So here's one for you. PSA just opened up a brand new facility out in Plano, Texas — their fifth grading plant now — supposedly to chew through that backlog they've been sitting on. And I'll give 'em credit, July was their biggest grading month on record, better than ten percent over their old high. That's real output. But the backlog still went up, from 11 million cards to 12.4 million. You read that right. They built a whole new building and the hole got deeper. That tells you everything you need to know about how many cards are getting shoved into this hobby right now.
Then over at The National this week, PSA had to shut down their On-Site Express service — the $229.99 option where you could walk up, hand over your cards, and get 'em back graded before the show ended. Why'd they kill it? Because on day one of the show alone, more cards came in for that service than they took in for the entire 2025 National. Folks lined up like it was a Springsteen ticket line. They're still running the pricier On-Site Super Express at $399 if you get there before noon, but the cheap seats are gone.
Look, I've been sending cards off to PSA since back when you'd get a turnaround measured in weeks, not "check the backlog tracker and pray." I learned the hard way years ago not to submit anything I needed back on a deadline — sent a nice '86 Fleer Clemens in for a quick flip before a show and didn't see it again for four months. If you're thinking about submitting anything for grading right now, especially anything time-sensitive, don't. Budget for months, not weeks, and if it's not something you need graded urgently, this is exactly the kind of environment where raw cards or other grading companies with shorter waits start looking a lot more sensible. The Red Sox fans in the crowd are used to long waits for good things — the rest of us are gonna have to get used to it too, apparently.