Fewer NFT marketplaces are open in 2026, and the ones that remain have narrowed. Foundation said in April 2026 that it was shutting down. Nifty Gateway closed on 23 February 2026. In March 2026 Magic Eden ended its Bitcoin and EVM marketplaces and kept only Solana. For most collectors that leaves OpenSea, which runs on several chains and charges sellers a 1% fee on NFT sales. The other options are specialist venues: SuperRare for curated art, Blur for Ethereum traders, Magic Eden for Solana, and marketplaces built into individual games. The sections below cover each platform's current status and fees, and what to check before you list or buy.
What changed in 2026
Foundation shut down after a failed sale (April 2026)
Cointelegraph reported on 17 April 2026 that Foundation was closing. Foundation is an Ethereum NFT marketplace that launched during the 2021 boom. Its founder and CEO, Kayvon Tehranian, said on X that the plan to keep the platform running under new ownership by Blackdove was "no longer possible." Foundation later said the site would come back briefly so users could delist their NFTs. According to Blackdove, Foundation handled about $230 million in primary sales.
Nifty Gateway closed (February 2026)
The Block reported on 24 January 2026 that Nifty Gateway had switched to withdrawal-only mode, with final closure set for 23 February 2026. Users had to withdraw NFTs and balances before that date. The owner said the closure would let it focus on other products. Nifty Gateway was custodial, which means it held users' NFTs for them. When a custodial platform closes, holders have to act before the deadline. Assets in a self-custody wallet are not affected the same way.
Magic Eden narrowed to Solana (March 2026)
Crypto.news reported on 27 February 2026 that Magic Eden would close its Bitcoin and EVM NFT marketplaces in the first week of March 2026. Its multi-chain wallet was due to switch to export-only mode in mid-March and to stop working in early April 2026. Support for Solana NFTs continues. Magic Eden is now a Solana venue only. Older guides that list it for Ethereum, Polygon or Bitcoin Ordinals are out of date.
OpenSea postponed its SEA token (March 2026)
CoinDesk reported on 16 March 2026 that OpenSea co-founder Devin Finzer had postponed the launch of the SEA token, which had been due to start on 30 March. He gave no new date. OpenSea also ended its rewards campaign.
Earlier closures still matter
KnownOrigin, the art marketplace eBay bought in 2022, began winding down its on-chain marketplace and minters in July 2024. In December 2024 it replaced the marketplace with an information page. Its NFTs remain on Ethereum and can still be traded on secondary marketplaces.
Activity has also concentrated on one platform. Cointelegraph, citing DefiLlama, said OpenSea accounted for more than 73% of NFT marketplace activity in April 2026. The Block, citing CryptoSlam, put Q4 2025 NFT trading volume at $1.25 billion, down 28% from the previous quarter.
Marketplaces still operating: fees and focus
| Marketplace | Fee | Chains | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenSea | 1% seller fee on NFT sales; 10% on primary drop mints | Multi-chain | General buying and selling |
| SuperRare | 3% buyer fee; 15% on primary sales; 10% artist royalty on resales | Ethereum | Curated single-edition art |
| Blur | No trading fee and a 0.5% minimum creator royalty (2023 report) | Ethereum | Active traders |
| Magic Eden | — | Solana only since March 2026 | Solana collections |
OpenSea
OpenSea's help centre lists these fees:
- NFT sales: a 1% OpenSea fee, already included in the price buyers see. The rate was raised from 0.5% to 1.0% on all chains on 15 September 2025, according to OpenSea's developer changelog.
- Primary drop mints: a 10% fee.
- Private listings: no OpenSea fee, though creator earnings and gas still apply.
Gas goes to the blockchain's validators, not to OpenSea. The buyer pays gas when buying a listed NFT, and the seller pays gas when accepting an offer. On Ethereum and other EVM chains, creating a listing or an offer costs no gas after a one-time approval. OpenSea says its fees can change at any time and that it may waive fees on some sales.
Creator earnings are capped at 10%. Collections deployed through OpenSea Studio after 2 April 2024 can make earnings required. Older collections can only set optional earnings.
SuperRare
SuperRare is a curated Ethereum marketplace for digital art, and only approved artists can mint. Its help centre lists these fees:
- Buyer fee: 3% added on top of every sale price. It goes to the SuperRare DAO Community Treasury.
- Primary sales: the artist receives 85% and the treasury 15%.
- Secondary sales: the seller receives 90% and the original artist a 10% royalty.
- Gas: artists pay gas to mint, and everyone pays gas for actions such as collecting or setting prices. SuperRare says it receives none of this.
Blur
Fortune reported in February 2023 that Blur charged no trading fee and enforced a 0.5% minimum creator royalty. Blur launched in October 2022. Its tools are aimed at frequent traders rather than first-time buyers.
Magic Eden
After March 2026 Magic Eden supports Solana NFTs only. If you still hold Bitcoin or EVM assets that were linked to Magic Eden's wallet, make sure you have moved them or exported your keys.
Game and metaverse marketplaces
Games such as Axie Infinity and virtual worlds such as Decentraland run their own marketplaces. Decrypt reported that Axie's marketplace fee rose from 4.25% to 5.25% on 7 March 2022. Assets on these marketplaces are often only useful inside the game or world that issued them.
Royalties are a marketplace policy, not a guarantee
Most Ethereum NFTs follow ERC-721, the standard interface for non-fungible tokens. Royalty information usually follows ERC-2981. That standard defines how a marketplace reads the royalty a creator has set. It also says outright that "the royalty payment must be voluntary." Whether a creator gets paid on resale therefore depends on the marketplace:
- OpenSea enforces earnings only for some collections.
- Blur has applied a 0.5% minimum.
- SuperRare pays a fixed 10% to the artist.
Creators who rely on resale income should check each venue's policy rather than assume the rate they set will be paid.
What does a seller keep from an NFT sale?
Enter a sale price, the marketplace fee, the creator royalty and any gas you pay to see what is left from the sale.
| Sale price, in the currency you sell in | Marketplace fee on the sale (OpenSea's help centre lists 1% on NFT sales) | Creator royalty paid on this sale (OpenSea caps creator earnings at 10%) | Gas you pay as the seller, in the same currency as the price | What you keep from the sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 % | 0 % | 0 | 9.9 |
| 10 | 1 % | 10 % | 0 | 8.9 |
| 10 | 0 % | 0.5 % | 0 | 9.95 |
- Price, gas, fee and royalty values are your own inputs; the 1% fee and 10% cap in the labels are OpenSea's listed terms, and every fee can change without notice.
- A marketplace fee of 0% with a 0.5% royalty matches Blur's terms as reported in 2023, which are not verified for 2026.
This is arithmetic on your inputs only: it leaves out buyer-side fees such as SuperRare's 3%, primary-sale splits, tax and changes in the token's price, and it cannot tell you whether an NFT will sell.
How to choose
Check the chain first
A marketplace can only trade NFTs on the chains it supports. Since March 2026, Magic Eden does not cover Ethereum or Bitcoin.
Prefer self-custody
Foundation, Nifty Gateway and KnownOrigin closed within two years of each other. If your NFTs sit in a wallet you control, a closure costs you a trading venue, not your assets. On a custodial platform you have to withdraw before the deadline.
Add up the full cost
Count the marketplace fee, the creator royalty and gas together. A low headline fee can still lead to a high total on Ethereum when the network is busy. Our explainer on how gas fees work covers why.
Match the venue to the work
Curated art goes to curated venues. Game items stay inside their game's marketplace. Broad collections go where most buyers are, which in 2026 means OpenSea.
Check the URL and every signature
Phishing sites copy marketplace pages. Read every wallet signature request before you approve it. The warning signs are listed in 15 red flags of a crypto scam.
What you need before you start
- A wallet for the right chain. For EVM chains this is an Ethereum-compatible wallet. For Solana it is a Solana wallet. The basics are in how crypto wallets work.
- The native token for gas, for example ETH on Ethereum or SOL on Solana.
- A file and its metadata if you are minting: title, description and properties. Lazy minting delays the minting cost until the item sells, on platforms that offer it.
New to the topic? Start with what NFTs are, then NFT art and NFT games.
FAQ
Which NFT marketplace has the lowest fees?
Blur charged no trading fee and a 0.5% minimum royalty, according to 2023 reporting. OpenSea charges sellers 1% on NFT sales and nothing on private listings. SuperRare costs buyers 3% on top of the price.
Is Foundation still open?
No. Foundation announced in April 2026 that it was shutting down after a planned sale fell through.
Can I still use Magic Eden for Ethereum NFTs?
No. Magic Eden closed its EVM and Bitcoin marketplaces in March 2026 and now supports Solana only.
Are creator royalties always paid?
No. Under ERC-2981 royalty payments are voluntary. Each marketplace decides whether to enforce them.
Has OpenSea launched its SEA token?
No. The launch was postponed in March 2026, and no new date was given.
OpenSea says its fees can change at any time, and the same holds for every venue here: the fee shown at checkout is the one that applies. This article is not investment advice.
