How to Get Your Cards Graded in the UK

Grading turns a card you believe in into a card the market can trust. A slab tells a buyer the condition has been independently checked, and it can make a real difference to what a card fetches. But grading costs money, takes time, and involves choices - which company, which tier, which route into the post - that are easy to get wrong the first time.

This guide sets out the three main ways UK collectors get cards graded, what each one costs and takes as of September 2026, and how to prepare a submission properly. Fees and turnaround estimates move, sometimes suddenly, so treat every figure here as a starting point and check the graders’ own live pages before you commit a card.

Your three routes

CGC Cards in London. CGC’s UK arm - Certified Collectibles Group International UK Limited, trading as CGC UK - takes submissions directly through its London office. Fees are quoted in sterling, VAT is added, and turnaround is estimated rather than guaranteed. This is the most straightforward domestic route for UK collectors right now.

PSA, via a UK dealer or intake point. PSA’s own site could not be consulted directly for this guide, so everything below on PSA comes from PSA-authorised UK dealers and press reporting - treat it as indicative and check PSA’s current price list yourself. In practice, UK collectors either submit through a PSA-authorised dealer or use PSA Europe’s UK intake, reported to be based in Manchester. That intake point is just that - intake: cards are forwarded to the United States for the actual grading, then shipped back.

UK-based graders. Companies such as TFG and ACE grade cards domestically. No US round trip, no customs paperwork, pricing in sterling, and generally faster turnaround. The trade-off is recognition: their slabs are less widely known and less liquid at resale than PSA or CGC, which matters if you’re grading to sell rather than to keep.

Beckett (BGS) doesn’t appear to run its own UK intake based on the sources available for this guide - UK submissions generally go through a dealer or direct to the US. Check Beckett’s site for current routes and fees before assuming anything.

CGC Cards in London: tiers and costs

These figures are from CGC’s own UK services and fees page (cgccards.uk), read 5 September 2026. The page carries no effective date and explicitly states turnaround times are estimates, not guarantees - so double-check before you submit, especially since CGC announced revised UK fees in January 2026.

Tier	Fee (ex VAT)	Fee (inc VAT)	Max declared value per card	Turnaround estimate	Notes
Bulk	£14	£16.80	£400	50 days	Minimum 25 cards
Economy	£17	£19.00	£800	50 days
Standard	£45	£54.00	£2,500	50 days
Express	£80	£96.00	£8,000	50 days
WalkThrough	£240	£288.00	£80,000	50 days
Unlimited Value	£240 + 1.0% of fair market value	£288 + 1.2% of fair market value	Uncapped	50 days	For cards above WalkThrough’s ceiling
Jumbo card	£17	£20.40	-	-	For oversized cards

A few practical points worth knowing. CGC’s fee table states that fees include round-trip shipping and insurance to and from its Sarasota, Florida facility where that applies - which means some submissions may be graded locally in London and others forwarded to the US. It’s worth asking CGC UK directly which applies to your submission, since that affects both timing and how your card travels.

If you’re submitting a card that’s already slabbed by PSA, Beckett or SGC, CGC will cross-grade it: they evaluate the card and only re-holder it in a CGC slab if they believe it will achieve the same grade or higher. If not, it stays in its original holder.

Turnaround across every tier is quoted as roughly 50 days as an estimate - not a promise - so build slack into any plans that depend on getting a card back by a certain date.

PSA from the UK: how it works and what it costs

PSA blocks automated access, so its own pages couldn’t be consulted for this guide. What follows comes from PSA-authorised UK dealers and press reports, and should be treated as indicative only - check PSA’s current price list before you submit.

Reported dealer pricing for the standard UK tier sits around £30 per card, with dealers such as Wishlist Collectables and Black Label Grading (2026) adding roughly 50p per card if it isn’t already in a semi-rigid holder, plus a small per-submission shipping charge of around £3. On top of that, dealers add their own charge for the trans-Atlantic round trip, since PSA Europe’s UK intake - reported to be in Manchester - only receives and forwards cards; the actual grading happens in the United States.

Reports put all-in UK costs somewhere between 10% and 20% above the US-equivalent price once the round trip is factored in, and turnaround has lengthened. One 2026 dealer guide cites 6-8 months on the £30 tier following PSA’s price and turnaround changes, which took effect on 10 February 2026 (reported by Sports Illustrated and PSA’s own submission-updates page). PSA has said it plans to open its first full European grading facility in Frankfurt in summer 2026, which is reported to shorten European turnaround once it’s operational - but until that’s confirmed as running, budget for the longer timeline.

Which should you choose?

There’s no single right answer here - it depends on what you’re grading and why.

Keeping versus selling. If a card is going into a personal collection and you don’t expect to sell it, a UK-based grader like TFG or ACE may suit you well: faster, cheaper, sterling pricing, no customs hassle. If you think you might sell later, be aware that PSA and CGC slabs carry far deeper resale markets and more buyer trust - PSA in particular has the widest recognition, with CGC London a strong and more convenient domestic alternative.

Value of the card. CGC’s tiers are built around declared value, so a modest card doesn’t need to go into an expensive tier - just make sure the declared value genuinely covers what the card is worth, since that value also sets your insurance cover. For higher-value cards, compare CGC’s WalkThrough or Unlimited Value tiers against what a PSA-authorised dealer quotes for their higher tiers, since PSA pricing detail wasn’t directly available for this guide.

Speed. If turnaround matters to you, UK-based graders are generally quickest, since nothing leaves the country. CGC London’s estimate is around 50 days across its tiers - an estimate, not a guarantee. PSA via the UK route is currently the slowest of the three, with one dealer report citing 6-8 months on its standard tier.

This guide can’t tell you whether a particular card is worth grading, or which grade it might achieve - that’s a judgement call for you, ideally informed by looking at comparable graded sales, not by anything in this article.

How to prepare a submission

• Put each card in a penny sleeve inside a semi-rigid holder (a Card Saver-type holder), not a rigid top-loader - graders generally require this for submission.
• Never clean, press or trim a card before submitting it. Any of these can be treated as an alteration and will affect grading, sometimes permanently marking the card’s record.
• Declare the value of each card honestly. With CGC, this sets which tier you’re eligible for and how much insurance cover applies - underdeclaring value can leave you underinsured if a card is lost or damaged in transit.
• Use tracked and insured postage for anything of meaningful value, both to the grader and back again.
• If you’re sending cards to the United States (via PSA or where CGC forwards to Sarasota), expect customs paperwork on the round trip - check with the grader or dealer what’s needed before you post.
• Grade selectively. Bulk-submitting everything you own is expensive and slow; focus on cards you genuinely believe are high-value or in high grade.
• If a card is already slabbed by another grader and you’re considering cross-grading with CGC, check their cross-grading policy - it will only be re-holdered if CGC expects an equal or better grade.

Costs to budget beyond the fee

• VAT, where it applies to UK-priced fees (built into the CGC “inc VAT” figures above).
• Dealer mark-ups for handling and forwarding, if you’re using a UK dealer for PSA submissions rather than dealing with a grader directly.
• Postage and insurance both ways, particularly for anything crossing the Atlantic.
• Small per-card or per-submission extras - for example, the reported 50p per card for cards not already in a semi-rigid holder, or per-submission shipping charges.
• Time. A slower turnaround has a cost even if no invoice reflects it - factor this in if you’re grading ahead of a sale or an event.

FAQ

Is CGC or PSA better for UK collectors?

Neither is universally “better” - PSA is reported to have the widest resale recognition, while CGC London offers a genuinely domestic route with sterling pricing and no US round trip for at least some submissions. Your choice should depend on whether you’re keeping or selling, and how much you value speed and convenience over resale liquidity.

How long does grading actually take?

CGC’s London tiers are all currently estimated at around 50 days - an estimate, not a guarantee. PSA via UK routes has been reported at 6-8 months on the standard tier following February 2026 changes, though a planned Frankfurt facility may shorten this later in 2026. Always check the live pages, since these estimates change.

Do I need to pay VAT on grading fees?

Yes - CGC’s UK fee table shows both ex-VAT and inc-VAT figures, confirming VAT applies to their sterling pricing. Check whether a dealer’s PSA pricing is VAT-inclusive before you compare it to CGC’s figures.

Can I submit a card that’s already graded by another company?

Yes, via cross-grading. CGC will evaluate a card already in a PSA, Beckett or SGC holder and only re-holder it in a CGC slab if they believe it will achieve the same grade or higher.

Are UK-based graders like TFG or ACE a good option?

They can be, particularly for speed and convenience, since everything stays in the UK with sterling pricing and no customs involved. The trade-off is that their slabs are currently less widely recognised and less liquid at resale than PSA or CGC - worth weighing carefully if you might sell the card later.