FAQ

HiroGrading

What is HiroGrading?

HiroGrading is the new name for Robear’s/PackBreak.LIVE’s CGC grading service. HiroGrading is part of a registered company, which brings many advantages. This way, both we and you are much better protected in terms of insurance and payments.

Which grading companies do you work with?

We are currently working with the 3 largest US grading companies: PSA, BECKETT & CGC.

Which trading card games can I grade with HiroGrading?

CGC: Pokémon, Magic, Dragon Ball Super, Final Fantasy TCG, Fire Emblem Cipher, Flesh and Blood, Force of Will, Harry Potter, MetaZoo, My Hero Academia, Wiess Schwarz , World of Warcraft.

PSA : Pokémon (other TCGs upon request)

BECKETT: Pokémon (other TCGs upon request)

Where are you located?

HiroGrading is part of GradingGroup VOF, which is a Belgian company located at Holestraat 80, 9552 Borsbeke.
We also have an address in the Netherlands (Bergen op Zoom). You can choose to which of these addresses you send the cards. It is also possible to bring these by appointment too.

Grading

What is Grading?
Grading a card can be interpeted as having a card assessed. An expert will inspect your card and then give it 1 or more scores.
 
Once this score has been awarded, your card will be placed in a hard case from which it cannot be removed. This guarantees that the card can no longer be damaged and the score will therefore always be correct.
What are the benefits of grading?
  • Your card is protected
  • Your card will be worth more
  • Possibly faster sales
What is the use of your service? Can't I just send my cards to these companies myself?
The grading of trading cards at American grading companies is less evident than it seems.
 
When you choose our service, you don’t have to worry about shipping, insurance, customs costs… and all the other administrative hassle that comes with it.
 
Many people only send a small volume of cards, which makes it even more expensive/not worth doing it yourself. Shipping and insurance costs quickly add up when you send packages back and forth from America.
 
Because we aim for a higher volume and less profit margin, you will always pay a very favorable rate for our services.
 
We use premium shipping options and insurance. As a result, our shipments arrive very quickly (usually within 48 hours) at our partners and we also have a very low risk of errors.
 
Rest assured that your cards are in safe hands with a team with over 30 years of combined experience in the hobby and collecting of TCGs
 
Your cards are treated very carefully, correct and correct advice is included in the price you pay to have your cards graded.
 
The goal of HiroGrading is to provide a correct service, we want you to know what to expect to avoid disappointment.
 
In such a way that you want to grade more and more often, enjoy your achievements in grading and stay in the hobby longer.
How long will it take to get my cards back?
Depending on which grading tier you have chosen, you can expect your cards back sooner.
 
On the website of CGC itself you can find the current processing times here (see Trading Card Games):
 
https://www.cgccomics.com/submit/services-fees/cgc-grading/
 
Don’t forget that you have to add another 3 weeks for the shipment of HiroGrading to CGC and back.
How many cards do I have to send at least to use your service?

We at HiroGrading believe that grading should be for everyone, so grading is possible from 1 card.

What are subgrades?
Subgrades are the 4 numbers below your total grade that stand for: Centering, Surface, Edges & Corners.
 
These give you a better view of how your total grade has been established (only possible with Beckett/CGC).
What is the best grading service for my cards?

If in doubt you can always ask for advice via our social media channels or reach us by mail at info@hirograding.com where we are always ready to give advice.

Where can I find updates on my submitted cards?
You can follow this up by logging into your personal account.
 
The status of your cards will be continuously updated during the process.
 
For news and general updates about our service you can always follow our Facebook group where you can find a permanent spreadsheet with the status of our shipments.
When is the grading deadline?

Every month we will set a grading deadline. This can be different month by month. This is always pinned to the top of our website.

The cards I have sent have been on their way for much longer than the indicated turnaround time, what now?

The turnaround times that we have on our website are the times when we currently see the cards from our grading partners back. Unfortunately, it is always possible that due to unusual popularity or unforeseen circumstances, this turnaround time takes longer than indicated. We have very good contact with our grading partners and respond quickly to request information if a shipment takes a little longer than usual.

The service/tier with which I would like to use is not available/sold out?

We are constantly looking at the best options for grading, sometimes we may temporarily suspend a service because another tier/service is currently more efficient or that our grading partner is temporarily unable to offer it.

How can I be sure that I will get my card back if others send the same?

HiroGrading stands for card guarantee, we will spread duplicates of different cards as much as possible in our submission. Also, your card will be assigned a specific number in the entry when we send it and mix ups are next to impossible.

Can I send via different tiers and services in 1 shipment?
Yes you can! This is one of the strong points of HiroGrading so that you can make the best choice per card.
 
Be aware if you use different tiers and services the cards will come back at different times and you will have to pay shipping costs for each tier separately.
Can I request a refund when my cards have already been processed?

Unfortunately, from the moment your cards have been processed, this process is irreversible and you can no longer request a refund.

Unfortunately my cards only arrived at HiroGrading after the grading deadline, what now?

We will already process and prepare your cards for the next grading deadline. In the meantime, the cards will be kept in a secure location.

What happens if my cards get lost?

We at HiroGrading naturally assume that this will never happen, but our policy is ‘better safe than sorry’, we will make sure that your cards are always 100% insured on the raw value and we use the best shipping methods to ship your cards as efficiently as possible, both to you and to our grading partners and back. If it should nevertheless go wrong, our insurance will cover the damage suffered.

CGC Grading

Why should I choose CGC?
There are different grading companies, each with their own characteristics. For example, in addition to CGC, you also have PSA and BGS.
 
We are fans of CGC for the following reasons:
 
  • Attractive prices
    • CGC’s grading costs are attractive compared to competitors
  • Consistent grading
    • CGC is consistent. This means that they are always the same strict on assessing cards.
  • Transparant grading
    • CGC is transparent. CGC communicates quickly and openly. At CGC you can assume that the proposed turnaround times will be the effective times.
  • Popularity
    • CGC has already become very popular for grading Pokémon cards in a short time. We are convinced that this popularity will not diminish. The more CGC graded cards there are, the more interest there will be for them.
Are you an official CGC partner?

That’s right! We have successfully completed the process of becoming an official CGC partner and now have access to the CGC partner portal. This means that we get updates from CGC faster and the cards we send in may be processed faster.

I sent an error card for grading and got it back ungraded?

If you think you have an error card, please inform us first or contact us to see if your card qualifies as an error. Unfortunately, if your card is not graded as an error, this will result in a loss of the grading fee.