Concept Grading partners with collectors and retailers to simplify trading card grading across Singapore and Asia
Back in primary school, Shi Wei Fong used to love collecting Pokémon cards—not just for their vibrant artwork, but also for the thrill of beating friends in battles.
Like many others, he eventually outgrew the hobby, leaving the cards tucked away at home.
But years later, he discovered that those long-forgotten cards could actually be valuable as the craze for trading card games (TCG) started to gain momentum in Singapore.
Many collectors were beginning to treat cards as investments or even assets, and grading—the process of professionally assessing a card’s condition and authenticity before sealing it in a tamper-proof case, or slab—was becoming an essential part of the hobby.
Most established grading companies were based overseas in the US or Japan, with PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) being among the most popular. But for Singapore collectors, sending cards abroad for grading was a hassle, and there were no authorised dealers or middlemen to make the process easier.
Having experienced this frustration firsthand, Shi Wei decided to strike out on his own and start Concept Grading. The business is one of only two authorised PSA dealers in Singapore, managing thousands of submissions every month.
We spoke to Shi Wei to learn how he turned a childhood hobby into a business that has seen growth in Singapore and beyond.
Grading cards used to be a fragmented process
Until authorised dealers like Concept Grading came along, collectors had to navigate a messy, fragmented grading process, with no official service providers in Singapore to rely on.
They had to rely on ad-hoc group submissions through Carousell, passing cards between multiple middlemen with no tracking overseas. Costs increased with each handoff, and shipments often took weeks, leaving collectors anxious over items worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
The lack of transparency and security left Shi Wei feeling uneasy, and an idea was sparked: why not build a company that collectors could trust, one that handled logistics securely while providing end-to-end tracking and helping them to spend less?
At the time, Shi Wei still worked at TikTok as a technical solutions specialist, but decided to launch his own card grading business in 2022, Concept Grading, within Concept City, a separate Jalan Besar trading card shop owned by a friend.
On Concept Grading’s website, collectors can track every step of the process, including cut-off dates, shipment schedules, insurance coverage, and turnaround times.
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This is the interface for submitting cards to Concept Grading. In this example, the user submitted three cards. The platform tracks when the cards reached the grading facility and when they were graded, with the current status showing they are ready for collection. Image credit: Concept Grading -
Here are the grading results for the three submitted cards./ Image Credit: Concept Grading
Submissions start from S$35 and can go up to S$2,788 for PSA, depending on the type of card. Costs may also increase if collectors opt for higher insurance coverage on expensive cards or choose premium tiers for faster grading.
Not every card, however, merits the process. While Shi Wei’s team is not a professional grading service, they advise collectors on which cards are worth sending in. Factors such as rarity, centring, special series, condition, autographs, and unique artwork all affect a card’s grading potential.
“A card might double or triple in value if held long enough, fuelling the speculative edge of the hobby and the rising need for card grading today,” Shi Wei explained. Cards unlikely to add value may be dismissed as “junk slabs.”
Concept Grading claims to handle the majority of Singapore’s grading market
It didn’t take long after founding Concept Grading for Shi Wei to see just how strong the demand was.
Foot traffic at Concept City brought many hobbyists eager for a safer, more transparent, and affordable grading service, resulting in crowds at Shi Wei’s small counter within the store.
In addition, he also managed to secure partnerships with local stores, many of which lacked secure logistics or tracking systems to send cards for grading. Even companies and individuals outside the hobby—such as Takagi Ramen and online streamers—approached Shi Wei to submit cards on behalf of their communities and fan bases.
By 2023, Concept Grading had become an authorised PSA dealer, further boosting demand. A year later, Shi Wei left his job at TikTok to focus fully on the business, and by 2025, he had invested nearly S$180,000 to open a dedicated flagship store at Chinatown.
Today, Concept Grading works with six grading partners, covering everything from Pokémon to basketball, Weiss Schwarz anime cards to K-pop photocards.
According to Shi Wei, the company currently processes over 8,000 cards each month, sending them to grading facilities across the globe. Beyond trading cards, collectors have also entrusted the business with coins, concert tickets, and even Funko Pops for grading.
Shi Wei claims that Concept Grading handles the majority of the country’s grading market, despite launching two years after its only competitor, Oxley Grading—the first authorised PSA dealer in Singapore.
Apart from Singapore, Concept Grading also operates a Malaysian outlet, which he jointly launched with a notable collector in the space—Nicklaus Tai. Named Concept Grading by Nick, Shi Wei said that the outlet processes between 2,000 and 3,000 cards monthly.
Recently, Concept Grading has also established partnerships with retail stores in Japan, China, and the Philippines, further extending its reach across Asia. These partnerships allow the stores to collectively submit cards to graders through Concept Grading.
Concept Grading wants to become a one-stop destination for collectors
Despite the growth it has seen, running Concept Grading has not been without challenges.
Shi Wei quickly learned that navigating taxes required careful attention to paperwork—mistakes could be costly. In some countries, customs impose high fees on shipments even when the cards are declared solely for authentication. Refusing to pay can result in losses.
In addition, handling valuables worth tens of thousands of dollars requires staff who are both trustworthy and knowledgeable. Monthly operational costs for Concept Grading can reach up to S$60,000, excluding PSA’s own fees. Recruiting and training the right people remains one of Shi Wei’s toughest challenges.
Despite these challenges, Shi Wei continues to push forward with his vision, proving that careers can be built from hobbies—even niche ones like trading cards.
When asked whether the TCG trend might fade and impact his business, Shi Wei acknowledged that prices have cooled since the COVID-era peak but remains confident in the market’s resilience. He explained that fluctuations are normal, depending on the series released, buyer fatigue, and the natural ebb and flow of market participants.
“A lot more people are educated about the collectible scene today. These cards and collectibles are the crypto stocks of our day,” Shi Wei highlighted.
Looking ahead, further growth plans are in the works, with a clear long-term vision: to become a one-stop destination, supporting collectors throughout Singapore and Asia.
- Find out more about Concept Grading here.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singaporean businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Concept Grading
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