What Fees Are Typically Charged When Buying Or Selling An NFT?
The price tag on an NFT listing is rarely the full cost of buying or selling it. A handful of separate fees, charged by different parties for different reasons, typically stack on top of the sale price.
The short answer
A typical NFT transaction can involve network gas fees paid to process the transaction on the blockchain, a marketplace fee charged by the platform facilitating the sale, and an ongoing creator royalty paid to the original artist on resales. The combined cost varies significantly depending on the network used, the marketplace, and how the royalty is structured for that particular NFT.
Network gas costs
Every transaction that touches the blockchain, including minting an NFT, buying one, or transferring one, generally requires a gas fee paid to the network to process it. Gas fees fluctuate based on how congested the network is at the time, meaning the exact same action can cost very differently depending on when it happens. This fee goes to the network itself, not to the marketplace or the seller, and it’s separate from anything charged by the platform facilitating the sale.
Marketplace fees
- A percentage of the sale price. Most marketplaces charge a fee calculated as a percentage of the final sale amount, deducted automatically when a transaction completes.
- Listing fees in some cases. Certain marketplaces or listing formats may also charge a fee simply to list an item for sale, separate from any fee charged upon a successful sale.
- Format can affect cost. How an item is listed, such as a fixed-price listing versus an auction, can affect which fees apply and when they’re charged.
Creator royalties
Many NFTs are set up so that a percentage of each resale automatically goes back to the original creator, an arrangement enforced either by the marketplace’s own policy or coded directly into the NFT depending on how it was originally minted. This royalty is separate from both the gas fee and the marketplace’s own cut, and it applies every time the NFT changes hands afterward, not just on the initial sale. Because royalty enforcement isn’t universal across every marketplace or network, the amount actually collected on a given resale can vary.
Why total costs are hard to predict in advance
Because gas fees move with network congestion, marketplace fees vary by platform, and royalty rates differ from one NFT to the next, there’s no fixed total that applies across the board. A transaction that looks inexpensive on a quiet network day can cost considerably more during a period of high demand, and a buyer comparing the same NFT listed across multiple marketplaces may find meaningfully different net costs after fees.
What to weigh
Before completing an NFT transaction, it’s worth checking the current network gas conditions, the specific marketplace’s fee structure, and whether a royalty applies to the item in question, since all three combine to determine the real cost of the trade. None of these fees are refundable if a transaction is later regretted, and because blockchain transactions are irreversible once confirmed, there is no way to undo a purchase made under a misunderstanding of the total cost.