PSA is hitting the brakes on some of its most popular grading tiers, and the move could have a very significant impact on the sports card and TCG collecting market over the next several months.
In a May 28 service update, PSA announced that it is temporarily pausing new submissions for four Value service tiers: Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max. The pause goes into effect Tuesday, June 2, 2026. According to PSA, the decision comes after collectors responded to recent turnaround-time updates with another surge in demand, producing a “20% spike in submissions” and adding 1.6 million cards to an active backlog now approaching 10 million cards.
PSA says all active submissions will still be processed under their submitted turnaround times, while Regular, Express, Super Express, Walk-Through, and higher tiers will remain open. However, Regular service is also being affected, with estimated turnaround times temporarily extended to 40 to 50 days, or 50 to 60 days for dual-service authentication.
The company framed the pause as a necessary operational move rather than a retreat, calling it a “direct, proactive step” meant to protect existing turnaround times and keep the PSA grading standard intact. PSA also said the pause is tied to “operational milestones,” not a fixed reopening date, with the company targeting a reduction of its backlog to 5 million units. Current projections suggest that could take up to four months.
PSA pausing all "Value" level grading submissions to work through backlog that measures in the millions
PSA Collectors Club members are getting some relief, at least. PSA says memberships active on May 14, 2026, and still active during the pause will be extended for free for the full duration of the Value Bulk grading shutdown. That matters, since Value Bulk access is one of the biggest practical reasons many collectors pay for the membership in the first place.
PSA also emphasized that its previously announced $200 million capital commitment remains “fully funded and in active deployment,” with the company pointing to upgraded facilities, machine-learning logistics technology, and new team members as part of its broader plan to get the backlog under control.
Still, for collectors, the short-term takeaway is simple: grading just got more complicated and potentially more expensive across most, if not all, categories. Sports cards, Pokémon TCG cards, including the most valuable cards from Perfect Order, Magic: The Gathering cards, like the most valuable Premodern-legal cards, and other bulk submissions are simply locked out of PSA’s grading process due to this seismic change.
While it’s unclear exactly what this temporary suspension of Value grading submissions will do to the collecting hobby, as well as the secondary market for sports cards and TCG cards such as the Pokémon TCG and Magic: The Gathering, in the long term, PSA pausing grading at its lowest-cost tiers will surely send immediate, major ripples throughout the hobby.
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