Before you pay to grade
Know before you send
What it is, and what it isn't
What you get
- Our own written opinion, before you commit money to grading fees and postage.
- A range across the four things graders actually weigh, with the specific flaws we found noted.
- A straight recommendation — send it, or keep it in the binder.
- Free to ignore. Plenty of people grade a card we said not to, and sometimes they're right.
What it is not
- A grade. We are a submission agent, not a grading company, and we do not assign grades.
- A prediction of what PSA, BGS, CGC or AGS will decide. Their call is theirs alone.
- Affiliated with or endorsed by any grading company.
- A guarantee of anything. A card we're high on can still come back under.
What we check
The same four things every grading company weighs. We note what we find on each, so you get the reasoning and not just a verdict.
Centering
How square the printing sits inside the borders, front and back. The most common reason a card that looks perfect comes back lower than its owner hoped.
Corners
Sharpness under magnification. Whitening and softening that the naked eye forgives at arm's length, a loupe does not.
Edges
Chipping, nicks and print wear along all four sides — including the edges people never think to check because the card faces up in the binder.
Surface
Scratches, print lines, dimples and gloss. We look at it under angled light, which is where surface problems live.
The part most places skip
Why we give you a range
Because a single number is a grade, and we are not the ones who get to assign one. Two cards that look identical across the counter routinely come back a point apart, and anyone quoting you one number for yours is guessing with more confidence than the job allows.
A range is the honest shape of the answer. It tells you the realistic spread, which is what you actually need to decide whether the fees are worth it — a card sitting somewhere between two grades that price very differently is a real decision, and a fake number hides it.
The most valuable thing we say is often don't send this one. That answer costs less than the submission would have.
What a written assessment looks like
- Estimate
- A range, not a number
- What we found
- Noted per axis — the specific corner, the exact edge, the print line and where to hold it to see it yourself.
- Our recommendation
- Send it, or don't — and if you should, which service tier makes sense for what it's worth.
Every assessment carries the same note: this is an estimate produced by Cardboard Culture, not a grade, and carries no affiliation with PSA, BGS, CGC or AGS.
How it works
- 01
Bring the card in
Or add it to a grading submission and we'll assess it before anything is packed. Sleeved is fine — we'll handle it.
- 02
We look at it properly
Angled light, a loupe, and the same four checks a grader runs. Not a glance across the counter.
- 03
You get a range and a recommendation
In writing, with what we saw and why. Including the times the honest answer is that this one isn't worth sending.
What it costs
Per card
A$8.00
AUD, GST inclusive. Assessed on the spot where we can, otherwise same day.
Hunter tier and above
Included
Membership tiers are earned by shopping with us, never bought. Once you reach Hunter, pre-grades stop costing anything.
If you go ahead with a submission, grading is quoted per card at the band for your submission size, plus one flat A$15.00 handling & return fee per submission — see the grading page.
The fine print
- CC Pre-Grade is an estimate produced by Cardboard Culture. It is not a grade, carries no weight with any grading company, and does not predict their result.
- We have no affiliation with, and no endorsement from, PSA, BGS, CGC or AGS.
- No grade is guaranteed. A card assessed well can be graded lower, and that is not grounds for a refund of fees already incurred.
- Estimates are opinions formed from the card in front of us on the day. Condition can change in handling, transit and storage.
- Full terms are on our terms of use page.