How To Choose A Trading Card Grading Company In 2027

To choose a trading card grading company, decide what you want from the grade first. Choose PSA if resale value matters most, BGS or TAG if you want a detailed breakdown, CGC or SGC for a respected alternative, and ACE if you want a UK-based grader. Always compare costs and waiting times before you submit.

1. Start With Your Collection Goals

The best company depends on why you’re grading. Ask yourself:

Am I selling or keeping? Selling usually favours the company buyers trust most. Keeping gives you more freedom.
How much is the card worth raw? A grading fee only makes sense if the graded card is worth clearly more than the raw card plus the fee, postage and the wait.
What type of card is it? Vintage sports, modern football, Pokémon and other TCGs don’t all sell best in the same slab.
How patient am I? Waits range from weeks to several months, and companies pause or change tiers when demand spikes.

The main grading companies compared

Company	What stands out	Watch out for
PSA	The default for resale and liquidity. Single overall grade on a 1-10 scale.	No subgrades. Higher fees and long waits on some tiers.
BGS (Beckett)	Subgrades for centring, corners, edges and surface, plus the Black Label.	In October 2026 one source reported most tiers paused. Be sure to check availability before submission.
CGC	Half-point grades and a Pristine 10. Has a UK facility. `[CHECK]`	Resale premium is typically a step below PSA.
SGC	A long-time favourite for vintage sports cards.	No subgrades. Compare sold prices against PSA for your card.
TAG	Detailed imaging report and a 1000-point TAG Score. AI-assisted with human checks.	Newer, and usually lower resale value than PSA.
ACE	UK-based, with lower fees.	Sources suggest a minimal resale premium, so it suits personal collections.

Reports say PSA, BGS and SGC are now owned by the same company, which controls most of the grading market. Whether that matters to you depends on how much you value having independent options.

Which company for which collector?

You want the best resale value: PSA, especially for high-value and vintage cards.
You want to know exactly where a card is strong or weak: BGS subgrades or TAG’s report.
You’re grading mid-value cards on a budget: CGC and, in the UK, ACE.
You collect vintage sports cards: SGC and PSA. Compare sold prices for your exact card.
You want it for your own collection: pick the slab you like looking at, and compare ACE, TAG and CGC.

Grading from the UK

UK collectors have more options than a year ago:

PSA London: PSA has opened a London submission centre in Fanatics’ hobby store on Regent Street. You can drop cards off in person, but they’re still graded in the US, so turnaround follows PSA’s standard timelines. See our PSA London guide and where to grade with PSA in the UK.
UK-based graders: ACE and CGC both have UK options. Read our ACE grading guide and ACE labels guide.
Shipping and VAT: check import and VAT rules before sending cards to or from the US, because they can add a surprising cost.

Work out the real cost

Before you submit, do this sum for each card:

Expected graded value − raw value − grading fee − postage and insurance (− VAT if returned from abroad)

If the answer is small or negative, don’t grade it. Use sold listings, not asking prices. Our value guide shows how, and our grading explainer covers how the scales work.

Prep before you submit

Pre-grade the card under good light, check centring and corners, clean it gently, sleeve it properly and ship it tracked and insured. Our PSA grading guide has the full steps, and we also cover Beckett, TAG, CGC and MGC.

FAQs

Which trading card grading company is best?
There isn’t one best company. PSA is strongest for resale, BGS and TAG for detail, CGC and SGC for respected alternatives, and ACE for UK convenience.

Is PSA worth the extra cost?
For high-value cards you plan to sell, often yes, because buyers pay more for PSA slabs. For cards you’re keeping, a cheaper company may do the job.

Does the grading company affect resale value?
Yes. The same grade in different slabs can sell for different prices, so compare sold listings for your exact card.

How long does grading take?
It varies from days to several months depending on the company and tier, and it changes with demand. Check the company’s website before you submit.

Should I grade every card?
No. Only grade cards likely to score highly and worth more graded than the total cost.

Track your collection first

Before you send cards away, log them on Cardzillo so you know exactly what’s graded, raw and duplicated. Start tracking free.