Pikachu

A PSA 10 currently sells for about $1,729, raw the card sits at $16.97 — 101,9× as much. Of 333 copies already graded, 9 % received a 10 and 41 % a 9. Mathematically, submitting returns $465.06 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 19 auctions the median was $12.25, across 121 fixed-price sales $17.70. Fixed price therefore fetched about 45 % more — for this card patience with a set price is the better route.

Half of all sales fell between $8.88 and $23.61, with a median of $14.49. 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 $4.92. Offers well below $2.95 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.