How to Sell Pokemon Cards: TCGplayer vs eBay Fees (2026)

How to sell Pokemon cards comes down to three numbers: what the card sells for, what the marketplace takes, and what shipping costs you. On a mid-priced card, TCGplayer and eBay take almost the same cut, about 13.6% of an $88 card. Above roughly $698, TCGplayer's $75 commission cap makes it the cheaper place to sell, and under a few dollars, fixed fees take a large share of the sale on either site. This guide lays out both fee schedules as of October 11, 2026, with worked examples and the steps to list a card.

TL;DR: TCGplayer (Level 1-4 seller): 10.75% commission capped at $75 per card, plus 2.5% of the order total and $0.30. eBay (Collectible Card Games): 13.25% of the total the buyer pays, plus $0.30 or $0.40 per order. On an $88.36 card you keep $76.35 on TCGplayer or $76.25 on eBay; on a $1,000 card, $899.70 or $867.10. A $1 card loses about 43% to fees on either site. Price from recent sales, grade condition honestly, and ship in a sleeve and toploader.

How to sell Pokemon cards: the quick answer

Look up the card's recent market price, check its condition against the marketplace's standard, then list it where the fee math works for that price. For singles from about $10 to about $698, TCGplayer and eBay leave you within a few cents of each other. Above about $698, TCGplayer's per-card cap saves money. Cheap commons and uncommons are worth selling only in bulk.

Key Takeaways

• TCGplayer Level 1-4: 10.75% commission (capped at $75 per product, also charged on shipping) + 2.5% of the order total + $0.30.
• eBay, Collectible Card Games: 13.25% up to $7,500 per item + $0.30 (orders of $10 or less) or $0.40 per order, calculated on item, shipping and sales tax.
• Worked examples (card price only): $15.75 card keeps $13.36 (TCGplayer) or $13.26 (eBay); $88.36 keeps $76.35 or $76.25; $1,000 keeps $899.70 or $867.10.
• Cheap cards don't pay: about $0.43 of a $1 sale goes to fees on either site.
• No official price guide: Pokémon says it does not track resale values, so price from recent sales and date it.

Overview: what decides where you should sell

The right marketplace depends on the card's price more than anything else. Both big US marketplaces charge a percentage plus a fixed amount, so the fixed part dominates on cheap cards and the percentage dominates on expensive ones. TCGplayer also caps its commission per card, which only matters above about $698.

Start with the price, because nobody official will give you one. The Pokémon Company International says it "does not maintain or track any information on the secondary market value of our products" and is "unable to provide any guidance on the resale value." In practice collectors use recent sold prices. On October 11, 2026, TCGplayer's market price for Mew ex 152/128 was $88.36 and for Fuecoco ex 147/128 was $15.75, both 30th Celebration special illustration rares. Those two cards run through the examples below.

Condition comes second, because a market price is the price for one condition. TCGplayer sorts singles into Near Mint, Lightly Played, Moderately Played, Heavily Played and Damaged, and your listing has to match one of them. Our Pokemon card condition guide walks through TCGplayer's point system for NM, LP, MP and HP.

TCGplayer vs eBay fees for Pokemon cards in 2026

TCGplayer charges a Level 1-4 Marketplace seller 10.75% of the items plus 2.5% of the order total and $0.30. eBay charges 13.25% of the whole sale, including shipping and tax, plus $0.30 or $0.40 per order. TCGplayer caps its commission at $75 per card; eBay's rate drops to 2.35% only above $7,500.

Source: help.tcgplayer.com TCGplayer Fees and ebay.com selling fees, screenshots Oct 11, 2026.

Two details catch new sellers. TCGplayer's fee calculation examples charge the commission on shipping too ("shipping cost x 10.75% (no cap)"), and its cap works per item: an order with two $1,000 cards pays $150, not $75. On eBay, the selling fees page says the total amount of the sale "includes the item price, any handling charges, any shipping costs collected from the buyer" and sales tax, so the 13.25% applies to more than the card's price.

A seller on r/PokemonTCG put that last point simply: "Ebay charges fees on the total amount paid by the buyer (including shipping costs and sales tax ... plus a base amount ($.40 on trading cards over $10)." Their comment guesses the rate at 13.5%; eBay's published rate for Collectible Card Games is 13.25%.

What you keep: four worked examples

With no shipping or tax in the calculation, the two sites leave you within $0.10 of each other on the $15.75 and $88.36 cards. The gap opens above TCGplayer's cap: on a $1,000 card, TCGplayer leaves $899.70 and eBay $867.10. On a $1 card both take about 43%.

These are SetPulls calculations from the published fee rules, checked against TCGplayer's own example (a $65.31 card with $0.99 shipping pays "Total = $9.20"; the same formula gives $9.20).

Source: TCGplayer and eBay fee pages, Oct 11, 2026. Calculation and chart: SetPulls.

The crossover sits where 10.75% of the card's price reaches $75, which happens at about $698. Above that, every extra dollar on TCGplayer pays only the 2.5% transaction fee, while eBay keeps charging 13.25% up to $7,500.

GODEEPER: Before you list a valuable card, check what grading would cost and how long it takes. PSA vs CGC vs BGS Grading Fees 2026 →

Step-by-Step: how to sell Pokemon cards online

Seven steps take a card from your binder to a completed sale.

1. Identify the exact card. Search it in Pokémon's official card database, where the advanced search can filter by name, type and rarity. Note the set, the collector number and the rarity, because the same Pokémon can have several printings at very different prices. Our guide to Pokemon card rarity symbols shows how to read the symbol.

2. Grade the condition honestly. Compare the card against TCGplayer's condition standard (Near Mint, Lightly Played, Moderately Played, Heavily Played, Damaged) and photograph any flaw you list.

3. Price it from recent sales, with a date. Check the card's market price on TCGplayer and recent sold listings on eBay on the day you list. Write the date down: Mew ex 152/128 went from $80.76 on October 9 to $88.36 on October 11, 2026.

4. Pick the marketplace by price. Under a few dollars, sell in lots. From about $10 to about $698 the fees are close, so pick the site where the card sells faster. Above about $698, TCGplayer's $75 cap leaves more money.

5. Account for shipping before you set the price. Both sites charge their percentage on the shipping you collect, and TCGplayer's minimum shipping on orders under $5 is $1.49. Build the real postage and supplies into your shipping charge.

6. List the card. On TCGplayer, a Marketplace seller enters inventory and prices with "no setup or listing fees"; TCGplayer holds the funds "until we can verify that you have completed the sale." On eBay, the first 250 listings each month carry no insertion fee, then $0.35 each.

7. Ship it protected. Put the card in a penny sleeve, then a toploader or semi-rigid holder, and pack it so it can't slide. Our guide to storing Pokemon cards covers which holder does what.

GODEEPER: Buyers of expensive cards check for fakes, and so should you before you list. How to Spot Fake Pokemon Cards →

Tips: how to sell Pokemon cards without losing money

• Don't sell $1 cards one by one. Fixed fees take about 43% of a $1 sale before you pay for a stamp. A collector on r/pokemoncardcollectors put it this way: "TCGPLAYER is more normalized for sales with no pictures", "so for commons, uncommons, bulk, etc - that’s your best bet."
• For large bulk, read TCGplayer Managed Inventory's fees first. It charges a $0.04 receiving fee per card and storage of $0.01 per card per month after the first 90 days, and applies the transaction fee only to cards sold for $2 or more.
• Remember tax is in eBay's base. Two sellers listing the same card at the same price pay different eBay fees if their buyers live in states with different sales tax.
• Outside the US, recheck TCGplayer's numbers. International orders carry a 3.5% + $0.30 transaction fee instead of 2.5% + $0.30.
• Expensive cards: compare the cap. A single card above about $698 is where TCGplayer's $75 commission cap starts to pay off, and the cap applies per card, not per order.

Source: TCGplayer and eBay fee pages, Oct 11, 2026. Calculation and chart: SetPulls.

Our take

Based on the cited fee schedules: for the cards most collectors sell, $10 to a few hundred dollars, the platform barely changes what you keep, because TCGplayer and eBay take within a few cents of each other. When working out how to sell Pokemon cards in that range, a dated price and an accurate condition do more for your payout. The fee choice starts to matter at the ends. Above about $698 TCGplayer's cap is worth real money, $32.60 on a $1,000 card in our example. Under a few dollars, no marketplace makes single-card sales worthwhile. Whatever you sell, check the fee pages again before you list, because both companies change their schedules; TCGplayer's own fee page shows several changes in 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it better to sell Pokemon cards on TCGplayer or eBay? For most single cards the fees are close. On an $88.36 card with no shipping or tax, a Level 1-4 TCGplayer seller keeps $76.35 and an eBay seller $76.25. TCGplayer pulls ahead above about $698, where its $75 commission cap applies.

How much does TCGplayer take when you sell a card? A Level 1-4 Marketplace seller pays a 10.75% commission capped at $75 per product, plus 2.5% of the order total and $0.30. The commission applies to shipping as well. TCGplayer's own example, a $65.31 card with $0.99 shipping, pays $9.20.

How much are eBay fees on Pokemon cards? eBay charges 13.25% on Collectible Card Games, up to $7,500 per item, plus $0.30 per order of $10 or less and $0.40 above. The percentage applies to the total the buyer pays, including shipping and sales tax, so it covers more than the card's price.

Is it worth selling cheap Pokemon cards one at a time? Usually not. On a $1 card the fixed charges dominate: about $0.43 in fees on either site, 43% of the price, before postage. TCGplayer's minimum shipping on orders under $5 is $1.49, so cheap cards sell better in lots or through a bulk service.

Can Pokemon tell me what my cards are worth? No. The Pokémon Company International says it does not track secondary market values and cannot give resale guidance. Use recent sold prices instead, such as TCGplayer's market price or eBay sold listings, and note the date, because prices for new sets move quickly.

Do I pay fees on shipping when I sell cards? Yes, on both sites. TCGplayer charges its 10.75% commission on the shipping you collect, with no cap, and its transaction fee on the full order total. eBay's final value fee is calculated on the total amount of the sale, which includes shipping charged to the buyer and sales tax.

Related Reading

• Pokemon Card Collecting Guide 2026: condition, grading, storage, fakes and card values in one place.
• 30th Celebration Card List and Chase Cards: every card in the newest English set, with dated prices for the chase cards.
• Pokemon TCG Products Guide 2026: pack counts, MSRPs and price per pack if you are selling sealed product.

References

• TCGplayer: TCGplayer Fees
• TCGplayer: Fee Calculation Examples
• TCGplayer: Marketplace Fee Cap Increase FAQ
• TCGplayer: How do I sell my collectibles on TCGplayer?
• TCGplayer: Managed Inventory Fee Rates & Schedule
• eBay: Selling fees
• Pokémon Support: What are my cards worth?
• Pokémon Support: How do I use the Trading Card Game database?
• r/pokemoncardcollectors: eBay vs. TCGplayer