Pokemon Promo · #168 · Jul 1999
Should You Grade?
Negative expected value ($-3.85) — while a PSA 10 would be profitable, the probability-weighted outcome across all grades means you lose money on average at this grading tier. Low grading population — gem rates based on only 50 graded cards may be unreliable, and the market for this card in graded form may be illiquid. The gem rate is only 28% — you'll need a very clean copy to hit PSA 10. PSA 10 profit of $11.31 is thin — grading fees and selling costs eat most of the margin.
Factors in grading cost, turnaround time, and compounding — how fast you can reinvest profits into the next flip.
Shows the best-value tier from each grading company based on EV, cost, and turnaround. Pop = total graded population; 10s = grade 10 count.
