Pikachu

A PSA 10 currently sells for about $1,359, raw the card sits at $25.39 — 53,5× as much. Of 8.462 copies already graded, 12 % received a 10 and 29 % a 9. Mathematically, submitting returns $358.82 on average, before fees and shipping. Rule of thumb: submit when the value at a realistic grade is at least double the raw value — which is the case here. Centering decides it: an off-centre card will not get a 10. The grade distribution comes from the PSA Population Report; people pre-sort before submitting, so your own hit rate may differ.

Across 110 auctions the median was $34.28, across 318 fixed-price sales $29.36. Auctions therefore fetched about 17 % more — worth it mainly for sought-after cards with several bidders.

Half of all sales fell between $15.29 and $33.67, with a median of $20.56. Selling fast lands you nearer the lower end; with patience, good photos and a complete title the upper end is achievable.

The cheapest genuine sales were around $10.44. Offers well below $6.26 are typically fakes, mislabelled cards or a different variant — ask for photos of all four borders and a close-up of the surface.

lastsold uses only real sales — eBay plus auction houses like Goldin & Fanatics — recent sales count more (recency weighting), outliers and fakes are removed. It's not an estimate but actual sold prices, separated by condition, language and grading.