Budget grading: raw prices below twenty-five dollars
A raw-card budget excludes the cost of grading. This sample revisits low-priced raw records and adds an explicit selling-fee assumption. It does not demonstrate that every listing at the reference price is suitable for submission.
What to verify for this topic
Keep money available for submission shipping, return shipping and a lower-grade result. Confirm first-edition and reverse-holo labels from photographs. A budget screen is a discovery tool; it cannot replace condition inspection or establish a profitable batch size.
Dated reference examples
Captured September 5, 2026. These are database reference prices, not independently verified recent sold comparables or buy recommendations. Each linked record identifies its set and source.
Treecko #16 — Pokemon Promo
Greninja V-Union #SWSH157 — Pokemon Promo
Raihan #202 — Pokemon Evolving Skies
Weezing [Reverse Holo] #70 — Pokemon Expedition
| Card | Raw | PSA 10 | Gem rate | Expected net profit | PSA 10 net profit | PSA 10 ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treecko #16 | $12.62 | $590.14 | 56.0% | $291.48 | $475.80 | 1264.8% |
| Greninja V-Union #SWSH157 | $7.40 | $500.00 | 65.7% | $270.70 | $402.60 | 1242.6% |
| Raihan #202 | $6.99 | $419.00 | 58.0% | $295.83 | $332.54 | 1039.5% |
| Weezing Reverse Holo #70 | $14.99 | $657.00 | 38.8% | $211.82 | $531.60 | 1329.3% |
Read the model correctly
The comparison uses a $25 PSA Value Bulk model fee and a 13% selling fee. Verify current service eligibility, declared-value limits and possible upcharges before submitting. The table excludes shipping, tax, insurance, supplies and time costs.
Expected net profit weights resale outcomes across the recorded grade distribution, applies the selling fee, and deducts raw and grading costs once. PSA 10 net profit assumes the card receives PSA 10. PSA 10 ROI divides that conditional profit by raw plus grading cost. It is not expected ROI.
Historical population shares are assumptions for this calculation, not personal grading probabilities. Missing grade-price references may use the engine's raw-price fallback; unmodeled outcomes and sparse records can materially change the result. Inspect the current card detail and replace reference inputs with your actual costs and verified sold evidence.
Incomplete outcome pricing in this snapshot: Treecko #16; Greninja V-Union #SWSH157; Raihan #202; Weezing [Reverse Holo] #70. Treat their expected results as provisional.
Build a repeatable decision
Open a card record, check the exact variant and source, adjust the purchase assumptions, and save the analysis to your account. Revisit it before buying or submitting. The methodology explains the model; Pro describes the available research features. A saved analysis records a decision assumption, not a realized return.
Correction — September 5, 2026: Removed incorrect variant descriptions, unsupported universal language rules and fee claims that did not match the original calculations. The URL is preserved so earlier links lead to the correction. The current table replaces the historical figures with a dated, explicitly labeled model snapshot.