How to Ship Cards to PSA for Grading

The short answer

• Each card goes in a penny sleeve, then a semi-rigid Card Saver. No toploaders, tape, pull tabs or sticky notes.
• Stack the cards in the same order as your submission form, item #1 on top.
• Put the stack between two pieces of cardboard with 2 to 3 rubber bands.
• Put the printed submission form in the box. Use a new box, not an envelope or padded mailer.
• Ship it tracked to the address PSA gives you, and insure it: the risk in transit is yours.

1. Sleeve and Card Saver, not a toploader

PSA's shipping guide asks for every card in a clear penny sleeve, slid into a semi-rigid holder. For standard cards the holder is 3-5/16" × 4-7/8". The guide says not to use toploaders, tape, pull tabs or sticky notes, and not to write on or label the holders.

Why it matters: graders slide cards out of a Card Saver in seconds; a toploader sealed with tape takes time and risks the card. PSA can charge a handling fee for items packed the wrong way, so check the current fee on its shipping guide before you submit.

Use a sleeve with the opening on the short side, not a perfect-fit inner sleeve. If you're new to the gear, our glossary explains penny sleeves, toploaders and Card Savers.

2. Stack them in form order

PSA asks for the cards in the exact sequence listed on your submission form, starting with item #1 on top. Out-of-order cards slow your order down and can be charged.

Put the stack between two pieces of cardboard and hold it with 2 to 3 rubber bands, so the cards can't slide inside the box.

3. The form goes inside the box

Print your submission form (the order confirmation from PSA's Submission Center) and put it inside the box with the cards. Any label PSA gives you goes on the outside, flat, with its barcode visible.

4. A new box, sealed well

• Use a new, sturdy box. PSA's guide says no paper envelopes or padded mailers.
• Wrap the bundle and fill the empty space so nothing moves when you shake it.
• Seal every seam with real packing tape, not painter's tape or office tape.

The packing is the same idea as sending a slab to a buyer: tight, padded and still. See how to ship graded cards for photos-before-sealing and other habits worth keeping.

5. Where to send it

PSA's shipping guide and its "Where to ship" help page split the address by carrier:

• USPS: CU Receiving, P.O. Box 6180, Newport Beach, CA 92658.
• UPS, FedEx or DHL: a street address in Santa Ana, CA. PSA's own pages don't all show the same street number, so copy it from your submission confirmation.

Autograph and ticket submissions can go elsewhere; follow the address on your own order.

6. Tracking, insurance and who carries the risk

PSA's Submission Center can sell you a prepaid shipping label, or you can ship with your own carrier. Either way, PSA's terms and conditions put the risk of loss, damage or theft on the way in on you, even when PSA provides the label. PSA's inbound shipping isn't insured by default.

So: always ship tracked, keep the receipt, take a photo of the packed stack, and buy insurance for the declared value of anything you'd be upset to lose.