NFT royalty percentages typically range from 5% to 10%, but vary by platform. ERC-2981 standardizes how royalties are encoded, but enforcement is voluntary. Creators rely on royalties for ongoing income, while traders sometimes bypass them-creating tension in the ecosystem.
NFT Marketplace Fees: What You Really Pay to Buy, Sell, and Trade NFTs
When you buy or sell an NFT marketplace fee, a charge applied by platforms like OpenSea, Blur, or Magic Eden when trading non-fungible tokens. Also known as NFT trading costs, it’s not just a small transaction tax—it’s a multi-layered expense that can turn a profitable trade into a loss. Most people think the price tag on an NFT is the total cost. It’s not. There’s always more.
Every time you list an NFT for sale, the marketplace takes a cut. OpenSea charges 2.5% from the seller. Blur takes 0%. Sounds good, right? But then there’s the gas fee, the cost to execute a transaction on the blockchain, paid in ETH or SOL. Also known as blockchain transaction fee, it’s set by network demand, not the platform. On Ethereum, a simple NFT listing can cost $10–$50 in gas. On Solana? Maybe $0.10. That’s a 500x difference. And if you cancel a listing? You pay again. If you mint a new NFT? Another gas fee. If you transfer it to another wallet? Yet another. These aren’t optional. They’re built into the system.
Then there’s the NFT platform charge, the extra fee some marketplaces add on top of gas for services like royalty enforcement, analytics, or fraud protection. Also known as secondary market fee, it’s often buried in the fine print. Some platforms charge creators 10% royalties on every resale. Others let creators set their own—but then charge you 5% to enforce it. And if you’re buying? You might pay a premium just to avoid a scam. That’s not a fee—it’s insurance. But you still pay for it.
You can’t escape these costs. Even if you’re not selling, you’re still paying when you interact. Bidding, accepting offers, claiming an airdrop, or even just viewing an NFT on a blockchain explorer can trigger a transaction. That’s why so many people walk away from NFTs after one bad trade—they didn’t realize how fast the fees add up. A $500 NFT might cost you $600 total with fees. A $50 NFT could cost $75. And if you’re flipping fast? You’re paying twice on every trade.
That’s why the best NFT traders don’t just track prices. They track fees. They compare platforms. They wait for low gas days. They use Solana over Ethereum when they can. They avoid platforms that charge hidden royalties. They know that a 2.5% fee on OpenSea is nothing compared to a $40 gas spike on Ethereum during a hype cycle. The real game isn’t buying low and selling high—it’s minimizing what you pay just to play.
Below, you’ll find real breakdowns of what platforms charge, how gas fees behave on different chains, and which NFT marketplaces actually save you money. No fluff. No hype. Just the numbers that matter when you’re trying to make money, not pay taxes on your own trades.
NFT marketplace fees in 2025 include platform commissions, gas costs, and royalty payments. Learn how much it costs to build a marketplace, what users pay to trade, and which platforms offer the best value.