How to trade PSA® graded cards carefully

Card-for-card trades are the most fun part of the hobby — and the easiest place to get burned. Here's the checklist I use for every trade.

1. Verify the slab

• Run the cert on PSA Cert Verification and compare the card, year, set and grade to what you've been shown.
• For a vaulted card, ask the other collector to confirm it appears in their PSA Collection as a vaulted item. On Card Inertia every listed and offered card carries its PSA cert number and a Verify this cert on psacard.com link, so you can check it before you accept.

2. Check the person, not just the card

• Look for trade history and references in the communities you both use. On Card Inertia, check the member's Trusted Trader score — completed trades, member since, verified email and 2FA badges.
• Be cautious with brand-new accounts, pressure to rush, or requests to move the conversation somewhere odd.

3. Put the deal in writing

Spell out exactly which cards move each way (year, set, player, parallel, grade), who sends first, and by when. Keep the conversation on record.

4. Prefer Vault-to-Vault when both cards are vaulted

If both slabs are in the PSA Vault (it holds PSA and BGS slabs), a Vault-to-Vault transfer removes shipping, packaging and in-transit damage from the picture. It doesn't remove counterparty risk — transfers are final — so the other steps still matter.

5. Decide who sends first

• The collector with less established history usually sends first, or you split a multi-card trade into rounds.
• For bigger trades, some collectors use a trusted middleman. Agree on this up front.

6. Confirm and close the loop

Once each card lands in your PSA Collection, confirm to your partner and leave a reference where your community tracks them.

If you're shipping graded slabs instead

Use tracked, insured shipping, quality slab sleeves and a snug box, and photograph the cards and the package before it goes out.

This is general collector guidance, not legal advice. On Card Inertia, trade confirmations and completion are the responsibility of the trading partners.