HGA reportedly sold to uCollect.com, pauses grading until relaunch
HGA is reportedly now owned by uCollect.com and is not accepting submissions. The relaunch promises flat fees, free subgrades, and new holders, with no date or prices yet.
Reports say uCollect.com has bought HGA (Hybrid Grading Approach), and the grader is not taking card submissions at the moment. Grading remains on hold until a relaunch that is linked to the soft launch of the uCollect platform, and no relaunch date has been given.
What changes for HGA
Rather than a working submission flow, the HGA website now shows an acquisition announcement along with a restructuring notice. Under the deal, HGA turns into the grading arm of the uCollect ecosystem. The plan is that cards graded by the relaunched company can go on sale at uCollect straight from the grading queue.
uCollect.com presents itself as a next-generation collectibles platform, one ecosystem that brings together buying, selling, grading, breaking, vaulting, trading, shipping, and insurance. The company says it aims to lower the cost of collecting by "up to 80%."
What the relaunch promises
- A rewritten grading standard, pitched as the "strictest in the industry" and designed to push back on grade inflation.
- A flat fee with no upcharge ladder based on declared value. No prices are published yet.
- Complete subgrades with no added charge, plus free signature grading.
- New "ultra-clear, premium" holders sized for almost every kind of card, among them 5-card foldout booklets, tri-fold booklets, and thick memorabilia cards.
- Patent-pending security labels meant to counter fake slabs.
Categories and the collector portal
Baseball and Formula 1 are the first categories uCollect will launch with. Basketball, Football, Soccer, WWE, and Pokémon are planned to follow.
An update to HGA's privacy policy, dated October 13, 2026, refers to a collector portal. In it, users can create accounts, list the cards they plan to submit, and upload photos.
Outstanding orders
The HGA FAQ states that the company is "working to address all outstanding orders" and points collectors to its support contact. No tracked order queue or timeline is provided.
Background and context
HGA started in 2021 and built its name on computer-vision-assisted grading and color-matched custom labels. The announcement lands while other graders are tweaking what they offer. Beckett reportedly restored submissions with Phase 1 on October 15, 2026, and TCGKing also covered SGC and PSA tier and price changes.
What it means for players and collectors
- If you have an HGA order in progress, the support contact is the only route named, and no timeline exists.
- Do not plan new HGA submissions: grading is suspended and no relaunch date is announced.
- Pokémon is listed only as a later planned category.
- Pricing, subgrade, and holder promises are claims for now. No prices are published.
What is still unknown
The relaunch or soft launch date, pricing, and the handling timeline for outstanding orders have not been announced.
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