Frequently Asked Questions

CardhawkGrading is a UK-based PSA authorised submission service with a long track record of handling high-value cards — particularly vintage sport. We've been buying, selling, brokering and submitting cards to PSA and other grading agencies for over five years, and we treat every card with the same professional care regardless of its value or submission level.

Once your cards arrive with us they are processed within 48 hours and included in our next shipping consignment to PSA, which we despatch weekly (sometimes more frequently during busy periods). We ship exclusively via FedEx or DHL — directly from our office to PSA and back again. No PO boxes, no postal drop-offs — every parcel is handed directly to our courier by a member of our team and received back the same way.

We accept a wide range of cards across all major categories:

• TCG Cards — including Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering and other trading card games
• Vintage Sport (1979 and earlier) — football, cricket, rugby, boxing and more
• Modern Sport (1980 to present) — all major sports
• Oversized items — larger format cards and memorabilia
• Dual Card & Autograph — cards requiring both card and autograph grading
• Crossover & Reholder — cards already graded by another company being crossed to PSA, or PSA slabs needing new cases
• PSA Grade Reviews — requesting a review of an existing PSA grade

If you're unsure whether your card qualifies, get in touch before ordering.

1. Place your order — select your submission tier(s) and quantity on our website and complete checkout
2. Pack and send your cards — follow our packing guidelines and post to us via Royal Mail Special Delivery
3. We check in your cards — we verify receipt against your order and confirm by email within 1–2 working days
4. We submit to PSA — we register your cards and ship to PSA in the USA via FedEx/DHL, fully insured
5. PSA grades your cards — turnaround time depends on the tier you selected
6. Cards return to the UK — PSA ships back to us once grading is complete
7. PSA return shipping invoice — we contact you to settle your share of the return shipping cost from PSA
8. We despatch to you — your graded cards are sent via Royal Mail Special Delivery (£12.00 per package)

No — and this is an area where using an experienced submission service really matters. We handle all customs and tariff documentation for every submission.

Because cards are sent to PSA for grading and returned — not bought or sold — they qualify for a specific customs classification that exempts them from import tariffs in both directions. We prepare the correct paperwork that ties the outbound and inbound shipments together, proving to customs authorities that no commercial transaction has taken place across the border.

Two key factors should guide your decision: the estimated value of your card and how quickly you need it back.

Value: Each tier has a maximum insured value (e.g. $500, $1,000, $1,500 etc.). If your card is worth more than the maximum insured value of your chosen tier and something were to happen to it in transit or at PSA, your insurance payout would be capped at that tier's maximum. Always choose a tier whose maximum insured value covers what you believe your card could be worth once graded.

Speed: Turnaround times start at 65 business days (excluding weekends) for our Value tiers and reduce significantly for Express, Super Express and Walk Through. Faster tiers cost more — but if timing matters, they're worth it.

Our Value Bulk tiers (02 and 03) have a minimum submission of 20 cards per order. Please do not submit fewer than 20 cards at these tiers.

If PSA determines that your card's final grade places it in a higher value bracket than the tier you originally selected, they will automatically upgrade the grading charge and invoice us accordingly. We will contact you for the additional amount.

From that point onwards your card will be insured at its new, higher value for the return journey — so you're fully covered.

Yes — you can add multiple tiers to a single order on our website. However, there are a few important things to be aware of:

• Cards from different tiers are submitted to PSA separately and will be graded and returned on different timescales
• Each tier's cards will be returned to you in a separate package, each incurring its own Royal Mail Special Delivery charge of £12.00
• When sending your cards to us, please clearly separate and label each tier's cards inside the package so we can process them correctly

1. Sleeve each card individually in a soft penny sleeve
2. Place each sleeved card into a semi-rigid card saver — see the important note below
3. Do not tape or seal the semi-rigids — PSA requires open access to the cards
4. Bundle your semi-rigids securely with a rubber band, or wrap in tissue paper
5. If your order includes multiple tiers, bundle each tier separately and label them clearly
6. Place the bundle in an oversized sturdy cardboard box with plenty of bubble wrap — do not use padded envelopes
7. Include a printout of your order confirmation email or your submission cover sheet inside the package
8. Write your order number clearly on the outside of the package

Yes — we offer a Card Transfer Service which you can add to your order at checkout. Simply select the number of cards you need transferred and we will sleeve and place them into semi-rigids on arrival.

There is a charge for this service which covers both the cost of the materials and the careful handling of your cards between containers.

Please send your cards via Royal Mail Special Delivery, which provides next-day tracked and insured delivery with a signature on receipt.

If you have very high value cards that require insurance above Royal Mail Special Delivery limits, please contact us before sending and we can arrange a FedEx or DHL label that covers the full declared value of your submission.

There are three shipping costs involved in a typical submission — here's when each is paid:

• Your postage to us — paid by you when you send your cards (Royal Mail Special Delivery, approx. £7–10 depending on weight)
• PSA return shipping to the UK — invoiced separately after PSA completes your submission. We combine submissions to minimise costs and will contact you to confirm your share before releasing your cards
• Our return postage to you — £12.00 per package via Royal Mail Special Delivery, charged per submission tier. If you have multiple tiers in one order, each tier returns in a separate package at £12.00 each

Once PSA completes your submission, they notify us of the return shipping cost before despatching. We do not profit from this — you pay exactly what PSA charges us.

To help reduce costs, we combine multiple customers' submissions where possible. This means your share of the return shipping may be a portion of a combined shipment rather than the full rate.

Once we know your share of the cost, we will send you a payment request via Stripe or PayPal. Your cards will not be despatched to you until this payment is settled.

Each submission tier has a maximum insured value (shown on the product listing). This is the maximum amount any insurance claim could pay out in the unlikely event your card is lost or damaged while in our care, in transit, or at PSA.

It is therefore essential to choose a tier whose maximum insured value reflects what you believe your card could be worth once graded. For example:

• A card you expect to be worth $800 graded should be on at least the Value Max ($1,000) tier
• A card you expect to be worth $2,000 graded should be on the Express ($2,500) tier or above

If PSA upgrades your tier during grading (because the card grades higher than expected), the insurance automatically increases to reflect the new tier from that point onwards.

Turnaround times vary by submission tier and are quoted in business days (Monday–Friday, excluding weekends and US public holidays):

• Value Bulk / Value — approx. 65 business days
• Value Plus / Value Max — approx. 45 business days
• Regular — approx. 20 business days
• Express — approx. 10 business days
• Super Express — approx. 5 business days
• Walk Through — approx. 3 business days

These are PSA's current estimates and can vary. We will keep you updated throughout the process and notify you as soon as your cards are on their way back to us.

We will contact you at each key stage:

• When your cards arrive with us and are checked in
• When your cards have been registered and submitted to PSA
• When PSA has completed grading and your cards are on their way back to the UK
• When we have your PSA return shipping invoice ready for settlement
• When your cards have been despatched to you with a tracking reference

You can also track your submission directly on the PSA website using the PSA confirmation number we provide when your submission is registered.

We prefer not to — there's nothing quite like opening the box and seeing your grades for the first time! That said, if you're keen to know as soon as grading is complete, just let us know and we'll share the grades with you when we receive notification from PSA.

Yes — through our sister site CardhawkUK we offer a consignment service for graded cards. If you're interested in selling, simply tick the relevant box on your submission cover sheet or reply to your order confirmation email.

Once your grades are confirmed, we'll contact you to discuss the card's current market value, our commission rates, and the listing process. There's no obligation — it's entirely your decision whether to proceed.

If your card grades exceptionally well, we'd love to feature it on our blog — The Grading Room — and on our social media channels. All features are fully anonymised: no personal details, names, or identifying information are ever shared.

To opt in, simply tick the blog consent box on your submission cover sheet or reply to your order confirmation email. Being featured is entirely optional and you can decline at any time.