Sports card consignment vs eBay: 2026 fees and payouts
Compare sports card consignment with eBay using current Fanatics Collect, Goldin, and COMC fees, plus $100 and $1,000 examples that separate cash from credit.
Compare what reaches you after buyer premiums, seller fees, intake, shipping, and cash-out costs. Fanatics Collect Buy Now charges 6% below 120% of Card Ladder market value and 12% at or above it. Auction buyer premiums reduce the bid that fits a fixed buyer budget. COMC credit loses another 10% when cashed out. eBay lets you keep control of the card and listing, but you handle fulfillment. The examples below hold the buyer's budget steady and exclude tax.
Sports card consignment can save you the work of photographing, listing, and shipping cards. Whether it pays more than selling on eBay yourself depends on more than the seller fee.
Auction buyers may pay a buyer's premium, an extra charge above the winning bid. If a buyer has a fixed budget, that premium leaves less room for the bid. Some sellers also pay intake fees, shipping to a vault, or a fee to turn account credit into cash.
This guide compares Fanatics Collect, Goldin, COMC, and eBay using example buyer budgets of $100 and $1,000.
Last reviewed October 27, 2026. Rates below apply to US sellers. Confirm the current terms and your seller commission before sending cards.
Quick answer
- Sell on eBay yourself if you want to keep the card until it sells and control the listing. Include your packing time and shipping costs in the decision.
- Compare Fanatics Collect Buy Now for graded cards you can price below 120% of Card Ladder market value. Its 6% fee leaves more than eBay's standard fee in these examples, before vault and shipping costs.
- Use an auction when you want bidding to set the price. Compare the expected payout after the buyer's premium and the seller's agreed terms.
- Consider COMC when you want someone else to photograph and fulfill individual cards. Budget for processing before listing and cash-out if you want money in your bank.
- Get a written quote for a high-value consignment. An auction's audience can produce a different sale price, which these fixed-budget examples cannot predict.
2026 fees at a glance
| Where you sell | Seller charges or payout terms | Buyer's premium |
|---|---|---|
| eBay, no Store or Starter Store | 13.25% through $7,500, then 2.35% above it, plus a per-order fee | None |
| eBay, Basic Store or higher | 12.35% through $2,500, then 2.35% above it, plus a per-order fee and Store subscription | None |
| Fanatics Collect Buy Now | 6% below 120% of Card Ladder market value, 12% at or above it, no minimum seller fee | None |
| Fanatics Collect Weekly and Premier auctions | Hammer price plus the applicable bonus, subject to the Weekly minimum commission | 20% |
| Goldin Weekly and Elite auctions | Request a seller commission quote | 22%, $19 minimum |
| COMC fixed-price sales | Processing upfront, 5% at sale, and 10% to cash out US account credit | No auction premium on a COMC fixed-price sale |
eBay charges fees on shipping and tax too
The eBay selling fees page bases its fee on the total sale, including buyer-paid shipping and sales tax. The per-order fee is $0.30 for orders of $10 or less and $0.40 above $10. The lower card rate requires a Basic or higher Store, per eBay's Store fee schedule.
The examples assume your listing has no insertion fee, ads, optional upgrades, international fees, or seller-performance surcharges. A Store subscription is a separate expense.
Fanatics Collect separates Buy Now from auctions
The Buy Now fee policy sets the 6% and 12% rates. Exactly 120% falls in the 12% tier. An accepted offer below the threshold qualifies for 6% even if the original asking price was higher. Items list from your vault. Buyer shipment can add fulfillment costs.
The auction overview adds a 20% buyer's premium. Its official commission chart bases the seller bonus on hammer price, the winning bid before the premium:
| Hammer price | Seller bonus |
|---|---|
| $5 to $49 | 0% |
| $50 to $99 | 2% |
| $100 to $999 | 4% |
| $1,000 to $4,999 | 6% |
Higher bands reach 15% only at $1 million or more. The chart states a $3 minimum commission on each Weekly Auction sale. Do not assume every auction pays the full hammer price without a minimum charge.
Get Goldin's auction terms in writing
Goldin's auction overview lists a 22% buyer premium with a $19 minimum and directs sellers to request commission terms. Its FAQ says the former Marketplace is no longer operating. Do not use the old Marketplace rate card to estimate an auction payout.
The examples stop at Goldin's hammer price before your agreed seller commission and other charges. These amounts are not net payouts. The FAQ also lists a $5 seller fee for Weekly items with no bid or a hammer below $50. Get the complete terms for your cards before consigning.
COMC credit has a separate cash-out cost
COMC's commission policy charges 5% on fixed-price sales, then 10% when US sellers cash out credit. The $2 minimum on its consignment fee page belongs to eBay Live auctions.
That page lists standard-size raw processing at $0.65 Standard, $1 Select, or $2 Elite. Graded cards cost $1.25, $1.50, or $2.50 respectively. Standard has a $65 minimum submission fee and Select a $3 minimum. Standard and Select have a $100 maximum listing price. Oversized items and some holders cost extra.
Compare the same buyer budget
A buyer who has $100 available before tax and shipping can pay $100 for an eBay item. With a 20% buyer premium, the same budget supports a hammer price of about $83.33, because $83.33 plus 20% is about $100.
That is a comparison assumption. It does not prove that real buyers bid less by exactly the premium or that every platform attracts the same buyers.
Both examples below exclude sales tax and buyer shipping or fulfillment charges on every platform. They also exclude optional payment-method fees, payout-method fees, vault costs, and the card's original cost. These are illustrative pre-tax budgets, not complete checkout totals or profit figures. If the buyer needs delivery, subtract those charges from the budget before repeating the calculation.
For a separate tax example, a $100 eBay item with free shipping and 8% sales tax costs the buyer $108. The standard fee becomes $14.71, leaving $85.29 before seller postage. If $100 is the buyer's total including tax, the item price must fall too. The seller fee cheat sheet covers those assumptions in more detail.
Example 1 with a $100 buyer budget
These are example proceeds before the card's cost and consignment expenses. Calculations use unrounded intermediate values and round the final result to cents. Actual settlement rounding can differ.
| Where you sell | Item or hammer price | Proceeds before other costs |
|---|---|---|
| eBay, no Store or Starter Store | $100.00 | $86.35 after $13.65 in fees |
| eBay, Basic Store or higher | $100.00 | $87.25 after $12.75 in fees |
| Fanatics Collect Buy Now, 6% tier | $100.00 | $94.00 in Account Funds |
| Fanatics Collect Buy Now, 12% tier | $100.00 | $88.00 in Account Funds |
| Fanatics Collect Weekly | About $83.33 hammer | About $85.00 in Account Funds with the 2% bonus |
| Goldin Weekly auction | $81.00, plus $19 buyer premium | $81.00 before your quoted seller commission and other charges |
| COMC fixed-price, keep credit | $100.00 | $95.00 in COMC credit before processing |
| COMC fixed-price, cash out | $100.00 | $85.50 cash before processing and any payout-method fee |
For eBay, an example $5 label and packing cost reduces the first two rows to $81.35 and $82.25. That $5 is an assumption, not a carrier quote.
For COMC, a standard-size graded card sent through Elite adds $2.50 in prepaid processing. If you paid that separately before the sale, the economic return is $92.50 as credit or $83.00 as cash. Shipping to COMC and any other charges still come out of that return.
The Fanatics Weekly bonus here is 2%, because the hammer is below $100. The retained portion of the buyer's premium exceeds its $3 minimum commission. Goldin's minimum premium applies because 22% of $81 is less than $19.
Example 2 with a $1,000 buyer budget
The same exclusions apply. The example eBay packing and shipping expense is $15, not an insurance or carrier quote.
| Where you sell | Item or hammer price | Proceeds before other costs |
|---|---|---|
| eBay, no Store or Starter Store | $1,000.00 | $867.10, or $852.10 after the example $15 shipping cost |
| eBay, Basic Store or higher | $1,000.00 | $876.10, or $861.10 after the same example shipping cost |
| Fanatics Collect Buy Now, 6% tier | $1,000.00 | $940.00 in Account Funds |
| Fanatics Collect Buy Now, 12% tier | $1,000.00 | $880.00 in Account Funds |
| Fanatics Collect Weekly | About $833.33 hammer | About $866.67 in Account Funds with the 4% bonus |
| Goldin Weekly auction | About $819.67 before the 22% premium | About $819.67 before your quoted seller commission and other charges |
| COMC fixed-price, keep credit | $1,000.00 | $950.00 in COMC credit before processing |
| COMC fixed-price, cash out | $1,000.00 | $855.00 cash before processing and any payout-method fee |
Fanatics Weekly still uses the 4% bonus here because the hammer is below $1,000. The buyer's budget does not select the bonus tier.
At COMC, the same separately prepaid $2.50 Elite processing cost brings the cash return to $852.50 before shipping and other charges. That is close to the first eBay example after its assumed shipping expense, but the timing and work differ.
In these examples, Fanatics Buy Now's 6% tier leaves $94 or $940 in Account Funds before consignment expenses. Funds must become available before you can request a withdrawal under its payout policy. Different sale prices, taxes, delivery choices, or grading costs can change the comparison.
Add costs and waiting time before choosing
Count the cost of sending cards to the consignor and getting unsold cards back. Read the vault terms rather than assuming storage and removal are free.
Fanatics' vault policy lists free processing for authenticated standard-size items worth at least $50. Lower-value items normally cost $3, with exceptions for auction submissions or sales within 30 days. Fulfillment out of the vault costs 1%, rising to 3% for removal within 90 days of archival. Check shipping charges too. Raw cards go through a grading and authentication partner at separate cost. Use the PSA grading ROI guide before assuming grading improves the return.
COMC's processing schedule lists 16 weeks for Standard, four for Select, and two for Elite. It counts turnaround in business days for all three tiers. Listing, finding a buyer, and withdrawing funds add time. The same page includes 90 days of free storage with each submitted item. Storage fees may apply afterward.
The eBay payout guide says proceeds typically become available in one to two days after payment confirmation, unless held. A bank payout typically needs another one to three business days after eBay sends it. Your payout schedule matters too. Selling yourself does not guarantee immediate bank cash.
Fanatics' withdrawal schedule issues regular payouts every Wednesday for requests submitted by midnight ET Tuesday. US ACH transfers have no processing fee. Each wire costs $50. A rush option costs $50 for next-business-day processing. Submit withdrawal requests through its web dashboard.
Goldin's payment terms say it processes seller payments within 10 business days after receiving cleared buyer funds and your required payout and taxpayer information. An auction closing date is not a bank deposit date.
FanCash is spending credit
The FanCash payout policy lets eligible US sellers choose FanCash before listing to waive the marketplace seller fee. Vault charges still apply. Auction FanCash includes the buyer's premium, while cash uses the hammer price and applicable bonus.
You cannot withdraw FanCash to your bank. It has expiration terms, so read those before choosing it over Account Funds. Compare it with cash only if you already intend to spend the proceeds at eligible Fanatics businesses.
Decide card by card
- Find recent sales of the same card and grade. Our guide to accurate comps explains how to check comparable sales.
- Estimate the buyer's budget on each platform. Deduct the buyer premium, tax, delivery, and any payment fee before working out the seller's return.
- Subtract seller fees, intake, grading, outbound shipping, and cash-out charges. The profit calculator handles an individual eBay sale.
- Compare the remaining money with the work and waiting time each option requires.
Selling yourself is a practical starting point for raw cards and cheap singles when you already have a listing routine. Consignment becomes more attractive when the work you avoid justifies its costs or you expect a better sale price there.
For the eBay route, read how to sell sports cards on eBay and how to ship sports cards on eBay.
Track sales alongside what you paid
CardZen uses CardSense to read card details from photos for your inventory, and supports eBay listing and sales sync after you connect eBay. Synced fees depend on eBay reporting them and on your connection having financial-data permission. Missing fees do not become an assumed profit figure.
You can also record an off-platform sale with its price, date, platform, shipping costs, and Platform Fees. COMC has its own platform option. Use Other and a note for Fanatics Collect or Goldin. These are manual records, not automatic consignment imports.
Record the gross sale price and fees separately so you do not subtract fees twice from an already-net payout. Link the sale to its card and purchase cost to track profit. If fees or cost basis are unknown, CardZen leaves net profit unknown. It does not automatically allocate every vault, grading, or cash-out expense for you.
The year-end records checklist explains which sale and purchase records to keep.
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