TCGplayer seller fees for a standard marketplace seller (Levels 1-4) are a 10.75% commission on the card price plus the shipping charged, and a transaction fee of 2.5% of the order total plus $0.30. After those fees and a stamped envelope, a $25 single nets about $21.32, roughly 85% of the listed price, while a $2 card nets about $1.41. The fee rates come from TCGplayer's own Seller Help Center fee page, last edited September 22, 2026.
As side income, selling singles from a collection or from bought lots works out to roughly $400-$1,000/month in payouts at 60-150 small orders a month, about 5-13 hours of packing plus listing time, and only after the account climbs past the Level 1 limits. That payout is before the cost of the cards. The income figures here are worked examples built from TCGplayer's published fees, not reported seller results; individual results vary based on time invested, market conditions, platform changes, and individual execution.
This spoke sits in the Cards and Resale hub with the eBay, COMC, and Whatnot math.
The Fee Stack, Line By Line
TCGplayer is an online marketplace for trading card game singles and sealed product, mostly Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh. A regular seller pays two fees on every order:
- Marketplace commission: 10.75% of the item price, capped at $75 per product sold, plus 10.75% of the shipping charge with no cap.
- Transaction fee: 2.5% of the order total (items, shipping, and sales tax) plus $0.30 per order.
Two details catch new sellers: commission applies to the shipping charge, and the transaction fee is charged on sales tax the seller never keeps. TCGplayer's own fee examples use a 7% sales tax, so the tables below do too. Fee rates, caps, and seller rules change, so verify current terms in the TCGplayer Seller Help Center before pricing inventory.
| Card price | Buyer pays (incl. $1.49 shipping, 7% tax) | TCGplayer fees | Payout | Postage | Net to seller |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | $3.73 | $0.77 | $2.72 | $1.31 | $1.41 |
| $8.00 | $10.15 | $1.57 | $7.92 | $1.31 | $6.61 |
| $25.00 | $28.34 | $3.86 | $22.63 | $1.31 | $21.32 |
| $100.00 | $108.59 | $13.92 | $87.57 | $6.93-$8.40 | $79.17-$80.64 |
Postage assumes a stamped one-ounce letter at $0.82 plus the $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge that a rigid toploader can trigger, and USPS Ground Advantage commercial pricing of $6.93-$8.40 for a 4-ounce parcel on the tracked $100 order (USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026). Sleeves, toploaders, and envelopes are not included.
Worked Net Example: One $25 Card
A $25 card with $1.49 shipping makes a $26.49 subtotal. At 7% tax the buyer pays $28.34. Commission is 10.75% of $26.49, or $2.85. The transaction fee is 2.5% of $28.34 plus $0.30, or $1.01. Total fees are $3.86, so the payout is $22.63. Subtract $1.31 in postage and the seller keeps $21.32. Fees ate 14.6% of the subtotal.
Why Cheap Singles Barely Pay
The $0.30 fixed fee and the postage do not shrink with the card price. On a $2 card, fees take 22% of the $3.49 subtotal, and postage takes most of the shipping charge. TCGplayer sets a $1.49 minimum shipping charge on orders under $5, which helps, but low-value singles pay only when buyers combine several cards into one order.
Shipping Rules That Change The Math
TCGplayer's shipping guidance says orders over $20 should carry tracking, orders over $49.99 must ship with tracking, and orders over $250 must ship with signature confirmation (shipping help article, edited January 2025). Skipping required tracking forfeits missing-package disputes. Since August 17, 2026, TCGplayer Safeguard covers some untracked orders of $49.99 and under, but only for US sellers with 1,000 lifetime orders (Safeguard untracked coverage FAQ, September 2026). A new seller carries that loss risk alone.
Seller Levels Cap A New Account
Every account opened through the TCGplayer seller portal starts at Level 1: up to 100 items listed, $1,000 of total listings, and a $500 maximum per item. Level 2 (500 items, $5,000, $1,000 maximum) needs two orders past their expected delivery date and an 80% feedback ratio. Level 3 (50,000 items) needs 11 such orders and 85%. Level 4 removes the item limit after 51 orders and 90% (seller levels help article). Payments go out every Monday and Thursday, and direct deposits usually land about four business days later.
Worked Monthly Math
Take 60 orders a month averaging $8 in cards, $1.49 shipping, and untracked postage. Each order nets $6.61, so the month pays about $397 after $94 in fees and $79 in postage. At 150 orders the same math pays about $992. Results vary with time invested, card prices, and platform changes. If packing takes about five minutes an order, that is 5 hours and 12.5 hours a month, plus listing and repricing time. Time your own packing.
If the cards cost half their sale price, the 60-order month keeps about $157 after the $240 spent on inventory.
Pro And Direct Rarely Help Small Sellers
A Pro account pays a 9.25% commission plus a 2.5% Pro fee, 11.75% combined, which is higher than the standard 10.75%. TCGplayer Direct lowers the commission to 8.95% but adds a per-card Direct fee: 50% of the card value on cards worth $2.49 or less, and $1.12 per card above that, so Direct rarely helps on cheap singles.
When To Pass
- Most inventory is under $2 and buyers rarely combine orders.
- The cards are graded or high-value: compare the eBay vs COMC take-home math and COMC seller fees first, and run the PSA grading profit math before grading anything.
- Live selling fits your inventory better; see Whatnot seller economics.
Common Questions
What percentage does TCGplayer take? For a standard seller, 10.75% of items and shipping plus 2.5% of the order total and $0.30. On a $25 card that is about 14.6% of the subtotal.
Is there a cap on TCGplayer fees? The commission caps at $75 per product sold, which only matters above about $698 per card. The transaction fee has no cap.
How often does TCGplayer pay sellers? Every Monday and Thursday for completed orders.
The Bottom Line
TCGplayer keeps roughly 15-22% of an order between $2 and $25 once the fixed fee and commissioned shipping are counted, and postage takes more. Singles above about $8 carry the model; $2 cards only work in combined orders. Expect a slow start under Level 1 limits and budget tracked postage above $49.99. For the other card platforms and their fee math, see the Cards and Resale hub.