PSA is shutting down its Value grading tiers effective Tuesday, June 2, 2026. On May 28, 2026, PSA announced that all four Value service tiers — Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max — are paused until further notice. The reason: a 20% spike in submissions piled another 1.6 million cards onto a backlog approaching 10 million.
Is PSA shutting down for good?
No — PSA isn't shutting down as a company. This is a temporary pause on the four lowest-cost grading tiers only. Regular, Express, Super Express, and Walk-Through stay open. Active submissions already in the system are unaffected. If you've heard "PSA is shutting down" or "PSA is closing," what people really mean is the Value tiers are paused.
What's actually changing
- Paused June 2: Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, Value Max — closed to new submissions.
- Still open: Regular, Express, Super Express, and Walk-Through and above.
- Regular turnaround extended to 40–50 days (50–60 for dual-service).
- Active submissions are unaffected — they continue at their original turnaround times.
- Collectors Club members active on May 14 get their memberships extended free for the full duration of the Value Bulk pause.
What's next
PSA says the pause is tied to operational milestones, not a date. Their target is to bring the backlog from ~10 million down to 5 million, and they project that takes up to four months. They'll publish a monthly Backlog Tracker on the announcement page so we can watch it move. No firm reopen date — Value tiers come back when the backlog clears.
So: plan around September/October at the earliest.
Why is PSA pausing Value tiers?
The math is simple: too many cards, not enough capacity. Collectors invested $200 million in PSA in early May to double the physical footprint and add 1,000+ employees over 18 months. Right after that announcement, submissions jumped 20% and added 1.6 million cards — pushing the queue toward 10 million. PSA can't grow capacity fast enough to handle the rush, so they're closing the cheapest tiers to triage the backlog.
How to adjust if you're hitting shows this summer
A few things are about to shift on the show floor, and a small pivot now beats reacting in August.
Slabs in hand just got more valuable. Anyone slow-playing their submissions is stuck. If you've got PSA 9s and 10s sitting in long-term storage, pull them into the case — buyer demand on already-slabbed cards is going to firm up, especially on mid-grade modern that bulk submitters used to flood the market with.
Raw modern is going to soften. A lot of dealers and flippers were buying raw at shows specifically to bulk-submit. With Value Bulk closed, that buyer demand goes away. If you've been holding raw modern to flip to graders, price it to move now, not in August. Raw vintage stays unchanged — most vintage gets sent Regular or Express anyway.
SGC and BGS are about to have a moment. Every bulk submitter who can't ship to PSA is going to look at the alternatives. Expect more buyers asking about non-PSA slabs in your case. The PSA premium is real on modern, so price your non-PSA inventory accordingly — but don't sleep on SGC vintage, it holds value just fine. For the full breakdown, read PSA vs BGS vs SGC — which grading company should you use in 2026.
Walk-up submissions at shows get more valuable. PSA still runs on-site booths at major shows, typically at Express+ pricing. Lines will get longer because it's one of the only routes in. If you're hitting a big show this summer, build that into your day.
The takeaway
Sellers who adjust quickly — pricing slabs to reflect new scarcity, clearing out raw modern, and talking buyers through SGC/BGS alternatives — are going to have a strong summer. Sellers who keep doing what they did in May are going to watch their best inventory sit.
I'll be posting Backlog Tracker updates as PSA publishes them. If you're going to be at any of the shows on my 2026 schedule, come say hi at the table.
— John