PSA turnaround times in 2026 run from 5–7 business days on the Premium tiers to 90–100 business days on the new US Standard tier, and PSA Japan publishes a separate ladder of its own. PSA’s official Services page for the US and its ja-JP Services page for Japan set the numbers below as of September 29, 2026, and both pages call every figure an estimate.
The picture changed four times this year: a fee update on February 10, a turnaround and price reset on May 14, a pause of the four Value tiers on June 2, and a September package that opened Standard, renamed two tiers and raised Express. Each change is dated and sourced in the tables below, together with PSA’s own backlog figures and the numbers PSA itself gives for its investment and capacity.
We sell Japanese sealed product and graded singles from Tokyo. Prices of our products are shown at ¥154/USD; PSA’s own prices are quoted in the currency each PSA site uses, never converted.
As of September 29, 2026, PSA US lists ten service levels from Standard ($59.99, 90–100 business days) to Premium 10 ($9,999.00+, 5–7 business days), and PSA Japan lists ten levels from Standard (¥9,980, 100 business days) to Premium 10 (¥1,499,980, 15 business days). Express is $199.00 in the US and ¥29,980 in Japan, and the two sites do not share turnaround numbers. The four Value tiers remain paused. If you would rather buy a graded card than wait in the queue, our PSA 10 MEGA Charizard X ex SR (M2 094/080) is offered as a PSA 10 back order at ¥8,433 (~$55) — sourced to order; the product page shows the current terms.
PSA’s Backlog Tracker entry of September 22, 2026 puts the active global backlog at approximately 9 million units, down from 9.9 million on September 8. The US Services page lists Value Bulk and Value as “Currently Unavailable”, and the Japan page shows the Value services as “受付停止中” (reception suspended).
PSA Turnaround Times at a Glance
Two official price lists matter for Pokemon and One Piece cards: psacard.com/services for the US and psacard.com/ja-JP/services for Japan. Both list prices per card. PSA Japan counts its estimate from the “荷物到着のお知らせ” (parcel arrival) email; the US page says the clock starts once the order is entered into the grading system.
The table condenses the two lists into the cheapest, the Express and the fastest tiers, so you can see the spread before the full tier-by-tier tables.
| Question | PSA US (psacard.com) | PSA Japan (ja-JP) |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest-priced open tier | Standard, $59.99 | スタンダード, ¥9,980 (tax included) |
| Its estimated turnaround | 90 – 100 business days | 100 business days |
| Express price | $199.00 | ¥29,980 |
| Express estimate | 20 – 30 business days | 25 business days |
| Fastest tiers | Premium 1 to Premium 10, 5 – 7 business days | プレミアム10, 15 business days |
| Value tiers | Paused (Value Bulk, Value shown as unavailable) | 受付停止中 (reception suspended) |
The rows already show why a single “PSA turnaround” number does not exist: the same tier name carries a different price, cap and estimate on each site, and the sections below keep the two lists apart.
PSA US: Ten Service Levels and Their Estimates
The US list below is as printed on PSA’s Services page as of September 29, 2026. “Max Insured Value” is the ceiling PSA attaches to each tier; the Premium tiers are defined by declared value.
| Service level | Fee per card | Max Insured Value | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $59.99 | $1,000 | 90 – 100 business days |
| Priority | $79.99 | $1,500 | 70 – 80 business days |
| Express | $199.00 | $2,500 | 20 – 30 business days |
| Super Express | $349.00 | $5,000 | 10 – 15 business days |
| Premier | $599.00 | $10,000 | 7 – 10 business days |
| Premium 1 | $999.00 | $25,000 or less | 5 – 7 business days |
| Premium 2 | $1,999.00 | $50,000 or less | 5 – 7 business days |
| Premium 3 | $2,999.00 | $100,000 or less | 5 – 7 business days |
| Premium 5 | $4,999.00 | $250,000 or less | 5 – 7 business days |
| Premium 10 | $9,999.00+ | $250,001 or higher | 5 – 7 business days |
Two details on the US page are easy to miss. Value Bulk and Value carry a $500 Max Insured Value and are labelled “Value Services Are Temporarily Paused”. Value Plus and Value Max no longer appear in the price list at all, although PSA’s May 28 announcement named all four Value tiers as paused. And Premium 10 is defined as $9,999 up to $350,000 of declared value, with an additional $399 per $10,000 (or fraction) above that.
PSA Japan: Ten Service Levels in Yen
PSA Japan runs its own schedule on psacard.com/ja-JP, priced in yen with tax included and capped by declared value (申告価格). Its FAQ (A-04) says grading standards follow the standards set by the US headquarters and do not differ by country or facility, so the differences below are about price, caps and queue estimates, not about how strictly a card is graded.
| Service level | Fee per card (tax incl.) | Declared value cap | Estimated lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| スタンダード (Standard) | ¥9,980 | ¥150,000 or less | 100 business days |
| プライオリティ (Priority) | ¥11,980 | ¥250,000 or less | 80 business days |
| エクスプレス (Express) | ¥29,980 | ¥400,000 or less | 25 business days |
| スーパー・エクスプレス (Super Express) | ¥44,980 | ¥750,000 or less | 25 business days |
| プレミア (Premier) | ¥89,980 | ¥1,500,000 or less | 25 business days |
| プレミアム1 | ¥149,980 | ¥4,000,000 or less | 25 business days |
| プレミアム2 | ¥299,980 | ¥8,000,000 or less | 25 business days |
| プレミアム3 | ¥449,980 | ¥15,000,000 or less | 25 business days |
| プレミアム5 | ¥749,980 | ¥35,000,000 or less | 25 business days |
| プレミアム10 | ¥1,499,980 | ¥35,000,001 or more | 15 business days |
The Japan page also converts the estimates into calendar time: Standard is shown as about 140 days (about 20 weeks), Priority as about 112 days (16 weeks), and Express as about 35 days (5 weeks). It adds that the “荷物到着のお知らせ” email arrives about 2–3 business days after the parcel, and the order-number notice about 2 to 2.5 months after that. The Value services (バリュー and バリュー・バルク, declared value ¥80,000 or less) show as suspended.
Eligibility is separate from tiers. PSA Japan’s FAQ (D-08) limits submissions to residents of Japan, and FAQ D-09 says PSA US has stopped accepting submissions from customers outside the US, so US-routed services are temporarily restricted for Japan residents. Our explainer on PSA Japan labels and services covers what “graded in Japan” means on a slab.
The Standard Tier Opened in September
PSA announced “PSA Opens New Standard Service Level and Begins Grading in Europe” on September 9, 2026. In the US, Standard is $59.99 per card with an estimated 90 to 100 business-day turnaround and a maximum insured value of $1,000, opening September 14. PSA states that Standard orders “will be processed following existing Value and Bulk orders”, and describes the tier as not a replacement for the Value tiers.
In Japan, the notice “サービスレベル変更のお知らせ［2026年9月］” opens スタンダード on September 15 at 7:00 AM at ¥9,980 per card, 100 business days, with a declared value up to ¥150,000.
| Item | PSA US | PSA Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | September 14, 2026 | September 15, 2026, 7:00 AM |
| Price per card | $59.99 | ¥9,980 (tax included) |
| Estimate | 90 – 100 business days | 100 business days |
| Cap | $1,000 Max Insured Value | ¥150,000 declared value |
The same September 9 announcement renames two tiers and adds a facility. “Priority is the new name for our $79.99 service level (previously Regular)”, Premier is the current name for the top-speed Walk-Through tier at $599, and EU collectors can submit to PSA’s Frankfurt facility from September 15, 2026, 12:01 AM CET, which PSA counts as its sixth global grading facility. Japan applied the same renames on September 15: レギュラー became プライオリティ (estimate moved from 60 to 80 business days for orders after 7:00) and ウォーク・スルー became プレミア.
Note what the announcement is not: it is not a general price rise. The only price that changed in September is Express.
Express: $199.00 in the US, ¥29,980 in Japan
On the US side, PSA’s September 9 article prices Express at $199.00, with the 20–30 business-day estimate and the $2,500 Max Insured Value unchanged. The PSA Japan notice raises Express from ¥22,980 to ¥29,980 per card for orders from September 10, 2026 at 1:00 AM.
| Express detail | PSA US | PSA Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Price as of September 29, 2026 | $199.00 per card | ¥29,980 per card (tax included) |
| Estimated turnaround | 20 – 30 business days | 25 business days (about 5 weeks) |
| Value ceiling | $2,500 Max Insured Value | ¥400,000 declared value |
| Change in September | Priced at $199.00 in the September 9 announcement | ¥22,980 to ¥29,980, orders from September 10 |
| Who can submit | Per PSA US submission rules | Residents of Japan only (FAQ D-08) |
Do not turn the US figure into yen or the yen figure into dollars and treat the result as PSA’s price. The two sites publish separate schedules, and PSA Japan’s printed yen amounts already include tax. The only comparison PSA itself supports is the one in the table: same tier name, different price, cap and estimate.
The 2026 Change History, Date by Date
The table lists each dated PSA change that moved a price, an estimate or a tier’s availability in 2026. Every row comes from a PSA announcement or notice; the source column names it.
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 2026 (US) | Value Bulk $21.99 to $24.99; Value $27.99 to $32.99; Value Plus $44.99 to $49.99; Value Max $59.99 to $64.99; Regular $74.99 to $79.99. Estimates: Value Plus 40 to 45, Value Max 30 to 35, Regular 20 to 25 business days | PSA News, “An Update on Pricing and Services at PSA (February 2026)” |
| Feb 10, 2026 (Japan) | Prices and turnaround fully revised for orders from 17:00 JST | PSA Japan notice of February 10 |
| May 14, 2026 (US) | Estimates: Value Bulk 140–160, Value 100–120, Value Plus 60–80, Value Max 40–50, Regular 30–40, Express 20–30, Super Express 7–10, Walk-Through and higher 5–7. Super Express $299 to $349 | PSA News, “$200 Million Infrastructure Investment” |
| May 15, 2026 (Japan) | Reception stopped for Value Bulk, Value Plus and Value Max; lead times revised (Value 160 business days, Regular 60) | PSA Japan notice of May 15 |
| May 28, 2026 (US) | Announcement pausing Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus and Value Max; Regular estimate temporarily extended to 40 to 50 days | PSA News, “Service Level Update (May 2026)” |
| Jun 2, 2026 (US) | The four Value tiers close to new submissions | Same article |
| Sep 9–14, 2026 (US) | Standard opens ($59.99); Regular renamed Priority ($79.99); Walk-Through renamed Premier ($599); Express $199.00 | PSA News, September 9 |
| Sep 10–15, 2026 (Japan) | Express ¥22,980 to ¥29,980 (from Sep 10); Standard ¥9,980 opens Sep 15; Regular to Priority (60 to 80 business days); Walk-Through to Premier | PSA Japan notice, September 2026 |
Read down the US rows and one turnaround stands out: the tier now called Priority went from a 20-business-day estimate at the start of the year to 70–80 business days on the current page. PSA’s own May 28 announcement is the bridge, describing a 20% spike in submissions that added another 1.6 million cards to a backlog it called rapidly approaching 10 million.
The Backlog Tracker, Entry by Entry
PSA publishes a Backlog Tracker, updated bi-weekly. It is the only official running figure for how many units are waiting, and it is what turns an estimate into context. The May 28 announcement set a target: bring the backlog down to 5 million units, with up to four months projected.
| Tracker entry | Active global backlog |
|---|---|
| July 28, 2026 | 12.4 million |
| August 11, 2026 | 11.85 million |
| August 25, 2026 | 10.9 million |
| September 8, 2026 | 9.9 million |
| September 22, 2026 | Approximately 9 million |
The July 28 entry also records the launch of PSA’s fifth grading facility in Plano, Texas, as a full-fledged grading facility, and the July 14 entry gives a 99.4% operational success rate for grading accuracy and card safety, which is PSA’s own figure and is not independently audited. As of September 29, 2026, the September 22 entry is the latest published.
A shrinking backlog is not the same as a shorter estimate. Standard orders are processed after existing Value and Bulk orders, per PSA, so the September tier opened behind a queue that was still about 9 million units long.
Why PSA Grading Costs What It Does
PSA does not publish a single explanation for its fees. What its announcements do contain is a set of dated numbers about volume, capacity and spending, and a set of dated price changes. Putting the two side by side is the most that can be said from the record.
| What PSA states | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Cards graded per day, globally | About 15,000 in 2021; about 90,000 in the February statement | PSA News, February 10, 2026 |
| Cards graded per year | 2 million in 2020; more than 19 million in 2025 | PSA News, May 14, 2026 |
| Output, January to April 2026 | Up by nearly 2.3 million items, a 39% year-over-year jump | PSA News, May 14, 2026 |
| Infrastructure investment | $200 million over the next 18 months, after $100 million since 2021 | PSA News, May 14, 2026 |
| Facilities | New Jersey, Tokyo, Florida and Texas opened since 2021; Frankfurt makes six | PSA News, May 14 and September 9, 2026 |
| Hiring | 370 open positions and about 700 more by the end of 2026 | PSA News, May 14, 2026 |
| Production versus last year | 40% greater global production | PSA News, September 9, 2026 |
On the price side, the record shows the February 10 increases on every Value tier and on Regular (for example Regular from $74.99 to $79.99), the May 14 rise of Super Express from $299 to $349, and the September pricing of Express at $199.00. PSA also cites “a significant rise in sophisticated fraud and counterfeiting” in the May 14 article and reports in its 2025 Fraud Report that counterfeit Pokemon cards rose 125% year over year, which is PSA’s own submission data rather than a market-wide rate.
Two structural facts also shape what a collector pays. Fees are per card, and a card above a tier’s value cap must use a higher tier; only Premium 10 adds $399 per $10,000 over $350,000. And the cheapest paths, the Value tiers, are the ones closed, which leaves Standard at $59.99 (US) or ¥9,980 (Japan) as the lowest open price. Our note on Japanese Pokemon card grading (PSA, BGS, CGC) covers the other graders.
How to Read a Turnaround Estimate
The tier table is only half the timeline. A practical checklist, using only what PSA states:
- Find the clock start. The US page says the estimate does not begin until the order has been entered into the grading system; the Japan page counts from the parcel-arrival email. Shipping and intake are outside the number.
- Read the declared-value cap. Standard covers $1,000 (US) or ¥150,000 (Japan). A card above the cap moves to a higher tier and a different estimate.
- Check the date of the number. Super Express changed from 7–10 to 10–15 business days between May and September. An estimate quoted without a date is not a fact.
- Check who can submit. PSA Japan accepts residents of Japan only; overseas buyers cannot use its price list.
- Check the tier is open. PSA says the paused tiers return “in phases”, with no date published.
PSA Lounge Tokyo, attached to SNKRDUNK’s Akihabara TCG store, is a Japan-side drop-off point. Its official page lists the details below; it accepts Standard, Priority, Express and Super Express plus Reholder 30 and 75, and other Premium options are not accepted there.
| Lounge Tokyo detail | As printed on the official page |
|---|---|
| Reception hours | 11:00–14:00 (closes 13:30) and 15:00–19:00 (closes 18:30) |
| Closed | Tuesday and Wednesday |
| Reception method | Reservation only (完全予約制) since April 2 |
| Return of graded items | Mailed to the registered address, not collected on site |
| Outbound shipping | Covered by PSA for Lounge submissions |
Buying a Graded Card Instead of Waiting
A 90-to-100-business-day estimate is a long time to hold a card raw. The alternative is buying a card that PSA has already graded. PSA’s Population Report (鑑定分布データ in Japan) shows how many cards of each set and year carry each grade, and the certification number on a slab can be checked with PSA’s Certification Verification page and app.
We offer graded Japanese cards as PSA 10 back orders: sourced to order, with the product page showing the current terms. The examples below are currently listed; each row is labelled as a physical PSA 10 or a PSA 10 back order and links to its product page. Our explainer Back Order a PSA 10 Card from Japan shows how the process works.
| Card | Number and set | PSA 10 price |
|---|---|---|
| MEGA Charizard X ex SR | M2 094/080, “Inferno X” | Back order: ¥8,433 (~$55) |
| MEGA Charizard X ex RR | M2 013/080, “Inferno X” | Offered as a PSA 10 back order at ¥5,457 (~$35) — sourced to order; the product page shows the current terms |
| Mewtwo VSTAR UR | S10b 091/071, “Pokemon GO” | Back order: ¥13,909 (~$90) |
| Charizard ex SAR | SV4a 349/190, “Shiny Treasure ex” | Back order: ¥50,996 (~$331) |
| Pikachu ex SAR | SV8 132/106, “Supercharged Breaker” | Back order: ¥78,234 (~$508) |
| Nami | ST01-007, Standard Battle Pack Vol.2 | Back order: ¥20,399 (~$132) |
| Franky UC Parallel | OP01-021, Standard Battle | Back order: ¥11,219 (~$73) |
| Dracule Mihawk C-P | ST03-005, Standard Battle Trophy | Back order: ¥15,300 (~$99) |
For the grade itself, PSA’s standard for Gem Mint 10 asks for four perfectly sharp corners, sharp focus and full original gloss, with front centering within approximately 55/45. Our pages on what PSA 10 means and on the PSA 9 versus PSA 10 gap go through those words in practice.
Where to Buy PSA 10 Cards from Japan
Start from the PSA 10 card list or the PSA 10 collection. A specific card from the table above, such as the Mewtwo VSTAR UR at ¥13,909 (~$90) as a PSA 10 back order, has its own product page with the current terms. Cards that are not listed can be requested through Quick Order.
If you are new to buying from Japan, how to buy Japanese Pokemon cards from Japan explains the order flow.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does PSA grading take in 2026?
As of September 29, 2026, PSA US estimates 90 to 100 business days for Standard, 70 to 80 for Priority, 20 to 30 for Express and 5 to 7 for Premium tiers. PSA Japan estimates 100 business days for Standard and 25 for Express. All figures are estimates, not guarantees.
How much does PSA Express cost in 2026?
PSA US prices Express at $199.00 per card with a 20 to 30 business-day estimate and a $2,500 Max Insured Value. PSA Japan prices it at ¥29,980 per card, tax included, with a 25 business-day estimate, after raising it from ¥22,980 for orders from September 10, 2026.
How much does the new PSA Standard tier cost?
Standard costs $59.99 per card in the US (90 to 100 business days, $1,000 Max Insured Value, opened September 14) and ¥9,980 per card in Japan (100 business days, declared value up to ¥150,000, opened September 15). PSA says it is not a replacement for the paused Value tiers.
When did PSA pause the Value tiers?
PSA paused new submissions for Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus and Value Max effective June 2, 2026, after announcing it on May 28. PSA Japan stopped reception for Value Bulk, Value Plus and Value Max on May 15. As of September 29, 2026, no reopening date is published.
How big is the PSA grading backlog?
PSA’s Backlog Tracker entry of September 22, 2026 puts the active global backlog at approximately 9 million units, down from 9.9 million on September 8 and 12.4 million on July 28. PSA’s stated target is 5 million units, and the tracker updates bi-weekly.
Why is PSA grading so expensive?
PSA does not give one reason. Its announcements cite volume of more than 19 million cards graded in 2025, a $200 million infrastructure investment over 18 months, hiring and rising counterfeiting, alongside dated fee rises in February, May and September. Higher tiers also scale with declared value.
Can overseas collectors submit to PSA Japan?
No. PSA Japan’s FAQ (D-08) limits grading submissions to residents of Japan, and PSA’s support page says the Japan branch accepts submissions only from residents. FAQ D-09 adds that US-routed services are restricted for Japan residents because PSA US stopped accepting submissions from outside the US.
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