Card Grading in Cape Town: Drop Off Cards at Our Booth
By Mitchell Taljaard · · Updated
Cape Town has a busy collector scene, but grading still usually means posting your cards and hoping they arrive safely. Our booth gives you another option: hand them to us across the table.
We're Cuppas Cards, a PCG submission service for South African Pokémon collectors. We don't grade cards ourselves: PCG assigns every grade. We take our grading booth to collector shows around Cape Town, including Collect-A-Con in December, and you can submit cards right there.
How does drop-off at our booth work?
You can submit and hand over your cards in one visit. It takes four steps:
- Submit on the spot. Use the tablet at our booth, or scan our QR code and use your own phone. The form is the same one on our submission page, set up for in-person drop-off. You'll log in or create a free account, so we can email you updates. If you use our tablet, log out when you're done.
- Pay for your order. You'll see the full total first, with customs, VAT and insurance added.
- Hand your cards to us. Show us the 4-digit handover code on your confirmation screen, and we check your cards against your order at the table.
- Get your confirmation. Once we've logged your cards, you get an email confirming we have them.
From there, your cards join the next pooled batch to PCG in the UK, the same as posted orders. You can follow every stage on our order tracking page.
What should you bring to the booth?
Bring your cards ready to hand over, so your drop-off is quick:
- Each card in a penny sleeve and a semi-rigid holder. Our shipping and packing guide shows how. Cards that arrive loose or badly protected are re-sleeved for R50 each.
- A declared value for each card. It sets your insurance, which is 3% of the declared value.
- Your phone, if you'd rather submit on your own device than our tablet.
Not sure which cards are worth grading? Our pre-grading checklist helps you check each one before the show.
How much does booth drop-off cost?
Booth drop-off costs the same as posting your cards, minus the postage. It's R495 per card, including PCG's £15 grading fee (PCG UK pricing) and your card's share of the DHL trip to the UK and back. Customs, VAT and insurance are added at checkout.
For a card declared at R1,000, that's R623, with nothing extra if you collect your slabs at a show. Delivery back by Pudo is from R60. Our cost breakdown shows every line.
Can you post cards from Cape Town instead?
Yes. If you can't make a show, post your cards to us in Swellendam with a tracked courier. Most customers use Pudo locker to door, which costs about R70. Our step-by-step grading guide covers the whole process.
How do you get your slabs back?
We expect slabs back in South Africa about 40 days after a batch ships to PCG. Our first batch is still out, so you can follow yours on the tracking page. When your slabs come back, you can collect them free, by arrangement, at one of our shows or in Swellendam. You can also have them delivered by Pudo locker to locker, from R60.
For valuable slabs, collecting in person is the safest choice. Our DHL insurance ends when your slabs reach us, and Pudo's cover on the final delivery is capped at R1,500.
Where can you find our booth?
As of October 2026, we'll be at Collect-A-Con in Cape Town on 12 and 13 December 2026, from 10am to 4pm at the Fire and Ice Hotel. It's a travelling collectors' convention with trading cards, tournaments and vendors.
We post upcoming shows on our Instagram. Follow us there to see where we'll be next.
Running a show yourself? You can book our grading booth for your TCG expo or collector event in Cape Town.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to submit online before the show?
No. You can submit right at our booth on the tablet, or on your phone by scanning our QR code.
Is booth drop-off cheaper than posting?
The grading price is the same, R495 per card. You just save the cost of posting your cards to us.
Can I collect my slabs at a show?
Yes. Collection is free, by arrangement, at one of our shows or in Swellendam.
Can I buy graded slabs at the booth?
We sell PCG graded Pokémon slabs at our booth. Our guide to buying graded slabs covers what to check before you buy any slab.
Prices as of 19 October 2026.