Is Tropius worth grading?
Pokémon · Plasma Blast · 5/101 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 531× premium in PSA 8
A PSA 8 Tropius sells for $159 against $0.30 raw: a $159 spread, 531× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($23.34) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $0.30
- PSA 8
- $159
- PSA 9
- $23.34
- Gem premium
- 531×
- As of
- Sep 27, 2026
Break-even by outcome and fee
| If it comes back… | Sells for | Economy / bulk (~$25.00) | Standard (~$50.00) | Express (~$150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem — PSA 8 | $159 | +$134 | +$109 | +$8.95 |
| PSA 9 | $23.34 | −$1.96 | −$26.96 | −$127 |
| PSA 8 | $159 | +$134 | +$109 | +$8.95 |
Net = sale price − $0.30 raw value − fee. Fee tiers are illustrative; plug your grader's current price into the calculator below.
Expected value — how often does it need to gem?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $57.32 | +$7.02 |
| 50% | $91.30 | +$41.00 |
| 75% | $125 | +$74.97 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 20%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
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Grading Tropius — FAQ
Is Tropius worth grading?
A PSA 8 Tropius sells for $159 against $0.30 raw: a $159 spread, 531× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($23.34) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
What gem rate makes grading Tropius break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Tropius breaks even when it gems about 20% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $23.34).
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