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Card Protection & Storage
Keeping your cards safe is rule #1. Here are the supplies I recommend and use:
Card Protection & Storage
If you’re sending cards to PSA or storing anything you might grade later, condition control starts the second you pull the card.
Penny sleeves are the baseline. Every raw card should go into one immediately. From there, anything I plan to grade gets moved into a semi-rigid holder like a Card Saver I. PSA specifically recommends semi-rigid holders for submissions and advises against using toploaders, since they can slow down processing or increase the risk of damage during removal.
Toploaders are still great for general storage and shipping cards to buyers, and magnetic one-touch cases are perfect for display or holding higher-end raw cards short term. Team bags help keep holders closed and prevent scuffing in transit, and I always keep blue painter’s tape on hand for packaging because it comes off clean without leaving residue. For shipping or submission prep, I sandwich cards between hobby armor or basic cardboard protectors to keep corners from taking hits inside the box
Research & Market Tracking
Before I buy a Bowman 1st or flagship rookie with the intention of grading it, I want to know two things:
What does a PSA 10 sell for?
And how often does this card actually gem?
Almost all of that starts with eBay sold listings. It’s still the best free comp tool in the hobby and the foundation of any grading decision. CardLadder and Market Movers are helpful for tracking longer-term trends in graded cards, especially if you’re trying to time an exit around a promotion or call-up.
Beckett’s checklist database is useful for confirming true rookie releases and making sure you’re not accidentally buying into a later-cycle rookie card that won’t carry the same resale value.
Buying & Selling
Everything I buy, sell, comp, and track runs through eBay.
It’s still the most liquid marketplace for modern cards, the best place to accumulate raw prospects before a hype cycle, and the easiest place to exit graded cards once a player gets called up or lands on a national Top 100 list.
Grading Companies
For modern Bowman Chrome and flagship rookies, most of my submissions go to PSA because it still carries the strongest resale market for newer cards.
SGC can be useful if you’re trying to move something quickly during a hype window, and BGS can make sense for certain premium chrome or auto cards where subgrades might carry a premium, but PSA is usually the safest bet if your goal is liquidity on resale.
How to Ship to PSA (Step-by-Step)
How to Ship to PSA (Step-by-Step)
PSA recommends submitting cards in semi-rigid holders, not toploaders.
Start by placing the card in a clean penny sleeve, then gently insert it into a Card Saver I style holder. Don’t force it. If it doesn’t go in easily, back it out and try again.
Once all of your cards are in holders, stack them in the exact order listed on your submission form. Place the stack between two pieces of cardboard that are slightly larger than the holders and secure the sandwich so the cards can’t slide around.
Wrap the bundle in bubble wrap or packing paper and place it in a sturdy box. Include your printed submission form, then ship with tracking and insurance that matches your declared value.
Avoid using tape, pull tabs, or sticky notes directly on the holders.
How to Ship Cards Safely (By Value)
For cards under about $50, a plain white envelope with a sleeve, toploader, team bag, and light cardboard support is usually fine, but there’s no meaningful insurance at that level.
Between $50 and $500, I use a bubble mailer with tracking. The card goes in a sleeve and either a toploader or semi-rigid holder, inside a team bag, then between cardboard.
Once you get into the $500 to $5,000 range, it’s worth using a small box with internal padding so nothing moves in transit. Signature confirmation is a good idea here.
Anything over that gets double boxed and sent overnight with full insurance.
ROI Calculator
Buying a card and sending it to PSA without running the numbers first is how you slowly lose money in this hobby.
The MKDC ROI Calculator helps you compare your raw buy price, grading costs, and PSA 9 and 10 comps so you can decide if submitting is actually a positive expected value move.
Head to the ROI Calculator and run the math before you ship.
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