Cost, break-even and odds needed
“Odds of a 10 needed” is the chance of a gem-mint 10 you need for grading to beat selling raw, assuming a 9 sells for 1.3× raw and the 10 sells for the multiple shown.
| Grader | Tier fee | All-in cost | Break-even sale | × raw | 10 = 2× raw | 10 = 3× raw | 10 = 4× raw | 10 = 6× raw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | $59.99 | $169.99 | $202.18 | 2.0× | 72.4% | 29.8% | 18.8% | 10.8% |
| SGC | $50.00 | $160.00 | $190.66 | 1.9× | 56% | 23% | 14.5% | 8.3% |
| BGS | $79.95 | $189.95 | $225.19 | 2.3× | never | 43.3% | 27.3% | 15.7% |
| CGC | $20.00 | $130.00 | $156.08 | 1.6× | 6.6% | 2.7% | 1.7% | 1% |
Assumptions: $5 shipping to the grader and $5 back per card, $5 shipping to the buyer, standard eBay trading-card fees (13.25% + $0.40 per order, $0.30 at $10 or less), no sales tax. Fees checked Oct 14, 2026. Change any of these in the calculator.
How to read this
- All-in cost counts the raw value you give up by not selling now, because that is money you could have had today.
- If the odds needed are above about 40–50%, only grade cards you have checked closely for centering, corners, edges and surface.
- “never” means even a guaranteed 10 at that price would not beat selling raw.
Plug in your real comps (recent sold prices, not asking prices) in the calculator with these numbers pre-filled, or see the gem-rate break-even table.