Ace Grading Submissions
ACE Grading Submission Service & Customer Policy - Last Reviewed: September 2026
Welcome to Southern Light TCG's official ACE Grading Submission Service.
At Southern Light TCG, we're collectors first and a business second. Our goal is to make professional card grading as accessible, affordable and straightforward as possible for collectors in Gibraltar.
As an Official ACE Grading Group Submitter, ACE Partner and ACE Select Member, we provide a complete end-to-end grading service, allowing you to have your cards professionally graded without worrying about paperwork, international shipping or dealing directly with the grading company.
Simply bring us your cards and we'll take care of everything else.
Our Philosophy
Professional card grading should be accessible to everyone, not just those willing to pay premium prices.
While ACE offers several grading speeds, we've found that the vast majority of collectors benefit most from the slower, more affordable services. Waiting a little longer can save a significant amount of money, allowing you to grade more cards for the same budget.
For that reason, we generally recommend Core or Valuesubmissions, as they provide the best balance of affordability, turnaround time and overall value.
Our advice is simple:
Save your money, be patient, and grade more cards.
Why Grade Through Southern Light TCG?
Submitting cards directly to a grading company involves packaging requirements, customs paperwork, international shipping and submission management.
When you grade through Southern Light TCG, we handle the entire process for you, including:
* Submission administration
* Preparing and organising your order
* Packaging your cards correctly
* Shipping to and from ACE Grading
* Communication with ACE
* Tracking your submission
* Returning your graded cards safely to Gibraltar
Whether you're submitting one card or an entire collection, you're welcome to use our service.
What's Included?
Unless otherwise stated, every advertised grading price includes:
* ACE Grading service
* Official ACE Label
* Southern Light TCG administration and handling
* Return shipping to Gibraltar
There are no hidden administration fees beyond the advertised prices.
The only payment required when dropping your cards off is our £1 per card administration fee.
This £1 forms part of the total advertised price, meaning you'll simply pay the remaining balance before collecting your graded cards.
For example:
Core (£15)
* £1 paid when dropping your cards off
* £14 paid before collection
Total cost: £15 per card
Grading Services
Core
£15 per card (All Inclusive)
Includes:
* ACE Core Grading
* Official ACE Label
* Southern Light TCG handling
* Return shipping
Estimated Turnaround: Approximately 75 business days
Value
£17 per card (All Inclusive)
Includes everything listed above.
Estimated Turnaround: Approximately 60 business days
Basic
£19 per card (All Inclusive)
Includes:
* ACE Basic Grading
* Official ACE Label
* Southern Light TCG handling
* Return shipping
Estimated Turnaround: Approximately 30 business days
Standard
£24 per card (All Inclusive)
Includes:
* ACE Standard Grading
* Official ACE Label
* Southern Light TCG handling
* Return shipping
Estimated Turnaround: Approximately 15 business days
Premier
£29 per card (All Inclusive)
Includes:
* ACE Premier Grading
* Official ACE Label
* Southern Light TCG handling
* Return shipping
Estimated Turnaround: Approximately 10 business days
Ultra
£49 per card (All Inclusive)
Includes:
* ACE Ultra Grading
* Official ACE Label
* Southern Light TCG handling
* Return shipping
Estimated Turnaround: Approximately 5 business days
Luxury
£92 per card (All Inclusive)
Includes:
* ACE Luxury Grading
* Official ACE Label
* Southern Light TCG handling
* Return shipping
Estimated Turnaround: Approximately 2 business days
Group Submission Requirements
To keep shipping costs at just £1 per card, each grading submission within a particular service tier must contain a minimum of 40 cards.
This requirement is almost always met for Core and Value submissions, as these are by far our most popular grading services.
Higher tiers such as Basic, Standard, Premier, Ultra, and Luxury receive significantly fewer submissions, meaning it may take longer to reach the 40-card threshold.
If your chosen grading tier has not reached the required minimum, you may either:
* Wait until enough cards have been received to create a qualifying group submission; or
* Choose to proceed immediately by covering the additional shipping costs for a smaller submission.
We're always happy to discuss the available options before your cards are submitted.
Preparing Your Cards
Please bring your cards in:
* Penny sleeves
* Toploaders
We'll carefully remove each card and transfer it into the semi-rigid holders required by ACE Grading before submission.
If you'd prefer to prepare your own submission, your cards should instead be placed in:
* Penny sleeves
* Semi-rigid card holders
Please do not use toploaders if preparing your own submission.
ACE Labels
All advertised prices include an official ACE Label, which is the option chosen by the overwhelming majority of collectors.
ACE Labels feature bespoke artwork specifically designed to complement the card being graded.
Where artwork does not already exist, ACE's design team may need to create an entirely new label before grading can begin.
If this is required, your submission may take approximately 15–20 additional business days beyond the published turnaround estimate.
Because our submissions often contain many different cards, the likelihood of at least one new label being required naturally increases as submission sizes grow.
To the best of our knowledge, ACE Labels are professionally illustrated and designed by ACE's artists and are not generated using artificial intelligence.
Payment Policy
When dropping off your cards, you'll pay:
£1 per card
This secures your place in the submission and forms part of your total grading cost.
Once grading has been completed and your cards are returning to Gibraltar, we'll contact you to arrange payment of the remaining balance.
Examples:
Core
* £1 paid upon submission
* £14 due before collection
Value
* £1 paid upon submission
* £16 due before collection
Payment must be received before graded cards are released.
Southern Light TCG reserves the right to retain graded cards until all outstanding balances have been settled.
Submission Updates
Throughout the grading process, we'll regularly post updates on our Instagram Stories, including:
* Submission deadlines
* Cards shipped to ACE
* Cards received by ACE
* Return shipments
* Collection announcements
* General grading updates
Following our Instagram Stories is the quickest way to stay informed.
Important Information
By submitting cards through Southern Light TCG, you acknowledge and agree that:
* All grading decisions are made solely by ACE Grading.
* Southern Light TCG cannot influence grading outcomes.
* Published turnaround times are estimates only and are not guaranteed.
* Delays caused by ACE Grading, shipping providers, customs, or circumstances beyond our control may occur.
* All submissions are made at the owner's risk.
* Payment must be received before cards are collected.
* Cards should be inspected carefully before submission, as grades cannot be guaranteed.
Liability
Southern Light TCG acts solely as an authorised intermediary between customers and ACE Grading.
Whilst every reasonable effort is made to package, organise and transport submissions safely, we cannot accept liability for matters outside our control, including but not limited to:
* Loss during transit
* Damage during transit
* Theft during transit
* Customs delays
* Shipping delays
* Industrial action
* Force majeure events
* Delays caused by ACE Grading
* Grading outcomes
* Label artwork or design decisions made by ACE
By using our grading service, you acknowledge and accept these risks.
Ready to Submit?
Whether you're grading your first card or your hundredth, Southern Light TCG provides Gibraltar's simplest, most transparent and most affordable route to professional ACE Grading.
Drop off your cards, and we'll handle everything from preparation and submission to tracking and collection.
Professional. Affordable. Hassle-free.
