GradeOrFlip
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What is a grading upcharge?

An upcharge is the extra fee a grader bills when your card’s value after grading is higher than the maximum declared value of the tier you paid for. You pay the difference up to the correct tier, so a $59.99 PSA Standard card that comes back worth $1,400 is moved to Priority ($79.99).

How to avoid it

  1. Declare the value the card will have if it gets the grade you hope for, not today’s raw value.
  2. Pick the cheapest tier whose cap covers that value. The calculator’s “Auto” tier does this.
  3. Watch for the calculator’s upcharge warning when any graded price is above your tier cap.

Value caps by tier: PSA · SGC · CGC. Beckett’s Express tier lists no cap on its pricing page.

Keep reading

Fee guidesPSA grading fees 2026Fee guidesCGC grading fees 2026Is it worth grading?Worth grading a $25 card?Is it worth grading?Worth grading a $100 card?

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