How much can I pay for a card?
Your maximum buy price is expected net resale proceeds minus the profit you want to keep. Enter a resale scenario below to calculate an offer ceiling. No account or live price lookup is required.
Enter your expected sale and profit target, then calculate an offer ceiling.
One item, one US domestic order. TCGplayer excludes Pro, Direct and Sync; eBay excludes Store discounts, advertising, insertion and international fees. Sales tax is included in the applicable fee base, not in your revenue. Actual fees may differ.
Rules reviewed 2026-09-24. Sources: TCGplayer fees · eBay seller fees.
The maximum buy price formula
First calculate the amount available after marketplace fees, postage and supplies. For a dollar profit target: maximum purchase cost = amount available − target profit. For an ROI target: maximum purchase cost = amount available ÷ (1 + target ROI).
If a sale would leave $20 after selling costs, a $5 profit target allows a $15 purchase cost. A 25% ROI target allows $16: the $4 profit is 25% of the $16 spent. ROI is measured against cost, while profit margin is measured against revenue.
Is this the price I should offer?
It is a ceiling under your assumptions, not a recommendation to pay that amount. Include purchase-side shipping and tax in your total acquisition cost. Reduce your offer to allow for uncertainty, condition disputes, returns, time to sell and your own labor.
Try a lower resale price before committing. If a modest price drop removes your profit, the deal has little room for error. An active listing alone does not prove that a buyer will pay your expected price.
Can I use this for a bulk lot?
Use the Deal Analyzer to model liquidation across multiple orders and save your analysis.
The marketplace presets model one item sold in one order. Do not enter the total retail value of a bulk lot as one sale: multiple orders can incur multiple flat fees, postage costs and unsold cards. Evaluate expected sales separately before adding their offer ceilings, and reserve money for the cards that may not sell.
Already know what you paid?
Use the fee and profit calculator to estimate profit and break-even. The TCGplayer fee guide explains which amounts fees apply to.
Once you buy, create a free FlipBasis account to record your inventory and costs. Free includes up to 100 inventory entries; Pro offers unlimited entries at $4.99/month or $45/year.