PSA vs CGC: turnaround and price (October 2026)
PSA vs CGC: which is faster and cheaper right now?
As of October 19, 2026: PSA's cheapest open tier is Standard at $59.99 per card, posted 90–100 business days; CGC's cheapest open tier is Bulk at $17 per card (minimum 25 cards), posted 150 working days. At the entry level, CGC is $42.99 per card cheaper. Fastest open tiers: PSA Premier 7–10 business days ($599) vs CGC WalkThrough 2 working days ($300). Orders logged on GradingTimes for PSA average 117 calendar days from submission to completion (n=13). PSA has paused: Value (1980-Present), Value Bulk 65 (1980+), Value Max 20, TCG Bulk 65.
Data updated . Sources: PSA pricing, CGC pricing.
Side by side
| PSA | CGC | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest open tier | Standard $59.99 · 90–100 business days | Bulk $17 · 150 working days |
| Fastest open tier | Premier $599 · 7–10 business days | WalkThrough $300 · 2 working days |
| Service levels | 5 open, 4 paused | 6 open |
| Turnaround unit | business days | working days |
| Actual (logged orders) | 117 calendar days n=13 | no logged orders yet |
| Data verified | October 19, 2026 | October 19, 2026 |
PSA service levels
| Service level | Price / card | Posted turnaround | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (up to $1,000) | $59.99 | 90–100 business days | Active |
| Priority (up to $1,500) | $79.99 | 70–80 business days | Active |
| Express (up to $2,500) | $199 | 20–30 business days | Active |
| Super Express (up to $5,000) | $349 | 10–15 business days | Active |
| Premier (up to $10,000) | $599 | 7–10 business days | Active |
| Value (1980-Present) | — | 100 business days | Paused |
| Value Bulk 65 (1980+) | — | 140 business days | Paused |
| Value Max 20 | — | not published | Paused |
| TCG Bulk 65 | — | not published | Paused |
| TCG Bulk | — | not published | Retired |
CGC service levels
| Service level | Price / card | Posted turnaround | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk (up to $500) | $17 | 150 working days | Active |
| Economy (up to $1,000) | $20 | 90 working days | Active |
| Standard (up to $3,000) | $55 | 10 working days | Active |
| Express (up to $10,000) | $100 | 5 working days | Active |
| WalkThrough (up to $100,000) | $300 | 2 working days | Active |
| Unlimited Value | $300 | 2 working days | Active |
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Frequently asked questions
Is PSA or CGC faster right now?
By posted turnaround of the fastest open tier: PSA Premier 7–10 business days ($599) vs CGC WalkThrough 2 working days ($300). Cheapest tiers: PSA Standard 90–100 business days; CGC Bulk 150 working days. PSA, BGS, SGC and TAG quote business days and CGC quotes working days, so real calendar time is longer.
Is PSA or CGC cheaper?
PSA's cheapest open tier is Standard at $59.99 per card; CGC's is Bulk at $17 per card. CGC is cheaper at the entry level by $42.99. Declared-value caps and shipping are extra and differ by tier.
How long does PSA take right now?
As of October 19, 2026, PSA's posted turnaround for its open service levels ranges from 7 to 100 business days: Standard (up to $1,000) $59.99, 90–100 business days; Priority (up to $1,500) $79.99, 70–80 business days; Express (up to $2,500) $199, 20–30 business days; Super Express (up to $5,000) $349, 10–15 business days; Premier (up to $10,000) $599, 7–10 business days. Paused: Value (1980-Present), Value Bulk 65 (1980+), Value Max 20, TCG Bulk 65 (PSA has temporarily paused its Value services; existing orders keep processing). PSA's backlog was 8.2M cards as of October 6, 2026. Orders logged on GradingTimes average 117 calendar days from submission to completion (n=13).
How long does CGC take right now?
As of October 19, 2026, CGC's posted turnaround for its open service levels ranges from 2 to 150 working days: Bulk (up to $500) $17, 150 working days; Economy (up to $1,000) $20, 90 working days; Standard (up to $3,000) $55, 10 working days; Express (up to $10,000) $100, 5 working days; WalkThrough (up to $100,000) $300, 2 working days; Unlimited Value $300, 2 working days.
Are these posted or actual turnaround times?
Posted estimates come from each grader's own pricing page (https://www.psacard.com/services/tradingcardgrading and https://www.cgccards.com/services/). Actual times are averaged from orders collectors log on GradingTimes, in calendar days from submission to completion, and are shown separately.
More head-to-heads: PSA vs SGC · PSA vs TAG · PSA vs BGS · CGC vs TAG
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Data last updated .