Three-way comparison
PSA vs BGS vs TAG: Build a Three-Way Decision
A three-company comparison is useful only when each path gets its own realistic quote and expected sale value. Copying one grade or premium across all three creates false precision.
Use this page as a decision worksheet: eliminate ineligible paths, compare the information each outcome gives you, then test the surviving choices financially.
Dated CardRevive starting prices and planning assumptions
Assumptions reviewed 13 July 2026. PSA and BGS defaults use CardRevive's published middleman starting prices effective 11 July 2026. TAG uses an illustrative external planning placeholder because TAG is not a currently listed CardRevive middleman service. Every value remains editable: final fees, declared-value rules, eligibility, insurance, shipping, upcharges and turnaround can change. Replace every default with the confirmed service and shipping quote before deciding.
Verify current CardRevive middleman services and starting pricesCompany context for this decision
PSA
- Editable fee default
- A$172.00 AUD
- Illustrative turnaround
- 5–95+ days
- • CardRevive models PSA as a single overall 1–10 grade estimate, not an official result.
- • A straightforward overall grade can be easier to compare, while it provides less condition detail than a subgrade-oriented label.
- • The default fee is CardRevive's published middleman starting price; confirm the service level, declared-value rules, final fees and card eligibility before dispatch.
BGS
- Editable fee default
- A$55.00 AUD
- Illustrative turnaround
- 5–75+ days
- • CardRevive's BGS-style estimate separates centering, corners, edges and surface before deriving an overall estimate.
- • Condition detail can help explain why a card may not reach the next grade, but CardRevive cannot predict an official label.
- • The default fee is CardRevive's published middleman starting price; confirm label options, declared-value rules, final fees and card eligibility before dispatch.
TAG
- Editable fee default
- A$31.00 AUD
- Illustrative turnaround
- 2–45+ days
- • CardRevive presents a TAG-style estimate mapped from its own condition model; it is not TAG's proprietary photometric result.
- • TAG is not a currently listed CardRevive middleman service, so this editable fee is an illustrative external planning placeholder rather than a CardRevive price.
- • Compare the report and holder experience you want, rather than treating a numerical estimate as interchangeable across companies.
- • Check current supported cards, service features, shipping and eligibility directly before submission.
Use a disciplined elimination order
Start with eligibility, then image-supported grade range, then holder-specific demand, and only then compare the total financial result. This prevents a low headline fee from dominating a path that does not fit the card.
- • Is the exact card accepted by the service you want?
- • Does the likely grade still add value at the low end of the estimate?
- • Are there enough comparable sales to support the expected value?
- • Does the result stay positive after shipping and selling fees?
Keep a downside case beside the headline case
Run the calculator twice for every company: once at the likely outcome and once one grade lower. If the decision only works at the optimistic grade, holding or selling raw may be more rational.
Worked illustration
Example: comparing three holder-specific sale outcomes
The example shows one scenario only. A proper three-way comparison reruns the expected graded value for PSA, BGS and TAG separately.
- Starting value
- A$100.00 AUD
- Expected graded value
- A$300.00 AUD
- Service + shipping
- A$59.00 AUD
- Selling fee assumption
- 13.0%
Modeled result: grade. Break-even versus selling raw is A$167.82 AUD, and the modeled difference versus selling raw is A$115.00 AUD. This is an illustration, not a forecast.
Anonymous calculator
Run the same card through three scenarios
Select a company, edit the assumptions and record the result. Repeat for the other paths using holder-specific sale evidence.
Planning assumptions only. Replace the company fee and turnaround with your current quote. All amounts are AUD.
The likely-grade and one-grade-lower sale values create a transparent local grade/value slope for the break-even-grade estimate. Replace both with sold evidence; card prices are not reliably linear.
Modeled next step
Grade
Your assumptions put the graded path ahead of selling raw by A$115.00 AUD before tax.
- Versus selling raw
- A$115.00 AUD
- Estimated economic profit
- A$102.00 AUD
- Break-even versus raw sale
- A$167.82 AUD
- Simple modeled ROI
- 64.2%
- Approx. break-even grade
- Grade 7.2
TAG fee and 24-day turnaround are editable assumptions. Break-even versus raw sale includes the raw alternative's modeled selling fee.
- • The likely grade and future sale value are estimates, not guarantees.
- • Taxes, insurance, currency conversion by your payment provider, and unexpected service charges are not included.
- • The break-even grade uses your two sale values as a local A$75.00 AUD-per-grade slope. Real card prices can jump or flatten between grades, so verify sold listings at each grade.
Questions collectors ask
Which of PSA, BGS and TAG is best?
There is no universal answer. Best can mean strongest sold evidence for a card, most useful condition detail, preferred report experience, eligible service or best net result.
Should I use the same likely grade for all three?
Use CardRevive estimates as a starting range, but do not assume official grades are interchangeable. Test a conservative downside for each path.
How often should I update this comparison?
Refresh the company quote and recent sales immediately before submitting. The assumptions on this page are dated, editable and not live pricing.
Create the grade range that anchors all three cases
Start with a scan-based estimate, then model each company independently rather than choosing from reputation alone.
Start with this card