How to sell Steam trading cards: your options and what they pay
Short answer
You can sell Steam trading cards on the Steam Community Market, which pays in Steam Wallet funds minus Steam’s fees, or to a card buyer such as CardsForGems, which pays in gems and shows the price before you trade. Trading them with other players and Turn into Gems are the other two options, but neither is really a sale.
Which Steam trading cards can you sell?
Any trading card in your Steam inventory that Steam lets you trade or list, foil cards included. Steam says so on the item when it can’t be traded or listed.
Profile backgrounds and emoticons are not trading cards. The Market takes them, but CardsForGems only buys cards and sets.
The ways to sell, side by side
| Way | You get | Good for | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Community Market | Steam Wallet funds: the price a buyer pays, minus Steam’s fees | Money to spend on Steam games | Cards are listed one by one, you wait for a buyer, and the money can’t leave Steam |
| Sell for gems on CardsForGems | Gems, at a price shown before you trade | Gems for booster packs or the Shop, many cards at once | Trading cards only. A card nobody buys on the market can’t be priced |
| Trade with players | Other cards or items | Finishing your own sets | Slow, and Steam trades are final: check every card in an offer |
| Turn into Gems (not a sale) | A fixed number of gems set by Steam | Cards nobody buys, backgrounds, emoticons | Often the fewest gems, and it can’t be undone |
How to sell on the Steam Community Market
- Open your Steam inventory and choose the Steam tab.
- Click the card, then “Sell”.
- Steam shows what the buyer pays and what you receive. The difference is Steam’s fee: about 15 % in total on most items, made of Steam’s 5 % and a 10 % game fee.
- Pick your price. Listing at the lowest current price sells quickest. A higher price may wait a long time for a buyer.
- Confirm the listing. When the card sells, the money lands in your Steam Wallet.
Steam sets the fees and can change them, so read the amounts in the sell window before you confirm. Steam Wallet funds can only be spent on Steam: they can’t be paid out to a bank account.
How to sell your cards for gems
- Paste your Steam profile in Card value: you see what we would pay for each card, without signing in.
- Sign in with Steam on the Sell page and pick the cards you want to sell. Sets and foils too.
- Check the total in gems. The price is shown before anything is sent.
- Confirm. You receive a Steam trade offer: check that its code matches the one on the site, then accept.
- The gems land in your Steam inventory once you accept.
Before you start, you need a public inventory, your Steam trade link and the Steam mobile authenticator on your account for 7 days. How it works has the details.
What a card gets: today’s numbers
Three cards, today’s prices, before bonuses. Updated every hour.
On 10 November 2026, across the 596 cards from 83 games we priced, we paid ◆ 119 per card on average, against ◆ 42 from Turn into Gems: 2.8 times more.
Gems and Steam Wallet funds are different currencies, so this table doesn’t compare us with the Market. It compares selling for gems with the other way of getting gems from a card. Turn into Gems: how many gems you get has the detail.
Which way should you choose?
- You want Steam Wallet funds. Sell on the Community Market.
- You want gems, for booster packs or the Shop. Sell for gems. Steam gems: what they are explains what they buy.
- You want to finish a set. Trade, or keep the cards and craft the badge.
- Nobody buys the card, or it is a background or an emoticon. Turn into Gems.
You can mix them: keep the cards you need for badges and sell the rest. What to do with extra Steam trading cards compares all five options, badge included. If you are short of cards instead, read how to get Steam trading cards.
Before you accept any trade
- Steam trades are final. Check each card, each amount and who is on the other side before you accept.
- Accept only an offer you expect. It should match a price you saw.
- On CardsForGems, check the code. The one in the Steam offer must be the one shown on the site.
See what your cards are worth
Paste your Steam profile: what we would pay for your cards, and what Turn into Gems gives for most of them, without signing in.
Questions
Can you sell Steam trading cards for real money?
Not on Steam. The Community Market pays in Steam Wallet funds, which can’t be withdrawn. Anyone offering real money for cards is outside Steam: be careful, and only accept a trade you have checked.
How much is a Steam trading card worth?
Usually cents, not euros. The price differs from card to card and moves every day. Card value shows today’s prices for your own cards.
Is it safe to sell Steam trading cards?
On the Market, Steam handles the sale. For trades, accept only offers you have checked: Steam trades are final. CardsForGems shows the price before the trade, and each offer carries a code you can check on the site.
Can I sell foil cards?
Yes. Foil cards are priced from their own market price, on the Market and on CardsForGems.
What is the difference between selling and Turn into Gems?
Selling gives you a price for the card: Wallet funds on the Market, gems on CardsForGems. Turn into Gems destroys the item for a fixed number of gems set by Steam.
Why can’t I sell some of my cards?
Steam says on the item when it can’t be traded or listed. CardsForGems also can’t price a card that nobody buys on the market.