Ryan Barone (@ballcardgenius, Card Expert) is a lifelong member of the hobby. He has been quoted in PSA Magazine, and his content has regularly been mentioned in “Quick Rips” (the Topps RIPPED Newsletter) and across other hobby publications. hello@ballcardgenius.com; Last Time Ago LLC dba Ballcard Genius.
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September 2023 Update: Big news from PSA as they recently announced new order tracker steps, which results in you being able to see your grades sooner than ever before. Check out the video below for the full rundown, but here is a quick update.
Instead of going from Assembly to QA Check 1 and then to QA Check 2, cards will go from Assembly to “Grades Ready” and then on to the QA checks. The grading process itself hasn’t changed, but you can now see your grades as soon as assembly is completed.
Here is the video followed by the original and now updated blog post. Happy grading!
????? ?? ????? – Every card in your order has options
— PSAcard (@PSAcard) September 6, 2023
Ship it home, to the PSA Vault, or list it in a Goldin Weekly Auction.
While our grading process hasn't changed, the order tracker has. Grades are now revealed earlier, giving you time & info to make decisions. pic.twitter.com/8QU0AW3qhq
You’ve done it! You’ve shipped your card off to PSA for grading, and now you wait. But, like anyone excited to see whether or not that Julio Rodriguez rookie card is going to be awarded a gem mint 10 grade, you’re not waiting so patiently, and want updates! Understandably so!
Well, luckily for you, PSA has made the process pretty transparent order tracking process, allowing you to follow your graded card submission from start to finish. From the point the card arrives at PSA to the point it is shipped back to you, PSA order tracking will update to show you which specific step your card is currently on.
And real quick, because I’ve received some questions…
How to Check PSA Grades When Submitted
To check your PSA grades any time after they’ve become available, go to “my account” and then “my orders.” Click the order number in question and you’ll be taken to a page that includes your submission details, stages, and final grades.
How to See Grades Early
To see grades early, that is, before the cards are shipped back, go to the PSA card scanner app, and click “orders.” Then, click the “reveal” button. You can then interact with the card to flip it over and reveal the grade.
Now, on to the tracker to check the submission status.
Finding the PSA Order Tracker
To find the PSA order tracker, first login to your PSA account. Then, click “My Orders” from the left-hand menu. Once you get to the orders screen, click the “order #” link of the order number you’d like to track. From there, you should see a page with both your order and submission number bolded at the top of the screen. Underneath that info you should see the PSA order tracker. It looks like this:
Understanding the Grading Stages
As you can see, there are eight steps, starting from the “arrived” on the far left as the first step to “shipped” at the far right as the final step.
Here is a description of each:
- Arrived: When the submission has arrived at PSA.
- Order Prep: The submission was reviewed, verified, and logged into the system.
- Research & ID: Cards are researched so they are accurately noted on the label.
- Grading: The card has completed the authentication and grading process (former QA1 takes place)
- Assembly: Labels are printed and the card is sealed in the PSA holder/slab.
- Grades Ready: Grades have been assigned and checked
- QA Checks: Labels are then reviewed and holder is examined for defects.
- Shipped: Cards are shipped back to you.
I just recently submitted a card to PSA; it was this 1st Bowman Chrome George Valera Orange /25:
@ballcardgenius Guess who, more Velera…and a big one! #bowman #baseballcards #valera
♬ original sound – ballcardgenius
Here is my timeline for each of the stages so far (Per the above, this is now outdated with the recent PSA update).
I shipped my card Friday afternoon, and it was sent First Class mail from Northern California down to the PSA offices in Newport Beach, so not a long way to go! I selected the regular service which has an estimated turnaround of 15-30 days.
Arrived
I received an email Monday night letting me know the package had arrived, which is always nice to know the card made it and is in safe hands. The email was full of info, letting me know which submission number was included, and that my “orders” page had been updated.
Order Prep
With arrival completed, the card moved to order prep, which includes order entry for the most part. According to the email, the receiving department confirms the number of items in the submission and then enters the details into the system to create the order number and begin the process! The biggest piece of info, though, is that the “entered” date will now appear on the “orders” page. This will allow me to look at that date and compare it to the PSA complete through dates.
Research & ID
Tuesday afternoon I received an email stating that PSA was now processing the order and for me to verify the info! Everything looked good, and next up is stage 4, grading.
Grading & Assembly
SO I hadn’t checked progress because I didn’t receive a notification, nor did I think there would be much movement, but in about a week, the grading stage has been completed, as has assembly as the card is now in QA Check 1. Stay tuned for more!
QA Checks 1 & 2
I’l be honest, things moved way quicker than I expected, and before I knew it, I received an email saying my grades were ready on 9/7! My card then shipped 9/8! And if you didn’t know when PSA actually charges you, it’s not until your card is shipped back.
More About Order Status Tracking
PSA announced the new order tracking feature in 2019, with this blog post detailing the needs for it and the value it brings to the graded card submission process. One important note is that the tracker is in fact mobile-friendly, and while that might sound like a given in today’s world, that’s not always the case in the hobby.
So, the order tracker and insight into the stages help provide transparency and peace of mind, as you now know your card isn’t just floating around unattended to, and that it’s not only going through the grading process with one set of expert eyes, but through multiple QA checks and more.
