Most PSA orders that stall do it over small things. A card in a toploader, a tape tab on a holder, a stack out of order. Each one can slow the order down or add a fee. This checklist covers the prep from the online form to the sealed box, using PSA's own shipping guide as the rulebook.
Still deciding which cards are worth sending? Start with our grading prep checklist for centering, corners, edges and surface. This guide picks up once you know which cards are going.
What you need
- A clear penny sleeve for every card. PSA asks for clear sleeves, not solid or opaque ones.
- A semi-rigid holder for every sleeved card. PSA's guide lists 3 5/16 x 4 7/8 inches for standard cards.
- Two pieces of cardboard and 2 or 3 rubber bands.
- A new shipping box, packing material and real packing tape.
- Your printed submission form.
Leave these out: toploaders, plus any tape, pull tabs or sticky notes on the holders. PSA's shipping guide names all four, and packing that strays from the guide can mean delays or extra fees.
Step 1. Build the order online first
Create the submission in PSA's Online Submission Center or the PSA app before you pack anything. You enter each card, a declared value and a service level. Declare a realistic value. If PSA decides a card is worth more than you declared, it can bill you for a higher service level or send the card back ungraded. Print the form when you finish. The card order on that form is the order your stack has to follow.
Step 2. Lay the cards out in form order
Set the cards out in the order printed on the form, item 1 first. A sorting tray gives each card its own slot, so the order survives a bumped table or a coffee break. The 24-Cell Card Sorting Tray has angled cells, so you can read every card at a glance while you sleeve and holder them in sequence.
Step 3. Sleeve each card
Wash and dry your hands and handle each card by its edges. Slide it into a clear penny sleeve top first. If a card catches on the way in, stop. Open the sleeve wider or use a fresh one instead of pushing.
Step 4. Put each sleeved card in a semi-rigid holder
Slide the sleeved card into the holder so the front and back both show clearly. Standard cards go in a #1-size holder. Thick cards such as patches, relics and heavy stock may not seat in a #1 without force. For those, Semi-Rigid Card Holder #2 gives the extra clearance. Oversized and tallboy cards follow separate rules, so check the submission center for those.
If you submit often, the Card Grading Prep Kit covers 100 cards with clear penny sleeves and #1 semi-rigid holders, the setup PSA asks for, plus 100 resealable slab sleeves for when the cards come back graded.
Step 5. Stack, band and box it
- Stack the holders in form order with item 1 on top.
- Sandwich the stack between two pieces of cardboard.
- Wrap it with 2 or 3 rubber bands. Snug enough that nothing shifts, loose enough that nothing bends.
- Wrap the bundle and set it in a new box. Fill every gap with packing material so nothing moves.
- Put the printed form inside the box. Bundle each submission on its own if you send more than one.
- Seal every seam with packing tape. No painter's tape, Scotch tape or reused tape.
- Stick the tracking and address labels straight onto the box. PSA says to skip label pouches.
Step 6. Ship and track
PSA offers prepaid FedEx labels for the contiguous U.S. through the submission center. Drop the box at a staffed counter and keep the receipt. PSA does not insure packages in transit, so check your own coverage before you ship a valuable order. The turnaround clock starts when the order reaches Order Prep, not when the box is delivered.
PSA submission FAQ
Can I send cards to PSA in toploaders?
No. PSA's shipping guide says not to use toploaders. Use a semi-rigid holder over a clear penny sleeve.
Do I need a penny sleeve inside the semi-rigid holder?
Yes. PSA asks for a clear penny sleeve on every card, then the holder.
What holder do thick cards go in?
A wider semi-rigid holder such as a #2, when the card won't seat in a #1 without force.
Can I label the holders with tape or sticky notes?
No. The printed form and the stack order identify each card. Keep the holders clean.
PSA updates its rules from time to time. This guide was checked against PSA's shipping guide in October 2026. Give it a quick look before you seal the box.
When the slabs come back, read how to store graded cards and how to ship graded cards safely.