Grading is everywhere right now.

PSA alone is grading tens of thousands of cards per day… and it feels like everyone’s sending something in.

But grading isn’t free. It takes time. And there’s always the risk of getting a grade that kills your upside.

So how do you actually know if a card is worth grading?

Let’s break it down.

Most people I talk to are grading cards that don’t make sense. It’s easy to say “run the numbers,” but there are so many factors that most either don’t know what to calculate or don’t want to do it.

Here’s what you have to figure out:

Here’s the rough math on that:

In this scenario, you’re going to pocket spend around $152 at the chance to make $176 in 5 months.

That’s if you grade out at a 10. A PSA 9 is likely to sell at or near the base value (assuming a modern card), which means you’ll end up losing 25% due to shipping & ebay fees.

In reality? That math doesn’t math, but that’s what the majority of people are doing.

Oh great, so grading isn’t viable, eh?

Of course that’s not true, it’s just not as easy as you thought it was going to be :)

The reality is that the $100 card really needs about a $250 resale at a PSA 10. Plus, you need to be confident in:

That’s why I’m very picky about which cards I grade.

Honestly, I’m more in the $200 - $400 range with raw cards that I grade, because there’s usually more room for profit. Rather than squeezing out $24 in the previous example, I find cards with $200+ profit.

The profit needs to cover the costs of:

Occasionally, I get questions from newsletter readers about things like:

“Have you seen this new grader? Should I try them out?”

If you’re just buying for your PC, you do you.

If you’re buying for profit, then NO ABSOLUTELY NOT. I hate that PSA is the only viable option, but the money is only made with them. Serious sports card investors don’t consider any other company.

Let’s keep this simple.

Here are the no-nos:

If you have any questions about grading, I’m happy to respond. Just reply to this email and I’ll get back to you!

If you’re considering sending some cards in for the first time, there’s something I have to tell you:

It’s much harder to get a 10 than you think. When I came back into the hobby, I had 6,000 cards from when I was a kid. I watched videos, read articles, and bought a loupe (essentially a magnifying glass) to figure out which cards to send in for grading.

I literally sent in 6 cards. SIX. That’s all that were in good condition and carried enough value to be worth it.

If I hadn’t looked over my cards with a loupe, I probably would’ve sent in dozens because they looked good to the naked eye. I would’ve spent several hundred dollars to get back a bunch of 7s and 8s. That’s depressing.

Anyway, you can get loupes on Amazon for less than $10. Here’s the one I have:

+ 2025-26 Bowman Basketball - April 22 | $600 - Color me intrigued. I really want to see how the NCAA autos do as a licensed basketball product, especially with most of the top guys signing! Each box gives you 1 NCAA auto and 1 NBA auto. Throw in popular inserts like Garbage Pail Kids and Anime, and it’s no wonder these boxes nearly doubled on the secondary market.

*Release dates can (and often do) change as products get delayed 🙄. It’s possible some notable sets are being released this week that I covered in previous editions.

**Pricing taken from active eBay listings. Items ordered from links will result in a small affiliate commission at no cost to you.

News From Around the Hobby

+ Flipping Youth Movement - “Among the throngs roaming around the shows hunting for deals are flippers. They can usually be spotted immediately. They come in all ages but many are younger, carrying cases full of slabs in one hand and checking comps on a smart phone in the other.” These kids are so much more enterprising than I was, and I think it’s terrific for the future growth of the market.

+ The Kid is Alright - Somehow, Ken Griffey Jr’s card market keeps exploding, despite some of the massive pop counts. Here’s a list of 4 inserts to buy before those explode, too.

+ In Topps Condition - “That is a formal commitment that certain ultra-premium cards…will meet a minimum Near Mint-Mint 8 standard upon delivery. If they don’t, Topps will fix it.” Makes sense that if they’re delivering you a single card NOT in a pack, that it should be in great condition. This should’ve been a thing already, but glad it’s here now.

The primary differences between hobby and blaster boxes are that hobby boxes are more expensive, contain more hits, and generally have better ROI for flippers. Blaster boxes are sold at retail locations where hobby boxes must be purchased through the manufacturer or at card shops…[Keep Reading]

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The content in this newsletter is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be actual financial or investment advice.