How to Get Pokémon Cards Graded in South Africa (2026 Guide)

By Mitchell Taljaard · 17 Aug 2026 · Updated 19 Oct 2026

You don't need an overseas account, a foreign courier or a credit card in dollars. You need your cards, some sleeves and semi-rigid holders, and a tracked courier.

We're Cuppas Cards, a South African PCG submission service. We don't grade cards ourselves: PCG assigns every grade. This guide walks through exactly what happens from the moment you pick a card to the day your slab arrives.

Step 1: Pick the cards worth grading

Grade a card when the slab is likely to be worth more than the card plus the grading cost. Through us, that cost is R593 per card plus 3% of the card's declared value, before your postage to us and delivery back. Our full grading cost breakdown has worked examples.

A quick check before you submit:

• Value. A card worth R150 raw rarely earns back R600 of grading. Chase cards, alt arts and vintage holos are the usual candidates, but check recent sold prices for the graded card first.
• Condition. Look at the corners, edges, surface and centering under a bright light. A visible crease or whitening caps the grade. Our pre-grading checklist walks through each check.
• Purpose. Grading for your own collection is about protection and display. Grading to sell is about the grade you'll get.

If you're weighing PCG against PSA for a valuable card, our PCG vs PSA comparison covers cost, turnaround and resale value.

Step 2: Submit your cards online

The submission form has three steps, and one card is enough for an order.

1. Your cards. PCG Standard is already selected. It's R495 per card: the grading fee (£15, about R325) plus your card's share of the DHL trip to the UK and back. Enter each card's name, set and declared value.
2. Check your cards. Confirm the list is right.
3. Review and pay. Add your return address, check the summary with customs, VAT and insurance added, then pay securely through Payfast.

You'll need an account at the last step. If you have to sign up or log in, the form keeps your cards in the same browser for up to 7 days. Once you've paid, you get an order number by email. Keep it, because it goes in your parcel.

Step 3: Declare each card's value honestly

Declare what the card is worth raw today, as close as you can tell. Your declared value sets two things: the insurance you pay and the amount any claim pays out.

• Insurance costs 3% of the declared value. DHL charges 1% for the trip out and 1% of double the value for the trip home, once the card is graded (our insurance terms).
• A claim pays on the declared value. If a card is lost on the way out, the payout is based on what you declared. On the way back, it's based on twice that.

So a card declared at R1,000 costs R30 to insure. Declaring it at R200 to save R24 would leave it badly under-insured.

Customs and VAT don't depend on your declared value. They're an estimated 20% duty plus 15% VAT on the R280 grading value, about R98 per card, paid at checkout (our customs terms).

Step 4: Pack your cards the right way

Good packing protects your grade before the card even reaches PCG. Follow these five steps, based on our shipping and packing guide. Our guide to packing cards for grading explains each step in more detail:

1. Sleeve each card upside down in a clear, loose-fit penny sleeve. Tight or coloured sleeves make it hard to remove the card safely.
2. Put it in a semi-rigid holder right-side up, with a pull-tab sticking out the top so the card slides out easily.
3. Stack the cards in the same order as your online submission, and add your printed confirmation or a note with your order number.
4. Sandwich the stack between sturdy cardboard held with painter's tape, wrap it in bubble wrap and box it so nothing moves.
5. Seal the box and write your order number on the outside.

What not to do:

• No toploaders
• No tape on the semi-rigid holders
• No tight rubber bands around cards
• No loose cards

Cards that arrive loose, in toploaders or badly protected are re-sleeved for R50 per card before we process them. That fee is added to your return delivery bill.

Step 5: Post your cards to us, tracked

In Cape Town, you can also hand your cards over at our booth at collector shows. Otherwise, send your parcel to our intake address in Swellendam with a tracked courier, such as Pudo or The Courier Guy. Don't use standard post. The full address is on the shipping guide and in your confirmation email.

You pay for this leg yourself. Keep the tracking number until your dashboard shows that your cards have arrived.

Step 6: Follow your order to PCG and back

Every order moves through six stages, and you can see each one on our order tracking page:

Cards travel in pooled batches of 50, and a batch ships once it fills. So there can be a wait between your cards arriving and the batch leaving.

From dispatch, we expect slabs back in South Africa in about 40 days. That's our expected time, not a track record yet: our first batch is still out. We'll publish the real dates once it returns.

Changed your mind? You can cancel for a full refund, minus payment gateway fees, until your cards ship in a batch. After that, the order is locked (our cancellation policy).

Step 7: Get your slabs back

When your slabs land back with us, we get them to you. Local delivery is billed once your order is complete:

• Pudo locker to locker, from R60
• DHL door to door, from R250
• Collection in person, free, by arrangement: in Swellendam or at an event where we have our stand

This last leg isn't covered by our DHL insurance, which ends when your slabs reach us. Pudo's cover is capped at R1,500, so collecting in person is the safest choice for high-value slabs.

Every PCG slab shows the overall grade and four printed subgrades: centering, corners, edges and surface (PCG FAQ). You can look up each slab on PCG's population report.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I submit just one card?

Yes. One card is enough for an order. Your card joins a pooled batch with other collectors' cards, which keeps the shipping cost per card down.

Do I need an account to submit?

Yes, at the last step of the form. You can add your cards first, then sign up or log in. The form keeps your cards in the same browser for up to 7 days.

What happens if my cards are lost in transit?

Your cards are insured with DHL on both international legs, from us to PCG and from PCG back to us, under DHL Express's terms of carriage. A claim pays out on your declared value, or twice that on the way back from PCG. That cover doesn't include your own post to us or the final delivery to you. Pick a tracked courier for your parcel to us, and collect high-value slabs in person, because Pudo's cover is capped at R1,500.

How much does it cost in total?

For a card declared at R1,000, it's R623: R495 for the service, R98 for customs and VAT, and R30 for insurance. Your postage to us and local delivery back are extra.

Before you send your first card

Start with one or two cards you care about, so you can see the whole process before sending a bigger stack. Pack every card in a semi-rigid holder, post it tracked, and keep your order number handy.

Questions about a submission? Get in touch. Prices are as of 19 October 2026.