How to Sell Pokémon Cards in the UK: Fees and Options

Where can you sell Pokémon cards in the UK?

The main options are eBay, where UK private sellers pay no final value fee; Cardmarket, which takes 5% and reaches buyers across Europe; Vinted, with no seller fee but a ban on reselling new stock; Facebook Marketplace for local sales; and shop buylists, which are fastest but pay less.

How much does it cost to sell Pokémon cards on eBay UK?

eBay's fee page is clear: UK-based private sellers "won't pay final value fees or regulatory operating fees" when items sell. Private sellers get 300 free listings a month; after that each new listing costs 35p. Fees can still apply for optional listing upgrades and for delivery to an overseas address.

The Buyer Protection fee

When buying from a UK private seller, the buyer pays eBay a Buyer Protection fee on top of your price: 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. Nothing more is charged on the part above £4,000. eBay's own example: list an item for £10 and you receive £10.

Two consequences worth knowing:

• Offers and bids include the fee. eBay says the fee is included in the buyer's auction or offer amount, and the seller sees the offer without the fee. Read the amount you will receive, not the amount the buyer typed.
• Price against what buyers see. Other private sellers' prices in search results already include the fee, so compare like with like.

Getting paid

For tracked items, eBay says funds are typically available 2 calendar days after it receives delivery confirmation. Private sellers with at least 10 completed sales totalling £150 or more in the last 5 years, and no more than 2 open requests, cases or transaction defects in the last 12 months, can typically get funds within 24 hours of the buyer's payment. For untracked items, or tracked items with no delivery confirmation, funds are available 14 calendar days from the order date. Your bank then takes 0–4 business days to process each payout. That is one more reason to post anything valuable tracked.

Authenticity Guarantee for cards of £250 or more

Single cards, graded or ungraded, priced at £250 or more (excluding postage) in eBay's trading card categories go through its Authenticity Guarantee. You post the card to eBay's authenticator, PSA, which checks it against your listing before it goes on to the buyer. eBay covers the authentication and the postage from the authenticator to the buyer; you pay the postage to the authenticator. Graded cards must be in a PSA, SGC, CGC, CSG or BGS slab. Listing an eligible card means agreeing to the process.

Private or business?

eBay's business seller policy says a seller must register as a business "if, for example, they sell items they have bought to resell". Selling your own collection is private selling; regularly buying cards or sealed product to sell on is business activity. Business sellers pay different fees, and consumer law gives their buyers more rights (see below).

Can you sell on Cardmarket from the UK?

Cardmarket is a large European marketplace for trading cards, and the United Kingdom is on its list of available countries. Sellers receive payment "minus the 5% sales commission". Cardmarket's system sets shipping costs, and registered (tracked) shipping is mandatory for any shipment worth more than €25.

• Private sellers' sales are restricted "if the trading volume suggests that there may be commercial trading".
• Only professional sellers may offer more than two of any given sealed product or accessory.
• Cardmarket reports sellers to tax authorities if they exceed 30 transactions or €2,000 in a calendar year, and adds that this "is not the threshold for any tax burden or business classification".
• Orders between the UK and EU countries cross a customs border, so they need a customs declaration (Cardmarket's help covers the CN22 form). Factor that in before selling to EU buyers.

Can you sell Pokémon cards on Vinted?

Yes, if they are your own cards. Vinted charges UK sellers no selling fee, and the buyer pays a fee at checkout instead. But standard accounts cannot be used to sell professionally, and nobody may sell new items bought specifically to resell, which in practice rules out flipping sealed product.

Vinted's UK price list shows no selling fee. The buyer pays a Vinted fee at checkout, which it describes as "usually 3% to 8% + £0.3 to £0.8" (price list updated 8 October 2026). Its rules are strict about commercial selling:

• Standard accounts cannot be used to sell professionally, including "buying or sourcing items and reselling them at a profit".
• Under "New commercial stock": "You can't sell new items bought specifically to resell". Vinted adds: "This rule applies to everyone, including Vinted Pro sellers." In practice that rules out sealed product bought to flip.
• Photos must show "the actual item as it is", and sellers may not use photos they did not take themselves.

Is Facebook Marketplace good for selling Pokémon cards?

Meta's commerce policies say "Facebook Marketplace is intended for consumer-to-consumer sales", and they ban counterfeits and the facilitation of gambling, which explicitly includes raffles. Marketplace works best for local sales of binders and bulk lots. We could not confirm from Facebook's own help pages whether shipped checkout is currently offered to UK sellers, so check the selling options in your app. For an in-person sale, meet in a public place, let the buyer inspect the cards, and take payment you can verify before handing anything over.

How does selling cards to a shop work?

Many UK card shops buy cards. You fill in a list or form, get an offer, post the cards (tracked), and are paid once the shop checks them. Shops pay less than you might get selling each card yourself, because they carry the work, the fees and the risk, but you sell everything at once with no listings, questions or returns.

• Store credit usually pays more than cash. For example, Total Cards advertises a 20% bonus on payouts taken as store credit.
• Condition rules are strict. Total Cards, for example, says it primarily accepts English, near-mint Pokémon cards. Check how a shop grades before you send.
• Ask what happens to rejected cards or a declined offer. Total Cards charges a sorting fee (minimum £3) and return postage if you decline its offer.
• Get confirmation before you post. Most shops want an approved list first.

We buy cards too, including graded slabs and sealed product. Our sell your cards page has the form: tell us what you have, and we reply with an offer, paid by PayPal or as store credit once we have checked the cards.

How do you get Pokémon cards to sell?

Identify each card exactly by name, set, number, language and variant, grade its condition honestly, photograph the actual card front and back, price it from sold listings rather than asking prices, and post it properly protected with a service that matches its value. The steps below cover each one.

1. 1.

   Identify each card exactly

   Name, set, card number (for example 4/102), language, and variant (1st Edition, reverse holo). eBay's own example title is "Charizard 4/102 1st Edition Base Set Holo English Pokemon Excellent".

2. 2.

   Grade condition honestly

   Use the platform's scale and err on the low side. Our condition guide maps eBay, Cardmarket and TCGplayer scales.

3. 3.

   Photograph the actual card

   eBay's trading card advice: a plain white backdrop, flash off, soft diffused light, the front, the back, and close-ups of any flaws. Vinted requires photos of the actual item; buyers on every platform expect them. Every card in our singles shop and graded range is photographed as sold, if you want examples.

4. 4.

   Price from sold listings

   Asking prices tell you what people hope to get. Sold prices tell you what buyers paid. See how to value cards.

5. 5.

   Post it properly

   Sleeve, toploader, card sandwich, DO NOT BEND, and the right service for the value. Our postage guide has current Royal Mail prices and compensation limits.

Thinking of grading a card before you sell it? Our grading checklist helps you decide whether the fees are likely to pay back.

Do you pay tax on selling Pokémon cards?

Usually not if you are selling your own collection: gov.uk says you are unlikely to pay tax on personal items. If you buy cards to resell at a profit you are likely trading, and trading income over the £1,000 trading allowance means registering for Self Assessment. Large single sales can trigger Capital Gains Tax.

This is general information from gov.uk, not tax advice. If in doubt, ask an accountant or HMRC.

• Selling your own collection: gov.uk says "You're unlikely to pay tax if you sell personal items from your home, like contents of a loft or garage."
• Buying to resell is trading: "If you buy or make goods to sell at a profit, you're likely to be trading and will have to pay tax on your profits." HMRC uses nine "badges of trade" to decide, including profit-seeking motive, the number of transactions and the time between buying and selling.
• The trading allowance: up to £1,000 a year of trading income is tax-free. If your gross trading income is more than £1,000 in a tax year, you must register for Self Assessment.
• Platform reporting: since 1 January 2024, online selling platforms send sellers' details to HMRC. Gov.uk says your details will not be reported if you make fewer than 30 sales of goods in a calendar year and receive less than 2,000 euros (about £1,700) for those sales. A report "does not automatically mean you owe tax".
• Big single sales: Capital Gains Tax can apply when you make a gain selling a personal possession for £6,000 or more. HMRC counts a set of items as one possession for this purpose.

What do you owe buyers when you sell cards?

If you sell as a private individual, Citizens Advice says "buyer beware" applies to the buyer, but your description must be accurate: a private seller "can't misdescribe the item". If you sell as a business, consumer law gives online buyers more rights, including the right to cancel up to 14 days after their order is delivered. Either way, describe condition honestly and never sell a card you are not sure is genuine: see our guide to fakes.