Common questions.

Pre-grading is an independent evaluation of your card's condition before you submit it to a grading company like PSA, BGS, or SGC. Grading fees range from $20 to $150+ per card, and you won't know the grade until you've already paid. A pre-grade tells you what to expect so you only submit cards that will grade well. It saves you money and eliminates surprises.

No. PGS is completely independent. We are not affiliated with any grading company, and we do not submit cards on your behalf. Our only role is providing an honest, unbiased evaluation. Because we don't profit from submissions, we have no reason to inflate grades.

We accept sports cards (baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer), Pokemon, and other TCG cards. Cards must be standard thickness (35pt or less — no thick memorabilia cards over 50pt). We do not currently accept pre-1991 vintage cards. If you're unsure whether your cards qualify, reach out before ordering.

Our estimated grades include a confidence score that tells you how certain we are. A card with 90%+ confidence will very likely hit that grade. Lower confidence means the card is borderline — which is exactly the information you need to decide whether to submit. No pre-grading service can guarantee the final grade, because grading companies have their own standards and human variability. What we can do is give you the best possible data to make an informed decision.

Every card gets: black light / UV inspection results, 3D surface scan findings, individual scores for Centering, Corners, Edges, and Surface, an estimated grade range across PSA, BGS, and SGC, a confidence score, detailed flaw documentation with locations, and a recommendation to submit, hold, or sell raw.

Black light testing uses UV light to reveal alterations that are invisible to the naked eye — things like recoloring, chemical cleaning, surface restoration, and trimmed edges. If a card has been worked on, the UV light will show it. This protects you from submitting (or buying) altered cards that would fail authentication.

Our 3D topographical scan maps the surface of your card at high magnification to detect micro-scratches, dimples, roller marks, and print lines that affect the surface grade. These defects are often invisible under normal lighting but can drop a card from a 10 to an 8 or 9 on the surface sub-grade.

Each card should be in a penny sleeve inside a top loader or card saver. Tape the opening shut (not touching the card), stack them together, and place them in a small box with padding. Include a note with your order number. Ship via USPS Priority Mail with tracking. Do not use padded envelopes — cards can bend. Full instructions are on the How It Works page.

Yes. Every card is returned to you in a secure box with your reports. We clean and re-sleeve your cards before packing them. Return shipping is included in the price.

Turnaround is 48 hours once we receive your cards. Add shipping time both ways — typically 2-3 days each way with USPS Priority. So from the day you drop off your package, expect your reports and cards back within about a week.

The pre-grade is our professional assessment, but you're always in control. You might disagree and submit the card anyway — that's your call. Our job is to give you the best data possible. If you think we missed something or have questions about a specific card's evaluation, reach out and we'll walk through it with you.

Pre-grading only is $9 per card. If you want cleaning and restoration included, bundle packages range from $15 to $30 per card depending on the level of service. Check the Pricing page for full details on each tier.

You do not pay upfront. Here's the flow: first, you fill out the submission form on our site. Chase reviews your submission and sends you a payment link via Square. Once you pay through that link, you'll receive shipping instructions for your cards. All payments are processed securely through Square — we never see or store your card information.

Yes — cleaning and restoration is a major part of what we do. Surface cleaning, micro-scratch treatment, and other non-invasive techniques can often improve a card's grade before you submit to PSA, BGS, or SGC. Our bundle packages ($15-$30/card) include the pre-grade report plus cleaning and restoration work. If you just want the report with no restoration, the pre-grade only option is $9/card.

We focus on non-invasive, grading-safe techniques — surface cleaning, removing light debris, and addressing minor surface imperfections. We do not perform alterations that would cause a card to fail authentication (trimming, recoloring, etc.). The goal is to present your card in the best honest condition possible so it grades at its true potential.

No — when done properly, cleaning and restoration improve grades, not hurt them. We only use grading-safe methods that will not trigger an "altered" flag at PSA, BGS, or SGC. That's exactly why we pair restoration with a pre-grade report: you'll see the estimated grade after cleaning, so you know whether the card is worth submitting.

Yes. After payment, you'll have the option to receive a prepaid shipping label so you don't have to worry about postage or finding the right address. Just print the label, attach it to your package, and drop it off. Details are included in the shipping instructions you receive after paying.

This is why packing matters. Follow the packing instructions carefully — penny sleeves, top loaders, small box, padding. If you ship properly in a box with USPS Priority Mail, your cards are protected and insured up to $100 by USPS automatically. For high-value shipments, consider adding extra insurance through USPS. Once your cards are in our hands, we handle them with the same care we'd give our own collection.