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A PSA grading upcharge is an additional fee charged when the final market value of a card after grading exceeds the maximum declared value of the service level the card was initially submitted under. This happens when a card receives a higher grade (like a GEM-MINT 10) than expected or when recent sales data (comps) show the card's value has increased significantly. The upcharge is the difference in cost between the original service tier and the higher-value tier the card now qualifies for, which you must pay before receiving the card back.

What causes a PSA upcharge?

• Higher than expected grade: A card you expected to be a 9 might receive a 10, pushing it into a higher-value tier.

• Increased market value: Recent sales of the same or similar cards show a surge in value since your submission, exceeding the maximum value cap of your initial service tier.

• Spikes in demand: A card's value can increase dramatically due to its rarity (low-pop) or popularity as a "chase" variant. 

Only cards that exceed their tier’s cap are adjusted. Other cards in the same order remain on the original tier.

Service, Typical PSA Value Caps & Turnaround Time

Fees in A$. PSA caps are in US$.

Service: Normal

Fee (A$): $50

PSA Value Cap (US$): $199

 

Service: Express

Fee (A$): $80

PSA Value Cap (US$): $499

 

Service: Express Plus

Fee (A$): $120

PSA Value Cap (US$): $999

 

Service: Express Plus Insurance

Fee (A$): $140

PSA Value Cap (US$): $1499

 

How we notify you

• Transparency first: If an upcharge applies, we send you an email with the calculation for each affected card (original fee → new fee → difference), plus our processing fees.

• You can pay securely from that email to finalise your order.

Quick example — Normal (A$50.00, US$199 cap) → Express (A$80.00, US$499 cap)

Your card grades a 10 and PSA values it around US$350. It exceeds US$199, so PSA moves it to the Value tier.

Initial Grading Service Fee - A$50.00

New Grading Service Fee -A$80.00

Admin Fee - A$5.00

Upcharge difference = 50.00 − 80.00 = A$35.00

Total payable now: A$35.00

Real-world scenarios

Scenario 1 — Normal→ Express Plus

Declared US$400 on Value (A$50.00, cap US$499). Graded 10; PSA values ~US$650. Tier changes to Value Max (A$120.00, cap US$999).

120.00 − 50.00 + 5.00 = A$75.00

Scenario 2 — Normal → Value

Submitted on Normal (A$50.00, cap US$199). PSA values at ~US$350. Tier changes to Value (A$70.00).

80.00 − 50.00 + 5.00 = A$35.00 

Scenario 3 — Normal→ Express

Express Plus Insurance (A$140.00 cap US$1,499) selected. PSA values at ~US$2,100. Tier changes to a higher tier (A$350.00, cap US$2,499).

350.00 − 140.00 + 5.00 = A$215.00