NFT Investment Calculator
Calculate your net profit or loss from selling an NFT after marketplace fees and creator royalties. Use it before listing an NFT to understand your true take-home return in USD.
About this calculator
NFT profit is not simply the difference between sale price and purchase price, because two layers of fees reduce your proceeds. The formula is: Profit = (currentPrice × currentEthPrice) × (1 − (marketplaceFee + royaltyFee) / 100) − (purchasePrice × ethPriceAtPurchase). The first term converts your current ETH sale price to USD, then deducts the marketplace fee (e.g., OpenSea charges 2.5%) and the creator royalty (typically 5–10%) as a combined percentage. The second term is your original USD cost basis — what you paid in ETH converted at the ETH price when you bought it. A positive result means profit; negative means a loss. Note that gas fees for minting or transferring are not included and should be added to your cost basis manually for a complete picture.
How to use
You bought an NFT for 1 ETH when ETH was $1,500 (cost = $1,500). It is now listed at 2 ETH and ETH is $2,000. The marketplace charges 2.5% and the creator royalty is 5%. Gross sale value = 2 × $2,000 = $4,000. Total fee = 2.5 + 5 = 7.5%. Net proceeds = $4,000 × (1 − 0.075) = $4,000 × 0.925 = $3,700. Subtract cost basis: $3,700 − $1,500 = $2,200 profit. Without accounting for fees, you might have assumed a $2,500 gain — the calculator reveals the true $2,200 net.
Frequently asked questions
How do NFT marketplace fees and royalties reduce my actual profit?
When you sell an NFT, the marketplace deducts its platform fee from your sale proceeds before you receive payment. On top of that, many NFT creators program a royalty — typically 5–10% — that is automatically sent to them on every secondary sale. These fees are applied to the gross sale value, not your profit, which means they can consume a significant portion of a modest gain. For example, combined fees of 10% on a $1,000 sale take $100 regardless of what you paid. Always factor in these deductions before deciding whether a sale price is profitable.
Why does ETH price at the time of purchase matter for calculating NFT profit?
NFTs are priced in ETH, but your actual cost basis depends on the USD value of ETH when you bought it. If ETH was $1,000 when you purchased and has since risen to $3,000, your gain includes both the NFT's appreciation and ETH's appreciation. The calculator separates these by converting each transaction at the prevailing ETH/USD rate. This gives you a true USD profit figure rather than a misleading ETH-denominated one. For tax purposes, most jurisdictions treat crypto-denominated purchases using the USD fair market value at the time of the transaction.
What costs are not included in the NFT investment calculator that I should account for?
Gas fees — the transaction costs paid to the Ethereum network — are not included in this calculator and can be substantial, sometimes ranging from $20 to over $200 per transaction. Minting fees, if you created the NFT yourself, should also be added to your cost basis. Additionally, any platform listing fees or auction reserve fees charged upfront are separate from marketplace percentage fees. Currency conversion fees if you used fiat to buy ETH are another hidden cost. For a fully accurate profit figure, sum all these additional expenses and subtract them from the calculator's result.