Automated Pricing Rules for eBay & TCGPlayer
Automatically calculate competitive sell prices for your trading cards. Configure separate pricing strategies per marketplace so every listing reflects your actual costs and profit targets.
Overview
TCGPilot supports three pricing strategies, each available independently for eBay and TCGPlayer. All strategies apply a floor price so you never sell below cost, and an optional "round up to .99" toggle for psychological pricing.
Simple Multiplier
Apply a fixed multiplier to the market price. Best for quick setup when margins are consistent.
Target Return
Set a target profit percentage. TCGPilot factors in marketplace fees, shipping costs, and your acquisition cost automatically.
Multiple Price Points
Define custom tiers — apply a multiplier for mid-range cards and a fixed price for bulk commons, all in one rule set.
Where to Find Pricing Settings
Pricing rules are configured per marketplace in your account settings.
Common Settings (All Modes)
Floor Price
The minimum price any card will be listed at, regardless of what the pricing strategy calculates. Set this to cover your absolute minimum acceptable return — typically your shipping cost plus a small margin (e.g. $0.99).
Example: Floor price = $0.99. If the multiplier would produce $0.45, the card is listed at $0.99 instead.
Round Up to .99
When enabled, the calculated price is rounded up to the nearest whole dollar minus one cent (e.g. $4.23 → $4.99, $5.01 → $5.99). This is a common psychological pricing tactic used by professional sellers.
Simple Multiplier
Multiply the card's current market value by a fixed number to get your listing price. This is the easiest mode to start with.
Configuration
- •Multiplier — A decimal value applied to the market price. A multiplier of
1.0lists at market value.1.1lists at 10% above market.
Example
Market price = $5.00 · Multiplier = 1.15 · Floor = $0.99
Listed price = $5.00 × 1.15 = $5.75
💡 When to use this: Great for bulk collections where you want consistent margins and don't need to account for exact fee breakdowns.
Target Return
TCGPilot calculates the minimum listing price needed to achieve your desired profit percentage after marketplace fees, transaction fees, and shipping costs are deducted. This is the most accurate mode for sellers who want precise margin control.
Configuration Fields
General
- •Target Return % — Your desired profit as a percentage of what you paid for the card. E.g. 30 means you want to net 30% above your acquisition cost.
- •Shipping Charged to Buyer — The shipping amount you charge the buyer (can be $0 for free shipping).
- •Shipping Cost Threshold — The price point at which your actual shipping cost changes (e.g. orders under $20 ship via envelope, orders over $20 need a bubble mailer with tracking).
- •Shipping Cost (Under Threshold) — What it actually costs you to ship a card below the threshold.
- •Shipping Cost (Over Threshold) — What it costs you to ship a card above the threshold (typically higher due to tracking).
eBay-Specific
- •Store Type — Your eBay store subscription level (No Store, Starter, Basic, Premium, Anchor, Enterprise). Higher-tier stores have lower final value fees, which allows TCGPilot to calculate a lower minimum listing price.
- •Seller Level — Standard or Top Rated. Top Rated sellers receive a 10% discount on final value fees.
- •Promoted Listing Rate % — If you use eBay Promoted Listings, enter your ad rate here so it is factored into the minimum price.
TCGPlayer-Specific
- •Seller Plan — No Certified Seller Plan (Level 1–4, 10.25% commission) or Certified Seller / Pro (9.25% commission + 2.5% pro fee).
- •Seller Level — Standard or Premium Seller.
Example — eBay Target Return calculation
- Market price = $10.00
- You paid $7.00 (order amount $7 on a $10 market)
- Target return = 30%
- Store = Basic (11.85% fee), Standard seller
- Promoted listings = 3%
- Shipping cost (under $20) = $0.63
TCGPilot solves for the listing price that leaves you with a 30% return after all fees and shipping, then picks the higher of that value or market × (1 + target%), floored at your minimum price.
💡 When to use this: Ideal for sellers who know their exact acquisition costs and want to ensure every sale covers fees, shipping, and a profit margin. Requires setting accurate store type and seller level to produce correct fee estimates.
Multiple Price Points
Define a set of price tiers, each with its own pricing rule. When a card's market value falls within a tier, that tier's rule is applied. This lets you price cheap bulk cards differently from mid-range or high-value singles — all automatically.
How tiers work
Each tier has a min value, an optional max value (the last tier has no max and applies to everything above), a type (Fixed or Multiplier), and a value.
- •Fixed — The card is listed at exactly this price (still subject to floor price).
- •Multiplier — The market price is multiplied by this value.
Example tier configuration
| Min | Max | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.00 | $1.00 | Fixed | $0.99 |
| $1.01 | $10.00 | Multiplier | 1.10× |
| $10.01 | and up | Multiplier | 1.20× |
A $0.50 card → listed at $0.99 (fixed). A $5.00 card → listed at $5.50 (×1.10). A $25.00 card → listed at $30.00 (×1.20).
Note: Tiers must be contiguous — each tier's max value should equal the next tier's min value. If a card falls in a gap between tiers, TCGPilot falls back to the nearest lower range.
💡 When to use this: Perfect for mixed-value collections where you need different strategies for bulk commons vs. key rares vs. chase cards.
How Card Condition Affects Pricing
Before your pricing rule is applied, the market value is adjusted based on the card's graded condition. TCGPilot uses these default condition multipliers:
| Condition | Default Multiplier | Example ($10 NM market) |
|---|---|---|
| Near Mint (NM) | 1.00× | $10.00 |
| Lightly Played (LP) | 0.90× | $9.00 |
| Moderately Played (MP) | 0.80× | $8.00 |
| Heavily Played (HP) | 0.70× | $7.00 |
| Damaged (DMG) | 0.50× | $5.00 |
The condition-adjusted price is what gets passed into your pricing rule. So a 1.10× multiplier on an LP card worth $10 NM would produce: $10 × 0.90 × 1.10 = $9.90.
Recommended Setup
- 1.Start with Simple Multiplier to get a feel for pricing. A multiplier of 1.10–1.15 is a common starting point for budget TCG sellers.
- 2.Set a floor price of at least $0.99 to cover packaging and your time for low-value cards.
- 3.Once you know your costs, switch to Target Return and fill in your store type, seller level, and actual shipping costs for more accurate pricing.
- 4.For large mixed-value collections, migrate to Multiple Price Points to maximise revenue on high-value cards while keeping bulk cards competitive.
Ready to configure pricing?
Head to Settings to set up your pricing rules and start auto-calculating competitive prices for every listing.