How to choose the right grading level?
Step 1: Identify the card
To find the correct value, you usually have to start by identifying the card you want to find the value on. For most TCGs, the cards have a unique combination of name and number that makes it easy to look up the individual card.
For the example in the picture, this is "Charizard" and "4/102".
Step 2: Search for the card
Once you have identified the card, you can look it up online. There are several good options for price data, for example, you can use pricecharting.com
By searching for "Charizard" + "4/102" we get a list of the cards that best match the search criteria. Here Pricecharting also has pictures of each card, so if you are unsure you can also compare with the pictures to find the right card.
Step 3: Find value
When you have searched for the card, you will see a list with an overview of values for different conditions (gradings) of the card, and when you are assessing the value of an ungraded card, you must use the "ungraded" (or "raw") value.
For our example, the value is approximately $229 for Charizard before it is graded, and it would then be appropriate to choose the grading level $500 as $200 would be too low! This value will of course depend on how worn the card is, and if there are large variations in value for cards with varying wear, you will also find more detailed price statistics on the page that can be used.
Step 4: Consider Upcharge
In most cases, it is wise to be aware of the possibility that the card may be upcharged to a higher grading level if the grade (and thus the value after grading) becomes higher than expected.
If the Charizard in our example had been submitted at the $500 level, this would have covered all the way up to grade PSA7, but if the card had been given a higher grade we see that the value would have exceeded $500. Thus, a PSA8 and higher would have resulted in an upcharge to the correct level.