What fees does BUFF Market charge?

BUFF Market itself doesn’t quote a single number — its Terms of Use say transaction fees are "shown at the time of listing and are included in, or shown together with, the displayed price," and that payment-processor charges "are displayed at the point of withdrawal or payment." Third-party measurement fills the gap: roughly 0% for buyers, 2.5% for sellers, 3.5% plus a flat $0.15 on deposits, and 1% plus a flat $1 on withdrawals.

How long before I get paid on BUFF Market?

Seven to eight days. A completed sale sits in a "Success, to be paid" state for that period — mirroring Steam’s trade-protection window — before the balance settles and becomes withdrawable.

What happens if a seller cancels the trade?

BUFF Market refunds the buyer in full. Reversing a Steam trade without a legitimate anti-scam reason also triggers a permanent ban from the store, which is a stronger buyer protection than most competitors state explicitly.

Do I need to verify my identity on BUFF Market?

Yes, before withdrawing sale proceeds. Verification runs through a third-party provider and must be completed before funds are released, at which point payouts can go out via Payoneer, Airwallex, PayPal, AliPay or crypto.

BUFF Market

2.5% Seller Fee
0% Buyer Fee
~3.5% Deposit Fee
~1% Withdrawal Fee

Introduction

BUFF Market is the international counterpart to BUFF163, built by the same team and operated by NETEASE (HONGKONG) LIMITED. Where BUFF163 effectively requires a Chinese phone number and Alipay, BUFF Market is the version non-Chinese traders can actually use — and it is rated accordingly, at 4.7 across more than a thousand reviews.

How the market works

BUFF Market is peer-to-peer: buyers and sellers trade directly through Steam. If a seller reverses a completed Steam trade, BUFF Market refunds the buyer in full and permanently bans the seller from the store.

Fees explained

BUFF Market doesn’t publish a flat rate itself, and that looks like a design choice rather than a gap. Its Terms of Use state that transaction service fees "are shown at the time of listing and are included in, or shown together with, the displayed price," and that "withdrawal and payment-processing fees of the Payment Providers are displayed at the point of withdrawal or payment." Third-party measurement fills in the numbers BUFF Market itself won’t: roughly 2.5% for sellers, no separate charge for buyers, around 3.5% plus a flat $0.15 on deposits, and around 1% plus a flat $1 on withdrawals. The cost still moves with each listing and each payout method rather than sitting on a published table — you see it before you commit, just never as a single headline percentage from BUFF Market’s own site.

How to buy

Buyers can place buy orders or bargain directly with a seller, with BUFF Market handling the matching, and can fund their balance by card, PayPal, AliPay, crypto or BUFF Balance. Third-party measurement puts the buyer-side fee at 0% on the trade itself, though topping up carries a separate cost — roughly 3.5% plus a flat $0.15 — that lands on the deposit rather than the purchase. The transaction service fee shows at the point of listing, so it is visible before a purchase is confirmed even though it never appears as a single published rate.

How to sell

Sellers list an item from their own Steam inventory, with the applicable fee only appearing once the listing is created rather than on a published schedule — third-party measurement puts it at roughly 2.5%. Reversing the Steam trade after a sale completes results in a permanent ban from the store, so BUFF Market expects a seller to follow through once a buyer is matched.

Cashing out

A sale enters a "Success, to be paid" state and is held for seven to eight days — mirroring Steam’s trade-protection window — before the balance settles. Withdrawing then requires identity verification through a third-party provider before funds are released, and can go out via Payoneer, Airwallex, PayPal, AliPay or crypto. Third-party measurement puts the withdrawal cost at roughly 1% plus a flat $1, though BUFF Market’s own Terms only say the payment-processor charge is displayed at the point of withdrawal rather than published as a rate.

Backing

BUFF Market’s corporate parent is the most substantial of any marketplace here: NetEase, one of the largest internet companies in China. That is a meaningfully different risk profile from the small Cyprus and Marshall Islands entities behind several competitors.

Who it's for

A strong option for international traders who want BUFF-level liquidity without needing a Chinese phone number, and who are comfortable with a week-long payout hold. Less suitable if you need a fee schedule straight from BUFF Market itself rather than from third-party measurement.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages

No buyer-side fee on the trade itself, per third-party measurement — the cost sits with the seller instead
Backed by NetEase — by far the largest corporate parent in this comparison
Gives international traders access to the BUFF ecosystem without a Chinese phone number
Buyers are fully refunded if a seller reverses a Steam trade
4.7 rating with 86% five-star reviews

Disadvantages

No flat fee schedule from BUFF Market itself — the ~2.5% seller fee, ~3.5% + $0.15 deposit cost and ~1% + $1 withdrawal cost all come from third-party measurement rather than a published rate
Seven to eight day hold before sale proceeds settle
Identity verification required before withdrawing
Deposit and withdrawal both carry a fixed add-on beyond the percentage — $0.15 on deposits, $1 on withdrawals

Alternatives to BUFF Market

Frequently Asked Questions

They are siblings, not the same site. Both come from the same NetEase-affiliated team, but BUFF163 (buff.163.com) is the China-facing platform that effectively requires a Chinese phone number and Alipay, while BUFF Market is the international version open to everyone else.

Last reviewed 17 August 2026.