PSA Pauses Value Tiers as Backlog Nears 10 Million Cards
PSA has temporarily suspended its four cheapest grading tiers while it works through a record backlog of nearly 10 million cards. Here is what is paused, what is open, and what to grade right now.
PSA Pauses Value Tiers as Backlog Nears 10 Million Cards
If you have been planning to send cards to PSA on the cheap, the math changed this month. On June 2, PSA temporarily paused its four lowest-cost Value grading tiers while it digs out of the largest backlog in company history, a queue approaching 10 million cards.
What Got Paused
PSA suspended new submissions for Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max, the tiers that ranged from roughly 24.99 to 64.99 dollars per card. Higher-tier services remain open, including Regular at 79.99 dollars per card with a 1,500 dollar max declared value and an estimated 30 to 40 business day turnaround.
- Paused: Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, Value Max
- Still open: Regular, Express, Super Express, Walk-Through
- Goal: cut the backlog from roughly 10 million to about 5 million units, expected to take around four months
How the Backlog Exploded
The trigger was PSA's May 14 announcement of a 200 million dollar infrastructure investment. Collectors fearing future price hikes and delays rushed submissions, producing a 20 percent spike that added 1.6 million cards to the queue almost overnight.
The cheapest way to grade is temporarily off the table, so think carefully about which cards justify a higher service tier right now.
What to Grade During the Pause
With Value tiers gone for now, the smart move is to prioritize cards where a grade meaningfully changes value: high-end rookies, scarce parallels, vintage, and cards likely to land a clean gem mint. For low-value bulk, it may be worth waiting until Value submissions reopen rather than overpaying for a Regular slot.