TCGValuerPSA grading from the UK: what it costs and how to submit
Reference and math only. This site does not appraise cards, does not price them for you and does not authenticate them — every number here is one you enter or one you verify at the source we cite.
Updated Oct 5, 2026
PSA still has no price list in pounds, so grading a card from the UK today means paying PSA’s dollar fees and adding three things that are not on its price list: postage both ways, insurance, and import VAT on the way back. That changes in the back half of 2026, when PSA opens a UK Receiving Center in the Greater London area and starts pricing in pounds.
Everything below was read on 5 October 2026 — PSA’s own service list and its London announcement, plus the two GOV.UK pages that decide what the return leg costs.
What PSA grading costs from the UK today#
| PSA service level | Fee per card | Max insured value | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $59.99 | $1,000 | 90–100 business days |
| Priority | $79.99 | $1,500 | 70–80 business days |
| Express | $199.00 | $2,500 | 20–30 business days |
| Super Express | $349.00 | $5,000 | 10–15 business days |
| Premier | $599.00 | $10,000 | 7–10 business days |
PSA’s Value service levels — the cheap end of the ladder — were still marked temporarily paused on 5 October 2026, which is why the cheapest route in is Standard. The full ladder, including what the paused tiers used to cost, is on PSA grading cost.
$59.99 + postage + VAT
The realistic floor for one card graded by PSA from the UK on 5 October 2026, before the London centre opens
The three costs that are not on PSA’s price list#
Postage out, insured
A card going to the United States travels insured for its declared value, and the premium rises with that value. This is the leg most cost estimates include and the cheaper of the two.
VAT on the way home
GOV.UK: VAT is charged on goods sent to Great Britain from outside the UK, on the whole package value — goods, postage, packaging, insurance and any duty. Over £135 the courier collects it before delivery.
Customs duty and the courier's fee
Non-excise goods worth £135 or less carry no customs duty; above £135 the rate depends on the goods and where they came from. Couriers normally hold a parcel about three weeks while the bill is paid.
The order of those numbers matters for a cheap card. A $59.99 fee on a card worth £40 is already a bad trade; add two shipping legs and VAT on the whole package and the submission can cost more than the card. The arithmetic for your own card is on the grading ROI calculator.
Returned Goods Relief, and the condition to read twice#
HMRC’s guidance lets you claim relief from Customs Duty and import VAT on goods you re-import after exporting them — Returned Goods Relief. The conditions that matter to a collector sending a card abroad for grading, quoted from the guidance as it stood on 5 October 2026:
| Condition | What the guidance says |
|---|---|
| Who claims | For relief on import VAT, the exporter and the importer must be the same person |
| State of the goods | Re-imported in an unaltered state, apart from work to keep them in working order |
| Value | The goods cannot have been upgraded to increase their value |
| Time limit | Re-imported within three years of export |
| Purpose of export | Goods exported to be repaired or processed are excluded; if the work was not carried out, relief may still be available |
Those last two lines are where grading sits awkwardly: a card comes back sealed in a holder with a number on it, and whether that counts as unaltered is HMRC’s call, not ours. The page was last updated on 26 November 2024. Read it before you declare anything, and ask HMRC rather than a forum — we are not able to tell you how your parcel will be treated.
What the London receiving centre changes#
9 December 2025 — announced
PSA announces a dedicated UK Receiving Center in the Greater London area, after its commitment to mainland Europe.
Back half of 2026 — planned launch
PSA says pricing will be in pounds, shipping will be standard domestic postage, and submissions will skip cross-border customs checks.
Not published yet
The exact address, the launch procedures and the pound price list. PSA says it will share them closer to the target date.
PSA’s stated reasons for the centre are the three costs above: customs confusion, international shipping fees and exchange-rate exposure. It also expects to hire about twenty people across operations, logistics, customer service and marketing, and says UK collectors will still be able to submit through other PSA partners in the region.
Nothing about the grade changes in London — only the postage, the currency and the customs form. For a card you are not selling this year, waiting costs nothing.
Decide before you pay for two shipping legs#
Step 1
Price the raw card first
Check completed sales of the same card, same printing, same condition. The method is on the Pokémon card value page; the number has to come from the marketplace, not from us.
Step 2
Measure what you can measure
Centering is the one PSA criterion you can check at home, and it is the usual reason a card comes back a 9 instead of a 10.
Step 3
Add the whole bill, not the fee
Fee plus insured postage out, plus the return leg, plus VAT on the package if it lands above £135. That total is what the grade has to beat.
Step 4
Compare like with like
Look at completed sales of the same card at the grade you realistically expect, in the holder you are paying for — not at the record price for a PSA 10.
The grade you realistically expect is the part people get wrong, so read what each number allows on the PSA grading scale and run the card through is it worth grading Pokémon cards before the box leaves. Packing and paperwork are in how to get cards graded, and the one measurement you can take yourself is on the centering calculator.
What we could not verify#
PSA has not published the pound price list, the address or an exact opening date for the London centre, so this page states only what PSA itself has announced. We also cannot tell you whether HMRC will treat an encapsulated card as unaltered for Returned Goods Relief — that is a question for HMRC. And we do not publish card prices: where to look them up is on Pokémon card value, and what a sale leaves you with after fees is on where to sell Pokémon cards — or, for the British venues and what eBay UK leaves you, on sell Pokémon cards in the UK.
Sources
Every figure above was read on the page below on the date shown. Grading fees and marketplace rules change without notice — check the source before you send anything.
- PSA — Trading Card Grading service levels, fees and turnaround — checked Oct 5, 2026
- PSA — PSA Announces London-Area Expansion for 2026 (9 December 2025) — checked Oct 5, 2026
- GOV.UK — Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad: tax and duty — checked Oct 5, 2026
- GOV.UK (HMRC) — Pay less import duty and VAT when re-importing goods to the UK — checked Oct 5, 2026
Frequently asked questions
How much does PSA grading cost in the UK?
PSA has no pound price list yet, so a UK submission is billed in dollars: $59.99 per card on Standard, $79.99 on Priority and $199.00 on Express, read on 5 October 2026. On top come postage both ways, insurance, and import VAT when the cards come back.
Does PSA have a UK office?
Not yet. PSA announced on 9 December 2025 that it will open a UK Receiving Center in the Greater London area, planned for the back half of 2026, with pricing in pounds and domestic postage. Until it opens, UK collectors ship abroad or submit through PSA partners in the region.
Do I pay VAT when my PSA cards come back to the UK?
GOV.UK states that VAT is charged on goods sent to Great Britain from outside the UK, on the total package value including postage, packaging, insurance and any duty. Above £135 you pay the courier before delivery. Returned Goods Relief exists, with conditions worth reading first.
How long does PSA grading take from the UK?
Add shipping to PSA’s own estimate. On 5 October 2026 PSA estimated 90 to 100 business days for Standard, 70 to 80 for Priority and 20 to 30 for Express, counted at its facility. International transit, customs checks and the courier’s own hold add weeks at both ends.
Is it cheaper to grade with a UK company instead?
Usually, because nothing crosses a border. The question is what the holder is worth when you sell: compare completed sales of the same card at the same grade in each company’s holder, then weigh that gap against the fees, the postage and the wait you avoid.
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