Guides
SGC Grading Fees 2026: Every Tier After the September Change
SGC grading fees 2026 from SGC's own price table: $50 standard at 40+ days, expedited from $150, reholders, oversized cards, shipping and how PSA compares.
SGC grading fees 2026 start at $50 per standard-size card at an estimated 40+ business days, after SGC changed its service levels on September 2. Below is SGC's full price table as read on October 10, with shipping, reholders and a side-by-side with PSA.
TL;DR: SGC's pricing page lists $50 (up to $1,500 declared value, 40+ days) and $85 or $150 expedited (up to $3,500). Expedited runs 2 to 3 business days and climbs to $3,750 for cards over $100,000, plus $375 per extra $10,000. Return shipping starts at $15. PSA's cheapest tier taking new orders is $59.99 at 90 to 100 business days, with its Value tiers paused. Prices as of October 10, 2026.
SGC grading fees 2026: how much per card? (quick answer)
SGC charges $50 per standard-size card declared at up to $1,500, with an estimated turnaround of 40+ business days. Cards declared up to $3,500 cost $85 standard or $150 expedited (2 to 3 business days). Anything above $3,500 is expedited only, from $250. These are SGC's prices as read on its pricing page on October 10, 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Cheapest tier: $50 per card, up to $1,500 declared, 40+ business days.
- Expedited: 2 to 3 business days, from $150 (up to $3,500) to $3,750 (over $100,000).
- Change date: September 2, 2026; SGC expects "future adjustments" between late 2026 and early 2027.
- Clock starts at logging: turnaround begins when SGC unboxes and logs the order.
- Shipping: from $15 (USPS Priority, under $2,000) or $25 (FedEx Ground or USPS, under $10,000) for 1 to 5 items.
- Versus PSA: SGC's $50 compares with PSA Standard at $59.99 and 90 to 100 business days.
Overview: what changed at SGC in September 2026
SGC posted a service-level update dated September 2, 2026: "Effective September 2, 2026, SGC will be adjusting its offered service levels in response to rapidly increasing demand and continued expansion of estimated turnaround times." The same notice warns: "Future adjustments to service levels should be expected between late 2026 and early 2027."
The update came with a new price graphic covering four tables: Standard Size, Reholders, Oversized and Oversized Reholders. Its footnotes say "Submissions already paid for or in transit will be unaffected by these changes" and point to the pricing page "for full pricing breakdown."
Image: SGC
Sports Illustrated (secondary) reported that "SGC said its new lowest rate has gone from $18 to $50," and that turnaround had previously been "40-50 business days." Other reports gave a different starting price, so we do not state the old rate as settled. What matters for a submission today is the table below.
Analysis: SGC's standard-size price table (October 10, 2026)
This is the table SGC shows under "Pricing for standard size raw card grading, crossovers and reviews." The declared value you choose sets the tier.
| Maximum declared value | Standard (40+ business days) | Expedited (2-3 business days) |
|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | $50 | not offered |
| $3,500 | $85 | $150 |
| $7,500 | not offered | $250 |
| $20,000 | not offered | $500 |
| $50,000 | not offered | $1,000 |
| $100,000 | not offered | $2,000 |
| $100,000+ | not offered | $3,750, plus $375 per additional $10,000 |
Two rules on the same page change your real wait. First, "Turnaround time begins once the order has been unboxed and logged into our system," so transit and intake time come on top of the 40+ days. Second, "Orders will have longer turnaround times if Crossovers are submitted WITHOUT a minimum grade." A crossover is a card moved from another grader's slab; setting a minimum grade keeps it on the normal clock.
Only the first two rows have a standard option. A card you would declare above $3,500 goes straight to expedited, starting at $250.
Image: SGC
GODEEPER: PSA, SGC, CGC and Beckett side by side, with what each grader has open right now. Sports Card Grading 2026: PSA vs SGC vs CGC vs Beckett →
Analysis: reholders, oversized cards and shipping
SGC's price graphic lists separate tables for cards that are already in an SGC holder (reholders) and for oversized cards. As printed on the graphic, read October 10, 2026:
| Service | Up to $1,500 | Up to $3,500 | Up to $7,500 | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reholder, standard 40+ days | n/a | $50 | $75 | n/a |
| Reholder, expedited 2-3 days | n/a | $100 | $150 | $200 (up to $50,000) |
| Oversized, standard 40+ days | $100 | $135 | $250 | n/a |
| Oversized reholder, standard 40+ days | $100 | $135 | n/a | $250 (over $3,500) |
Return shipping. SGC's shipping page lists domestic ground return fees by item count (as of October 10, 2026):
| Items | FedEx Ground or USPS (under $10,000) | USPS Priority (under $2,000) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | $25 | $15 |
| 6-20 | $30 | $25 |
| 21-30 | $35 | $30 |
Over 30 items, SGC says "add $0.50 per item." Packages "valued between $10,001 and $250,000" add a $40 surcharge, and SGC asks for an email to arrange anything at $250,000 or over. "All packages are sent with signature confirmation," and "FedEx Prices include residential delivery."
A worked example with these numbers: five cards at $50 each, returned by USPS Priority in a package valued under $2,000, comes to $250 in grading plus $15 shipping, or $265 before your own postage to SGC. That is our arithmetic on SGC's listed prices, not an SGC quote.
Image: SGC
Analysis: SGC vs PSA prices in October 2026
The comparison most collectors make is with PSA. PSA's services page on October 10, 2026, under a banner reading "Value Services Are Temporarily Paused," listed:
| PSA tier | Price per card | Max insured value | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $59.99 | $1,000 | 90-100 business days |
| Priority | $79.99 | $1,500 | 70-80 business days |
| Express | $199.00 | $2,500 | 20-30 business days |
| Super Express | $349.00 | $5,000 | 10-15 business days |
| Premier | $599.00 | $10,000 | 7-10 business days |
At the low end, SGC's $50 tier covers a higher declared value ($1,500 vs $1,000) for $9.99 less than PSA Standard, with a shorter posted estimate (40+ vs 90 to 100 business days). For speed, SGC's expedited $150 (up to $3,500, 2 to 3 days) sits between PSA Priority ($79.99) and PSA Express ($199.00) on price, with a much shorter posted estimate than either. The two companies use different terms (declared value at SGC, max insured value at PSA), so read each cap on its own page. Our PSA grading fees breakdown covers PSA's rules in full.
Community: collectors on the new pricing
The r/baseballcards thread on the change went up on September 2, 2026, the day it took effect. u/fmlongo wrote: "I was going to get some more vintage graded with them, but no way in hell that is happening now." (comment). u/whytemyke saw the turnaround figure differently: "I haven't submitted in a long time but I've seen that this turn time basically just reflects what is already happening." (comment). And u/liesofanangel, on the open-ended estimate: "That + in 40+ days does a lot of heavy lifting." (comment).
Our take
Based on SGC's and PSA's own pages as of October 10, 2026: SGC is still the cheaper entry point, $50 against PSA's $59.99, with a higher value cap and a shorter posted estimate. The catch is the "+" in 40+ days and the gap above it: there is no standard option past $3,500, so a card you value higher jumps to $250 expedited. SGC has also said more changes are coming between late 2026 and early 2027. Declare the value honestly, set a minimum grade on crossovers, and check the pricing page on the day you submit, since this table has already changed once this fall. This is fee data, not advice on whether a card is worth grading.
Frequently Asked Questions
The five questions above cover SGC's price per card, the September 2026 change, turnaround times, SGC vs PSA, and return shipping costs.
How much does SGC charge to grade a card in 2026?
SGC's cheapest option is $50 per card for a standard-size card with a maximum declared value of $1,500, at an estimated 40+ business days. A card declared up to $3,500 costs $85 standard or $150 expedited. Prices are from SGC's pricing page as read on October 10, 2026.
When did SGC raise its prices?
SGC's service-level update says the changes took effect September 2, 2026, in response to rising demand and longer turnaround times. SGC also wrote that future adjustments should be expected between late 2026 and early 2027. Orders already paid for or in transit were not affected.
How long does SGC take to grade cards?
SGC's table lists two speeds: standard at 40+ business days and expedited at 2 to 3 business days. The clock starts once SGC has unboxed and logged the order, not when you ship it. Crossovers sent without a minimum grade take longer.
Is SGC cheaper than PSA in 2026?
At the bottom tier, yes: SGC starts at $50 per card (up to $1,500 declared, 40+ days) and PSA's Standard tier is $59.99 (up to $1,000, 90 to 100 business days), per both companies' pages on October 10, 2026. Faster tiers differ in price and value caps, so compare the tier you need.
How much does SGC charge for return shipping?
For domestic ground returns, SGC charges $25 by FedEx Ground or USPS (under $10,000) or $15 by USPS Priority (under $2,000) for 1 to 5 items, rising to $35 or $30 for 21 to 30 items. Packages valued $10,001 to $250,000 add a $40 surcharge.
How we checked this
SGC prices come from SGC's services and pricing page and shipping fees page, read in a headless browser on October 10, 2026, and from SGC's September 2 service-level update and its price graphic (reholder and oversized prices are read from that graphic). PSA prices come from PSA's services page read the same day. The Sports Illustrated report is labelled as secondary. Reddit quotes were read on the thread linked above. We have not submitted cards to SGC for this article. Full source table: data/sources/sgc-grading-fees-2026.sources.md.
References
- SGC, services and pricing: https://gosgc.com/card-grading/services-pricing
- SGC, service level update (September 2, 2026): https://gosgc.com/service-level-update-2026-09-02
- SGC, shipping fees: https://gosgc.com/card-grading/shipping-fees
- PSA, trading card grading services: https://www.psacard.com/services/tradingcardgrading
- Sports Illustrated, SGC raises grading prices (secondary): https://www.si.com/collectibles/sgc-latest-company-raise-grading-prices
Related Reading
- How to Start Collecting Sports Cards: 2026 Beginner Guide: sleeves, semi-rigid holders and the other basics before your first submission.
- Rookie Cards Explained: RC Logo, 1st Bowman and 2026 Classes: how to confirm a card is a true rookie before paying to grade it.
- Numbered Cards Explained: What /99, /25 and 1/1 Mean: what the serial number means, and how it differs from the grader's cert number.
About the author
Editorial desk
The RookieDesk desk. Every article is built from a source file: manufacturer checklists and odds sheets, grading company fee pages, and dated sale data, each linked in the article.
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