Collectors love getting cards graded—whether it’s for their own personal collection or to flip! However, the process can get pricey when you’re sending in 5, 10, or 100 cards.
The cheapest way to get cards graded with any of the big 3 companies is through BGS for as low as $16 per card. Other less popular companies will grade cards for as low as $8, such as with GMA.
Which Sports Cards Grading Companies Are Worth Grading With?
Today, most collectors only look at 3 different companies—PSA, SGC, and BGS (in that order, too). Those cards carry the most value as well as the most clout in the industry, meaning if I’ve got a nice Paolo Banchero rookie, I’m going with one of them.
Of course, different collectors have different goals. Choosing a company besides those 3 usually happens because a collector:
- Likes another service’s slabs, label designs, or turnaround times better
- Only knows about a single company
- Wants to spend less money.
In other words, if you’d like to find the cheapest way to grade sports cards, you’ll certainly have to go another route than the big 3.
Cheapest Single-Card Grading Services
For submitting a single card, the winner is CSG! While I wouldn’t consider them a top-3, other collectors consider them to be high quality and only a mini-tier below the best.
| Service | 1-Card Price |
| PSA | $25 |
| SGC | $24 |
| BGS | $18 w/out sub-grades | $22 w/ sub-grades |
| HGA | $25 |
| CSG | $15 |
| ISA | $18 |
| GMA | $20 (5-card minimum is lowest minimum) |
While GMA shines with bulk services, the fact that you can’t send in 1-4 cards is disappointing.
HGA is surprising in that they charge as much as the king of grading, PSA. However, their custom slabs have a niche following, especially for people who want an eye-popping PC slab.
The majority of collectors are likely only sending in 1-5 cards when submitting orders. So while some companies offer incredible bulk discounts, that’s mostly relevant to more serious collectors.
You can get bulk prices on 1-card submissions by sending cards through a bulk submitter (such as Nashcards). I personally use these services when submitting, but they do tack on their own fees, which can negate bulk costs.
Cheapest Bulk Grading Services
If you have a ton of cards that you’d like to get graded, GMA is the clear winner:
| Company | Cheapest Service | Minimum # of Cards |
| PSA | $19 | 20 |
| SGC | $18 | 50 |
| BGS | $16 (no sub-grades) | 10 |
| HGA | $15 (no grades, PC only) | No minimum |
| CSG | $12 | 25 |
| ISA | $18 | No minimum |
| GMA | $8 | 100 |
It’s not shown in the table, but even for smaller bulk orders of 20 cards, GMA is still the leader at only $10 per card.
Of the big 3, BGS comes in at $16, albeit with no sub-grades (who does that?). With sub-grades, you’re looking at $18 per card, which is still the cheapest of the 3 considering SGC requires 50 cards to match the price.
Can You Get Cards Graded for Free?
Unfortunately, you cannot get cards graded for free. Getting a card graded requires a professional to look it over, as well as the time and materials to encase the card.
However, one cheap solution to avoid grading is to purchase magnetic card holders. Your card won’t be graded but it will be protected and look snazzy.
Also, another option is to learn how to save money with grading. The best way is to learn which cards are worth grading, and take the time to understand the grading scales at different companies.
