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.
OpenSea Fees: What You Really Pay to Buy, Sell, and List NFTs
When you use OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace where people buy, sell, and trade digital collectibles like art, domain names, and in-game items. Also known as OpenSea.io, it’s the go-to platform for most crypto collectors—but its fees aren’t always obvious. You might think listing an NFT is free, but that’s only half the story. OpenSea charges two types of costs: platform fees and blockchain fees. The platform takes a 2.5% cut from every sale. That’s built into the price you see. But the real surprise? The gas fees.
Gas fees are what you pay to the Ethereum network (or other blockchains) to confirm your transaction. These aren’t set by OpenSea—they change based on network traffic. On Ethereum, a simple listing can cost $10 to $50. A sale? Often more. That’s why many users switch to Polygon, where OpenSea lets you list for nearly free. But here’s the catch: if you bought your NFT on Ethereum, you’ll still pay high fees to move it to Polygon first. And if you’re minting a new NFT, you’re paying gas twice—once to create it, once to list it.
OpenSea also charges for crypto wallets, digital keys that store your NFTs and crypto, like MetaMask or WalletConnect. You need one to connect to OpenSea, and every action—approving a contract, signing a sale, transferring ownership—costs gas. Even if you’re just viewing an NFT, your wallet might prompt you to sign something. It’s not a fee, but it’s still a step that trips up beginners. And don’t forget NFT royalties, payments to original creators every time their NFT is resold, often 5% to 10%. These aren’t OpenSea’s fees, but they’re part of what you pay as a buyer. Some sellers set them high to fund future projects. Others set them low to move inventory. Either way, they’re baked into the price.
There’s no way around these costs if you’re serious about trading NFTs. But you can control them. Use Polygon for listing. Wait for low gas periods—usually late at night or weekends. Avoid minting on Ethereum unless you have to. And always check the total cost before clicking confirm. OpenSea doesn’t hide fees, but it doesn’t scream them either. You have to look. And if you skip this step, you’ll end up paying more than you planned.
Below, you’ll find real examples of how people got burned by unexpected fees, how some turned low-cost listings into profits, and which NFT projects still make sense after fees are taken out. This isn’t about guessing. It’s about knowing exactly what you’re paying—and why.