Following a foundational $100 million investment since 2021, this new phase of investment will further scale operations, deepen tech utilization, and add 1,000 new team members to PSA.
As the global collecting community experiences a historic and sustained boom, PSA’s mission remains clear: to provide the most trusted, secure, and consistent infrastructure and experience for collectors.
The 2020s have seen a significant spike in demand for PSA card grading services. In 2020, PSA graded 2 million cards, with that number increasing to more than 19 million in 2025. And with our year-over-year grading output growing by nearly 2.3 million items for the period of January through April — a 39% year-over-year jump — collectors are on pace to set another submission record in 2026.
Since 2021, we have invested over $100 million, opening new grading facilities in New Jersey, Tokyo, Florida, and Texas, and tripling PSA staff to meet demand.
But, despite that investment, the hobby’s extraordinary growth has outpaced our expansion.
However, we are witnessing something unprecedented in the hobby: parents are preserving their childhood memories, while a new generation is discovering collecting through digital communities and live marketplaces. As collectors realize the long-term value of preserving what they love, the need for PSA card grading has skyrocketed. Because of this surge in popularity, we have also seen a significant rise in sophisticated fraud and counterfeiting. As a result, the expertise required to authenticate, grade, and preserve our customers’ collectibles must be responsible and precise.
Rising to these challenges requires more than incremental tweaks. It requires a transformation—one that is currently underway.
Collectors is investing $200 million into PSA’s operations over the next 18 months. This massive financial commitment is designed to build a platform that serves both the nostalgia of the past and the speed of the future, focused on three core pillars:
Infrastructure: Doubling PSA’s physical footprint to process record-breaking volume.
Technology: Developing and implementing advanced logistics and proprietary tech to enhance speed, accuracy, and tracking.
Expertise: Scaling our workforce and specialized training programs to bring in more world-class graders and operators, with 370 current open positions and approximately 700 more positions set to open by the end of 2026.
The $200 million investment is a long-term commitment to the hobby’s health. At PSA, every submission undergoes a rigorous, multi-step authentication and grading journey. Each item is handled by a series of experts with specialized skills, from identification and grading to QA and assembly. The value and trust of the PSA brand rely on this intensive process. We will not sacrifice quality simply to get through a submission queue. We understand that might frustrate some, but it is a commitment we take seriously and will continue to uphold.
Part of that commitment is a new level of transparency regarding estimated turnaround times. To ensure collectors can make better-informed decisions, we are moving toward a more agile structure. Estimated completion times and pricing will now be displayed as ranges to reflect the ebb and flow of market demand and our operational capacity. Now when you place an order, you will have an estimated timeline that aligns closer with reality, not optimism.
Service Level Updates
The following updates apply to new card grading submissions as of May 14, 2026.
Current Estimated Completion Ranges (Business Days):
Value Bulk: 140–160
Value: 100–120
Value Plus: 60–80
Value Max: 40–50
Regular: 30–40
Express: 20–30
Super Express: 7–10
Walk-Through & Higher: 5–7
With the Super Express service level experiencing an outsized increase in demand, that service will see a price increase from $299/card to $349/card.
What This Means for You
Existing Submissions: These updates only apply to new submissions as of May 14, 2026. Submissions that have already been created, are in transit to PSA, or are currently in our care, will continue to be displayed with their original estimates.
Other Categories: Similar updates apply to Reholder and Dual Services, as well as comic books, magazines, and packs. For tickets, the estimated completion time for many service levels will now be much faster thanks to new dedicated facility space for ticket grading specialists. Please visit our Pricing & Services page for full details.
Collectors Club
Also, effective May 18, 2026, we will be increasing the minimum threshold for new Value Bulk submissions to 50 cards. We know changes like this can cause issues for members, and we appreciate your patience and continued trust. As a thank you, we are extending active Collectors Club memberships by three months for free.
Looking Ahead
Our goal remains to provide as much transparency as possible to empower collectors at every step of their journey. We are building for the next decade of collecting, not just the next month, and we see these changes and investments as vital pieces of our commitment to helping create the healthiest, safest hobby possible. We thank you for your continued trust and look forward to serving collectors like you in the years to come.