How much does eBay charge to sell trading cards?
eBay's final value fee for trading cards (sports, non-sport and collectible card games) is 13.25% of the total up to $7,500 and 2.35% on any part above $7,500, plus $0.30 per order ($0.40 on orders over $10.00). On a $20 card with no shipping charged and no sales tax, the fees come to $3.05 (15.3% of the price), so you keep $16.95.
"Total" is what the buyer pays: item, shipping, handling and sales tax. Checked Oct 14, 2026 from eBay's Selling fees page; we re-check it monthly, and eBay can change its rates.
Rates verified on
- Final value fee
- 13.25% up to $7,500
- Per-order fee
- $0.30 / $0.40
- Fees on a $20 card, no shipping or tax
- $3.05
- Insertion fee
- 250 free a month, then $0.35
eBay's rule, word for word
From the "Basic fees for most categories" table on eBay's Selling fees page (US), checked Oct 14, 2026:
"13.25% on total amount of the sale up to $7,500 calculated per item"
"2.35% on the portion of the sale over $7,500"
Insertion fee column: "First 250 listings free per month, then $0.35 per listing"
The page also says the fee "is calculated as a percentage of the total amount of the sale, plus a per order fee", and: "For orders $10.00 or less the per order fee is $0.30, for orders over $10.00 the per order fee is $0.40."
eBay fees on trading cards at real prices
| Sale price | Final value fee | Per-order fee | Total fees | Share of price | You keep | Fees with 8% sales tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1 | $0.13 | $0.30 | $0.43 | 43% | $0.57 | $0.44 (+$0.01) |
| $5 | $0.66 | $0.30 | $0.96 | 19.2% | $4.04 | $1.02 (+$0.06) |
| $20 | $2.65 | $0.40 | $3.05 | 15.3% | $16.95 | $3.26 (+$0.21) |
| $100 | $13.25 | $0.40 | $13.65 | 13.7% | $86.35 | $14.71 (+$1.06) |
| $500 | $66.25 | $0.40 | $66.65 | 13.3% | $433.35 | $71.95 (+$5.30) |
| $1,500 | $198.75 | $0.40 | $199.15 | 13.3% | $1,300.85 | $215.05 (+$15.90) |
| $9,500 | $1,040.75 | $0.40 | $1,041.15 | 11% | $8,458.85 | $1,059.01 (+$17.86) |
"You keep" is the sale price minus eBay's fees, before postage, the item's cost, insertion fees and any optional upgrades. Any amount: eBay fee calculator (choose the category) · eBay fees on sales tax
Above $7,500: how the 2.35% tier works
Only the part of one item's total above $7,500 pays 2.35%. The overall rate falls slowly as the price rises.
| Total | How it's figured | Final value fee | Overall rate | Next dollar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $7,500 | 13.25% of $7,500.00 | $993.75 | 13.3% | 2.35% |
| $10,000 | 13.25% of $7,500.00 + 2.35% of $2,500.00 | $1,052.50 | 10.5% | 2.35% |
| $25,000 | 13.25% of $7,500.00 + 2.35% of $17,500.00 | $1,405.00 | 5.6% | 2.35% |
It's per item, not per order. eBay's wording is "calculated per item", so two $5,000 items in one order each pay 13.25% on their own total: $1,325.40 in fees, against $1,052.90 for one $10,000 item ($272.50 more).
Worked example: $45 card, $5.00 shipping, 8% sales tax
- Total amount of the sale: $45.00 item + $5.00 shipping + $4.00 sales tax (8% of $50.00, an example rate) = $54.00.
- Final value fee: 13.25% of $54.00 = $7.16.
- Per-order fee: $0.40 (the order total is over $10.00).
- Total eBay fees: $7.56, 15.1% of the $50.00 you collect for item and shipping. $1.20 of it comes from charging fees on the shipping and tax.
- You keep $42.44 before postage and the item's cost.
The same sale on other platforms
Platforms in our calculators whose own pages list this kind of item, with their fees computed by the same code. Item price only: no shipping, no sales tax.
| Platform | $5 | $20 | $100 | $1,500 | $5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eBayComics, trading cards, collectible card games: 13.25% up to $7,500 + per-order fee | $4.04 ($0.96) | $16.95 ($3.05) | $86.35 ($13.65) | $1,300.85 ($199.15) | $4,337.10 ($662.90) |
| Whatnot†8% commission on the item, 0% on the part over $1,500 + 2.9% + $0.30 processing | $4.15 ($0.85) | $17.52 ($2.48) | $88.80 ($11.20) | $1,336.20 ($163.80) | $4,734.70 ($265.30) |
| TikTok Shop (Pre-Owned)5% of item + shipping, 3% on any part over $10,000 | $4.75 ($0.25) | $19.00 ($1.00) | $95.00 ($5.00) | $1,425.00 ($75.00) | $4,750.00 ($250.00) |
- At every price in the table, TikTok Shop leaves the most ($4.75 to $4,750.00).
- Whatnot†: Whatnot's Trading Card Games category is in its 0% commission above $1,500 promotion (in sports cards, only the Singles subcategories); Whatnot calls it a limited-time promotion. (source) Whatnot's figures here are from its own fee pages as checked Oct 14, 2026; we haven't been able to re-check them since, so confirm them on Whatnot's site before relying on them.
- TikTok Shop (Pre-Owned): TikTok Shop's Pre-Owned categories, 5%, include trading cards. A card listed in Collectibles > Trading Cards & Accessories pays 6% instead; the table uses Pre-Owned > Collectible Trading Cards (5%). (source)
- If the buyer pays shipping, eBay's final value fee is charged on it; so is Whatnot's processing fee, but not its commission†; so is TikTok Shop's referral fee. See selling fees compared.
Edge cases
- Only the Sports Trading Cards category gets the card rate. The rest of Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop isn't named in eBay's table, so it pays the most-categories rate.
- Only Collectible Card Games gets it in Toys & Hobbies; other Toys & Hobbies categories pay the most-categories rate.
- Card NFTs (Sport Trading Card NFTs, Non-Sport Trading Card NFTs and CCG NFTs) are in eBay's NFT row instead.
- eBay's own example is a card. A $9,500 card with free shipping and 6% sales tax totals $10,070, and eBay's fee page shows "Final value fee (13.25% of $7,500, + 2.35% of $2,570, + $0.40)" as $1,054.55 (eBay fee page). Our calculator gets $1,054.55.
- On cheap cards the per-order fee is most of the fee. A $1 card with no shipping charged costs $0.43, 43% of the price; $0.30 of that is the per-order fee. A lot pays it once, and so do several cards a buyer checks out together with the same shipping method, since eBay counts that as one order.
- Ten $4 cards: one order or ten. Bought as ten separate orders, they pay $8.30 in fees ($0.83 each, $0.30 of it the per-order fee). Bought in one checkout with the same shipping method, eBay counts one order: $5.70, the same as one $40 lot. No shipping charged in these figures.
- Autographs and other sports memorabilia aren't cards. A $100 item elsewhere in Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop pays $14.00; a $100 card pays $13.65.
- Shipping a cheap card. eBay's standard envelope takes eligible items with a selling price of $20 or less, not counting tax; the rules and prices are in how to ship trading cards.
What to do
- Pick the category before you set the price. The rate follows the category the listing is in, and listing in two categories charges the higher final value fee if the item sells.
- Get several items into one order. eBay charges the per-order fee once for "any number of items purchased by the same buyer at checkout with the same shipping method", so several items in one checkout (combined shipping, or a lot) pay one per-order fee ($0.30, or $0.40 on orders over $10.00) instead of one for each item bought on its own.
- Expect the lower rate only on the part above $7,500. The break is figured per item, not per order.
- Set your minimum on the total. eBay takes its percentage from shipping and tax too, so a price that clears your costs at the item price alone can fall short once those are added. The eBay fee calculator takes all three.
Other eBay fees that can apply
- Insertion fee: up to 250 zero insertion fee listings a month (more with an eBay Store), then $0.35 per listing and per category. Good 'Til Cancelled listings are charged again each time they renew.
- Two categories: a second insertion fee, and "The higher of the two final value fees is charged, if your item sells."
- Reserve price (auctions): "$5.00 or 7.5% of reserve price, whichever is greater (maximum fee $250)", charged whether or not the item sells. A $20 reserve costs $5.00; 7.5% reaches the $250 cap at a reserve of about $3,333.33, and a reserve up to about $66.67 pays the $5.00 minimum.
- Subtitle: $1.50 on an auction and $2.00 on a fixed price listing at a $20 price (the price break is $150). Bold: $2.00 auction, $4.00 fixed price.
- International fee: 1.65% of the total when the delivery address or the buyer's registered address is outside the US, unless you're US-registered and use eBay International Shipping: $0.33 on a $20 sale.
- Seller performance: Below Standard sellers pay an extra 6% of the total (7% after four or more consecutive months): $1.20 more on a $20 sale. A Very High rate of "item not as described" return requests adds 5% in the affected categories (6% after four or more consecutive months).
- Store subscribers, vehicles and eBay Live: "Fees are different for Store subscribers, vehicle sales, and eBay Live sales." This page uses the basic rates.
Questions
How much does eBay charge to sell trading cards?
eBay's final value fee for trading cards (sports, non-sport and collectible card games) is 13.25% of the total up to $7,500 and 2.35% on any part above $7,500, plus $0.30 per order ($0.40 on orders over $10.00). On a $20 card with no shipping charged and no sales tax, the fees come to $3.05 (15.3% of the price), so you keep $16.95.
Does eBay take its fee on shipping and sales tax?
Yes. eBay says "The total amount of the sale includes the item price, any handling charges, any shipping costs collected from the buyer (some exceptions apply), sales tax, and any other applicable fees." A $45 card with $5.00 shipping and 8% sales tax totals $54.00, and the fees come to $7.56 instead of $6.36 on the price alone.
How does eBay's fee work above $7,500?
Only the part of one item's total above $7,500 pays 2.35%. On a $25,000 total the final value fee is $1,405.00, an overall 5.6%. The break is "calculated per item", so it doesn't apply to an order of several cheaper items.
What does eBay charge on a $1 card?
$0.43: $0.13 final value fee and the $0.30 per-order fee, 43% of the price. The per-order fee is charged once per order, however many cards the buyer checks out together with the same shipping method.
Sources
Each official page below was checked on the date given with it. The eBay pages are read from copies saved on Oct 14, 2026; this site doesn't fetch them.
Pages we haven't been able to re-check
The Whatnot figures in the comparison (marked †) are from these pages as they read on Oct 14, 2026. They aren't counted as verified here; check them on the platform's site before you rely on them.
Free 1-page Reseller Cheat Sheet: fees on 8 platforms, Media Mail and stamp prices
What each platform takes from a $10, $25 and $50 sale, Media Mail 1-10 lb, Ground Advantage to Zones 1, 5 and 8, and the Forever stamp, on one printable page. The link appears as soon as you sign up.