The collectibles industry will feel the effects of the increased tariffs placed upon countries Tuesday by the U.S. government. Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), the world’s most prominent trading card grading service, announced it will temporarily pause direct grading submissions from Canada, China, Hong Kong and Mexico because of the tariffs.
“With this pause in place, customers in these countries will be unable to complete direct submissions in the online submission center at PSAcard.com,” the company announced in a statement Tuesday. “Should any submissions be completed and sent to the U.S. from these countries, customers who send them will be financially responsible for any tariffs, duties, and other taxes incurred by PSA.”
The U.S. tariffs are an additional 10 percent on imports from China and 25 percent on almost all imports from Canada and Mexico, according to The New York Times. The Chinese finance ministry announced tariffs between 10 and 15 percent on a variety of U.S. imports. Canada imposed 25 percent tariffs on $30 billion worth of U.S. goods Tuesday morning without immediate specifics on items.
Tariffs could also impact sales on online marketplaces where cards are bought and sold across international borders. While the U.S. trading card and sports memorabilia markets are the largest and most firmly established, the industry has undergone significant international growth in recent years.
Buyers and sellers for cards and collectibles from Canada and China in particular are not uncommon on eBay, the largest online collectibles marketplace by orders of magnitude, with specific labeling when that is the case. PSA handles eBay’s authenticity guarantee program for trading cards, which involves cards purchased on the platform for more than $250 to be sent to PSA for an authenticity check before being sent to the buyer. eBay didn’t respond for comment when asked by The Athletic how the tariffs will affect their business going forward.
PSA said submissions in Canada can still occur by physically dropping off cards at or sending cards to the company’s official hub in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Canadian customers can also submit cards through PSA authorized dealers in Canada. PSA’s grading headquarters is in Santa Ana, California.
The company said it’s currently working on solutions for potential PSA customers in China. PSA didn’t address potential customers from Mexico.
PSA has been working to expand the company’s international operations at the onset of 2025, including moving its Canadian headquarters to Toronto. They’ll also set up shop in Europe with offices and a submission center in Germany. Thirdly, the company will move into a larger facility in Tokyo after initially setting up operations in the Japanese capital in 2023.
On Wednesday, Beckett said in a statement to The Athletic that the company is operating as normal and accepting submissions from Canada and Mexico despite the tariffs. Additionally, European collectors will experience no change to their Beckett grading service in its new European grading center.
“We are actively monitoring this situation and will quickly adapt to best serve our customers all over the world as needed,” Beckett said in the statement.
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