Ace Grading vs PSA
Ace Grading sits in the UK and bills in pounds. PSA sits in the United States and bills in dollars, then adds postage both ways and import VAT on the way back. That gap decides most submissions, but resale pulls hard the other way. Here is how the two compare for a UK collector in 2026.
At a glance
| Ace Grading | PSA | |
|---|---|---|
| Based in | United Kingdom | United States |
| Billed in | GBP | USD |
| Cheapest tier | £12 per card, AceSelect members | $18.99 per card, Collectors Club members |
| Everyday tier | £18 per card, 30 business days | $24.99 per card, 45 to 65 business days |
| Fastest published tier | 2 business days at £120 | About 5 business days at $149 |
| Import VAT and customs | None, cards stay in the UK | 20% VAT plus a handling fee on the return leg |
| Postage | Domestic, tracked | International both ways, insured |
| Population report | Smaller and newer | Largest in the hobby |
| Resale recognition | Strong in the UK, thin overseas | Global |
| Best fit | Bulk, mid-value cards, sentimental cards | Cards you intend to sell, especially above £150 |
Grading prices and turnaround windows move every quarter. Check the grader's current submission page before you send cards in.
Grading costs and turnaround
List prices in GBP and USD, taken from each grader's own submission page and checked in August 2026. Turnaround is the window the grader states, not a guarantee, and queues stretch after big set releases.
Ace Grading grading prices
| Service tier | Price per card | Max declared value | Stated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member (slowest) | £12 | Not published | 75 business days |
| Member | £15 | Not published | 60 business days |
| Standard | £18 | Not published | 30 business days |
| Faster | £25 | Not published | 15 business days |
| Priority | £32 | Not published | 10 business days |
| Premium | £60 | Not published | 5 business days |
| Luxury | £120 | Not published | 2 business days |
Prices are in GBP and cards stay in the UK, so there is no import VAT and no customs handling. The two cheapest tiers need an AceSelect membership. A colour-matched label adds £1 per card and the Ace Label adds £3.
PSA grading prices
| Service tier | Price per card | Max declared value | Stated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk | $18.99 | $199 | 45 to 65 business days |
| Value | $24.99 | $499 | 45 to 65 business days |
| Value Plus | $39.99 | $499 | About 20 business days |
| Regular | $74.99 | $1,499 | About 10 business days |
| Express | $149 | $2,499 | About 5 business days |
Bulk pricing needs a paid Collectors Club membership and a 20 card minimum.
What it costs from the UK
| Cost on top of the fee | Typical amount |
|---|---|
| Postage out (tracked and insured) | £25 to £60 per parcel |
| Return postage and handling | £20 to £45 per parcel |
| Import VAT on the grading service | 20% of the fee |
| Customs handling fee | £8 to £12 per parcel |
These apply to graders that sit outside the UK. Send cards in batches: the postage and customs cost is per parcel, so a single card carries the whole bill while twenty cards split it.
The real cost from the UK
Compare the headline fees and PSA looks close. Add the parcel and it does not. A PSA submission from the UK carries postage out, insured return postage, 20% import VAT on the grading fee and a customs handling charge. On a small batch that adds £60 to £110 before a single card is graded.
Ace charges £18 per card at its everyday tier with no border to cross. For a ten card batch of £30 to £80 cards, Ace usually lands under half the all-in cost of PSA. The saving shrinks as the batch grows, because the PSA parcel cost splits across every card in it. Twenty or thirty cards in one box changes the maths considerably.
Turnaround
Ace publishes 30 business days at £18 and 15 at £25. PSA publishes 45 to 65 business days at its Value tier, and that clock starts when the parcel arrives in California, not when you post it. Add two weeks of transit and customs each way.
Published windows are estimates at both graders. Queues stretch after major set releases, and Ace reserves its 75 and 60 day tiers for AceSelect members, so the cheapest route is also the slowest.
What buyers pay for each slab
PSA carries a resale premium that Ace does not match. On modern Pokémon and football, a PSA 10 is the reference comp buyers search for, and the population report gives both sides a shared idea of scarcity. Ace slabs sell perfectly well to UK buyers who know the brand, but the pool of bidders is smaller and international demand is thin.
The practical line falls around card value. Below roughly £150, PSA's premium rarely covers the extra fee, VAT and postage, so Ace is the sensible route. Above it, the premium usually does cover the gap, and PSA is worth the wait.
What about BGS and CGC?
BGS prints four sub-grades on every label and owns the vintage and high-end market, where a Black Label 10 sells for multiples of the PSA comp. CGC runs a London office, which removes part of the import problem while keeping a globally recognised label, so it often sits between Ace and PSA on both cost and resale.
Read PSA vs BGS, PSA vs CGC and BGS vs CGC for those matchups, or the three-way comparison for a single table.
The verdict
Grade with Ace when the cards are worth under about £150, when you are clearing bulk, or when you want the slab for yourself rather than for a sale. Paying in pounds with no customs step is a genuine advantage and the stated turnaround beats PSA's entry tiers.
Grade with PSA when you plan to sell, when the card is worth more than the cost gap, or when you need an overseas buyer to recognise the label instantly. Send those cards in one large batch so the postage and customs bill splits across the whole box.
FAQ
Is Ace Grading cheaper than PSA?
Yes for most UK submissions. Ace charges £18 per card at its everyday tier in pounds, with no import VAT or customs handling. A PSA submission adds international postage both ways, 20% import VAT on the fee and a handling charge, which typically adds £60 to £110 per parcel on top of the $24.99 Value fee.
Do Ace slabs sell for as much as PSA slabs?
Generally no. PSA carries a resale premium and a much deeper population report, and its label is recognised worldwide. Ace slabs sell well to UK buyers but attract fewer international bidders, so the premium is smaller.
How long does Ace Grading take?
Ace publishes 30 business days at £18, 15 at £25 and 10 at £32, with 5 day and 2 day premium routes at £60 and £120. The 60 and 75 day tiers at £15 and £12 are limited to AceSelect members. These are estimates, not guarantees, and queues lengthen after big releases.
Should I use Ace Grading or PSA for Pokémon cards?
Use PSA for chase cards you intend to sell, where the PSA 10 comp is what buyers search for. Use Ace for bulk and mid-value cards, where PSA's premium will not cover the extra fee, VAT and postage.
Does Ace Grading accept submissions from outside the UK?
Ace accepts submissions from the UK and a published list of other countries. Check the current list on the Ace Grading site before posting from overseas, since the no-VAT advantage only applies to cards that stay inside the UK.