eBay Fees on Trading Cards and Coins: 13.25% and Store Rates

Which items get the lower rate

eBay’s selling fees page lists 13.25% on the total amount of the sale up to $7,500 (calculated per item), then 2.35% on the portion above $7,500, for:

• Sports Trading Cards, Non-Sport Trading Cards and Collectible Card Games
• Comic Books & Memorabilia
• Coins & Paper Money, except Bullion

Most other categories pay 13.6%. Bullion has its own table (13.6% at $7,500 or less, 7% above that), and the NFT card categories are 5%. Every one of these rates is followed by the same per-order fee: $0.30 on orders of $10.00 or less, $0.40 above that. The total amount of the sale includes the item, shipping you charge and the buyer’s sales tax.

A Store changes the rate. The Store selling fees page puts Basic, Premium, Anchor and Enterprise Stores on 12.35% up to $2,500 for cards and comics, and on 9% up to $4,000 for coins (then 2.35% on the rest). A Starter Store pays the same rates as no Store.

A $20 card: the standard envelope

eBay’s standard envelope is a low-cost label with limited tracking and shipping protection. Trading cards are one of its eligible categories. eBay lists $0.78 for up to 1 oz, $1.07 for 2 oz and $1.36 for 3 oz. The item must weigh no more than 3 oz, measure between 3.5 × 5 and 6.125 × 11.5 inches, be no thicker than 0.25 inch and have no plastic, strings or closures.

Take a $20.00 card sold October 13, 2026 with $0.78 shipping charged to the buyer and the 1 oz label bought for $0.78. At an example 8% sales tax (the marketplace charges the rate for the buyer’s address), tax is $1.66 and the buyer pays $22.44. The fee is figured on that $22.44:

In a category at the standard 13.6%, the same sale would cost $3.45 in fees and keep $16.55, so the card rate is worth $0.08 here. The Basic Store saves $0.20 a sale, which is why the Store break-even for cheap cards is 110 sales a month on fees alone, with yearly renewal at $21.95 a month.

Each fee component is rounded to the cent before adding; eBay may round differently by a cent.

A $150 coin: where a Store pays

Take a $150.00 coin with $4.91 shipping charged and a $4.91 label, again at an example 8% tax ($12.39), so the buyer pays $167.30:

The Store saves $7.11 on this one sale, so a Basic Store covers its $21.95 a month (yearly renewal) in 4 such sales a month, on fees alone. The coin rate is the reason: 9% instead of 13.25%.

At the top of the range the gap is large. eBay’s own fee example is a $9,500 card sold for free shipping with 6% tax, a $10,070 total. The final value fee line in that example, 13.25% of $7,500 plus 2.35% of $2,570 plus $0.40, is $1,054.55 (eBay’s total of $1,058.90 also includes a $0.35 insertion fee and a $4.00 Bold upgrade). Using the same method with Store rates (12.35% of $2,500, plus 2.35% of $7,570, plus $0.40), a Basic Store gives a final value fee of $487.05, a saving of $567.50 on one sale.

The same card and coin on Mercari and Whatnot

Mercari charges a flat 10% of the item price plus buyer-paid shipping (Mercari fees; see Mercari fees explained). Its USPS First-Class Envelope labels are available only for the trading cards category, up to 11.5 × 6.125 inches and 0.25 inch thick, and include shipping protection up to $20. From September 17, 2026 to January 4, 2027, Mercari lists these labels at $0.00 for 1 oz and $0.49 for 2 to 3 oz; its regular prices are $0.74, $1.03 and $1.32.

On the $20 card with the 1 oz promo label paid by the buyer, the buyer pays $0.00 for shipping, Mercari’s fee is 10% × $20.00 = $2.00 and you keep $18.00, $1.37 more than eBay without a Store. That is the promotion, not the base rate: if the regular $0.74 price still applies on January 5, 2027 and the buyer pays the label, the fee is $2.07 and you keep $17.93; with you paying that label you keep $17.26.

For the $150 coin on a Ground Advantage label up to 0.25 lb ($4.91 until October 18, 2026) paid by the buyer, the fee is 10% × $154.91 = $15.49 and you keep $134.51. From October 19 that label costs $5.39 and you keep $134.46. Mercari also charges the buyer a Buyer Protection fee, which is not in these figures (see Mercari fees explained above).

Whatnot has a reduced commission for Coins & Money, covering Coins & Bullion and Paper Money & Currency: 4% of the item price, with processing on top (Coins & Money). Whatnot’s U.S. rate card, in effect since September 21, 2026, shows Coins at 4.00% in the base tier, falling to 3.90% in Tier 1 (which starts at $15,000 in sales over a four-week period), and trading card games and sports at 8.00% in the base tier (Whatnot seller fees). Commission is figured on the item price only, and processing is 2.9% + $0.30 on the item, shipping and tax. See Whatnot’s fee tiers for the full table.

On the $150 coin at the base tier, commission is $6.00, processing is $5.15 and you keep $138.85; at Tier 1 you keep $139.00. Whatnot sets the buyer’s shipping price; our Whatnot calculator lists $4.47 for a package up to 4 oz. This example keeps the same $4.91 shipping used for eBay and Mercari (Mercari’s 0.25 lb label price, standing in for eBay’s label too) so the three compare; at $4.47 the coin would keep $138.86. Whatnot’s Coins & Money category includes bullion, while eBay’s 13.25% and 9% rates do not. Items must be listed in the right category to get the coin rate; Whatnot may act on miscategorized listings.

Which fits which

For the $20 card, eBay with a standard envelope keeps $16.63 without a Store; Mercari’s promo label keeps $18.00 but ends January 4, 2027. For the $150 coin, Whatnot’s 4% rate keeps $138.85, against $134.54 on eBay with a Basic Store, $134.51 on Mercari and $127.43 on eBay with no Store. That order holds only for these inputs: a different price, label or shipping charge moves it, and the audience for each platform differs by item.

Next step

Enter your own price, category, Store level and label in the eBay fee calculator, which has Trading cards and Coins categories and a Store check, then run the same sale through Mercari and Whatnot to see what each would keep.