Selling Pokémon Cards on eBay UK: Fees and Tips

How much does eBay charge to sell Pokémon cards in the UK?

As a UK private seller, nothing when a card sells. eBay says UK private sellers "won't pay final value fees or regulatory operating fees when your items sell". You get 300 free listings a month; each listing after that costs 35p. You only pay more if you choose optional upgrades, Promoted Listings, or sell to a buyer outside the UK.

eBay notes its listed fees include VAT. If you buy postage labels through eBay, you also pay for those.

What is the Buyer Protection fee and who pays it?

The buyer pays it, on top of your price, when buying from a UK private seller. It is 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, with nothing on any part above £4,000. On a fixed-price listing you receive your full price.

Offers and auctions include the fee

This catches many sellers out. eBay says "the auction or offer price you see on the site will always include the Buyer Protection fee". So when a buyer offers £50, the fee comes out of that £50 and you receive less. Before accepting an offer or setting an auction start price, work out what you will actually receive.

eBay says that when you buy from a UK private seller, "the item price includes a Buyer Protection fee". Buyers therefore see private sellers' prices with the fee added, so compare your price with other listings on the same basis.

Private seller or business seller?

Selling your own collection is private selling. eBay's business seller policy says you must register as a business if, for example, you "sell items [you] have bought to resell" or "make items in order to sell them". Business sellers have a separate fee structure, and buying from a business gives buyers more rights under consumer law.

The tax rules use a similar idea. If you buy cards to sell at a profit, you are likely trading for tax as well. Our Pokémon card tax guide explains the £1,000 trading allowance and when eBay reports sellers to HMRC.

When do I get paid?

For tracked items, eBay says funds are typically available 2 calendar days after delivery is confirmed. Untracked items: 14 calendar days after the order date. Sellers with a good record (at least 10 sales totalling £150 or more in 5 years, and no more than 2 open requests, cases or defects in 12 months) typically get funds within 24 hours of payment.

Tracked orders of £750 or less are released straight away if the buyer leaves positive feedback after delivery. Once eBay sends a payout, your bank may take 0 to 4 business days to make it available. Faster payouts are one more reason to post anything valuable with tracking.

What is eBay's Authenticity Guarantee for cards?

Single trading cards, graded or ungraded, priced at £250 or more (excluding postage) go through eBay's Authenticity Guarantee. You post the card to the authenticator, PSA, which checks it matches your listing before sending it on to the buyer. There is no grading in this process, and neither buyer nor seller can opt out.

• You pay postage to the authenticator; eBay covers postage from the authenticator to the buyer.
• Graded cards must be in a PSA, SGC, CGC, CSG or Beckett (BGS) slab.
• Describe the card exactly, because the authenticator compares the card with your listing.

If you are not sure a card is genuine, do not list it. Our guide to spotting fakes covers the checks.

How should I post Pokémon cards sold on eBay?

Pack each card in a penny sleeve and a toploader, seal the opening with paper and tape so no tape touches the card, and send it in a stiff envelope. Use a tracked service for anything you would mind losing. You can buy Royal Mail, Parcelforce and other carriers' labels through eBay, and tracking then uploads to the order.

• Through eBay you can buy labels for Royal Mail (including untracked 2nd Class), Parcelforce, and Packlink carriers such as Evri, Yodel, UPS, InPost and DPD.
• QR codes on many services mean you do not need a printer to drop off, though not every carrier offers them.
• Tracking uploads automatically for eBay Delivery (Packlink) services. An untracked service adds a reference number, which eBay warns "does not mean that the service is tracked".
• Choose the service by value, not price. Our postage guide lists current Royal Mail prices, compensation limits and the DO NOT BEND rule.

How do I write a good Pokémon card listing?

1. 1.

   Title: card, number, set, features, language, condition

   eBay's own example is "Charizard 4/102 1st Edition Base Set Holo English Pokemon Excellent". Put the details buyers search for in a logical order.

2. 2.

   Condition: use eBay's descriptors

   For ungraded cards, eBay offers Near Mint or Better, Lightly Played (Excellent), Moderately Played (Very Good) and Heavily Played (Poor). For graded cards, add the grader, the grade and the certificate number. Our condition guide shows how to judge it honestly.

3. 3.

   Photos: the actual card, front and back

   eBay recommends a white backdrop, flash off, soft diffused light, a photo of the back, and close-ups of any marks. Show the slab label for graded cards.

4. 4.

   Price: check sold listings, not asking prices

   Sold listings show what buyers actually paid. Our guide on valuing old cards explains how to compare like with like.

5. 5.

   Returns: decide your policy

   Private sellers can choose not to accept change-of-mind returns, but eBay's Money Back Guarantee still covers buyers if an item does not arrive or does not match the listing.

What protects buyers, and what does that mean for me?

eBay's Money Back Guarantee covers a buyer if an item "doesn't arrive, is faulty or damaged, or doesn't match the listing". A buyer can return an item that does not match the listing "even if the seller doesn't offer returns". Buyers have 30 days from the estimated delivery date to report a non-arrival, and 30 days from delivery to request a return.

For a seller, that means two habits matter most: describe condition accurately, and keep proof of delivery. Tracked postage protects you as much as the buyer.

Is eBay the best place to sell my cards?

For many UK private sellers it is, because it has a large UK audience and charges you no selling fee. Cardmarket suits singles to European buyers, and selling to a shop is quicker for a whole collection. Our guide to selling Pokémon cards in the UK compares the options.

If you would rather skip listing, photographing and posting each card, we buy cards: see sell your cards for an offer. We also sell on eBay as techtrotree, and our own single cards and graded cards are listed here.