WHERE IT SELLS
eBay, no Store
13.25% of item, shipping and sales tax up to $7,500, 2.35% above, plus $0.40 an order.
THE SALE
THE CARD
PROFIT ON EBAY, NO STORE
$233.50
23.4% of the sale price, 37.4% on your cost
Fees total $143.50, 14.4% of the sale price. The fee base includes $70.00 of sales tax the buyer pays.
THE SAME CARD ON EVERY CHANNEL
Fees, net proceeds and margin as a table
| Channel | Fees | Net proceeds | Profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card show, cash | $0.00 | $1,000.00 | $375.00 | 37.5% |
| Fanatics Collect Weekly Auction | $0.00 | $992.00 | $367.00 | 36.7% |
| Venmo business profile | $19.29 | $982.71 | $357.71 | 35.8% |
| Cash App for Business | $26.41 | $975.59 | $350.59 | 35.1% |
| Square at the table | $26.15 | $973.85 | $348.85 | 34.9% |
| Stripe online | $29.59 | $972.41 | $347.41 | 34.7% |
| PayPal Goods and Services | $30.20 | $971.80 | $346.80 | 34.7% |
| Square online | $33.63 | $968.37 | $343.37 | 34.3% |
| Fanatics Collect Buy Now | $60.00 | $932.00 | $307.00 | 30.7% |
| Goldin Marketplace | $83.00 | $909.00 | $284.00 | 28.4% |
| Mercari | $101.00 | $901.00 | $276.00 | 27.6% |
| TCGplayer, Level 1 to 4 | $103.38 | $898.62 | $273.62 | 27.4% |
| Facebook Marketplace, shipped | $108.00 | $894.00 | $269.00 | 26.9% |
| Whatnot | $111.62 | $888.38 | $263.38 | 26.3% |
| eBay, Basic Store or above | $133.78 | $868.22 | $243.22 | 24.3% |
| eBay, no Store | $143.50 | $858.50 | $233.50 | 23.4% |
COMPED DOES THIS AT THE TABLE
The record you make at the table is also the tax record. Comped records each sale with its price, its fees and the card's cost, then shows the true profit and a tax set-aside for the year.
How the profit math works
Profit is net proceeds minus what the card cost you. Net proceeds are the sale price plus any shipping you charge, minus the channel's fees, minus what you spend to ship. Cost is what you paid for the card, the grading fee and any other cost tied to that card. Margin is profit divided by the sale price.
Every fee rule comes from one dataset, the Comped study of card sale fees by platform, checked October 29, 2026, with Whatnot rechecked on November 13, 2026. Each rate in it is traced to the platform's own fee page, help center or terms. Run the study's own example, a $1,000 card with $10 shipping charged, an $8 label and 7% sales tax, and the calculator returns the study's net for every channel to the cent.
The fees and the card's cost are also the lines a 1099-K leaves out. Box 1a of the form is gross, so the seller subtracts fees and cost on the return. The 1099-K reconciliation calculator does that for a whole year, and the 1099-K guide for card sellers explains the form.
Why the buyer's sales tax changes your fee
eBay, Whatnot, TCGplayer and Facebook Marketplace collect sales tax from the buyer and charge their percentage on it. You never receive that tax, but it raises the fee. At 7%, a $1,000 card on eBay carries $70 of tax, and eBay's 13.25% applies to $1,080 with shipping, not $1,000.
That is why the true eBay rate on a card is above the headline number. The default sale pays $143.50 in fees, 14.4% of the sale price. The same sale to a buyer in a state with no sales tax pays $134.23, and at a 10% rate it pays $147.48. Set the tax field to your buyer's rate. Mercari, Fanatics Collect, Goldin and the payment apps do not use tax in the fee base in this dataset.
A $1,000 card on eBay, worked
The default numbers are the study's $1,000 card. Say you paid $600 for it raw and $25 to grade it, and it sells on eBay with no Store subscription.
A $1,000 CARD ON EBAY · 7% SALES TAX · OCTOBER 2026 FEES
The same card sold for $1,000 cash at a show table keeps the full $1,000 and clears $375.00. The table fee is a cost of the whole show, not of one card.
The grading fee is in the cost, not in a separate expense line. No IRS guidance covers grading fees, and the common treatment for a dealer is to recover the fee when the card sells. The post on whether PSA grading fees are tax deductible covers that reading. A $20 raw card with a $25 grading fee that sells for $120 in cash has a $45 cost and a $75 profit.
The screen below is the same math on a sale recorded in the Comped app. The fees and shipping come off the price first, then the card's cost basis, which here is cash plus a traded card.
What the fees take at $20, $50 and $1,000
Fixed fees hit cheap cards hardest. On a $20 card the eBay fee is about 17% of the price, against 14.4% on a $1,000 card. The table runs three sales through the calculator at a 7% buyer tax rate: a $20 card with $1 shipping, a $50 card with $5 shipping and the $1,000 card with $10 shipping.
| Channel | Fees on $20 | Fees on $50 | Fees on $1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card show, cash | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| PayPal Goods and Services | $0.63 | $1.64 | $30.20 |
| Square at the table | $0.67 | $1.45 | $26.15 |
| Mercari | $2.10 | $5.50 | $101.00 |
| Facebook Marketplace, shipped | $2.24 | $5.85 | $108.00 |
| Whatnot, standard tier | $2.55 | $6.00 | $111.62 |
| TCGplayer, Level 1 to 4 | $3.12 | $7.68 | $103.38 |
| eBay, Basic Store or above | $3.17 | $7.62 | $133.78 |
| eBay, no Store | $3.37 | $8.15 | $143.50 |
TCGplayer's $75 commission cap is why it moves from near the top of the list on a $20 card to below Whatnot on a $1,000 card. Type your own price to see where the order changes.
The break-even price
The break-even price is the lowest sale price that returns your cost after fees. For eBay with no Store it is your card cost plus the label plus $0.40, less 86.75% of the shipping you charge, divided by 1 minus 13.25% times 1 plus the buyer's tax rate. At 7% tax the divisor is 0.8582.
For the default card, with $625.00 of cost, a $10 shipping charge and an $8 label, that is $624.73 divided by 0.8582, or $727.93. The same card breaks even at about $703.73 on Whatnot's standard tier and at $625.00 for cash. A quick rule from the same math: on eBay at 7% tax, a card has to sell for about 16.5% more than its all-in cost before it earns a dollar. Take a best offer below that and the sale is a loss.
The fee rule for each channel
These are the rules inside the calculator, as recorded in the dataset on October 29, 2026. The Whatnot rule was rechecked on November 13, 2026.
| Channel | Fee rule used | Shipping in the calculator |
|---|---|---|
| Card show, cash | No per-sale fee | None |
| eBay, no Store | 13.25% of item, shipping and tax up to $7,500, 2.35% above, plus $0.40 an order ($0.30 at $10 or less) | You charge it and pay the label |
| eBay, Basic Store or above | 12.35% up to $2,500, 2.35% above, plus $0.40 an order | You charge it and pay the label |
| Whatnot | 8% of the first $1,500 of the item price and 0% above it, plus 2.9% of item, shipping and tax, plus $0.30 | Buyer pays Whatnot, which issues the label |
| TCGplayer, Level 1 to 4 | 10.75% of item, capped at $75 a product, and of shipping, plus 2.5% of the order total and $0.30 | You charge it and pay the label |
| Fanatics Collect Buy Now | 6% of the sale price, cash payout | You pay to ship the card in |
| Fanatics Collect Weekly Auction | No seller fee on graded cards | You pay to ship the card in |
| Goldin Marketplace | 8.3% of the sale price | You pay to ship the card in |
| Mercari | 10% of item plus buyer-paid shipping | You charge it and pay the label |
| Facebook Marketplace, shipped | 10% of item, shipping and tax, $0.80 minimum | You charge it and pay the label |
| PayPal Goods and Services | 2.99% of the amount received | You charge it and pay the label |
| Venmo business profile | 1.9% plus $0.10 | You charge it and pay the label |
| Cash App for Business | 2.6% plus $0.15 | You charge it and pay the label |
| Square at the table | 2.6% plus $0.15, Free plan, tap, dip or swipe | None |
| Square online | 3.3% plus $0.30, Free plan | You charge it and pay the label |
| Stripe online | 2.9% plus $0.30, domestic card | You charge it and pay the label |
Whatnot: sales tiers and the $1,500 rule
Whatnot's commission falls with your sales volume and stops above $1,500 on a single. Both rules are on Whatnot's own help pages, read November 13, 2026. The calculator uses the standard tier for a single card: 8% on the first $1,500 of the price and 0% on the rest. A higher-tier seller pays less than it shows on the first $1,500, and a break pays more on anything above $1,500.
The Whatnot seller fees page says the structure took effect September 21, 2026. Your total sales in one four-week period set the rate for the next period. Commission is charged on the sale price only. Payment processing stays at 2.9% plus $0.30 on the whole order, including buyer-paid shipping and tax, at every tier.
| US sales in a four-week period | Tier | Sports and TCG commission |
|---|---|---|
| $0 to $14,999 | Standard | 8.00% |
| $15,000 to $34,999 | Tier 1 | 7.75% |
| $35,000 to $49,999 | Tier 2 | 7.50% |
| $50,000 to $99,999 | Tier 3 | 7.25% |
| $100,000 to $249,999 | Tier 4 | 7.00% |
| $250,000 to $499,999 | Tier 5 | 6.75% |
| $500,000 and up | Tier 6 | 6.50% |
Whatnot's page on reduced commission on high-value orders says that since January 14, 2026 it charges 0% commission on the part of a sale price above $1,500. The categories include Trading Card Games and the Sports Singles subcategories. Sports breaks are excluded. Whatnot calls it a limited-time promotion that it can change or end.
The calculator applies the $1,500 rule. On a $5,000 single with $10 shipping and 7% tax, the commission is 8% of $1,500, or $120.00, plus $155.74 of processing. That is $275.74 in fees and $4,724.26 net. A flat 8% on the whole price would be $555.74 in fees, $280.00 more. Sports breaks and Surprise Products are excluded from the promotion, so for those add 8% of the amount over $1,500 under Other costs. If Whatnot ends the promotion, the same add-on applies to singles.
Common mistakes and what they cost
- Using the headline rate. 13.25% of $1,000 is $132.50. The real eBay fee on the default sale is $143.50, because the rate applies to shipping and sales tax and an order fee is added.
- Counting the shipping charge as profit. The $10 you charge pays an $8 label, and eBay takes 13.25% of the $10.
- Leaving the grading fee out of the cost. On the default card that overstates profit by $25.00 and understates the cost you can recover at tax time.
- Comparing a cash offer to an online comp. The $1,000 eBay sale nets $858.50. A cash offer of $860 at a show is the better deal, and it is paid today.
- Charging the whole table fee to one card. The table is a cost of the show. Spread it with the card show profit and table break-even calculator.
- Guessing the cost. Profit is only as good as the cost you enter. The card cost basis calculator gives a cost per card for a lot, a box or a trade.
What the numbers leave out
- eBay Promoted Listings. eBay's page says the general ad fee is a percentage of the item's total sale amount, including shipping and taxes, charged when a buyer clicks the ad and buys within 30 days. Work it out and enter it under Other costs.
- eBay's international fee and seller level. eBay's fee page, read November 13, 2026, lists 1.65% of the total sale when the buyer is outside the US and you do not use eBay International Shipping. A seller rated Below Standard is charged "an additional 6% on the final value fees." Neither is in the calculator.
- eBay figures assume a US buyer. The Basic Store row does not deduct the $27.95 monthly subscription.
- TCGplayer's fee page could not be opened for the study. The 10.75% rate and $75 cap match TCGplayer's own January 8, 2026 notice, effective February 10, 2026. TCGplayer lists TCG singles such as Pokemon, not sports cards.
- Fanatics Collect charges 6% on a Buy Now listing priced under 120% of market value. A 12% rate at or above that line appears in the study as unconfirmed and is not used. A FanCash payout carries no seller fee and pays in store credit. Weekly Auctions take graded cards only and open at $5 with no reserve, and the buyer pays a 20% premium on the hammer price.
- Goldin's 8.3% is the rate its page lists as current against higher struck-through rates, with no end date printed. Goldin Marketplace is for graded cards.
- Cash App's 2.6% plus $0.15 comes from search results for its help pages, which did not load for the study.
- Facebook's 10% comes from its checkout terms, last modified May 26, 2026. Two older Meta pages still print 5%.
- Returns, refunds and supplies beyond the mailer are not modelled. Sales tax you collect at a table goes to the state and is not profit.
- COMC is not in the fee study, so it is not in the calculator. Heritage Auctions is left out because its seller commission is negotiated and not published. PWCC now operates as Fanatics Collect.
Fees change. Check the platform's own page before a large sale, and treat the result as an estimate for one card.
Related guides
- The Card Vendor's Master Guide to Write-Offs: platform fees, shipping and grading as business costs.
- Card sale fees by platform, 2026: the dataset behind every rule on this page, with sources.
- Card sale tax calculator: the federal tax to set aside from the profit.
- Card cost basis calculator: the cost per card when you bought a lot or a box.
- Card show buy percentage calculator: the most you can pay for a card and still profit after these fees.
FAQ
How much does eBay take on a sports card sale?
In this dataset, 13.25% of the item price, shipping and sales tax up to $7,500 per item, 2.35% above that, plus $0.40 an order. On a $1,000 card with $10 shipping and 7% sales tax that is $143.50, or 14.4% of the sale price. A Basic Store or above pays 12.35% up to $2,500.
How much does Whatnot take on a card?
An 8% commission on the sale price at the standard tier, plus 2.9% of the whole order including shipping and tax, plus $0.30. On a $1,000 card with $10 shipping and 7% tax that is $111.62. Whatnot's help pages say sellers with $15,000 or more in four-week sales pay a lower commission. Since January 14, 2026, eligible singles pay no commission on the part of the price above $1,500, under a promotion Whatnot calls limited-time. Breaks are excluded. On a $5,000 single the fees are $275.74.
Does Whatnot charge fees on shipping?
Not commission. Whatnot says commission is figured on the sale price of the item, without buyer-paid shipping or tax. The 2.9% payment processing fee does apply to the whole order, shipping and tax included.
Is selling for cash at a card show really free?
There is no per-sale fee on a cash sale, so the net equals the sale price. The table, the travel and your time are real costs spread over every sale at the show. Sales tax collected at the table goes to the state and is not profit.
Why is my eBay fee higher than 13.25% of the price?
The percentage applies to the total the buyer pays, which includes shipping and the sales tax eBay collects. The per-order fee is added on top. At a 7% tax rate the fees on a $1,000 card come to about 14.4% of the sale price.
What price do I need to break even on eBay?
At a 7% buyer tax rate, about 16.5% more than your all-in cost. The default card, with $625 of cost, a $10 shipping charge and an $8 label, breaks even at $727.93. Below that price the sale loses money after fees.
How do Promoted Listings change the profit?
They add an ad fee on top of the final value fee. eBay says the general ad fee is a percentage of the total sale amount, including shipping and taxes, charged when a buyer clicks the ad and buys within 30 days. The calculator does not include it, so enter the ad fee under Other costs.
Does profit here mean taxable profit?
It is the profit on one card: net proceeds minus the card's cost, grading and other costs you entered. Tax is owed on profit, not on the sale price, and a dealer also deducts show and travel costs across the year. This calculator does not estimate tax.
SOURCES
- Card sale fees by platform, Comped research, data as of October 29, 2026. Every fee rule inside the calculator comes from this dataset, which links each platform's own page.
- Selling fees, eBay Customer Service, checked November 13, 2026.
- Promoted Listings overview, eBay Customer Service, checked November 13, 2026.
- Whatnot seller fees, Whatnot Help Center, checked November 13, 2026.
- Reduced Commission on High-Value Orders, Whatnot Help Center, checked November 13, 2026.
- Form 1099-K FAQs, general information, Internal Revenue Service, checked November 13, 2026.