What it costs to sell and ship a board game

On a $45 board game, eBay takes $6.52, Mercari $4.50, Whatnot $5.21 and TikTok Shop $2.70, before shipping. Games aren't on USPS's Media Mail list even though the rulebook is printed, so a 4 lb game goes by Ground Advantage for $9.93 to $19.06 at USPS commercial prices (Zones 1-8), and a big box can bill by its size.

Below: fees at $20, $45, $100 and $250, buyer-paid shipping, postage from 2 to 12 lb, the box-size math, and Mercari's higher label prices for boxes over 1 cubic foot.

Rates verified on Oct 14, 2026

USPS and platform rules checked Oct 19, 2026, except Whatnot and Etsy, whose fees and rules are shown as their help pages read on Oct 14, 2026 (§)

USPS Media Mail for board games: Not allowed
eBay fee on a $45 sale, no shipping charged: $6.52
a family game, 4 lb, Ground Advantage to Zone 4 (USPS commercial): $11.30
Billed weight of a 16 x 16 x 8 in. box: 15 lb

Selling fees on a $20, $45, $100 and $250 board game

What each platform takes and what's left of the sale price, computed with the same code as our fee calculators. Fee pages checked Oct 14, 2026.

What you keep before shipping costs: sale price minus platform fees, no shipping charged, no sales tax. In brackets: the fees. § Whatnot and Etsy: rates from their own fee pages as checked Oct 14, 2026, not re-checked since (see the note below the tables).
Platform	$20	$45	$100	$250
eBay13.6% of the total + $0.30/$0.40 per order	$16.88 ($3.12)	$38.48 ($6.52)	$86.00 ($14.00)	$215.60 ($34.40)
Mercari10% of item + shipping	$18.00 ($2.00)	$40.50 ($4.50)	$90.00 ($10.00)	$225.00 ($25.00)
Whatnot§8% + 2.9% + $0.30	$17.52 ($2.48)	$39.79 ($5.21)	$88.80 ($11.20)	$222.45 ($27.55)
TikTok Shop6% of item + shipping	$18.80 ($1.20)	$42.30 ($2.70)	$94.00 ($6.00)	$235.00 ($15.00)
Etsy (vintage only)§$0.20 + 6.5% + 3% + $0.25	$17.65 ($2.35)	$40.27 ($4.73)	$90.05 ($9.95)	$225.80 ($24.20)

If the buyer pays $11.30 shipping

Here the buyer pays the commercial Ground Advantage price for 4 lb to Zone 4 and all of it goes on the label. eBay, Mercari, Etsy, Amazon and TikTok Shop take their percentage from buyer-paid shipping too, and Whatnot's and Depop's processing fees cover it; Poshmark buyers pay Poshmark's own label instead.

What you keep with buyer-paid shipping of $11.30 spent on the label. In brackets: the platform's extra fee because of the shipping charge. One USPS price is used for every platform so the fees compare like for like. No sales tax.
Platform	$20	$45	$100	$250
eBay	$15.34 ($1.54)	$36.94 ($1.54)	$84.46 ($1.54)	$214.06 ($1.54)
Mercari	$16.87 ($1.13)	$39.37 ($1.13)	$88.87 ($1.13)	$223.87 ($1.13)
Whatnot§	$17.19 ($0.33)	$39.47 ($0.32)	$88.47 ($0.33)	$222.12 ($0.33)
TikTok Shop	$18.12 ($0.68)	$41.62 ($0.68)	$93.32 ($0.68)	$234.32 ($0.68)
Etsy (vintage only)§	$16.58 ($1.07)	$39.20 ($1.07)	$88.98 ($1.07)	$224.73 ($1.07)

$20: with buyer-paid shipping, TikTok Shop leaves $18.12 and eBay $15.34, a gap of $2.78.
$45: with buyer-paid shipping, TikTok Shop leaves $41.62 and eBay $36.94, a gap of $4.68.
$100: with buyer-paid shipping, TikTok Shop leaves $93.32 and eBay $84.46, a gap of $8.86.
$250: with buyer-paid shipping, TikTok Shop leaves $234.32 and eBay $214.06, a gap of $20.26.

eBay: Games aren't in one of the categories eBay's fee page lists with its own rate, so they pay the most-categories rate (eBay fee page).
TikTok Shop: TikTok Shop lists Toys & Hobbies > Games & Puzzles at 6% (TikTok Shop Academy).
Etsy: “Reselling is not allowed on Etsy except for the following items that are handpicked or sourced by sellers” (Etsy, as checked Oct 14, 2026), and vintage means “handpicked items that are over 20 years old”. A board game made in the last 20 years can't be resold there, so the Etsy row applies to vintage pieces only.
Amazon isn't in the table: this site tracks Amazon's media fees only. Amazon's pricing page lists Toys and Games at 15% with a $0.30 minimum referral fee (Amazon, saved copy Oct 14, 2026), and “A product's fee category may not be the same as the category that appears to customers in the Amazon store”. Whether a used board game can be listed there depends on Amazon's own condition and category rules, which this page doesn't cover.
eBay's rate for each category it lists separately, with worked examples: eBay fees by category.
eBay also charges its percentage on sales tax, which the tables leave out: eBay fees on sales tax.
Whatnot's commission falls at higher four-week sales tiers; the tables use the standard tier, 8% in every category except Coins (Whatnot's fee page as checked Oct 14, 2026).
§ Whatnot and Etsy: the rates, and the Whatnot and Etsy rules quoted on this page, are from each platform's own help pages as checked Oct 14, 2026. Those help centers block automated checks, so we couldn't re-check them for this update; confirm on the platform before you price around them. Etsy, Inc.'s annual report for 2025 gives the same $0.20 listing fee and 6.5% transaction fee on item plus shipping (Form 10-K, filed Feb 19, 2026).
Your own numbers: where to sell calculator · selling fees compared

Shipping a board game: USPS prices by weight

Media Mail is limited by what's inside, not by size: “Only these items may be mailed at the Media Mail prices” (DMM 173.4.1). The list is books, 16 mm films, printed music, test materials, sound and video recordings, playscripts and manuscripts, printed educational charts, medical loose-leaf pages and computer-readable media. Anything else pays parcel prices, and “If you try to include anything that's not allowed, you (or your recipient) will have to pay higher postage rates” (USPS). USPS can check: “the mailing of articles at Media Mail or Library Mail prices constitutes consent by the mailer to postal inspection of the contents” (DMM 173.2.2).

That leaves USPS Ground Advantage as the tracked option: packages up to 70 lb, with USPS Tracking and up to $100 of insurance included (USPS).

Board games aren't on that list. The rulebook is printed, but the box is a game, not a book.

USPS Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026. Each weight is "not over". Commercial prices are USPS's published prices for labels bought online; retail is the Post Office counter. Ground Advantage prices include USPS's temporary holiday add-on until Jan 17, 2027; Media Mail has none. Weights are examples: weigh your packed item.
Packed weight	Ground Advantage, commercial, Zone 1	Ground Advantage, commercial, Zone 4	Ground Advantage, commercial, Zone 8	Ground Advantage, retail, Zone 4
2 lba small card or party game	$8.39	$8.91	$13.42	$13.50
4 lba family game	$9.93	$11.30	$19.06	$15.65
7 lba big-box game	$10.61	$12.55	$22.88	$17.90
12 lba heavy game with expansions	$14.54	$16.94	$30.48	$22.55

When the box costs more than the board game

For Ground Advantage, a parcel “exceeding 1 cubic foot (1,728 cubic inches) is based on the actual weight or the dimensional weight ... whichever is greater” (DMM 283.1.4). USPS rounds each side up to a whole inch, multiplies them, and if the result is over 1,728 cubic inches, says to “divide the result by 139 and round up ... to the next whole number to determine the dimensional weight in pounds”.

Example: a 7 lb game in a 16 x 16 x 8 in. box. 16 x 16 x 8 = 2,048 cubic inches, so it bills as 15 lb instead of 7 lb. At commercial prices that's $16.28 instead of $10.61 to Zone 1, $18.72 instead of $12.55 to Zone 4, $34.66 instead of $22.88 to Zone 8. A box cut down to fit, or a smaller carton, can get under 1 cubic foot: 1,728 cubic inches is 12 x 12 x 12 in.

Your exact weight and zone: postage calculator · Ground Advantage rates · USPS holiday prices

Platform labels

A label bought through a selling platform follows that platform's price list. These are the label prices on our change tracker for the platforms above, from each platform's own page; each note says when that page was checked if it wasn't re-checked for this update.

Whatnot. Since Jul 31, 2026, Whatnot's default label is Ground Advantage: $4.47 under 4 oz, $4.85 under 8 oz, $5.25 under 12 oz, $6.75 under 16 oz, and $7.75 for 1-5 lb at any distance (Whatnot's help page as checked Oct 14, 2026; tracker entry). Over that, Whatnot says “Packages over 5 lbs use zone-based Ground Advantage commercial pricing” (Whatnot, as checked Oct 14, 2026), and it warns: “Using Priority Mail or Flat Rate packaging with Ground Advantage labels may result in returned packages and USPS fees of approximately $20 per package”. Buyers usually pay Whatnot shipping.
Mercari. Since Oct 19, 2026, Best-rate Ground Advantage labels cost $7.99 at 1 lb (was $7.48) and $13.99 at 3 lb (was $12.83). Packages over 1 cu ft or longer than 22 in. pay Standard rates: 1 lb goes from $7.59 to $8.99 (tracker entry).
eBay Labels and other label services use their own prices; this page uses USPS's published prices so every platform is compared on the same postage.

Insurance and signature on a board game

“Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage include $100.00 of insurance coverage” (DMM 503, Exhibit 1.4.1); Media Mail isn't on that list and includes none. Beyond that, “additional insurance may be purchased for no more than a maximum coverage of $5,000.00” (DMM 503.4.2), and “Insurance coverage only covers the actual value of mail contents” (USPS). “Insurance fees are based on the item's declared value” (USPS). “An item insured for more than $500.00 receives a delivery scan ... and USPS provides a signature as the delivery record to the mailer electronically” (DMM 503.4.3.1). Under that, Signature Confirmation costs $4.15 online or $5.15 at the counter (Notice 123).

USPS insurance fees for insuring the full sale price, Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026 (fee for the coverage amount; $2.80 for up to $50, then by band; $9.05 plus $1.50 per $100 over $600). Registered Mail is a separate service that includes insurance up to $50,000.
Declared value	Ground Advantage insurance fee	Registered Mail fee	Delivery signature
$20	included (up to $100)	$21.50	Signature Confirmation, $4.15 online
$45	included (up to $100)	$21.50	Signature Confirmation, $4.15 online
$100	included (up to $100)	$21.50	Signature Confirmation, $4.15 online
$250	$4.55	$25.00	Signature Confirmation, $4.15 online

Insured for more than $500, the buyer “may be required to show an acceptable primary ID before USPS will deliver the mailpiece” (USPS).

Platform rules that apply to board games

eBay: the general rate on the whole order

Games pay 13.6% plus a per-order fee, and “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” (eBay fee page). On a $100 game with $11.30 of buyer-paid shipping, the fee is $15.54 instead of $14.00.

Mercari's labels for large boxes

Mercari prices its prepaid labels by size class, and boxes over 1 cubic foot or longer than 22 in. pay its Standard rates (see Platform labels above). Its 10% fee applies to buyer-paid shipping too: $11.13 on a $100 game with $11.30 of shipping.

Whatnot's labels stop being flat over 5 lb

Whatnot's default Ground Advantage label is flat for 1-5 lb and zone-based above (see Platform labels above). A 7 lb game to Zone 8 costs $22.88 at commercial prices, and from Nov 4, 2026 Whatnot bills sellers for USPS weight adjustments (Whatnot's help page as checked Oct 14, 2026; tracker entry below).

TikTok Shop and Etsy

TikTok Shop charges 6% on Games & Puzzles, and “The Referral Fee calculation base includes the shipping fee paid by the customer” (TikTok Shop Academy). Etsy takes only vintage games, which it defines as “handpicked items that are over 20 years old” (Etsy, as checked Oct 14, 2026); a vintage $45 game pays $4.73 there before shipping.

Packing a board game

From USPS's packaging standards (DMM 601.3) and its packing steps (USPS: How to send a package):

Ship the game box inside a shipping box: “Mailers must package mailpieces to withstand normal transit and handling without breakage or deterioration of content” (DMM 601.3.1.1).
“Package contents so they do not shift within the mailing container” (DMM 601.3.1.1). Bag loose pieces inside the game box so a split corner doesn't spill them.
Right-size the box: a parcel should be “Sized based on the contents (rightsized) to maintain integrity during processing” (DMM 601.3.1.2). A box over 1 cubic foot bills by size (example above).
Several games in one box: “When multiple items are inside a single mailing container, mailers must cushion items to protect them from each other as well as from external forces” (DMM 601.3.13).
Reusing a box? USPS says to “make sure all old logos, barcodes, shipping labels, and addresses are covered or blacked out” (USPS).

Edge cases

The rulebook doesn't make it Media Mail

“Only these items may be mailed at the Media Mail prices” (DMM 173.4.1), and a game isn't one of them. A box with a game and a stack of books fails as a whole: “If you try to include anything that's not allowed, you (or your recipient) will have to pay higher postage rates” (USPS). Send the books by Media Mail (book postage) and the game by Ground Advantage.

Really big boxes

A 24 x 18 x 10 in. carton is 4,320 cubic inches: it bills as 32 lb, and commercial labels add $21.00 for a parcel over 2 cubic feet and $4.50 for one longer than 22 in. (Notice 123). The 16 x 16 x 8 in. box above stays under both.

Heavy games by zone

Past 5 lb, distance matters more: 12 lb costs $14.54 to Zone 1 and $30.48 to Zone 8 at commercial prices.

Insurance on a $250 game

Ground Advantage includes $100 of coverage. Insuring $250 costs $4.55 (Notice 123), and “Insurance coverage only covers the actual value of mail contents” (USPS).

Questions

Can you ship board games by Media Mail?

No. “Only these items may be mailed at the Media Mail prices” (DMM 173.4.1), and the list is books, recordings and a few printed items; games aren't on it. Ground Advantage costs $9.93 to $19.06 for 4 lb at commercial prices.

How much does it cost to ship a board game?

At commercial Ground Advantage prices, Zones 1-8: 2 lb $8.39 to $13.42, 4 lb $9.93 to $19.06, 7 lb $10.61 to $22.88. At the Post Office counter, 4 lb to Zone 4 is $15.65.

Why did my board game cost more to ship than its weight?

Box size. For Ground Advantage, postage for a parcel “exceeding 1 cubic foot (1,728 cubic inches) is based on the actual weight or the dimensional weight ... whichever is greater” (DMM 283.1.4.1), and USPS says to “divide the result by 139 and round up ... to the next whole number to determine the dimensional weight in pounds”. A 16 x 16 x 8 in. box bills as 15 lb however light the game is.

What are eBay's fees on a $100 board game?

$14.00 with no shipping charged, and $15.54 with $11.30 of buyer-paid shipping: 13.6% of the total plus $0.40.

Can I sell old board games on Etsy?

Yes, if they're over 20 years old: Etsy allows reselling of “handpicked items that are over 20 years old” (Etsy, as checked Oct 14, 2026).

Changes that affect what board games cost to sell and ship

From the change tracker, each checked against its official source.

Whatnot Postage Effective Nov 4, 2026

Whatnot will bill sellers for USPS weight adjustments from Nov 4

For US shipments sent on or after November 4, 2026, USPS charges for packages that weigh more than their Whatnot-generated label go to the seller's Whatnot ledger. Until now Whatnot absorbed them. For now Whatnot still covers dimension and hazmat adjustments, and it doesn't pass on UPS adjustments yet. Sellers whose first sale was on or after Sept 5, 2026 aren't part of this rollout, and neither are sellers who use their own labels.

Your net on a $10 / $25 / $50 sale: n/a / n/a / n/a

Not a set fee. You pay USPS's charge only when the packed box weighs more than the label says. To avoid it, weigh the packed box and fix the shipping profile before you buy the label. You have 45 days to appeal a charge, and USPS decides the appeal.

Source: Whatnot help: Review and appeal carrier adjustments · verified Oct 14, 2026 · not re-checked since; a re-check against the source is pending
Mercari Postage Effective Oct 19, 2026 · announced Sep 17, 2026

Mercari Ground Advantage labels go up: 1 lb $7.48 to $7.99

From October 19, 2026, most Mercari prepaid USPS label prices go up for new and existing listings. At the Best rate, Ground Advantage goes from $4.91 to $5.39 at 4 oz, $7.48 to $7.99 at 1 lb and $12.83 to $13.99 at 3 lb, and Priority Mail 2 lb goes from $15.29 to $16.29. Standard rates (packages over 1 cu ft or longer than 22 in) rise more: Ground Advantage 1 lb goes from $7.59 to $8.99.

Your net on a $10 / $25 / $50 sale: -$0.51 / -$0.51 / -$0.51

If you pay for a 1 lb Best-rate Ground Advantage label. 4 oz Best: -$0.48; 3 lb Best: -$1.16; 1 lb Standard: -$1.40. If the buyer pays shipping, Mercari's 10% fee on shipping rises: -$0.05 on 1 lb.

Source: Mercari help: Fees on Mercari · Mercari help: Shipping change announcements (Sep 17, 2026) · verified Oct 19, 2026
USPS Postage Effective Oct 4, 2026 · until Jan 17, 2027 · announced Aug 25, 2026

USPS holiday prices: Ground Advantage up $0.40 to $0.75 on 0-3 lb parcels

Temporary prices on Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Ground Advantage and Parcel Select until 12 a.m. CT on Jan 17, 2027. A 0-3 lb Ground Advantage parcel costs $0.40 more at commercial prices in Zones 1-4 ($0.55 in Zones 5-9) and $0.50 more at retail ($0.75). Heavier parcels rise more, up to $7.70 at commercial prices ($7.50 retail) for 26-70 lb to Zones 5-9. Media Mail and First-Class Mail are not affected.

Your net on a $10 / $25 / $50 sale: -$0.40 / -$0.40 / -$0.40

If you pay for a 0-3 lb commercial Ground Advantage label, Zones 1-4. Same at any sale price. Retail: -$0.50; Zones 5-9: -$0.55 commercial, -$0.75 retail.

Source: USPS newsroom, Aug 25, 2026 · USPS Governors' Decision 26-7, Federal Register, Aug 28, 2026 · verified Oct 19, 2026
Whatnot Postage Effective Jul 31, 2026

Whatnot makes Ground Advantage the default: $7.75 for 1-5 lb

Whatnot's negotiated USPS Ground Advantage rate is $7.75 ($6.85 + fees) for 1-5 lb packages. Under 1 lb is priced by weight only: $4.47 under 4 oz, $4.85 under 8 oz, $5.25 under 12 oz, $6.75 under 16 oz. Flat Rate stays available at a temporary $12.99 through Nov 1, 2026.

Your net on a $10 / $25 / $50 sale: n/a / n/a / n/a

Buyers usually pay Whatnot shipping, so your net doesn't change directly. Watch Nov 1, 2026, when the temporary Flat Rate price ends.

Source: Whatnot help: USPS shipping updates · verified Oct 14, 2026 · not re-checked since; a re-check against the source is pending
USPS Postage Effective Jul 12, 2026 · announced May 11, 2026

USPS dimensional weight now divides by 139, not 166, and rounds sides up

Since July 12, 2026, Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Ground Advantage and Parcel Select boxes over 1,728 cubic inches (1 cubic foot) are billed at the greater of actual weight or dimensional weight, and dimensional weight is now length x width x height divided by 139 instead of 166. Each side is also rounded up to the next whole inch instead of to the nearest inch. A 16 x 12 x 12 in. box now bills as 17 lb instead of 14 lb.

Your net on a $10 / $25 / $50 sale: -$1.24 / -$1.24 / -$1.24

Commercial Ground Advantage, 16 x 12 x 12 in. box weighing 5 lb, Zone 1: billed at 17 lb ($17.02) instead of 14 lb ($15.78) at Oct 4 holiday prices (the same $1.24 at July 12, 2026 prices). Zone 5: -$2.13; Zone 8: -$3.89. A 12 1/4 in. cube weighing 5 lb: -$6.34 commercial, Zone 1, at holiday prices (-$5.94 at July 12, 2026 prices). USPS says the holiday prices end at 12 a.m. CST on Jan 17, 2027, 'at which time prices will be restored to approved levels', unless its Governors act again (Governors' Decision 26-7).

Source: USPS final rule, Federal Register, May 15, 2026 · USPS Governors' Decision 26-2, Federal Register, May 14, 2026 · USPS Notice 123 (current prices) · USPS Notice 123, Jul 12, 2026 edition (archive) · USPS Governors' Decision 26-7 (holiday prices end Jan 17, 2027) · verified Oct 19, 2026

Sources

Rates verified on Oct 14, 2026 from each official page below.

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.