TGA was built around solving a specific problem for Canadian collectors: avoiding the cross-border shipping costs and delays that come with submitting to a US-based grading company. That naturally raises the reverse question for collectors outside Canada.
The honest answer is that it's possible, but the value proposition changes significantly depending on where you're shipping from.
Here's what to actually weigh before deciding.
None of this requires prior grading experience.
TGA's core appeal for Canadian collectors is avoiding cross-border shipping entirely — submitting from the US or elsewhere reintroduces the exact cost and delay problem TGA was built to solve for its home market. A US-based collector shipping to TGA faces the same round-trip international shipping costs they'd face with any other cross-border submission.
This doesn't make TGA a bad option internationally, but it does remove the single biggest practical advantage that makes it the obvious choice for Canadian submitters.
A collector outside Canada who specifically wants a TGA slab — for population report reasons, a personal preference for the four-subgrade system, or simply grading alongside a Canada-based trading partner — has a legitimate reason to submit internationally despite the added shipping cost. This is a deliberate choice rather than a default one.
Comparing the total landed cost, shipping both ways included, against a local grading option is worth doing honestly before committing.
Extra shipping distance means extra time for a card to potentially shift or take damage in transit, so protection matters even more. EVORETRO's Plastic Deck Box keeps cards secure before a longer international trip.
Once a card returns graded, EVORETRO's Graded Card Sleeves protect the slab on its way back.
Shipping valuable cards across an international border means declaring an accurate value for customs purposes, and getting this wrong can cause delays or unexpected fees on either end of the trip. Researching your destination country's specific customs requirements before shipping avoids surprises.
This is a genuinely important step that's easy to overlook when focused purely on the grading decision itself.
For most international collectors, a locally based or more geographically convenient grading company will beat TGA on total cost and turnaround simply due to shipping logistics. TGA becomes the better choice specifically when there's a genuine reason to prefer its process or resale market over the local alternative.
There's no wrong answer here — it comes down to what actually matters most for the specific cards being submitted.
Before deciding that TGA is worth the international shipping cost, checking whether a domestic or regionally closer grading company already exists in your own country is worth doing first. Many regions now have at least one locally based grading option that didn't exist even a few years ago.
A quick search for grading companies based in your own country, compared honestly against TGA's total landed cost from abroad, often turns up an overlooked local alternative.
Submitting internationally can also mean navigating time zone differences for customer service communication, which is a minor but real practical consideration compared to a domestic submission where support hours align more naturally with your own schedule. Checking a grading company's stated support hours relative to your own time zone avoids frustration if you need to follow up on an order.
Email-based support generally sidesteps this issue better than phone support, so knowing which communication channels a company actually offers internationally is worth checking upfront.
For any scenario not clearly covered by TGA's published information — an unusual international shipping situation, a specific customs question — reaching out to TGA's customer service directly before submitting is the most reliable way to get an accurate, current answer. Published policy pages can't anticipate every individual collector's specific circumstances.
Keeping a written record of any direct communication with TGA about your specific situation gives you something to reference if questions come up later in the process.
Yes, there's no restriction against international submissions.
No, cross-border shipping costs remove the main advantage that benefits Canadian submitters.
No, grading turnaround itself doesn't change based on submission origin.
Only when there's a specific reason to prefer it over a more local, cost-effective option.
Whether you submit locally or internationally, protecting your cards along the way matters either way. Browse EVORETRO's toploaders and sleeves collection to keep your submissions safe.
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