If you want to see what collectors are paying, most people start with aggregate sites or auction data. These are great for a "ballpark," but they have a major blind spot.
Video Game Platform Fee Comparison
- A $50 eBay sale nets around $20.55 after platform fees, shipping, materials, and your time.
- eBay charges 13.6% of the total sale amount plus $0.40 per order for casual sellers.
- Price tracking sites can't separate label variants or factor in shipping — the number they show is almost never what you pocket.
- The labor tax and logistics tax are the costs most sellers never account for — 30 minutes of work and a post office run add up fast.
- The Old School Game Vault gives you an instant quote based on the exact game, label, and condition you have. No math, no guessing, no fees deducted after the fact.
| Platform | Fee Structure | $50 Sale Net | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay | 13.6% + $0.40 per order | ~$20.80 after fees, shipping, and time | High-value individual titles |
| Mercari | 10% + 2.9% + $0.30 payment fee | ~$21.55 after fees, shipping, and time | Casual sellers, common titles |
| Facebook Marketplace | 0% local pickup | Higher net but limited local buyers | Common titles, quick local sale |
| The Old School Game Vault | No fees — instant quote, free shipping | Quote is what you get — no deductions | Collections, retro titles, no grind |
The Table of Contents
The Search for "Market Value"
Most people start with two tools. Price-tracking sites average thousands of sales into a single number. That's useful for a rough guess, but the number is often wrong. The eBay "Sold" filter is the other one. It's more current, but you have to dig through a lot of garbage listings to find anything useful.
The "Data Trap": Why These Numbers Are Often Wrong
Here's where people get burned. I see it all the time. Someone checks a tracker, sees $50, and figures that's what they're walking away with. It isn't.
- The "Label" Difference: Many price trackers can't distinguish a Black Label from a "Greatest Hits" or "Platinum Hits" version. To a collector, an original Black Label Silent Hill is worth more than the budget "green label" reprint.
- Learn how different label types work. Collectors often pay a 20-30% premium for the original "black label" release.
- The Shipping Mirage: If a game shows as "Sold for $50," check if it was free shipping. After a $6 shipping label and 13.6% in seller fees, that seller only pocketed about $37.
- Missing Details: If a seller doesn’t label their auction as "CIB with Manual," data bots may confuse a "missing manual" copy with a "complete" one. This can lead to a false average.
Calculate the "DIY tax."
This is where most sellers get frustrated. If a site says your game is "worth" $50, you aren't actually putting $50 in your pocket. You have to subtract the hidden costs of doing the work yourself.
When you factor in the fees, the materials, and the value of your own time, the "profit" vanishes in an instant. Here is the real-world breakdown of a standard $50 marketplace sale:
- The Marketplace Fee (-$6.80): Most platforms take roughly 13.6% off the top. They charge this fee based on the total amount of the sale, plus a small $0.40 insertion fee.
- Shipping & Materials (-$7.50): A bubble mailer or box, tape, and a shipping label cut into your profits before the game even leaves your home.
- The Labor Tax (-$10.00): Your time has value. If you value your time at $20 an hour, then 30 minutes of work costs you $10. This usually includes research, taking photos, editing, and writing a detailed description.
- The Logistics Tax (-$4.50): This is the cost of the "Post Office Run." Driving takes time. You spend money on gas and wear out your vehicle. Plus, there are about 15 minutes of driving and waiting in line. This all adds up and steals more of your day.
The Verdict: Your Real Profit = $20.80
Video Game Selling Fees Calculator: Breaking Down a $50 Sale
| Cost Category | What It Covers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace Fee |
Platform fees usually range around 13.6% of final value + $0.40 insertion fee. |
-$7.20 |
| Shipping & Materials | Bubble mailer or box, packing materials, tape, and shipping label. | -$7.50 |
| Labor Tax |
Researching value, photos, editing, writing the listing, and managing messages. This takes about 30 minutes and values at $20 per hour. |
-$10.00 |
| Logistics Tax |
Driving to the post office takes time. You spend extra minutes on gas and wear on your vehicle. Plus, waiting in line adds about 15 minutes. |
-$4.50 |
| Total DIY Costs | Combined hidden costs of selling a game yourself. | -$29.20 |
| Your Real Profit | What you actually keep from a $50 sale after the DIY tax | $20.80 |
Let Us Do the Heavy Lifting
That math isn't made up. I've seen people spend a whole weekend listing games online. They drive to the post office twice. Then they get a return. After all that work, they made less than if they had brought the games in.
At The Old School Game Vault, we've already done that homework. Our Live Price Catalog looks at the label, the condition, and whether the box and manual are included. Then we make you an offer on the exact game you have. No math. No guessing.
💰 Search Our Live Price Catalog
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the typical fees for selling video games on online marketplaces?
eBay charges 13.6% of the total sale amount plus $0.40 per order for casual sellers. That fee is calculated on everything — the item price, shipping, and sales tax. Before you factor in packaging and your own time, that's already $7.20 gone on a $50 sale.
Which platforms charge the lowest fees for selling used video games online?
Fees vary, but no major marketplace is cheap. Once you add shipping and your own time, the difference between platforms matters a lot less than most people think. Facebook Marketplace has no fees for local pickup, but you're limited to local buyers and heavy price negotiation.
How much do you actually make after fees when selling video games online?
A $50 sale nets around $20.80 after marketplace fees, shipping, packing materials, and your time. The bigger your collection, the more those costs stack up.
What is the labor tax when selling video games?
It's the value of your own time. Researching prices, taking photos, writing a listing, managing buyer messages, and making a post office run takes about 30 minutes per game. At $20 an hour that's $10 in time cost alone — and it doesn't show up anywhere in the platform's fee structure.
Why do price tracking sites show the wrong value for my games?
Most trackers can't separate label variants. An original Black Label release and a Greatest Hits reprint of the same game can have very different values, but trackers average them together. They also can't factor in shipping costs or whether a listing was truly complete. The number you see is rarely the number you pocket.
