PSA Crossover for cards graded by another company
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PSA Crossover evaluates a card already graded by another company while it remains in that company's holder. You specify a minimum acceptable PSA grade. If PSA determines the card meets that minimum, it removes and encapsulates the card in a PSA holder; otherwise it returns the original holder.
The official Crossover service also states that the full grading fee applies regardless of success. Crossover is therefore a paid evaluation with a condition, rather than a guaranteed conversion between two companies' numerical grades. This guide explains the decision and the practical checks for a collector submitting from Spain.
Crossover starts with another company's holder
The starting point distinguishes this service from PSA Review and Reholder. Review concerns a card already graded by PSA, while Reholder concerns its PSA encapsulation. Crossover addresses a card in another grading company's holder.
Before selecting the service, identify the current grader and confirm that the submission route you intend to use accepts the card and holder through Crossover. A submission interface or intermediary can have its own scope and instructions. Do not assume an unrelated PSA service achieves the same conditional conversion.
Keep the current holder intact for the Crossover process. The official service evaluates the card within that holder before deciding whether it meets the selected minimum. Removing the card yourself changes the starting situation and loses that conditional handling of the original encapsulation.
The minimum grade is an instruction
PSA requires a minimum acceptable grade for Crossover. This tells PSA the lowest result for which you authorise the conversion under the service. It is not your prediction of the result and not an assurance that the card qualifies.
The official page describes a minimum of 1 as accepting any numerical grade. That does not mean the card is guaranteed to receive a numerical grade or that every authentication issue disappears. The service's eligibility and grading requirements still apply.
| Decision | What it means for the submission |
|---|---|
| Choose a high minimum | Conversion is acceptable only if PSA determines that minimum is met |
| Choose a lower minimum | You accept a wider range of qualifying PSA grades |
| Choose 1 | You accept any numerical grade under the described service |
| Assume the other company's grade converts automatically | This is not the Crossover procedure |
Write the minimum you are actually willing to accept. If receiving a lower PSA grade would undermine your reason for converting, do not select that grade just to increase the chance of getting a PSA holder.
The existing grade is not a conversion table
Grading companies can differ in standards, labels and handling. A grade of 9.5 from another company does not establish a mandatory PSA result. Crossover is an evaluation against PSA's standards, rather than rounding another label to the nearest PSA number.
Similarly, subgrades or a premium label on the existing holder do not guarantee a particular overall PSA grade. They may be information you consider when deciding whether to submit, but the new assessment is what determines whether the selected minimum is met.
Avoid constructing a table such as “company X 10 always equals PSA 10.” A collector may have examples of successful conversions, but those individual outcomes do not create a universal mapping for other cards, conditions or holder designs.
Successful and unsuccessful outcomes
When PSA determines that the card meets the specified minimum, the described process removes it from the original holder and places it in a PSA holder with the resulting grade. The old encapsulation is therefore not preserved as an alternative completed result.
When it does not meet the minimum, the service returns the original holder. You have paid for the evaluation but have not obtained the requested PSA conversion. Keep that possibility in your budget rather than treating a failed conversion as a free attempt.
Read the current submission terms for exceptions, eligibility and handling details. The PSA terms and conditions govern the service alongside the instructions for the selected submission route. A brief marketplace description cannot replace those documents.
Budget for the attempt, not only success
The grading fee applies regardless of whether the card crosses. Add the costs relevant to your actual route: transport, chosen protection, intermediary charges where used, and the return arrangements shown in the quote. Avoid using a single advertised base fee as the complete Spain-to-PSA total.
Currency, taxes and import handling depend on the actual service, location and shipment arrangement. Check the written quote and the carrier or intermediary's current instructions. This article does not supply a fixed customs total, because that would require the details of the individual transaction.
Compare the total cost with your reason for converting. If the aim is matching holders in a personal collection, the benefit is aesthetic and organisational. If the aim is resale, evaluate relevant comparable copies rather than assuming the PSA label alone pays for the submission.
Check the card identity before submission
Confirm the exact card, set, language, collector number and variant represented by the current label. A holder can contain a correctly graded card while its description still deserves checking against the physical printing. Record the current certificate number and photograph the holder and label.
Those records identify what you sent and support your own collection bookkeeping. They do not guarantee a new grade, but they make it easier to compare the returned item with the submission and update your inventory accurately.
Also inspect the holder's condition without trying to repair or open it. Scratches on the plastic are not automatically scratches on the card, but damaged or obscuring encapsulation can affect what you can assess beforehand. Describe uncertainty instead of inventing an unseen surface condition.
If you use an intermediary in Spain
Confirm that the intermediary is offering the Crossover procedure you intend, not a raw-card grading service after opening the holder. Ask how your minimum grade is recorded, what fees apply when the card does not cross, and how the original holder is returned in that outcome.
Obtain the written handling and shipment terms before handing over a valuable card. The relevant details include who accepts the item, what submission reference you receive, and which stages the quoted price includes. A familiar social-media account is not a substitute for clear transaction terms.
When comparing routes, use the same intended outcome and minimum grade. Two quotes can appear different because one includes return transport or an intermediary fee that the other leaves separate. Compare the documented total rather than only the headline price.
Decide whether the original holder already meets your needs
You may prefer the original company's label, holder or collecting system. Crossover is useful when there is a concrete reason to change, but it is not an automatic maintenance step for every graded card.
For a hypothetical collector building a display of matching PSA holders, a specific minimum can make the acceptance condition clear. Another collector who values the original grade and presentation may reasonably keep the card where it is. Their different objectives can lead to different choices for the same physical card.
If the only reason is a hoped-for price increase, compare that hope with the fee payable even on failure and the loss of the original encapsulation on success. A new holder and a higher market return are separate outcomes; one does not guarantee the other.
Update the record after the result
For a later sale, describe the holder actually accompanying the card. If a successful Crossover produced PSA 9, do not title the listing with the former company's higher number as though that remained the current grade. You can retain documented history separately, but a buyer should be able to identify the present certificate and result without reconstructing the submission story.
On return, check the submission result and the holder you received. If the card crossed, update the grader, certificate number and actual grade in your collection record. Preserve the earlier information as history rather than continuing to advertise the old grade as the current encapsulated result.
If it did not cross, record the attempt and its cost separately from the original grade. An unsuccessful minimum-grade evaluation does not supply a precise new PSA grade that you can invent for a later listing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Crossover free when the minimum is not met?
No. PSA states that the full grading fee applies regardless of success. Your route can also involve other documented costs.
Does another company's 10 guarantee PSA 10?
No. PSA evaluates the card against its own standards. The existing numerical label is not a mandatory conversion result.
Should I open the holder before requesting Crossover?
The described service starts with the other company's holder intact. Opening it changes the submission situation and removes the original-holder condition that makes Crossover distinct.