Due to 10 Million Card Backlog; ‘Pokémon TCG’ Singles Sellers Scramble for New Bulk Grading Options
PSA will temporarily shut down their Value grading tiers as of June 2, 2026.
According to PSA, the pause in grading is due to a 10 million card submission backlog. This heavy backlog was fairly evident to anyone sending in Value submissions because turnaround times were progressively increasing over time (Value Bulk turnaround times were listed at 140 to 160 days in May 2026). The tiers that were paused by PSA include Value, Value Bulk, Value Plus, and Value Max; the Regular, Express, Super Express, and Walk-Through tiers remain active.
PSA stated that the Value grading shut down will come to an end once operational milestones are hit. PSA’s goal is to bring the backlog down to 5 million cards, which they anticipate to take about four months. They will put up a Backlog Tracker on their website, so customers can see their progress on reducing the backlog.
This temporary grading shutdown causes problems for Pokémon TCG singles sellers. As of the announcement of the pause, PSA was grading roughly around 70,000 TCG cards a day (according to GemRate), many of which were Pokémon TCG cards. The rip and flip culture behind Pokémon TCG’s surge in the gig economy (see “Vibe Check“) relies heavily on singles sellers being able to have a lot of cards graded cheaply by PSA so they can get top dollar (and the best margin) for their gem mint cards. The PSA-graded cards command a premium from collectors at auction (see “Hammer Prices Rebalance“), shows, and shops because they are essentially the gold standard for grading in the current market.
Pokémon TCG flippers will clearly need to explore new options for bulk grading in the interim. Beckett, the #2 preferred grading method that was recently acquired by PSA-parent Collectors (see “Acquiring Beckett“), does not currently offer a bulk tier, but they do have a Base Service grading tier that costs $14.95 per card (no subgrades included). CGC Cards has a bulk grading option for $17 per card that currently lists a 120-day turnaround time.
Source: ICv2
