Pokémon Card Grading UK (2026): Costs, PSA, CGC & ACE

How much does Pokémon card grading cost in the UK?

On 16 October 2026 the cheapest tiers open to everyone were ACE Basic at £18 a card and CGC Bulk at £14 + VAT (£16.80) with a 25-card minimum. PSA started at $59.99, TAG at $59.95 and Beckett's US Express at $79.95. Add return postage and, for cards graded abroad, possible import VAT.

Grading means sending a card to a company that checks it is genuine, scores its condition and seals it in a numbered, tamper-evident case (a "slab"). The five names UK collectors meet most often differ in where they are based, what currency they bill in and how their scale works.

ACE and CGC UK charge in pounds. PSA, Beckett US and TAG charge in US dollars and Beckett Europe in euros, so the pound cost moves with the exchange rate and your card provider may add a conversion fee.

How does ACE Grading work for UK collectors?

ACE is based in Banbury, England, and prices in pounds: from £18 a card (Basic, 30 business days) for everyone, or £12 for AceSelect members. You submit online and post or courier the cards to ACE, so nothing crosses a border and there is no customs step on the way back.

ACE is a British company (Ace Grading, registered in England and Wales, based in Banbury) and prices in pounds. Its published tiers, all per card, with turnaround in business days:

• Label options: standard label free, Colour Match £1 a card, ACE Label £3 a card.
• ACE says your payment invoice is generated "when Ace Grading's services are complete and your submission is ready to return".
• How to send from the UK: submit online, pack the cards in the order on your submission slip, and send them by post office or courier. ACE asks for each card in a clear sleeve and then a semi-rigid holder.
• ACE grades on a whole-number 1–10 scale (no half grades). For a Gem Mint 10 it says centring must be "less than a 60/40 split".

Because the card never leaves the UK, there is no customs step at all. For most UK collectors that is the main attraction, along with the low entry price.

How do you submit cards to CGC from the UK?

Post your cards to CGC's London office or hand them in at the Fanatics store on Regent Street. Fees are in pounds, from £14 + VAT a card on Bulk (25-card minimum) or £17 + VAT on Economy, with 50 working days quoted and return shipping charged separately.

CGC accepts UK submissions at Certified Collectibles Group − International UK Limited (CCG UK) in London. Fees and maximum values are in pounds. CGC says that if you ask for your cards to go to its US headquarters, the fees include round-trip shipping and insurance between London and Sarasota, Florida.

• Membership: CGC says Associate and Premium members save 10% on grading and Elite members save 20%.
• Return shipping from London by FedEx Economy with signature (declared value up to £20,000): £32 + VAT (£38.40) for 1–5 cards, £40.80 for 6–25 cards, rising to £60 inc. VAT for 101–300 cards.
• Drop-off: CGC says the Fanatics store at 54 Regent Street, London W1B 4DY, accepts CGC submissions in person, which saves the outbound postage.
• Crossovers: a PSA, Beckett or SGC slab is only cracked and re-graded by CGC if CGC believes the card will get the same grade or higher, unless you ask to "cross at any grade". The full fee applies either way.
• CGC uses half grades. Its top grade is Pristine 10 (50/50 centring), above Gem Mint 10 (front centring not worse than about 55/45, back 75/25).

Can you grade cards with PSA from the UK?

Yes, but not yet through a UK office. Most UK collectors use a PSA group-submission dealer or post cards to PSA in the US themselves. PSA prices in US dollars, from $59.99 a card on Standard, and its announced London receiving centre had no opening date on 16 October 2026.

PSA is the largest grader and the label most UK buyers recognise. Its price list is in US dollars, per card:

• PSA's cheaper Value and Value Bulk tiers were shown as "temporarily paused" on 16 October 2026.
• You need a PSA account to submit. PSA says its insurance starts when your order is unpacked and identified, and that it "does not insure your items while inbound to PSA". Insure the outbound parcel yourself.
• PSA opened grading in Frankfurt on 15 September 2026, but its announcement describes it as for collectors across the European Union, which the UK is not.
• PSA uses half grades from 1.5 to 8.5 but no 9.5. A PSA 10 needs front centring no worse than about 55/45 and back centring no worse than 75/25.

How to send cards to PSA from the UK

1. 1.

   Use a UK group-submission dealer

   PSA's own dealer directory lists dealers that offer "Group Submissions". One UK example is Fanatics Collectibles London, 54 Regent Street. You hand or post cards to the dealer domestically; they batch them to PSA and the slabs come back through them. You pay the dealer's price, not PSA's list price, so ask exactly what is included (return postage, insurance, any customs charges) before you send.

2. 2.

   Submit direct to the US

   Create an account, fill in the online form, post the cards to PSA in the US with your own insurance and pay for return shipping. The returning parcel is an import, so you may face customs charges (see below).

3. 3.

   Wait for the London receiving centre

   PSA has announced a UK Receiving Center in the Greater London area for the second half of 2026, with prices in pounds and returns routed through the UK centre to remove the customs step. PSA said it would share the address and launch details nearer the time; we could not find either on 16 October 2026, so treat it as not yet open.

Is Beckett (BGS) grading available to UK collectors?

Beckett grades in the US and at a European facility priced in euros. On 16 October 2026 its US Base, Standard and Priority tiers were sold out, leaving Express at $79.95, while Europe listed Base at €22.95. Beckett does not say whether its European office accepts UK parcels, so ask first.

Beckett's US list on 16 October 2026 showed Base at $14.95 a card ($17.95 with subgrades, 75+ business days), Standard $34.95 (45 days), Express $79.95 (15 days) and Priority $124.95 (5 days), with Base, Standard and Priority marked sold out. Beckett's availability notice, last updated 5 August 2026, said Base and Standard were paused to protect turnaround times, with reopening expected to begin from 15 September.

Beckett also runs a European grading facility, priced in euros including VAT: Base €22.95 (75+ business days) and Express €89.95 (15 business days), both with subgrades. Its page says you submit online and post the cards to its European office, but it does not say whether it accepts parcels from the UK. Ask before posting, because a parcel to and from the EU is an export and an import.

Beckett grades in half points from 1 to 10 and prints four subgrades (centring, corners, edges, surface) on the label. A Black Label Pristine 10 needs 50/50 centring on the front and 55/45 or better on the back.

What is TAG grading, and can UK collectors use it?

TAG is a US grader that adds a 100–1000 point TAG Score to the usual 1–10 grade. Its Standard tier was $59.95 a card with 45 business days quoted. TAG has no UK office or published UK customs information, so UK cards travel to the US and come back as an import.

TAG is a US grader. Alongside the usual 1–10 grade (with half points except between 9 and 10) it gives a 100–1000 point TAG Score; 990–1000 is a Gem Mint 10. TAG says its Pristine grade goes beyond Gem Mint 10 and covers under 1% of cards it grades. Its help centre listed these tiers as available on 30 September 2026:

TAG also lists a Base tier (up to $500, about 60 business days) without a price, and its pricing page said it was in a "limited reopening" with Value and Bulk services still paused. TAG publishes no UK office or UK customs information, so cards go to and from the US.

Do you pay import VAT when graded cards come back?

You may. Cards graded outside the UK come back as an import, and GOV.UK says goods worth more than £135 attract VAT, and possibly duty, paid to the delivery company before delivery. Royal Mail adds an £8 handling fee and Parcelforce £12. Cards graded inside the UK avoid this entirely.

• GOV.UK says that for goods worth more than £135 you pay VAT to the delivery company before delivery or on collection, and Customs Duty can also apply. The delivery company sends a bill stating exactly what to pay and normally holds the parcel for about three weeks.
• HMRC's outward processing guidance says that for goods returned after repair, VAT "is charged on the repair costs, plus outward and inward freight charges and duty, but excluding insurance charges". This needs an outward processing authorisation number on both the export and import declarations.
• Royal Mail charges a customs handling fee of £8 (Parcelforce £12), and £25 where goods valued over £900 need a full customs declaration.

How should you prepare cards for grading?

Check each card under a bright light, put it in a clear penny sleeve and then a semi-rigid holder (PSA says not to use toploaders), stack the cards in the order of your submission form, photograph them, and post them tracked and insured. The steps below cover each part.

1. 1.

   Check the card first

   Look at it under a bright light and a magnifier: centring, corners, edges, surface. Our condition guide shows what to look for. A card with a visible crease will not come back as a high grade.

2. 2.

   Sleeve it

   Put each card in a clear penny sleeve. PSA says to avoid solid or opaque sleeves, which can cause delays.

3. 3.

   Use a semi-rigid holder, not a toploader

   PSA asks for semi-rigid holders measuring 3 5/16" x 4 7/8" and says not to use toploaders, tape, pull tabs or sticky notes. CGC and ACE also ask for semi-rigid holders; CGC says the holder must let it remove the card safely.

4. 4.

   Match the paperwork

   Stack cards in the order they appear on your submission form, item 1 on top, and photograph every card front and back before it goes.

5. 5.

   Pack and insure

   Sandwich the stack between cardboard, fill the box so nothing moves, and use a tracked, insured service. Our postage guide covers UK options and compensation limits.

Which grader should a UK collector choose?

For most UK collectors ACE is the cheapest and simplest, because it prices in pounds and has no customs step. CGC's London office suits batches of 25 or more. PSA has the widest recognition but involves the US for now. Beckett suits collectors who want subgrades, and TAG offers a 1000-point score.

• Cheapest and simplest: ACE. Pounds, no customs, free standard label, fast tiers available.
• UK office with an international label: CGC London. Watch the 25-card minimum on Bulk and add return postage.
• Widest recognition when you sell: PSA. Costs more from the UK today and involves the US, usually through a UK group-submission dealer until the London centre opens.
• Subgrades on the label: Beckett, if its European facility will take your parcel or you send to the US.
• A 1000-point score for top-condition modern cards: TAG.

Before you pay for any of these, work out whether the card is worth grading at all. Our grading decision checklist walks through the cost maths. If you would rather sell a card than grade it, see sell your cards. If you would rather buy a card already graded, the slabs we have in stock are on our graded page, and raw cards, each photographed as sold, are in our singles shop.