Cardmarket vs eBay vs a Shop: Where to Buy Cards in the UK

Cardmarket vs eBay vs a UK shop at a glance

The three differ mainly in who sells to you, what extra you pay at checkout, how your money is protected and whether the card crosses a border. None is best for every purchase: the right one depends on the card, its cost and how much you value photos, speed and easy returns.

What does eBay UK cost a buyer?

Buying from a business seller on eBay UK costs the item price plus postage. Buying from a UK private seller adds a Buyer Protection fee: a flat £0.10 per item plus 7% of the price up to £20, 4% of the part from £20 to £300 and 2% of the part from £300 to £4,000. eBay says there is no further fee above £4,000.

eBay says the fee does not apply to business sellers or to private sellers outside the UK, where "Buyer Protection is included at no cost". In return, purchases paid through eBay checkout get the eBay Money Back Guarantee: you can report an item that has not arrived, or ask to return one that is not as described, within 30 days of the estimated or actual delivery date, and a successful claim refunds the original postage too.

• Authenticity Guarantee: single cards listed at £250 or more (excluding postage) can be checked by PSA before they reach you, at no cost to the buyer. Graded cards must be from PSA, SGC, CGC, CSG or BGS.
• Never pay outside eBay. The Money Back Guarantee only covers eBay checkout, and eBay does not allow offers to buy or sell outside eBay.
• Photos vary. Many sellers photograph the actual card; some use stock images. Ask if you are not sure.

How does Cardmarket work for UK buyers?

Cardmarket is a marketplace: you buy from individual sellers, most of them in Europe, and Cardmarket holds the seller's payment until you confirm the order arrived. That Trustee Service applies to tracked shipments "with very few exceptions" and carries a nominal fee based on the order value. Postage is set by Cardmarket's own system, not by the seller.

• Postage and tracking: Cardmarket sets shipping costs by country of origin, destination, weight and size. Registered (tracked) shipping is required for any shipment worth more than €25. Cheaper orders often travel as untracked letters, and Cardmarket only lets you mark an untracked shipment lost 30 days after it was sent; the seller then "has the option" to refund.
• Problems with an order: contact the seller before confirming arrival, and contact Cardmarket support if they do not reply within five working days or you cannot agree.
• Returns: Cardmarket says you may have a legal right of revocation within 14 days when buying from a professional seller, but not from a private seller.
• Currency: many prices are in euros. Cardmarket publishes the euro-to-pound rate it uses and updates it at least daily. Your card provider may add its own conversion fee.
• Condition: Cardmarket uses seven grades (Mint, Near Mint, Excellent, Good, Light Played, Played, Poor) and is strict: it says cards with whitened borders "have to be offered on Cardmarket as Poor". Its Light Played is much lower than the "Lightly Played" on many UK listings. See our condition guide.

VAT and customs when you buy from Cardmarket sellers abroad

An order from an EU seller to the UK crosses a customs border. Cardmarket's tax page says that on orders from professional sellers to UK private buyers, Cardmarket collects the VAT itself when the order costs £135 or less; above £135 the seller is responsible for the VAT. GOV.UK says that for goods over £135 you pay VAT to the delivery company before delivery or when you collect, Customs Duty can also apply, and the delivery company sends you a bill and normally holds the parcel for about three weeks.

What does buying from a UK shop give you?

A UK shop is a trader, so when you order online you get the statutory rights that private sales and many marketplace purchases lack: 14 days after delivery to cancel for any reason, a refund within 14 days of the shop getting the goods back, and goods that must match their description. You pay in pounds, with no buyer fee and no customs.

• Cancelling: under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, the cancellation period ends 14 days after the day the goods arrive. The refund must include standard delivery, and you normally pay the cost of sending the item back unless the shop agreed to or did not tell you.
• Not as described: under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods sold by description must match it, and you have 30 days to reject goods that do not.
• Trade-offs: a single shop has a smaller range than a marketplace, and photos and condition standards vary from shop to shop, so check both before you buy.

Which should you use for which card?

Use whichever gives you the protection the purchase needs at the lowest total cost, including fees and postage. As a rule of thumb, small cheap cards favour whichever lets you combine postage, while a card that matters to you favours tracked post, photos of the actual card and an easy return.

• A specific card that matters to you: a seller who shows the actual card, posts it tracked and takes returns. That can be a shop or a good eBay or Cardmarket seller.
• Lots of cheap singles for a binder or deck: combine them into one order to share the postage, whether that is one Cardmarket seller, one eBay seller or one shop.
• Expensive cards: check the eBay Authenticity Guarantee (from £250), use tracked and insured post, and pay by a protected method.
• Avoiding customs and currency: buy from UK sellers, on any platform, or from a UK shop.

Whichever route you choose, our guides on buying singles safely and avoiding scams cover what to check before you pay.

Where we fit

We are a UK shop, and we also sell on eBay as techtrotree. On our own site there is no buyer fee and every card in our singles range is photographed as sold. We dispatch within 2 working days to Great Britain, by Royal Mail 2nd Class from £1.35 for untracked items on orders under £20, Tracked 48 from £2.70 (required for cards from £5 and orders of £20 or more), and Special Delivery for orders over £100, with one postage charge per order. Details are on our delivery page and returns page.

Graded cards are on our graded page. If you are selling rather than buying, see sell your cards or our guide to selling Pokémon cards in the UK.