PSA has taken another step toward normalizing card grading after months of submission pressure, reopening its Value service and trimming estimated turnaround times for some of its most-used tiers.
The company said its backlog has fallen to 7.2 million units, down from more than 10 million in May. That reduction has allowed PSA to bring back Value submissions globally while also improving service estimates for Standard and Priority orders submitted beginning Oct. 28.
For collectors who have been waiting for lower-cost grading options to return, the reopening of Value is one of the clearest signs yet that PSA believes its workflow is becoming more manageable. The update also offers a fresh look at where the backlog stands, how quickly PSA says it is processing cards, and what submitters can expect next.
PSA Value Service Is Back
PSA's Value service has reopened across all of its regions, including the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. In the U.S., the service is priced at $39.99 per card. In Canada, the listed price is $56.99 per card.
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The tier carries a maximum insured value of $500 per card, making it a key option for collectors sending in lower-to-mid-range cards that still benefit from professional grading and encapsulation. PSA estimated turnaround times for the reopened Value tier at 90 to 100 business days, with Japan listed at 120 business days.
That matters because Value is traditionally one of the most accessible entry points for collectors who are not submitting high-dollar cards through premium service levels. When lower-cost tiers disappear, many hobbyists are forced to either delay grading plans or pay much more for faster service. Reopening Value restores an important part of the grading pipeline for bulk submitters and everyday collectors alike.
PSA also noted that all newly submitted Value orders will be placed behind existing orders already in the system. That means the return of the service does not reset the line or move new submissions ahead of older ones. Collectors who have been waiting in the queue remain first in line for processing.
Updated Turnaround Times for Standard and Priority
In addition to reopening Value, PSA reduced estimated turnaround times by 20 days for two major grading tiers.
- Standard: now estimated at 70 to 80 business days
- Priority: now estimated at 50 to 60 business days
Those revised estimates apply to new submissions starting Oct. 28. Orders already in-house remain under their original service terms, though PSA indicated those submissions may still be completed sooner than initially expected.
For collectors deciding when and how to submit cards, that distinction is important. New orders will be governed by the updated timelines, but existing submissions are not automatically reclassified under the newer service estimates. Even so, any acceleration in processing would be welcome for customers whose cards entered the system during the height of the backlog.
Faster turnaround times at the Standard and Priority levels can also influence submission strategy. Some collectors who previously held back because of long delays may now reenter the grading market, especially if the updated timeframes feel predictable enough for selling, consignment planning, registry building, or personal collection goals.
Backlog Falls From More Than 10 Million to 7.2 Million
The central number in PSA's latest update is the backlog total. In May, the company was facing more than 10 million cards in the queue, a volume so large that it led to the suspension of some of its most popular grading tiers. As of this latest update, the backlog has been reduced to 7.2 million units.
That decline does not mean the backlog has disappeared. A queue of 7.2 million units remains massive by any standard, and collectors should still expect waits that are long compared to the hobby's pre-surge environment. Still, the trend line is meaningful. A drop of several million units suggests the company is making measurable progress in moving through the wave of submissions that reshaped the grading landscape.
PSA has also said it plans to reopen all grading tiers, including Value Bulk, once the backlog falls to 5 million units. That target gives collectors a benchmark to watch in future updates. If the company continues reducing inventory at its current pace, additional service options could return as conditions improve.
The mention of Value Bulk is especially notable because that tier is often tied to high-volume submissions from dealers, group submitters, and collectors working with larger runs of modern cards. Its eventual return would represent another major step toward restoring a fuller menu of grading choices.
Why This Update Matters to the Hobby
PSA remains one of the most influential companies in the card market, so any change to its pricing, service levels, or estimated turnaround times tends to ripple across the hobby. When low-cost tiers close, submission behavior changes. When they reopen, more cards enter the pipeline, and the broader market often responds.
For raw card buyers, PSA's Value return could make grading lower-end key rookies, parallels, inserts, and vintage cards more feasible again. For sellers, it may create new opportunities to prepare inventory for auction or fixed-price sales without moving straight to premium-priced grading tiers. For set builders and registry participants, improved turnaround times can reduce uncertainty around collection planning.
There is also a psychological effect. During the peak of the grading crunch, submission delays became one of the hobby's defining frustrations. Long waits, suspended services, and constantly shifting expectations left many collectors hesitant to send in cards. Reopening a popular service tier and posting improved estimates helps restore some confidence, even if processing still takes months rather than weeks.
That said, the reopening of Value may also encourage another wave of submissions. If demand rises quickly, collectors will be watching closely to see whether PSA can maintain these updated timelines while keeping the backlog on a downward path.
Processing Output Continues to Climb
PSA said its weekly grading output is up nearly 50% this year and 150% compared to the 2020 through 2025 weekly average. Those figures help explain how the company has been able to cut into the backlog while starting to reopen key services.
A sustained rise in weekly throughput is one of the most important indicators for a grading company under pressure. Backlogs only improve in a durable way when incoming demand is balanced against processing capacity. If weekly production remains elevated, PSA has a better chance of continuing to shorten estimated timelines and restore suspended tiers.
The company also said it has graded more than 59 million items over the last three years, which exceeds the 57 million items it graded during its previous 23 years combined. That statistic underscores just how dramatically the modern card boom transformed the grading business.
The numbers also highlight the scale of the challenge PSA has faced. The same surge that drove grading to historic levels also created the operational stress that forced service pauses and pushed turnaround times far beyond what many collectors had been used to. This latest update shows progress, but it also reflects the sheer size of the demand wave that hit the hobby.
Key Details Collectors Should Know
- Backlog: 7.2 million units, down from more than 10 million in May
- Value service: reopened globally
- Value price in U.S.: $39.99 per card
- Value price in Canada: $56.99 per card
- Value maximum insured value: $500
- Value turnaround time: 90 to 100 business days
- Japan Value turnaround time: 120 business days
- Standard turnaround time: 70 to 80 business days for new submissions starting Oct. 28
- Priority turnaround time: 50 to 60 business days for new submissions starting Oct. 28
- Future reopening target: all tiers, including Value Bulk, when backlog reaches 5 million units
What to Watch Next
The next major milestone will be whether PSA can move from 7.2 million units down to the 5 million threshold it has set for restoring all grading tiers. Collectors will also be paying attention to whether Value demand surges immediately and whether that added volume affects the newly published turnaround estimates.
Another key question is how much faster existing submissions might move, even though they remain under their original service terms. If older orders begin closing ahead of schedule, collector confidence could improve further. If processing remains uneven, the hobby may continue to treat turnaround estimates cautiously until a longer track record develops.
For now, the biggest takeaway is straightforward: PSA has reopened one of its most important lower-cost services, shortened time estimates for major paid tiers, and continued to chip away at one of the largest grading backlogs the hobby has ever seen. Collectors considering a submission now have more options than they did just a few months ago, especially for cards that fit within the $500 insured value cap.
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