Reference data
Games with no publisher fee
Not every game takes a publisher cut. Where it does not, only the marketplace fee applies — 5%, still with a one-cent minimum and still floored. This table gives both cases side by side so the difference is visible at every price.
The one-cent minimum still distorts the bottom
Removing the publisher fee does not remove the minimum-fee problem, it only halves it. A one-cent listing still costs the buyer two cents, so the effective rate is still 50% at the very bottom. The 5% rate does not exceed the one-cent minimum until the seller is asking $0.20; below that, every listing pays exactly one cent regardless of price.
Above that point the rate settles quickly. It converges on 4.7619%, which is exactly one twenty-first: a 5% fee charged on the seller amount is 1 / 21 of the buyer total, not 5% of it. The same reasoning is why the two-component case settles near 13.04% rather than the 15% people expect — see the effective rate page.
| Seller receives | Buyer pays (5% only) | Rate | Buyer pays (5% + 10%) | Rate | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.01 | $0.02 | 50.00% | $0.03 | 66.67% | $0.01 |
| $0.02 | $0.03 | 33.33% | $0.04 | 50.00% | $0.01 |
| $0.03 | $0.04 | 25.00% | $0.05 | 40.00% | $0.01 |
| $0.04 | $0.05 | 20.00% | $0.06 | 33.33% | $0.01 |
| $0.05 | $0.06 | 16.67% | $0.07 | 28.57% | $0.01 |
| $0.06 | $0.07 | 14.29% | $0.08 | 25.00% | $0.01 |
| $0.07 | $0.08 | 12.50% | $0.09 | 22.22% | $0.01 |
| $0.08 | $0.09 | 11.11% | $0.10 | 20.00% | $0.01 |
| $0.09 | $0.10 | 10.00% | $0.11 | 18.18% | $0.01 |
| $0.10 | $0.11 | 9.09% | $0.12 | 16.67% | $0.01 |
| $0.11 | $0.12 | 8.33% | $0.13 | 15.38% | $0.01 |
| $0.12 | $0.13 | 7.69% | $0.14 | 14.29% | $0.01 |
| $0.13 | $0.14 | 7.14% | $0.15 | 13.33% | $0.01 |
| $0.14 | $0.15 | 6.67% | $0.16 | 12.50% | $0.01 |
| $0.15 | $0.16 | 6.25% | $0.17 | 11.76% | $0.01 |
| $0.16 | $0.17 | 5.88% | $0.18 | 11.11% | $0.01 |
| $0.17 | $0.18 | 5.56% | $0.19 | 10.53% | $0.01 |
| $0.18 | $0.19 | 5.26% | $0.20 | 10.00% | $0.01 |
| $0.19 | $0.20 | 5.00% | $0.21 | 9.52% | $0.01 |
| $0.20 | $0.21 | 4.76% | $0.23 | 13.04% | $0.02 |
| $0.21 | $0.22 | 4.55% | $0.24 | 12.50% | $0.02 |
| $0.22 | $0.23 | 4.35% | $0.25 | 12.00% | $0.02 |
| $0.23 | $0.24 | 4.17% | $0.26 | 11.54% | $0.02 |
| $0.24 | $0.25 | 4.00% | $0.27 | 11.11% | $0.02 |
| $0.25 | $0.26 | 3.85% | $0.28 | 10.71% | $0.02 |
| $0.26 | $0.27 | 3.70% | $0.29 | 10.34% | $0.02 |
| $0.27 | $0.28 | 3.57% | $0.30 | 10.00% | $0.02 |
| $0.28 | $0.29 | 3.45% | $0.31 | 9.68% | $0.02 |
| $0.29 | $0.30 | 3.33% | $0.32 | 9.38% | $0.02 |
| $0.30 | $0.31 | 3.23% | $0.34 | 11.76% | $0.03 |
| $0.31 | $0.32 | 3.13% | $0.35 | 11.43% | $0.03 |
| $0.32 | $0.33 | 3.03% | $0.36 | 11.11% | $0.03 |
| $0.33 | $0.34 | 2.94% | $0.37 | 10.81% | $0.03 |
| $0.34 | $0.35 | 2.86% | $0.38 | 10.53% | $0.03 |
| $0.35 | $0.36 | 2.78% | $0.39 | 10.26% | $0.03 |
| $0.36 | $0.37 | 2.70% | $0.40 | 10.00% | $0.03 |
| $0.37 | $0.38 | 2.63% | $0.41 | 9.76% | $0.03 |
| $0.38 | $0.39 | 2.56% | $0.42 | 9.52% | $0.03 |
| $0.39 | $0.40 | 2.50% | $0.43 | 9.30% | $0.03 |
| $0.40 | $0.42 | 4.76% | $0.46 | 13.04% | $0.04 |
| $0.45 | $0.47 | 4.26% | $0.51 | 11.76% | $0.04 |
| $0.50 | $0.52 | 3.85% | $0.57 | 12.28% | $0.05 |
| $0.55 | $0.57 | 3.51% | $0.62 | 11.29% | $0.05 |
| $0.60 | $0.63 | 4.76% | $0.69 | 13.04% | $0.06 |
| $0.65 | $0.68 | 4.41% | $0.74 | 12.16% | $0.06 |
| $0.70 | $0.73 | 4.11% | $0.80 | 12.50% | $0.07 |
| $0.75 | $0.78 | 3.85% | $0.85 | 11.76% | $0.07 |
| $0.80 | $0.84 | 4.76% | $0.92 | 13.04% | $0.08 |
| $0.85 | $0.89 | 4.49% | $0.97 | 12.37% | $0.08 |
| $0.90 | $0.94 | 4.26% | $1.03 | 12.62% | $0.09 |
| $0.95 | $0.99 | 4.04% | $1.08 | 12.04% | $0.09 |
| $1.00 | $1.05 | 4.76% | $1.15 | 13.04% | $0.10 |
| $1.05 | $1.10 | 4.55% | $1.20 | 12.50% | $0.10 |
| $1.10 | $1.15 | 4.35% | $1.26 | 12.70% | $0.11 |
| $1.15 | $1.20 | 4.17% | $1.31 | 12.21% | $0.11 |
| $1.20 | $1.26 | 4.76% | $1.38 | 13.04% | $0.12 |
| $1.25 | $1.31 | 4.58% | $1.43 | 12.59% | $0.12 |
| $1.30 | $1.36 | 4.41% | $1.49 | 12.75% | $0.13 |
| $1.35 | $1.41 | 4.26% | $1.54 | 12.34% | $0.13 |
| $1.40 | $1.47 | 4.76% | $1.61 | 13.04% | $0.14 |
| $1.45 | $1.52 | 4.61% | $1.66 | 12.65% | $0.14 |
| $1.50 | $1.57 | 4.46% | $1.72 | 12.79% | $0.15 |
| $1.55 | $1.62 | 4.32% | $1.77 | 12.43% | $0.15 |
| $1.60 | $1.68 | 4.76% | $1.84 | 13.04% | $0.16 |
| $1.65 | $1.73 | 4.62% | $1.89 | 12.70% | $0.16 |
| $1.70 | $1.78 | 4.49% | $1.95 | 12.82% | $0.17 |
| $1.75 | $1.83 | 4.37% | $2.00 | 12.50% | $0.17 |
| $1.80 | $1.89 | 4.76% | $2.07 | 13.04% | $0.18 |
| $1.85 | $1.94 | 4.64% | $2.12 | 12.74% | $0.18 |
| $1.90 | $1.99 | 4.52% | $2.18 | 12.84% | $0.19 |
| $1.95 | $2.04 | 4.41% | $2.23 | 12.56% | $0.19 |
| $2.00 | $2.10 | 4.76% | $2.30 | 13.04% | $0.20 |
| $2.50 | $2.62 | 4.58% | $2.87 | 12.89% | $0.25 |
| $3.00 | $3.15 | 4.76% | $3.45 | 13.04% | $0.30 |
| $3.50 | $3.67 | 4.63% | $4.02 | 12.94% | $0.35 |
| $4.00 | $4.20 | 4.76% | $4.60 | 13.04% | $0.40 |
| $4.50 | $4.72 | 4.66% | $5.17 | 12.96% | $0.45 |
| $5.00 | $5.25 | 4.76% | $5.75 | 13.04% | $0.50 |
| $5.50 | $5.77 | 4.68% | $6.32 | 12.97% | $0.55 |
| $6.00 | $6.30 | 4.76% | $6.90 | 13.04% | $0.60 |
| $6.50 | $6.82 | 4.69% | $7.47 | 12.99% | $0.65 |
| $7.00 | $7.35 | 4.76% | $8.05 | 13.04% | $0.70 |
| $7.50 | $7.87 | 4.70% | $8.62 | 12.99% | $0.75 |
| $8.00 | $8.40 | 4.76% | $9.20 | 13.04% | $0.80 |
| $8.50 | $8.92 | 4.71% | $9.77 | 13.00% | $0.85 |
| $9.00 | $9.45 | 4.76% | $10.35 | 13.04% | $0.90 |
| $9.50 | $9.97 | 4.71% | $10.92 | 13.00% | $0.95 |
| $10.00 | $10.50 | 4.76% | $11.50 | 13.04% | $1.00 |
| $15.00 | $15.75 | 4.76% | $17.25 | 13.04% | $1.50 |
| $20.00 | $21.00 | 4.76% | $23.00 | 13.04% | $2.00 |
| $25.00 | $26.25 | 4.76% | $28.75 | 13.04% | $2.50 |
| $30.00 | $31.50 | 4.76% | $34.50 | 13.04% | $3.00 |
| $35.00 | $36.75 | 4.76% | $40.25 | 13.04% | $3.50 |
| $40.00 | $42.00 | 4.76% | $46.00 | 13.04% | $4.00 |
| $45.00 | $47.25 | 4.76% | $51.75 | 13.04% | $4.50 |
| $50.00 | $52.50 | 4.76% | $57.50 | 13.04% | $5.00 |
Checking which case applies
The publisher fee is set per game, so the only reliable way to know is to check the listing in Steam itself. The calculator on this site exposes both rates as inputs, and so does the hosted Steam Market fee calculator, so you can model either case rather than assuming one.
If the fee structure is the reason a trade does not work out, SteamVaults is an independent third-party service that buys and sells supported Steam items for USDT outside the marketplace entirely.