Pikachu

A PSA 10 currently sells for about $1,216, raw the card sits at $40.04 — 30,4× as much. Of 3.774 copies already graded, 15 % received a 10 and 39 % a 9. Mathematically, submitting returns $348.45 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 53 auctions the median was $25.25, across 192 fixed-price sales $29.38. Fixed price therefore fetched about 16 % more — for this card patience with a set price is the better route.

Half of all sales fell between $19.19 and $34.63, with a median of $24.52. 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 $11.80. Offers well below $7.08 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.