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Philmarket

Knowledge centre

Everything you need to buy and sell with confidence — how the marketplace works, what fees apply, and answers to common questions. Can't find what you need? Contact us at support@philmarket.eu.

Or visit our contact page.

Fees & payout calculator

Commission is tier-based and charged on the sale value; the portion of a single sale above €500 is charged at the lowest rate (2.5%). Enter a price and tier to see what you keep. Prices are VAT-inclusive.

Sale price
€100.00
Commission (6%)
− €6.00
Payment fee (fixed)
− €0.25–€0.35
You receive
€93.65–€93.75

Prices include VAT. Commission is charged on the sale price; above €500 per sale the rate is 2.5%.

You pay only a small fixed payment fee per sale (€0.25–0.35, depending on card type). The percentage card cost is covered by our commission, and there are no listing fees.

Frequently asked questions

Buying

How do I buy an item?

Browse or search the marketplace, then place a bid on an auction, buy a fixed-price item, or make an offer. When you win or buy, you pay through the payment service within the time limit shown in your order.

Is my payment protected?

For eligible sales your payment is held in escrow and released to the seller only after your protection/withdrawal period — or earlier if you confirm receipt. Smaller deals may be settled offline directly with the seller, without escrow or platform protection.

Can I change my mind after buying?

If the seller is a trader (business) and you are a consumer, you have a 14-day right of withdrawal on distance purchases — including online auctions. Between private individuals there is no statutory right of withdrawal. Exercise it via the withdrawal function in your order; see Terms §4–5.

How do I know if the seller is a business or a private person?

The seller's status — trader or private individual — is shown before you buy. It determines which consumer rights (such as the right of withdrawal) apply to your purchase.

When will my item arrive, and can I track it?

The seller marks the item as shipped and may add a carrier and tracking number, which then appears as a tracking link in your order.

What if the item never arrives or isn't as described?

Open a dispute from your order. The payment is frozen until the matter is resolved.

Selling

How do I start selling?

Create an account and complete onboarding — choose your country and whether you sell as a trader or a private individual — then set up payouts and create your first listing.

Am I a trader or a private individual?

If you sell in a commercial or professional capacity you are a trader (näringsidkare); otherwise you are a private individual. A trader's buyers receive statutory consumer rights (e.g. the right of withdrawal). Declare your status accurately — it is shown to buyers.

How and when do I get paid?

Funds are held in escrow and paid out after the buyer's protection/withdrawal window has passed — or earlier if the buyer confirms receipt. Offline deals are paid directly.

Can I sell forgeries or repaired stamps?

Yes — forgeries, reference material and repaired or manipulated items may be sold, but only if this is clearly stated in both the title and the description. Offering such material as genuine, or hiding that an item is repaired, is prohibited (see Terms §3).

Who is responsible for shipping?

The seller is responsible for shipping and packaging after a sale. Mark the item as shipped and, ideally, add a carrier and tracking number so the buyer can follow it.

Can I settle a sale offline, and what about commission?

For small sales — below a per-tier cap (roughly €25–35) — you can let the buyer pay you directly if you enable it. There is then no escrow and no platform buyer protection. Philmarket's commission is still owed on the sale: it is collected by offsetting your future payouts, or — for offline-only sellers — billed directly with a small payment-handling fee. Unpaid commission is a breach of the terms and may lead to account restriction.

Fees & payment

What commission does Philmarket charge?

Commission is tier-based: Starter 7.0%, Hobby 6.0%, Small 5.0%, Medium 4.0%, Large 3.1%, Expert 2.5%. The portion of a single sale above €500 is charged at 2.5% (two-part commission). A Custom account has an individually agreed commission. Use the calculator above for an exact figure, or see pricing.

Are there any other fees?

You pay only a small fixed payment fee per sale — about €0.25–0.35, depending on card type. The percentage card cost is covered by our commission, and there are no listing fees.

Is VAT included in the prices?

Prices are shown VAT-inclusive. The calculator notes how VAT is treated.

When is commission charged?

Commission is charged on the transaction value at the time of sale.

Escrow & right of withdrawal

What is escrow?

Escrow means your payment is held by the payment service rather than paid to the seller immediately — protecting both sides until the deal is complete.

How long is the money held?

For trader sales, escrow is held through the buyer's withdrawal window: 14 days from receipt of the item, otherwise 20 days from shipment, otherwise 28 days from payment — capped at 28 days from payment. For private sales that use escrow, a flat 14 days from payment.

How do I withdraw and get a refund?

For purchases from a trader, use the two-step withdrawal function in your order. Within the withdrawal window the refund is settled directly from the amount held in escrow.

What about offline payments?

Offline payments have no escrow and no platform buyer protection. If the seller is a trader, your statutory consumer rights (including the right of withdrawal) still apply — settled directly with the seller.

AI condition grading

What is AI condition grading?

An optional Claude Vision tool that gives an advisory condition indication from your images. It is a quick aid — never a guarantee, an expert opinion, or a certificate.

How do grading credits work?

You buy grading credits and each AI grading uses credits from your balance.

Can I get a refund on grading credits?

No. By purchasing credits you consent to immediate delivery of a digital service and acknowledge that the right of withdrawal is thereby lost.

What does the AI grader look at?

From up to four of your photos it assesses six visible condition dimensions: overall grade (MNH_VF … POOR), centering, perforation, gum, cancellation, and any defects (thins, tears, creases, stains…), plus a confidence score. It is honest about limits — gum, for example, is the weakest signal from a photo — and it never judges authenticity or value.

Taxes & reporting (DAC7)

What is DAC7, and does it affect me?

DAC7 is an EU tax-transparency rule (Directive (EU) 2021/514; in Finland, Act 1267/2022). As the platform operator, Philmarket must report certain sellers to the tax authorities each year. It affects you only once you cross the reporting threshold.

When do I become reportable?

You are an excluded (non-reported) seller as long as you stay under both limits in a calendar year: fewer than 30 sales and €2,000 or less in total proceeds. Cross either one and you become reportable for that year.

What is reported, and to whom?

Your identity and tax details (name, address, tax identification number, and VAT/business numbers where applicable), plus your gross proceeds per quarter, the number of sales, and any fees withheld. Philmarket reports to the Finnish Tax Administration (Verohallinto), which shares the data with the tax authority of your country of residence. See the Privacy Policy.

Where does the reported data come from?

Your identity and tax details are collected by our payment provider (Mollie) during onboarding and KYC; Philmarket compiles the transaction totals. Offline-only starter accounts are deliberately capped below the threshold, so they are never reportable.

Account & trust

Do I need to verify my identity?

Some selling activity requires identity/KYC verification, carried out by Stripe. We store only the verification status and time — see the Privacy Policy.

What happens if my account is restricted?

If we restrict or suspend an account, we send a reasoned statement — the applicable ground and the specific circumstances — by email, and you may request a review. This follows the P2B Regulation (see Terms §6).

How are disputes handled?

Open a dispute from the relevant order — it's usually the fastest way to resolve a problem, and it's free of charge. The payment is frozen until the matter is resolved. This does not affect your statutory rights — including your right to contact your bank, a competent dispute resolution body, or a court.

How is my personal data handled?

See the Privacy Policy. You can export or delete your data at any time from your account settings.

Can I cancel a paid subscription and get a refund?

As a private individual you have a 14-day right of withdrawal on a paid tier subscription (and add-ons such as the storefront). Withdraw within 14 days of subscribing and you pay only for the days used — the rest is refunded pro-rata (Art. 14(3)) and the subscription ends immediately. Do it from your billing page. Businesses (traders) do not have this consumer right, and creating an account is free with nothing to withdraw.

Reviews & ratings

How does the review system work?

After a trade completes, both sides can leave feedback. As the buyer, you rate the seller on five dimensions — accuracy, image quality, shipping speed, packaging and communication — each 1–5. If you buy several items from the same seller in one combined order, one collective rating is applied to every item, though you can adjust an individual item if it stood out. As the seller, you confirm the trade and can leave an optional thumbs up/down plus a comment — see the next question for why sellers don't rate buyers on a star scale.

Why don't sellers rate buyers the same way buyers rate sellers?

This is deliberate. A two-way star-rating system is the single biggest source of retaliation — a seller unhappy with a fair but low rating gives the buyer a bad rating right back, and buyers start softening honest feedback to protect their own record. So seller feedback on buyers is intentionally simple: a trade confirmation with an optional thumbs up/down, never a star scale. That keeps the seller-rating you see as a buyer honest and hard to game, while sellers still get a clean trade record instead of a popularity contest.

What happens if a seller has a genuine problem with a buyer?

It goes through a private "report a buyer" channel instead of a public review — for real issues like non-payment or abusive conduct. Reports are handled manually by us and never turn into a public rating, so your account isn't affected by a seller's frustration over an otherwise fair review.

Why is my review hidden until later?

Reviews are double-blind: yours stays hidden until the other side also submits theirs, or 14 days pass — whichever comes first. Both are then revealed at the same time. This stops either side from reading the other's review first and adjusting theirs in response.

How long do I have to leave a review?

60 days from when the trade completed and funds were released to the seller. You can only review a trade once it has reached that point.

This page is provided in several languages. The English version is authoritative; in the event of any conflict or discrepancy between translations, the English version prevails.