PSA Value Tier Pause Goes Live Today June 2 as the Active Queue Hits Nearly 10 Million Cards
PSA flips off Value, Value Bulk, Value Plus, and Value Max at 3 p.m. Pacific today, with Regular at 79.99 dollars now the cheapest live submission tier. Here is the four-month plan, the impact on TAG, CGC, and SGC, and how submitters should reroute bulk for the rest of the summer.
PSA's long-rumoured pause of its Value-tier services officially takes effect at 3:00 p.m. Pacific today, June 2, 2026. The four tiers being switched off are Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max, leaving Regular at $79.99 per card as the cheapest live submission option until the queue is back under control.
Why PSA Hit the Brakes
The reason is a backlog that has crept up to almost 10 million cards in the active queue. PSA says it is currently grading roughly 90,000 cards a day and is hiring around 1,000 more staff across 2026, but even at that pace the company estimates it will take about four months to bring the backlog down to its target of 5 million.
To soften the blow for paying members, PSA is extending Collectors Club memberships by the length of the pause and has launched a public backlog tracker so submitters can see live queue depth before mailing anything in.
What Stays Open
- Regular — $79.99 per card, the new floor for low-cost submissions.
- Express, Super Express, and Walk-Through remain live for collectors who can absorb the higher fees.
- Active Value-tier orders already in the system are not being cancelled — only new Value submissions are blocked.
Knock-On Effects at the Other Graders
The ripple is already showing up at the competing graders:
- TAG has closed its Express tier at capacity, on top of earlier closures of Basic and Standard. Only the higher-cost Priority and Walkthrough slots are open.
- CGC Cards is now the cheapest path to a bulk slab at $17 per card, but the listed turnaround sits at 120 days.
- SGC has extended its standard turnaround from 15-20 days to 40-50 days to manage incoming volume.
What This Means for Submitters
If you were planning a Value-tier bulk submission this week, hold the package. The math for a $25 or $50 card no longer pencils at Regular pricing for most modern product, and the smarter routes for the next four months are likely:
- Sit on raw modern and grade only true chase cards.
- Route bulk to CGC at $17 if you can stomach the 120-day window.
- Use SGC for vintage where the brand still commands strong resale.
- Save Regular-tier PSA slots for cards where the PSA premium clearly clears the $79.99 fee.
The pause is being framed by PSA as a service recovery move, not a permanent change. But it is also the clearest signal yet that the 2025-2026 grading boom is straining the entire ecosystem, and collectors should plan submissions accordingly.
We'll keep tracking the PSA backlog tracker and update with any reopening date as soon as it's announced.