards it has already received without adding more to the slowest lane. Cards that were already submitted on Value tiers before the pause are still being graded.

When will PSA start grading again?

PSA never stopped grading. Only the cheapest tiers are paused, and the higher-priced service levels still accept new orders. If you're asking when will PSA start grading again at Value prices, the answer is when the backlog reaches roughly 5 million cards.

At 8.2 million on October 6, the queue was still about 3.2 million cards above that line. Between September 8 and October 6 it fell by about 800,000 to 900,000 cards every two weeks. If that pace holds, it would get close to 5 million around late November or December 2026, and PSA would then decide when to reopen. Treat that as arithmetic, not a promise: PSA hasn't announced a date, and new orders keep arriving.

How long is PSA grading turnaround right now?

PSA grading turnaround times depend on the service level and on the queue in front of it. In early October 2026, the Standard level was estimated at 90 to 100 business days according to The Card Shop Finder, and community reports often run past the posted estimate during busy periods. Turnaround is counted from when PSA logs your order, not from the day you mail it, so allow extra time for shipping and intake.

How much does PSA grading cost while Value is paused?

PSA grading cost is more than the per-card fee. Add shipping both ways, insurance that covers the declared value, and a possible upcharge if a card's graded value comes back above the limit for the service level you picked. With the Value tiers paused, the cheapest open option costs more per card than it did in the spring. Check PSA's current price list rather than an old blog post, since fees change.

That shift matters most for cards worth under a couple of hundred dollars graded. Run the numbers in is it worth getting cards graded before you submit anything mid-value.

What should you do with your cards while you wait?

Sort your grading pile, store candidates properly, compare other graders, consider selling raw, or ask a local shop about group submissions.

• Sort your grading pile. Separate cards that justify today's open tiers from cards that only make sense at Value prices.
• Store them properly. Keep candidates in penny sleeves and top loaders so they're still sharp when Value reopens. Our guide to storing sports cards covers the basics.
• Compare other graders. SGC, Beckett, CGC and TAG all grade sports cards, with different scales and resale strength. See PSA vs BGS vs SGC.
• Sell raw. For many mid-value cards, selling ungraded now beats paying more to grade and waiting months.
• Ask a local shop. Some card shops run group submissions, which can make the paperwork and shipping easier.

How can you sort your grading pile now?

Sports Card Value Scanner doesn't grade cards, but it helps with the sorting. Scan each card in your pile to see its year, set, reference price range and rarity score, then save the ones worth submitting to My Collection. When you're done, export the list of scanned cards to a file so you have a record of what's waiting for PSA's Value tiers to come back.