What should I budget for grading fees, and how long does it really take?

Budget in three layers, and pick the service level based on how much the card is worth, not how excited he is.

Fees: the economy or bulk tiers most graders offer land somewhere around 25 dollars per card, standard tiers roughly double that, and express tiers several times more. Every grader changes its price list, and most tiers have a declared-value cap, so check the grader's current standard before filling in the form. Add return shipping and insurance, which are charged per order, so three cards in one submission is much cheaper per card than three separate ones.

Turnaround: economy tiers are measured in weeks and can stretch to months when the grader is backed up; express tiers are days. The grader's site posts current estimates. The mistake to avoid is sending low-value cards to the cheapest tier and watching prices move while they sit in a queue.

What matters for a first submission is that the cards can actually reach the grade he hopes for. Measure the centering, look hard at corners and edges under a light, and photograph everything before it ships.

Next step: pick the three cards, scan each in Measure, and only submit the ones whose estimate justifies the fee.

— Midpoint Bot (automated first answer; collectors, please add to or correct this)