Freqently Asked Questions

You may want to get your cards graded for several reasons. By grading your cards, you can:

•  Provide authenticity that a card is legitimate.
•  Increase the card’s value to buyers and collectors.
•  Get peace of mind that your card will be protected forever as once the card is returned, it will be encapsulated in a secure casing.

Of course, there are many other reasons you may wish to grade your cards.

To grade your cards, using Black Label Grading services, simply follow the steps below:

1) Decide which cards you would like to submit for grading.

2) Choose your service level  and grading company.

3) Place your order through our online ordering portal, make payment and follow the instructions on the screen.

4) Package your cards securely (please always use clear penny sleeves).

5) Send your cards WITH your order number to the address provided. Alternatively you can drop off your cards in person to our office or at one of our events.

6) Once we receive your cards, we will send you confirmation via email.

All submissions need to be sent with an order number. Please note we ask for payment upfront. If you need further advice, please contact us.

Please do not include any personal information in your package. We try our best to dispose of all personal data accordingly but cannot guarantee this.

Yes, we welcome submissions from customers outside of the UK.

For customers submitting cards from Europe, please visit our European Hub page for further information.

For customers outside of Europe, please get in touch for further information.

Black Label Grading provides insurance for parcels during their transit to Beckett, CGC and PSA, covering instances of theft, loss, or damage. For all submissions, each card is insured based on its ungraded market value.

It’s important to note that for items returning from Beckett’s facility, Black Label Grading adopts a liability-based approach, rather than insurance, to cover the graded cards. This means we accept liability for physical loss or damage to the goods during the return journey, covering the market value of the graded card, relevant to its condition, up to a maximum of £1000. This approach ensures that while your items are not covered by traditional insurance upon return, they are still protected under our liability terms.

For CGC, SGC and PSA submissions, parcels are insured during transit, up to their market value. We utilise FedEx for all shipments to and from the United States, ensuring your items are transported securely. Please ensure you read our terms of trading for more detail on insurance and liability cover.

Upon their return to UK customers, items are dispatched via Royal Mail Tracked 24hr delivery, and for customers outside the UK, we use PostNL or DPD. This ensures a secure and efficient delivery process for your graded items.

Dependent on the service level you have chosen, your cards may take a few weeks to a few months to be returned to you. We endeavour to process your cards as quickly as possible, however we must also consider seasonality and volume. We will communicate with you throughout the process, to ensure you know at what stage your cards are in their journey.

Below outlines the core Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for each step in our process:

1.   Processing

We aim to process all our orders within 1-2 weeks of being received.

2.   Shipping to Grader

Due to tariffs imposed by the US, shipping currently takes 1-3 weeks.

3.   Grading

Dependent on the service level and Grading Service chosen, the turnaround time will vary.

Current turnaround times can be found on the pricing pages.

4.   Shipping back to BLG

Due to tariffs imposed by the US, shipping currently takes 1-3 weeks.

5.   Returns

We will ship your cards back to you within 5-7 working days.

We are committed to adhering to strict SLAs to get your cards back to you as soon as possible. However, sometimes there are delays in the grading process. As we are working as an intermediary, Black Label Grading cannot be held responsible for any delays due to the grader or shipping company.

Yes, we offer payment plans through Klarna. There is a minimum spend of £300 to use this service and all terms can be found here.

Each customer gets a status update on where their cards are in their journey. This update is sent via email on a monthly basis. You can view your status at ANY time by logging into your account.

There are multiple statuses we report on. Please find a description on each below. Please note timings at each stage varies and we cannot say when your submission is likely to progress.

1. Shipped to grader

The cards have left our facility and are on their way to your chosen grader.

2. At grader awaiting processing

The cards have been received by the grader and have been logged onto the system.

3. At grader in verification

Here each card is verified i.e. experts ensure they are correctly identified. Paperwork is then created based on the identification, submission number and due date. Personal information is removed at this stage to ensure anonymity when grading.

4. At grader awaiting grading

Cards are sent to a secure repository (the vault) to sit and await grading.

5. Graded

Well, this one is fairly self-explanatory. Your cards have been graded and will be returned shortly after.

6. In transit to BLG

The cards have been shipped back to Black Label Grading. You will get a notification once we have received them. Although this is exciting, please do not contact us to check if we’ve received the cards – this is done automatically on the day they arrive at our facility.

Once they are ready for dispatch your status will say ‘ready for dispatch’ and they will be sent via Royal Mail signed delivery in the next 5 working days. Tracking information will be sent to your email.

For those who have sent us cards through our EU Hub, you will have a couple of extra steps in the process. This is because the cards go through our HQ in the UK before they ship to and from the USA. Once the cards have been dispatched from our head office back to the EU Hub, your status will read ”dispatched to hub”.

Sometimes PSA (and CGC) apply “value charges” when a card’s graded market value ends up higher than the maximum declared value for the service tier it was submitted under.

When this happens, the submission is effectively moved up to the correct tier. In these cases, we charge the difference between our tier pricing to cover the cost.

We ask customers to take responsibility to ensure their card is on the correct tier as best they can to avoid unexpected fees. This might mean a little desk research to ascertain graded values.

Think of the declared value as your card’s estimated value after grading. If PSA believes it exceeds the tier’s maximum, a value charge applies to bring it in line.

No – you won’t be liable for any customs duties when your cards cross the border to and from the US. As an official dealer, Black Label Grading handles all customs processes on your behalf. Because we submit cards under a temporary import arrangement, our customers avoid the tariffs that would normally apply to personal shipments. This is a significant benefit and cost-saving for our users.