Grading guide

Grade with a plan, not a vibe.

Grading only pays when the slab is likely to clear fees, shipping, and time. Use comps first, inspect under good light, and pick the service collectors actually search for on the card you have.

Service	Best known for	Affiliate program?	Link
PSA	Liquidity and search demand on modern and vintage sports. Membership pricing via Collectors Club.	Yes — partner/affiliate interest via PSA’s official form. Commission and cookie length are not published on that page.	PSA
SGC	Vintage look and a strong reputation on older cardboard. Now in the Collectors portfolio; still operates as SGC.	No public affiliate or referral program found.	SGC
BGS / Beckett	Subgrades and black labels. Beckett also sells price-guide subscriptions and other collector services.	Beckett Media is listed on CJ Affiliate by third-party directories (often at 5%). We could not confirm terms on a Beckett-owned page. Unclear whether that program covers grading submissions.	Beckett
CGC Cards	Trading cards under the CGC brand; membership discounts on submissions.	No public commission program found. CGC “affiliates” pages list authorized submitters and dealers, not a pay-per-referral offer.	CGC Cards

Before you ship

Run the math

Price the same card raw and in the grades you honestly think you can hit. Subtract grading, shipping both ways, and the time your money is tied up. If the spread is thin, sell raw.

Open Market Movers

Prep

Grade Sync Pro

A grading-prep toolkit with a public affiliate program: 25% recurring commission for the life of an active subscription, 30-day cookie, and a published 40% off coupon for referrals. Apply from a Grade Sync Pro account.

Grade Sync Pro

Inspection

What we look at

Centering, corners, edges, surface print defects, scratches under a raking light, and any stains or wrinkles. If you would not buy the card as a 10, do not submit it as one.

We will not invent PSA, SGC, BGS, or CGC affiliate IDs. If PSA approves a partner code or link, paste it into AFFILIATE_PSA_URL in js/links.js. Until then, the button goes to PSA’s public site. Official PSA partner form: cloud.e.psacard.com/Affiliates.