Opening an account, pricing against the trend line, grading condition, posting letters to the EU and getting paid through the Trustee Service.
Updated 9 October 2026
Before you start
Opening an account, pricing against the trend line, grading condition, posting letters to the EU and getting paid through the Trustee Service.
Cardmarket is where European players buy single cards for Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh and other games. Every card has one product page, and your copy competes on price, condition and seller rating in the list below it.
Your first month comes down to three jobs: pricing a first batch, packing letters that arrive flat, and building ratings with careful grading.
Kit for this
The products this guide uses, with typical UK prices.
Penny sleeves, 1,000 pack
Stops surface scratches before the card goes into a toploader. At this pack size each sleeve costs well under a penny.
Typical price£6 to £10
See on Amazon
35pt toploaders, 100 pack
Buyers on Whatnot and eBay expect any card worth more than a few pounds to arrive sleeved and top-loaded. A bent card means a refund.
Typical price£11 to £18
See on AmazonResealable team bags, 100 pack
A team bag over the toploader holds the card in place and keeps moisture out, for a few pence a card.
Typical price£4 to £7
See on AmazonBoard-backed card mailers, C6, 100 pack
A sleeved and top-loaded card in a rigid mailer stays flat through sorting machines and usually ships as a Large Letter, which costs far less than a parcel.
Typical price£10 to £18
See on AmazonThe guide
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Setting up the account
Register as a private seller, verify your address and add a bank account for payouts. Choose which countries you ship to and the postage methods you offer from Cardmarket's list for the UK.
Start with the UK only if customs forms put you off. Opening the EU later multiplies your buyers, because most Cardmarket traffic is on the continent.
Pricing a first batch
Each product page shows the price trend and the cheapest offers by condition and language. Price your first 50 cards a little under the cheapest comparable copy until you have ratings.
Cheap commons rarely cover the postage and sleeve. Bundle them into playsets or leave them in bulk.
Grading condition and language
Cardmarket uses its own scale from Mint to Poor, with examples in the help centre. Check every card under a bright lamp, tilted, before you choose a grade.
Pick the lower grade whenever you hesitate. New sellers lose ratings to optimistic grading more than to slow posting.
Posting letters to buyers
Sleeve each card, add a toploader for anything of value, close the stack in a team bag and send it in a rigid mailer. Most small orders go as a Royal Mail Large Letter; weigh each one and check the current price guide.
EU orders need a customs declaration. Read Cardmarket's help on shipping from the UK, and fill the form in before the post office trip.
Trustee Service and getting paid
On covered orders, Cardmarket holds the buyer's payment until they confirm the parcel arrived. It covers tracked shipments, and only a tracking status showing delivery to the buyer's address counts.
A buyer can report non-arrival only after 14 days. You then have 14 days to send Cardmarket the tracking number, so keep every receipt.
When it becomes a business
Buying boosters or collections to sell singles is trading. Register with HMRC for Self Assessment and switch to a professional seller account, which adds invoices and the EU right of withdrawal.
Cardmarket reports seller figures under the platform reporting rules, so keep your own record of what each collection cost.
Checklist
Run through it before each one goes out.
- 1Choose shipping countries and methods before your first listing
- 2Price the first 50 cards a little under the cheapest comparable copy
- 3Grade under a bright lamp and pick the lower grade when unsure
- 4Sleeve, toploader and rigid mailer for every order
- 5Weigh each letter before you buy postage
- 6Send anything valuable tracked and keep the receipt
Setups
Complete kits for one kind of seller, costed and laid out.
Questions
Straight answers to what sellers ask about this.
Is Cardmarket worth it for a UK seller?
For singles, yes: buyers across Europe search card by card, which suits a deep binder of mid-value cards. Customs paperwork on EU letters is the extra work to plan for.
What does Cardmarket charge?
A commission on each card sold, plus a Trustee fee on covered orders that depends on the order value. Rates change, so check Cardmarket's fee table before you price.
Do I need my own photos?
Not for most cards: the shared product image is enough. Add front and back photos for expensive cards where centring and edges matter.
How fast must I post?
Post within a couple of working days and mark the order as sent the same day. Buyers rate dispatch speed, and quick posting builds a new account.
Can I also sell the same cards elsewhere?
Yes, but update Cardmarket the moment a card sells at a shop, on eBay or on Whatnot. Cancelling a paid order costs you a rating.