Grading is the one part of the hobby where you willingly mail away hundreds or thousands of dollars of cardboard and wait a month or three to see it again. Multiply that by two or three open orders across different tiers and companies and it's easy to lose the thread — which cards are where, what you declared them at, and whether the grades that came back actually made the fee worth it. A simple submission log fixes all of that. Here's what to track and why each field earns its place.
1. Log the order the day you ship it
The moment you drop the package or hit submit online, capture the order-level details while they're in front of you. These are the fields you'll wish you had written down when you're refreshing the status page six weeks later:
- Grader & submission/order number — PSA, BGS, SGC or CGC, plus the order number their site assigns. This is what every status lookup and customer-service email will ask for first.
- Service level / tier — Value, Regular, Express, etc. The tier sets both the fee and the promised turnaround, and it caps the declared value you're allowed to use.
- Date shipped and date received by the grader — turnaround clocks usually start when they log the cards in, not when you mailed them. Track both so you can tell whether it's actually late.
- Outbound tracking number — the carrier tracking for the box you sent. If it's lost in transit, this is your only recourse.
- Card count and total fee — how many cards, and what you paid (grading + shipping + insurance). This is the denominator when you later ask "did grading pay off?"
2. Log every card in the order — individually
An order number tells you a box exists; it doesn't tell you what's in it. List each card as a line item so a lost or damaged return is provable and so you can match grades to cards when they come back:
- Full identity — player or character, year, set, parallel/variant, and card number. "2003 LeBron Topps Chrome #111" leaves no ambiguity.
- Declared value — the value you declared per card. This drives your insurance coverage and must fit inside your service tier's cap. Under-declaring saves fees but under-insures; over-declaring can bump you to a pricier tier.
- Your grade guess — the grade you expect (a quick 8 / 9 / 10 read). Comparing your guess to the returned grade is how you get better at pre-screening and stop paying to slab 8s.
- Pre-grade cost basis — what the raw card cost you. You'll need it to calculate profit once it's graded and sold.
3. Track the status without refreshing the page ten times a day
Graders move an order through predictable stages. You don't need their app open all day — just note the date each stage flips so you can spot a stall:
| Stage | What it means | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Received / logged in | The grader has your cards and the turnaround clock starts. | Date received — your turnaround baseline. |
| Research / grading | Cards are being reviewed and assigned grades. | Nothing to do; note if it sits here past the promised window. |
| Assembled / shipped back | Slabs are boxed and a return tracking number is issued. | Return tracking number + ship date. |
| Delivered | Slabs are back in your hands. | Date received; reconcile against your card list. |
The single most useful habit: when the box comes back, check the returned slabs against your line-item list before you file them. Miscounts and mix-ups are rare but they happen, and a claim is far easier when you can show exactly what you sent.
4. Close the loop: grade, then profit
A submission isn't done when the slab arrives — it's done when you know whether it was worth it. For each returned card, record:
- Final grade and cert number — the grade assigned and the certification number on the slab. The cert number is the card's permanent identity for insurance, resale and authenticity checks.
- Post-grade value — the graded comp (eBay sold, 130point) for that card at that grade.
- All-in cost — raw cost + that card's share of grading and shipping fees.
- Net result — post-grade value minus all-in cost. Do this across a few orders and a pattern appears: which players, sets and grade thresholds actually clear the grading fee, and which you should stop submitting.
That feedback loop is the whole point. Grading blind is a lottery; grading with a log turns it into a repeatable decision. Our companion guide on which grading company to use (PSA vs BGS vs SGC vs CGC) covers picking the grader; this is how you manage the order once it's out the door.
5. A simple submission workflow
- Before you seal the box, list every card with identity, declared value, cost basis and your grade guess.
- Record the grader, order number, tier, fee, ship date and outbound tracking.
- Note the date the grader logs the order in — that's your turnaround baseline.
- Update the status date at each stage; flag anything that stalls past the promised window.
- When the box returns, reconcile the slabs against your list and record each final grade + cert number.
- Fill in post-grade value and net result, and use the pattern to decide what to submit next time.
Track every submission on one printable log
The Vault printable trackers include a dedicated grading-submission log built for exactly this: order number, grader, tier, declared value and fee up top, a line for each card with your grade guess and cost basis, and columns for the returned grade, cert number, post-grade value and net profit. Pair it with the itemized inventory and monthly portfolio sheet and your whole collection — raw, submitted and slabbed — lives in one place. Print unlimited copies or fill it on a tablet. Instant download, one-time $6, no subscription.
Get the Card Vault — $6 →Grading Pokémon, One Piece or Magic? See The TCG Vault. Comics with CGC/CBCS? The Comic Vault. Browse all three at The Vault.
FAQ
How do I check the status of a PSA submission?
Log in to the grader's site and enter your order number — PSA, BGS, SGC and CGC all show the current stage there. The order number is the key to every lookup, so record it the day you submit; a log with the number, tier and ship date lets you tell at a glance whether an order is on schedule or stalled.
What is declared value and why does it matter?
Declared value is what you tell the grader each card is worth. It sets your insurance coverage in transit and must fit inside your service tier's maximum. Declare too low and a loss under-pays; declare too high and you may be pushed into a more expensive tier. Logging it per card keeps you inside the tier and correctly insured.
How long does grading take?
It depends entirely on the service tier you chose — value tiers can run weeks to months, express tiers days to weeks. The clock generally starts when the grader logs your cards in, not when you mailed them, so track both the ship date and the received date to know whether an order is genuinely late.
What should I do the moment my slabs come back?
Reconcile the returned slabs against your line-item list before filing them, and record each final grade and cert number. That gives you a permanent, insurable record and lets you calculate net profit per card — the data that tells you what's actually worth grading next time.
This guide is general educational information. Service tiers, turnaround times and declared-value rules are set by each grading company and change over time — confirm current details on the grader's own site.