PSA vs CGC vs BGS for Pokemon cards
Choose a grader for the card and collecting goal, then compare the same company, grade, language, and variant.
PSA, CGC, and BGS grade the same card with different labels, grading scales, turnaround options, and buyer expectations. Choose the company for the card and your goal, then compare sales for that company and grade instead of applying one generic slab premium.
Read should you grade Pokemon cards before choosing a company. If you are buying a slab instead of submitting, pair this comparison with the eBay safety guide.
This comparison was reviewed on July 15, 2026 against the official PSA grading standards (opens in a new tab), CGC card services (opens in a new tab), and Beckett grading standards (opens in a new tab). Fees, turnaround estimates, labels, and service tiers change; check those pages before submitting.
Quick answer
Each company publishes its own scale, service options, and label system. The market does not treat every company and numerical grade as interchangeable, so choose from matching sold evidence rather than a generic slab premium. None guarantees that grading will add more value than the fee and risk.
| Company | Official standard to inspect | Decision to make before submitting |
|---|---|---|
| PSA | Numeric grading standards, qualifiers, centering guidance, and no-grade definitions | Whether the likely grade and current service cost fit the card's goal |
| CGC | Card grading tiers, declared-value limits, add-on services, and current turnaround estimates | Whether the label, tier, and crossover rules fit your collection |
| BGS | Numeric grading scale and published criteria including centering | Whether Beckett-specific grade and label demand exists for this exact card |
| Reference | Useful for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| TCGplayer | English raw-card context | Less useful for every language or niche variant |
| Cardmarket | European market context | Shipping and condition norms vary by seller |
| eBay | Sold comps and unusual items | Asking prices can be noisy |
Price source compare
Compare graded-card prices from named sources
Each marketplace tells you something different about graded card comps. Compare the same card number, language, and condition before you decide what a card is worth to you.
Some marketplace links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
| Source | Best for | Evidence | Active-listing noise |
|---|---|---|---|
eBay Unbinder-reviewed sold-listing context · Reviewed 2026-07-09 Research on eBay | Sold-price comps for slabs, sealed, Japanese cards, promos, and scarce variants. | Public sold-result context, useful only after mismatched listings and outliers are removed. Try this: Record sold-result date, condition, language, grade, and whether shipping was included. | Active-listing noise: unsold asking prices are not evidence that buyers paid that amount. |
TCGplayer Unbinder-reviewed marketplace context · Reviewed 2026-07-09 Research on TCGplayer | US English raw-card marketplace context and recent-sale signals. | Marketplace price points that still need exact card, condition, and printing checks. Try this: Save the card in Unbinder, then add the marketplace and date only after the product page matches. | Thin-volume cards, non-English copies, graded slabs, and scarce variants need a second source. |
Cardmarket Unbinder-reviewed marketplace context · Reviewed 2026-07-09 Research on Cardmarket | European marketplace context, language variants, and EUR supply checks. | Regional marketplace references that need currency, shipping, seller country, and condition context. Try this: Use Unbinder notes to mark language, region, and the date you checked the Cardmarket context. | Do not turn EUR context into a US value without conversion and shipping notes. |
Source details were last checked on the dates shown.
Compare the same slab, not only the same card
Price evidence should match the grading company, numerical grade, card number, language, and variant. A PSA 10 sale is not a direct comp for a CGC 10 or BGS 9.5. Eye appeal, old versus current label generations, and scarce population tiers can create additional differences.
Use completed sales when they exist and record the date. Thinly traded slabs may have one unusual auction, so several comparable results are more useful than the highest visible listing.
Price the same printing, not the same Pokemon
Grader comparisons fall apart when the underlying card is not held still. Charizard ex 223/197 from Obsidian Flames and Charizard ex 125/197 from the same set share a name and a set, and their graded markets do not behave alike. Before you compare a PSA 10 premium to a CGC 10 premium, fix the collector number, then compare slabs of that number only.
The three graders publish their own scales, and reading them beats reading a summary of them: PSA (opens in a new tab), Beckett (opens in a new tab) and CGC (opens in a new tab) each define what a 10 means differently, which is why the same physical card can hold three different numbers without anyone being wrong.
Include the full grading cost
Add the grading fee, shipping both ways, insurance, supplies, membership costs, and the chance of receiving a lower grade than expected. Compare that total with realistic sales for several grade outcomes. A card can be worth protecting in a slab even when the financial return is neutral, but that is a collecting choice rather than profit.
For a deeper submission decision, read should you grade Pokemon cards and inspect the card under strong light before choosing a service tier.
Common mistakes
- Comparing different grading companies as if their grades trade identically.
- Pricing from active listings when completed sales are available.
- Ignoring fees, insurance, and shipping in the break-even calculation.
- Assuming every clean modern card will receive the top grade.
- Submitting because the raw card is popular rather than because the copy is suitable.
How this fits into Unbinder
Keep the raw card in Unbinder with its set, number, language, condition, and purchase price. After grading, update the record with the company, grade, certification number, total grading cost, and the dated sales sources used for comparison.
Next step
Continue with the grading decision guide if you own the raw card, or the eBay safety guide before purchasing an already graded copy.
Continue this workflow
Should you grade Pokemon cards?