Marketplace / Auction House Fee Calculator (games)

Understanding the game marketplace fee calculator — concept and principle

Most in-game auction houses and item marketplaces keep a share of every sale, and some also charge a listing deposit. Before flipping items or pricing a sale, you need to know what actually reaches your wallet. This calculator shows what you receive after fees, your profit compared with what you paid, and the lowest sale price at which you break even.

The fee comes off the sale price, so break-even is higher than what you paid.

How it is calculated

You receive = sale price × (1 − fee ÷ 100) − listing deposit.
Profit = amount received − what you paid.
Break-even sale price = (what you paid + deposit) ÷ (1 − fee ÷ 100).

The deposit is treated as a cost you do not get back. If your game refunds the deposit when the item sells, enter 0 for a sold listing.

The principle

A percentage fee scales with the price, so the seller keeps a fixed share, (1 − fee), of every sale. A deposit is a fixed cost that does not depend on the price. To break even, the money you keep must equal everything you spent: price × (1 − fee) = purchase cost + deposit. Dividing by (1 − fee) gives the minimum price. Note that the break-even markup is larger than the fee itself: with a 5% fee you need to sell about 5.26% above cost, because the fee is taken from the higher selling price.

Worked example

Inputs: sale price 1,000, seller fee 5%, deposit 0, purchase price 850.
You receive = 1,000 × 0.95 − 0 = 950.
Profit = 950 − 850 = 100.
Break-even price = (850 + 0) ÷ 0.95 = 894.74.

Each point is the calculator re-run with only “Sale price” changed; the gold point is the default example. Change the inputs above and this chart follows your numbers.

Sale price	You receive
250	237.5
500	475
750	712.5
1,000	950
1,250	1,187.5
1,500	1,425
2,000	1,900

How to read the result

Your margin here is 100 on 850 invested, about 11.8% per flip. Anything listed below 894.74 loses money. When fees are high, small price differences matter: on a marketplace that keeps around 15% in total, as is common for many titles on the Steam Community Market, you must sell about 17.6% above your purchase price just to break even. Compare profit with the time the item is likely to sit unsold, and remember that undercutting by a small amount to sell faster often earns more per hour.

Common mistakes

Subtracting the fee percentage from the purchase price instead of the sale price.
Assuming a 5% fee means a 5% markup breaks even; it needs about 5.26%.
Ignoring deposits that are lost when an item expires unsold, which raises the real cost of slow listings.

Keep in mind: Fee rules vary by game, server and item type, and some marketplaces combine a platform fee with a separate game fee. Check the current rules in your game before pricing. Trading items for real money may break a game's terms of service; this is not financial advice.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the World of Warcraft auction house take?

The auction house keeps a 5% cut of the sale price; the deposit is shown in the listing window and depends on the item and duration.

Why is the break-even price above purchase price plus the fee?

The fee is taken from the selling price, which is higher than your cost, so you need a slightly larger markup.

How do I price to reach a target profit?

Add the target profit to your cost and deposit, then divide by (1 − fee).

Sources: Valve, Steam Community Market FAQ (transaction and game-specific fees)

Checked 8 Nov 2026. Official league / federation formulas where they exist; widely used community formulas otherwise. For fun and analysis — not betting advice.

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