Grading vs. Raw Card ROI Calculator
Compare the return on investment of grading a card versus selling it raw. Enter your costs and expected sale prices to see which option yields better profit.
Formulas Used
Raw Scenario:
- Raw Net Proceeds = Raw Sale Price × (1 − Platform Fee %)
- Raw Total Cost = Purchase Price
- Raw Profit = Raw Net Proceeds − Raw Total Cost
- Raw ROI = (Raw Profit / Raw Total Cost) × 100
Graded Scenario:
- Graded Net Proceeds = Graded Sale Price × (1 − Platform Fee %)
- Graded Total Cost = Purchase Price + Grading Fee + Shipping & Insurance
- Graded Profit = Graded Net Proceeds − Graded Total Cost
- Graded ROI = (Graded Profit / Graded Total Cost) × 100
- Annualized ROI = ((1 + Graded ROI)365 / Turnaround Days − 1) × 100
Break-Even Graded Sale Price (to match raw profit):
- Break-Even Price = (Raw Profit + Graded Total Cost) / (1 − Platform Fee %)
Assumptions & References
- Raw cards are assumed to sell immediately; graded cards take the specified turnaround time.
- Platform fee applies to the final sale price (e.g., eBay charges ~13% for trading cards as of 2024).
- Grading fees vary by service tier: PSA Economy ~$25, PSA Regular ~$50, BGS ~$22–$150+.
- Shipping & insurance costs include both sending to the grader and receiving back.
- Annualized ROI uses compound annualization: (1 + r)^(365/days) − 1.
- This calculator does not account for the probability of receiving a specific grade; expected graded sale price should reflect your realistic grade estimate.
- No tax implications are modeled. Consult a tax professional for capital gains considerations.
- References: PSA Grading Fees, eBay Seller Fees.