About Should You Grade?
The Problem
Grading Pokemon cards is expensive. PSA charges $25-$599 per card depending on the tier, and most cards don't return a profit after grading fees and selling costs. Before Should You Grade?, the only way to figure out if a card was worth grading was to manually check prices on PriceCharting, look up gem rates on GemRate.com, and do the math yourself — for every single card.
What We Built
Should You Grade? combines data from multiple sources into one platform that instantly calculates the Expected Value (EV) of grading any Pokemon card. We factor in:
- Real market prices — raw and graded card values from PriceCharting
- Gem rates — the probability of getting a PSA 10 (or equivalent top grade) from GemRate.com
- Grading costs — 21 tiers across PSA, BGS, CGC, SGC, and TAG
- Selling fees — configurable platform fees (eBay, TCGPlayer, etc.)
The result: a single number that tells you whether grading a card is a profitable decision or a losing bet.
Our Data
We track 14,500+ Pokemon cards across 217 sets with 69,000+ gem rates. Prices and population data are refreshed weekly. Our data pipeline pulls from:
- PriceCharting — market prices for raw and graded cards
- GemRate.com — PSA grading population and gem rate data
- Pokemon TCG API — card metadata, images, and set information
If you spot incorrect data, use the Report Issue button on any card page and we'll investigate.
Who It's For
Should You Grade? is built for card flippers and investors — people who buy raw Pokemon cards, grade them, and sell the graded copies for profit. If you're running a grading operation (or want to start one), this tool helps you find the cards with the highest return on investment and avoid the ones that lose money.
Contact
Questions, feedback, or partnership inquiries: support@shouldyougrade.com — or visit our contact page.