// tcg finance

TCG Grading ROI Calculator

Before you send a card off to PSA, CGC, or Beckett, find out if grading actually pays. Enter the numbers and see the profit, ROI, break-even value, and a straight verdict.

Card & Grading Details

$
What the card sells for right now, ungraded.
$
Recent sold price for the same card at the grade you expect.
$
The service tier you'll use, per card.
$
Round trip shipping plus insurance, divided per card.
%
Leave blank to assume it grades. Enter a % to weigh the risk of a lower grade.

Grading Verdict

Enter your card's numbers to see whether grading is worth it.

Is Grading Your Card Worth It?

Grading only makes sense when the graded card sells for enough more than the raw card to cover the grading fee, shipping, insurance, and return postage — with margin left over. This calculator does that math in one step so you don't grade a card that quietly loses money.

The Numbers That Decide It

Three inputs drive the result: the raw value (what the card is worth ungraded), the expected graded value (recent sold prices at the grade you realistically expect), and the total cost to grade it. Break-even is simply raw value plus total cost — anything above that is profit, anything below is a loss.

Don't Assume the Top Grade

The biggest mistake is pricing a card at PSA 10 money when it might come back a 9 or an 8, which can be worth a fraction as much. Use the optional grade-chance field to weight the outcome honestly. If you're not confident it'll hit the grade, your expected return is lower than the best case, and the calculator will show it.

Costs People Forget

Grading fees are only part of it. Add round-trip shipping, insurance for valuable cards, and any bulk minimums. Turnaround time is a hidden cost too: money tied up in cards for months isn't available for anything else, and card values can move while you wait.

Related reading

Track Your Collection's Value

Hunter Vault lets you track what you spend on cards and what your collection is worth — as a vault you level up, not a spreadsheet you dread. Free, offline, private.

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This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes and is not investment or financial advice. Card values, grading fees, and grade outcomes vary and can change. All calculations run locally in your browser; no data is sent to any server.