Following the announcement of our $200 million infrastructure investment, we saw a 20% spike in submissions that resulted in our global backlog approaching 10 million cards. To protect the submissions already in our care and maintain PSA’s grading standards, we announced a temporary pause to Value tiers effective June 2, 2026. We also committed to greater transparency as we continue investing in the systems, facilities, technology, and people needed to support long-term hobby growth.

That is why we launched the public PSA Backlog Tracker: so collectors can see the same numbers our management team sees and understand when Value tiers will reopen. This temporary pause is tied strictly to operational milestones, not arbitrary dates. After announcing the pause, we saw another influx of 4 million card submissions, pushing our global backlog to an unprecedented 14 million. Based on current projections, we anticipate it will take 5-6 months to reach our target of reducing the backlog to 5 million units globally before reopening Value tier submissions.

More submissions means more shipments. Due to the current volume of packages delivered to us, it may take longer than usual for your order to be marked as received at PSA. At this time, it may take 6-8 weeks to open Value and Value Bulk service level packages before items move into the grading process. We appreciate your patience as our teams work through this unprecedented demand.

Supporting Global Demand

Since 2021, PSA increased our grading capacity nearly five-fold, however, the hobby has seen incredible growth over the last several years. According to third party research, more than 9 million active card collectors have joined the community since 2023, bringing the total to approximately 30 million collectors just in the United States. There are also more cards to collect than ever before. In 2025 alone, The Pokémon Company printed 10 billion cards. More collectors and more cards led to an unprecedented number of submissions.

With our $200 million investment in newly upgraded facilities, advanced machine-learning logistics technology, and new team members, this temporary pause allows for the necessary breathing room to operate at peak efficiency in order to provide the service you and your items deserve.