How to submit cards to SGC: levels, fees, shipping

To submit cards to SGC, log in on its website and choose Start New Submission, or place the order in SGC’s app. Give each card a declared value, which sets its service level and fee, then mail the cards to SGC in Boca Raton, Florida. SGC lists several services for sending them back, and it counts its estimated wait from the moment it unboxes and logs the order.

How do you start an order?

Log in to your SGC account and choose Start New Submission, which sits in the menu of every SGC page. SGC’s app does the same job: you can submit orders from the app, follow their progress through grading, look up cert codes and download high-resolution images of the cards you send.

SGC also takes submissions in person, handed to a verified SGC officer or employee. It lists no membership tier or member price, so each card is priced by its declared value and the service level you choose.

Which service level fits each card?

SGC offers two levels for standard-size cards. Standard has an estimated wait of 40 or more business days, and Expedited 2 to 3.

Standard costs $50 up to $1,500 declared and $85 up to $3,500.

Three rules follow from the grid:

• Standard stops at $3,500. A card declared at $3,600 is priced only at Expedited, for $250, nearly three times the $85 Standard fee just below the line.
• Speed costs at least $65 a card. From $1,501 to $3,500, Expedited costs $65 more than Standard. The grid shows no Expedited fee in its up-to-$1,500 row, and its lowest Expedited fee is $150, in the up-to-$3,500 row.
• Crossovers and reviews use the same grid. A crossover sent without a minimum grade takes longer than the listed wait. Our guide to how crossover grading works covers what a minimum grade does.

Bigger cards and damaged slabs have their own grids:

• Oversized cards, larger than 3½ by 5½ inches, go at Standard only: $100 up to $1,500, $135 up to $3,500, $250 up to $7,500, $500 up to $20,000, $1,000 up to $50,000 and $2,000 up to $100,000.
• Reholders are for SGC holders that are still sealed but chipped, cracked or otherwise damaged: $50 at Standard or $100 at Expedited up to $3,500, and $75 or $150 up to $7,500. If the holder has been opened, the card must be graded again at the grading fee.

How should you set the declared value?

Close to what the card would sell for. It bears on three things:

• The fee. SGC can raise the base fee on a card declared at a value that does not match its fair market value.
• Cover at SGC. The declared value only sets the most SGC’s insurance will pay. If a card is lost or damaged while SGC holds it, you are compensated up to the lower of your declared value and the fair market value SGC works out.
• Other charges. SGC can add fees for custom-cut holder inserts, for cards that need research, and for oversized or other non-standard items.

SGC will not grade or slab a card it judges altered or counterfeit, and it still charges the standard fee for the review. SGC counts trimming, recoloring, cleaning and restoration among alterations. Our checklist before grading covers what to look at first, and the glossary defines declared value.

How do you pack and mail the cards?

Ask SGC through its contact form what it wants before you pack. Our guide to shipping raw cards covers keeping cards safe in the mail in general, and how to submit cards to CGC sets out the packing method CGC asks for, which applies to CGC alone.

SGC’s mailing address is 951 West Yamato Road, Suite 101, Boca Raton, FL 33431. SGC is not responsible for loss or damage while cards are on their way to it or back to you, so cover on the way in is yours to buy from the carrier. For the way back, ask SGC what cover it provides.

What does the trip back cost?

SGC charges its own return shipping fees. For standard-size cards sent within the US:

A few conditions sit under the table:

• Both ground columns add 50 cents a card above 30 cards, and the ground rates add a $40 surcharge for a package worth $10,001 to $250,000.
• The 2-Day and Overnight prices add the same $40 only from $25,001.
• Every package goes with signature confirmation, and FedEx prices include residential delivery.
• International base rates start at $45 by FedEx International Ground (Canada and Mexico only), $60 by Economy Air and $80 by Priority Air for up to 5 cards.

That surcharge changes the cheapest choice for a valuable card. One card declared at $12,000 costs $65 to send back by Ground ($25 plus $40), but $45 by FedEx 2-Day.

Since someone must sign, plan to be in. If a package comes back to SGC, for example because no one could sign, you have to confirm your address and pay for another attempt. If SGC cannot reach you, or you do not arrange delivery, it may treat cards it has held for more than 180 days after its notice as abandoned.

What does a whole order cost?

Three examples, before your own postage to SGC:

The second order is worth $4,800 in all, over the $2,000 limit of the USPS Priority column. For 12 cards that column would have cost $25, not the $30 shown. Rip.fan’s grading cost calculator shows SGC’s levels beside CGC’s for the declared value and card count you enter, with the day each price was read. It does not include shipping both ways or insurance, so add those. Our guide to whether a card is worth grading sets the total against the price gap.

How long does it take, and how do you follow it?

Standard is estimated at 40 or more business days and Expedited at 2 to 3, both counted from when SGC unboxes and logs the order. SGC’s business days skip holidays and days its office is closed, every wait is an estimate, and SGC is not responsible for orders finished after the estimate. Effective September 2, 2026, SGC changed its service levels, citing fast-rising demand and longer waits, and warned of further changes to its levels between late 2026 and early 2027. Our guide to how long grading takes puts the waits side by side.

SGC’s account menu has a My Orders entry, and the app tracks an order’s progress through grading. SGC can charge the payment method on file for everything due, and your card issuer may hold the amount for a while. SGC releases graded cards only once every fee is paid.

What should you check when the cards arrive?

Open the box and check every card and label at once. SGC gives two deadlines: 5 business days for errors in a card’s description, and 5 calendar days for damage, discrepancies or errors. Use the shorter one. If a package never arrives, report it within 17 calendar days of its estimated delivery date, or within 30 calendar days of SGC shipping it if no date was given.

Then look up each cert number on SGC’s site. Its lookup asks for 7 digits on a black label and 11 characters on a green or white one. Our guide to spotting a fake slab covers the other checks. SGC’s holders are not waterproof or UV-resistant, so see storing graded cards next. To weigh SGC against CGC first, read CGC vs SGC.

Frequently asked questions

Is Priority Mail insured on the way to SGC?

Up to $100. USPS includes tracking and up to $100 of insurance with most Priority Mail shipments, so a card valued above that needs extra insurance bought from USPS.

How long does Priority Mail take to reach SGC?

USPS lists Priority Mail at 2 to 3 days, and the expected delivery date carries no money-back guarantee.

Can you hand cards to CGC or TAG in person, as you can at SGC?

At CGC, only Authorized Dealers by appointment and Elite members can drop cards off at its office. TAG takes drop-offs at conventions and events, and the wait starts once intake begins at its facility.