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eBay vs Trade Table

eBay is the largest marketplace for collectible cards. Trade Table is Quest's peer-to-peer selling feature built for collectors who already know what they have. Both let you sell cards; they work differently and each does some things the other does not.

eBay, in its own words

eBay's Seller Center calls itself the place for "selling trading cards." eBay is a general marketplace with a large trading-card category, buyer protections, and an authentication program for higher-value cards. eBay also owns TCGplayer.

What eBay does well

• Massive audience. eBay has tens of millions of active buyers. A card listed on eBay is visible to the largest pool of potential buyers in the hobby. No card-specific marketplace comes close to eBay's reach.
• Brand recognition. eBay is the first place most collectors think of when buying or selling cards. Buyers search eBay by default, which means your listing is where the traffic already is.
• Buyer protection. The eBay Money Back Guarantee covers buyers if an item does not arrive or does not match the listing. That guarantee gives buyers confidence to purchase from strangers.
• Authenticity Guarantee. Raw and graded cards sold for $250 or more automatically go through eBay's Authenticity Guarantee, which routes the card to a third-party authenticator before delivery at no extra cost to buyer or seller.
• International reach. eBay operates globally. A seller in the United States can reach buyers worldwide.
• Search traffic. eBay listings appear in Google search results. Buyers who search for a specific card by name often land on an eBay listing directly.

What to know about eBay's fees

eBay charges a final value fee on each sale. The current rate for trading cards is 13.25% of the total amount (item price plus shipping) up to $7,500, plus a per-order surcharge. Store subscribers may pay a lower rate on sales up to a threshold. Promoted Listings, which boost visibility, cost an additional percentage. Check eBay's fee page for the current schedule, as rates change.

Trade Table by Quest

Trade Table is a selling feature inside Quest. You pick cards from your collection, set your terms (asking price, offers, or a timed auction), set a duration and a buyer response window, and publish a page you can share with anyone — on Quest or off it. Trade Table is built for collectors selling to other collectors.

What Trade Table does well

• No percentage of the sale. Trade Table charges per post, not per dollar. The cost is a flat fee per listing: $3 on the free plan, $2 on Collector, $1 on Curator. Each plan includes a number of posts per month (1, 8 or 20). There is no final value fee and no commission.
• Identity-verified sellers. Every seller on Trade Table verifies their identity through Stripe Identity before publishing. Buyers know who they are dealing with.
• Sell from your collection. Cards you post come from your Quest collection, so the buyer sees what you have and how you track it — not a stock photo and a title.
• Shareable pages. Each listing has its own URL. Share it anywhere — a group chat, a forum, a show floor, a text message. Buyers do not need a Quest account to view it.
• Vouches and feedback. Collectors vouch for each other and leave feedback (Good, Mixed or Bad) after each deal. Trust is visible and specific to the card-collecting community.
• The Handshake. When a deal closes, Trade Table records who sold what to whom. The card's chain of custody travels with it. That provenance is permanent and becomes part of the card's history.

What Trade Table does not have

• eBay's audience. Quest is a new product. Trade Table's audience is small compared to eBay's. If reaching the largest possible number of buyers is your priority, eBay is the bigger room.
• Built-in payment processing. Trade Table records deals but does not process payments. Buyer and seller settle directly — cash, Venmo, PayPal, whatever you agree on. That means no payment disputes handled by the platform.
• A buyer protection program. eBay's Money Back Guarantee has no equivalent in Trade Table. Identity verification and vouches build trust, but there is no platform-backed refund if something goes wrong.
• Authentication at checkout. eBay routes eligible cards sold for $250 or more through its Authenticity Guarantee before delivery. Trade Table does not.

Fees side by side

eBay fees are based on the 13.25% final value rate plus the per-order surcharge, before any store or Top Rated discounts. Trade Table costs are per post, included in your Quest plan up to the monthly limit. Check each platform's current fee page for the latest rates.

The difference in a sentence

eBay puts your card in front of the largest audience in the hobby and handles the transaction. Trade Table lets you sell without a commission and keep the deal between you and the buyer.