Selling, fees & tax
Trading Card Selling Fee Calculator
Type in the sale price and this shows what each marketplace actually pays out, with the commission, the payment processing and the per-order fee separated so you can see where the money goes. The eBay row applies the high-value discount on singles above $1,000, which most fee calculators do not.
Published fee structures
| Marketplace | Commission | Payment processing | Per order | Cash-out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eBay | 13.25% | — | $0.40 | — |
| TCGplayer | 10.75% | 2.5% | $0.30 | — |
| Whatnot | 8% | 2.9% | $0.30 | — |
| Mercari | 10% | — | — | — |
| COMC | 5% | — | — | 10% |
The detail that changes the answer above $1,000
eBay runs a standing discount on trading-card singles: sales of $1,000 or more pay half the 13.25% rate on the portion up to $7,500, and 2.35% on anything above that. On a $3,000 card that is the difference between roughly $398 in fees and roughly $199 — enough to reverse which marketplace pays you the most. Fee comparisons that quote a flat 13.25% get high-value sales badly wrong, and the table above applies the tiering.
Fees are charged on shipping, not just the card
Every marketplace here except COMC applies its commission to the shipping the buyer pays as well as the item. Charging $5 shipping on a $100 card does not net you $5 — it nets about $4.34 on eBay, and if postage costs you $5.50 the shipping line is a loss. Free shipping with the cost priced into the card is arithmetically identical, and usually converts better.
What this leaves out
- Store subscriptions. An eBay store lowers the rate on some categories; the figures here are the no-store rate most collectors pay.
- Promoted listings. An ad rate of 2% to 12% comes straight off the top and is entirely optional.
- International and currency conversion. Cross-border sales carry additional percentages at every venue.
- Consignment intake. COMC charges per card to process and list before anything sells; that is a submission cost, not a sale cost, so it is not in these rows.
- Income tax. Above the reporting threshold these are taxable sales, and the platform files the form whether or not you do.
Questions people ask about this
What percentage does eBay take from card sales?
13.25% of the item price plus shipping plus sales tax, with a $0.40 per-order fee above $10 and $0.30 at or below it. Singles selling for $1,000 or more get half that rate on the portion up to $7,500 and 2.35% above it, so the effective rate falls as the sale price rises past $1,000.
Is TCGplayer cheaper than eBay?
On paper the headline commission is lower — 10.75% plus 2.5% processing versus 13.25% flat — but once processing is added the all-in rates land within about half a point of each other on mid-priced cards. Above $1,000 eBay is clearly cheaper because of its high-value discount. Below $20, the per-order flat fee matters more than either rate.
Do marketplace fees apply to shipping?
Yes, at eBay, TCGplayer, Whatnot and Mercari. The commission is calculated on the total the buyer pays, shipping included, so charging separately for postage does not shelter it from the fee. This is why free shipping with the cost built into the price nets the same amount and typically sells better.
What is the real cost of selling on COMC?
About 14.5% if you take the money out. A sale costs 5% and lands as site credit; withdrawing that credit costs a further 10% of the amount withdrawn. Sellers who reinvest their credit in more cards never pay the second fee, which is precisely how the model is designed.
Which marketplace pays out the most on a graded card?
It depends on the price. Below roughly $1,000, Whatnot and Mercari have the lowest all-in rates of the venues here, though the audience and realised prices differ. Above $1,000, eBay's high-value discount usually makes it the cheapest despite having the highest headline rate. Run your actual sale price through the table rather than assuming a winner.
Where these numbers come from
Rates on this page were last checked against the published price lists on . Grading companies change fees and pause tiers without notice — confirm the total on the submission form before you pay.
- eBay — selling fees for trading cards — final value fee and per-order charge
- TCGplayer — seller fees — commission and processing rates
- Whatnot — seller fees — commission by category
- Mercari — fees — flat selling fee
- COMC — commission and cash-out — transaction fee and withdrawal charge