This is the arbitration of collectors who have moved past the PSA reflex: the American company strong on TCG, which now grades TCG in Munich, against the French one. Both are legitimate — not for the same cards.
CGC is the right choice if the card targets an international sale or is Japanese TCG: a slab well liked on Pokémon and Japanese cards, recognised wherever TCG trades, and since 12 January 2026 graded in Munich — €22.61 incl. VAT per card at Economy, 45 working days as published, no customs from inside the EU. PCA is the right choice if the cards stay on the French-speaking market: €12.90 per card at Classic (six months) or €19.90 at Fast (one month), an intra-EU shipment with no customs — at the price of limited liquidity beyond francophone Europe. The card's destination decides, not the listed fee.
01 — Data
| Criterion | CGC | PCA |
|---|---|---|
| Base | United States; TCG graded in Munich (Germany) since 12 January 2026 | France |
| Subgrades | None listed on the official fee grid | Not by default; offered as an option |
| Scale | 1 to 10 | 1 to 10+, the 10+ above the 10 |
| Entry tier | €22.61 incl. VAT / card (Economy, Munich, value ≤ €1,000) | €12.90 / card (Classic; €10.90 from 10 cards), value ≤ €249 |
| Stated turnaround | 45 working days (every Munich tier except Bulk, 75), plus transit | 6 months (Classic) · 1 month (Fast, €19.90), plus transit |
| Customs and import VAT | None for TCG sent to Munich from the EU | Not applicable |
| Return shipping | €33.32 incl. VAT to Germany, €38.08 to France (1-5 cards) | Not published |
| Home turf | TCG, Japanese Pokémon, well-liked slab | French market, bulk lots, one month at its Fast tier |
| Liquidity | International, behind PSA | Good in France, limited beyond |
02 — Details
CGC has built a genuine reputation on Japanese TCG that the international market recognises. A CGC slab on a Japanese card sells everywhere; a PCA slab, mostly in francophone Europe. On this segment the liquidity gap justifies the higher fee — and, since Munich grades TCG, there are no customs to pay on top.
On twenty cards worth €30-€80 each, every euro per card counts: €10.90 per card at PCA's Classic tier from 10 cards, against €22.61 at CGC Munich's Economy tier — provided you can wait six months. If you cannot, PCA's Fast tier (€19.90, one month) and CGC Munich (€22.61, 45 working days) are within a few euros of each other.
Neither is a safe bet: CGC's official fee grids list no subgrade line (checked on 29 September 2026), and PCA does not print them by default. If per-criterion detail matters — to understand a grade, argue a sale, track a collection — confirm with the company before submitting; BGS is the one whose label is built around four subgrades.
With no sale planned, liquidity stops mattering. What remains is full cost — PCA's Classic tier is the cheapest if you can wait six months — turnaround, where CGC Munich's 45 working days beat Classic, and slab aesthetics, a matter of taste.
03 — Questions
Internationally, yes, clearly: the CGC slab is recognised wherever TCG trades. On the French market the gap narrows — and the PCA scale goes up to 10+, a notch the CGC scale does not have. Comparing numbers without comparing scales remains the classic trap.
Not for trading card games sent from the EU: CGC has graded them in Munich since 12 January 2026, so the cards stay inside the EU. Customs only come back if you ship to CGC in the United States yourself. Sports cards and mixed submissions sent to Munich are graded in the US, with shipping and insurance between Munich and the US included in CGC's fees.
Yes: Munich, Germany. CGC has graded trading card games full-time there since 12 January 2026, and accepts submissions directly or through an authorised dealer, on a euro grid including VAT — Economy €22.61 per card (value up to €1,000), Standard €61.88, Express €113.05, all 45 working days as published. Sports cards are still graded in the US. Checked on 29 September 2026; CGC's official page prevails.
On its home turf, yes: the French company has graded since 2016, with several experts per card and a real domestic secondary market. What it lacks is not rigour but international audience — a parameter that only matters if you sell outside francophone Europe.
No. GradeMate is an independent pre-grading tool with no affiliation to any grading company. The analysis gives the estimate for the company you target — CGC and PCA included — and compares it with the others.
04 — Read next
Per-company estimate, quantified flaws and an indicative price: arbitrate with data.