The cheapest way to buy and sell TCG cards
Compare total fees across platforms. No hidden charges, no renamed surcharges — just transparent pricing.
Cardmarket figures assume card payment (Instant Credit). Users who pre-fund via bank transfer avoid the 5% surcharge but must manually top up their wallet in advance. Starting in April, CardNexus users will be able to buy directly from their seller proceeds at just 1% fees.
See how much you save
CardNexus
Cardmarket
CardNexus seller commission applies to full order total (items + shipping). Cardmarket seller commission applies to article value only.
Full fee breakdown
| CardNexus | Cardmarket | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer commission | 2.5% | 0% |
| Fixed fee (buyer) | €0.30 | — |
| Card payment fee | Included | 5% + €0.35 |
| Trustee service | Included | 1% |
| Seller commission | 5% of order total (items + shipping) | 5% of article value only |
| Total take rate | 7.5% + €0.30 | ~11% + €0.35 |
On a €45 order with €5 shipping, the difference in seller fee base is €0.25.
But Cardmarket says buying is free?
Cardmarket's fee page says "Buying = No fees." Technically, this only refers to the marketplace commission. The moment you pay by card — which most buyers do — you're charged 5% + €0.35 under a feature called "Instant Credit." That's not a wallet top-up. It's a payment processing surcharge with a misleading name.
On top of that, most orders include a 1% Trustee Service fee, and cross-currency transactions add another 3%. A standard card-payment purchase on Cardmarket costs the buyer 6% in fees alone — before the seller's 5% commission is even counted.
On CardNexus: card payments are included
There is no payment method surcharge. The 2.5% + €0.30 buyer fee covers everything — payment processing, platform access, and buyer protection. What you see at checkout is what you pay.
But TCGPlayer has no buyer fees?
TCGPlayer charges sellers 10.75% marketplace commission plus a 2.5% + $0.30 transaction fee on every order — totaling roughly 13.25% + $0.30. When sellers lose 13 cents on every dollar, they raise their listing prices to compensate. Buyers don't see a fee line item, but they pay more for every card.
Pro sellers pay even more: 9.25% commission + 2.5% Pro fee + 2.5% transaction fee + $0.30, totaling ~14.25% + $0.30. The "no buyer fee" model simply shifts costs onto sellers, who pass them right back to buyers through higher prices.
On CardNexus: lower seller fees mean lower prices
Our 5% seller commission (EU) or 8% (NA) is significantly lower than TCGPlayer's ~13%. Sellers keep more of each sale, so they can list cards at genuinely lower prices. And coupons don't hurt sellers either — CardNexus absorbs the discount, so sellers always get their full payout.
