The Sports Card Seller's Fee Cheat Sheet: eBay, Mercari, and Consignment
Current US fees for selling sports cards on eBay, Mercari, COMC, and Fanatics Collect, with worked payouts at $25, $100, and $500 and every tax, shipping, and ad assumption stated.
For US sellers without an eBay Store, eBay takes 13.25% of the total sale (item, buyer-paid shipping, and sales tax) up to $7,500, plus $0.30 or $0.40 per order. Basic and higher Stores pay 12.35% up to $2,500. Mercari takes 10% of the item price plus buyer-paid shipping, with no processing fee. COMC takes 5% on fixed-price sales plus upfront processing, and charges 10% to cash out. Fanatics Collect Buy Now takes 6% or 12% depending on your price versus market value. Fees decide your payout. Profit is what remains after the card's cost, shipping, and supplies.
Payout is not profit
Two numbers matter on every sale:
- Payout. What the platform deposits after its fees.
- Profit. Payout minus what you paid for the card, the shipping label, supplies, and grading costs if any.
Fee tables only get you to payout. This cheat sheet covers payout on each platform, then shows the step from payout to profit at the end.
All fees below are for US sellers and were checked on October 15, 2026. Each section links to the platform's own fee page.
eBay fees for sports cards
These rates come from eBay's selling fees page and Store selling fees page. Sports Trading Cards use these rates:
| Fee | Rate | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Final value fee, no Store or Starter Store | 13.25% up to $7,500, then 2.35% above $7,500 | Total amount of the sale, per item |
| Final value fee, Basic Store or higher | 12.35% up to $2,500, then 2.35% above $2,500 | Total amount of the sale, per item |
| Per-order fee | $0.30 for orders of $10 or less, $0.40 above $10 | Every order |
| International fee | 1.65% of the total sale | Buyer registration or delivery address outside the US, unless an eBay International Shipping exemption applies |
| Below Standard surcharge | An extra 6% of the total sale, rising to 7% after four consecutive Below Standard months | Applicable sales in the calendar month after evaluation |
| Insertion fee, no Store | First 250 eligible listings per month free, then $0.35 each | Good Til Cancelled renewals also use the monthly allowance |
eBay's "total amount of the sale" includes the item price, handling, shipping the buyer pays, sales tax, and other applicable fees. That is why a fee calculated on the item price alone always comes out too low.
eBay worked examples
Assumptions: free shipping, 8% buyer sales tax, no ads or international fee, and no seller-performance surcharge. Examples exclude Store subscriptions, insertion fees, and optional listing upgrades.
| Item price | Fee base with 8% tax | Final value fee | Per-order fee | Payout, no Store | Payout, Basic Store |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25 | $27.00 | $3.58 | $0.40 | $21.02 | $21.27 |
| $100 | $108.00 | $14.31 | $0.40 | $85.29 | $86.26 |
| $500 | $540.00 | $71.55 | $0.40 | $428.05 | $432.91 |
The final value fee column uses the no-Store rate. A Basic Store subscription costs a monthly fee, so the $0.97 saved on a $100 sale only matters at volume. Compare your monthly sales against the Store price before you subscribe.
Promoted listings
Under eBay's general campaign strategy, you choose an ad rate from 2% to 100% of the item's total sale amount, including shipping and tax. eBay charges it when the item sells within 30 days after any buyer clicked the ad. That buyer does not have to be the one who purchased.
With the same assumptions, a 5% ad rate on a $100 sale adds $5.40 in fees and drops the payout from $85.29 to $79.89.
Mercari fees
Mercari's fee FAQ lists these rates:
| Fee | Rate | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Selling fee | 10% of the item price plus buyer-paid shipping | Seller |
| Payment processing | None | Nobody |
| Buyer Protection fee | 3.6% of the item price plus buyer-paid shipping | Buyer |
| Standard direct deposit | Free | Seller |
| Instant Pay | $3 per transfer | Seller, optional |
Assumptions: the buyer pays $0 for shipping, and you use free standard direct deposit.
| Item price | Selling fee | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| $25 | $2.50 | $22.50 |
| $100 | $10.00 | $90.00 |
| $500 | $50.00 | $450.00 |
If the buyer pays for shipping instead, Mercari also takes 10% of that shipping charge. The buyer's 3.6% fee does not come out of your payout, but it does raise the buyer's total cost compared with your list price.
Consignment and marketplace services
Consignment services handle some combination of storage, photos, listing, and shipping. Their fees can sit in more than one place: upfront per card, at the sale, and when you withdraw cash. Add all three before you compare.
COMC
COMC's consignment FAQ and fee page list:
- Processing, paid upfront per card. Elite is $2.00 raw or $2.50 graded with a 2-week estimate. Select is $1.00 raw or $1.50 graded. Standard is $0.65 raw or $1.25 graded with a 16-week estimate and a $65 minimum. Standard and Select cards have a $100 maximum list price on COMC.
- A 5% transaction fee when a card sells at a fixed price. The other 95% becomes COMC credit.
- A 10% cash-out fee to withdraw that credit as money.
Assumptions: Elite processing at $2.00 per raw card, a fixed-price sale, and a full cash-out.
| Sale price | COMC credit after 5% | Cash after 10% cash-out | Cash after the $2.00 processing fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25 | $23.75 | $21.38 | $19.38 |
| $100 | $95.00 | $85.50 | $83.50 |
| $500 | $475.00 | $427.50 | $425.50 |
If you spend the credit on more cards instead of cashing out, you skip the 10% fee.
Fanatics Collect Buy Now
Fanatics Collect's Buy Now fees page lists a 6% seller fee on listings priced below 120% of the Card Ladder market value and 12% on listings priced at or above it. If you accept an offer under that threshold, the 6% rate applies to the final sale price. There is no minimum fee.
At 6%, sales of $25, $100, and $500 leave $23.50, $94.00, and $470.00 in your Fanatics Collect balance. Cards must be in your Fanatics Collect vault before you can list them. Check the current terms for sending cards to the vault and for withdrawing your balance, because those costs are not part of the 6% fee.
Local card shops
Shops set their own consignment terms. Ask for the percentage, any minimum fee, how long the shop holds the card, and how and when it pays you. Get it in writing.
Side by side: one $100 card
Assumptions: free shipping, 8% sales tax on eBay, no ads, and Elite processing on COMC with a full cash-out.
| Platform | Fees and charges | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Fanatics Collect Buy Now, priced under 120% of market value | $6.00 | $94.00 to your Fanatics Collect balance |
| Mercari | $10.00 | $90.00 |
| eBay, Basic Store | $13.74 | $86.26 |
| eBay, no Store | $14.71 | $85.29 |
| COMC Elite, cashed out | $16.50 | $83.50 |
| eBay, no Store, 5% promoted listing | $20.11 | $79.89 |
The lowest fee does not decide the platform on its own. A card that sits unsold for months on a smaller marketplace costs you the money you could have reinvested. Check each platform's sold listings for your card before you choose where to list.
From payout to profit
Use this formula on every sale:
Profit = Payout - Card cost - Shipping label - Supplies - Grading costs
Example: a $100 card sold on eBay with free shipping and 8% tax pays out $85.29. Subtract a $60 card cost, a $5.00 label, and $0.50 of supplies, and the profit is $19.79. Run your own numbers in the free profit calculator. If you are deciding whether to grade first, the PSA grading ROI calculator adds grading fees to the same math. Fees also come off your taxable gain, because the 1099-K eBay sends reports gross payments before fees, as our sports card taxes guide explains.
Ways to lower your effective fee rate
- Promote only the listings that need it. Because eBay charges the ad fee after any buyer's click, a blanket ad rate also costs you on sales that would have happened anyway.
- Bundle low-value cards into lots. The $0.30 or $0.40 per-order fee and the label cost hit a $3 card much harder than a $30 lot. For a single raw card that sells for $20 or less, a 1 oz eBay standard envelope label costs under $1, as the shipping guide explains.
- Do not expect free shipping to save fees. eBay charges its percentage on buyer-paid shipping, so rolling $5 of shipping into the price costs the same in fees as charging it separately.
- Track your effective rate each month. Divide total fees by total sales. If the rate rises, look at promoted listing spend and international sales first.
For the full listing process, see the eBay seller checklist.
FAQs
Common questions about selling fees across platforms.