The trading card rate
Trading cards (sports, non-sport and collectible card games) have their own final value fee on eBay: 13.25% on the first $7,500 of the order total, and 2.35% on anything above that. Most other categories pay 13.6%. As with every eBay category, the total includes shipping and any sales tax the buyer pays. Then there is a per-order fee: $0.30 when the order total is $10 or less, $0.40 above.
Fees on common card prices
| Card price | Final value fee | Per-order fee | Total fees | Saved vs 13.6% categories | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | $1.33 | $0.30 | $1.63 | $0.03 | $3.37 |
| $10 | $1.99 | $0.40 | $2.39 | $0.05 | $7.61 |
| $20 | $3.31 | $0.40 | $3.71 | $0.09 | $16.29 |
| $50 | $7.29 | $0.40 | $7.69 | $0.19 | $42.31 |
| $100 | $13.91 | $0.40 | $14.31 | $0.37 | $85.69 |
| $500 | $66.91 | $0.40 | $67.31 | $1.77 | $432.69 |
Two things stand out (computed). On a $5 card the order total is exactly $10, so the per-order fee drops to $0.30, yet fees are still $1.63, or 32.6% of the card price, because the percentage is charged on the shipping too. And the lower card rate saves only a few cents to a couple of dollars against other categories.
eBay or Whatnot for a $20 card?
The same $20 card with $5 shipping pays $2.63 on Whatnot at its Standard tier (8% commission on the card plus processing), against $3.71 on eBay (computed). Fees are not the whole story: where a card sells for more matters more. Whatnot vs eBay fees runs more prices.
What this leaves out
- eBay Store subscriber rates, which are different and generally lower.
- Promoted Listings, the international fee and Below Standard surcharges.
- Graded cards’ grading cost. If you are deciding whether to grade, see is PSA grading worth it.
Estimates, fees as of Oct 2026. Not affiliated with any marketplace.