Skip to main content
Basemarket uses a maker-taker fee model to encourage liquidity in the order book.

​
Maker vs Taker Fees

Maker A maker is a trader who adds liquidity to the order book by placing a limit order that doesn’t immediately match with an existing order. Makers typically pay 0% fees. Taker A taker is a trader who removes liquidity from the order book by placing an order that immediately matches with an existing order. This includes market orders and limit orders that cross the spread. Takers may incur fees that scale with market certainty.
Fees are often zero: Many markets on Basemarket have 0% fees for both makers and takers. When fees do apply, they’re shown upfront on the trading ticket.

​
How Taker Fees Scale

When a market has taker fees, the actual fee depends on the current market price and whether you’re buying or selling. Fee Structure
  • Markets have a base fee rate (e.g., 100 basis points = 1%).
  • Your actual fee scales based on the market price.

​
Example: 1% Base Fee

Market PriceBuy: % of SpendSell: % of Proceeds
10¢1.00%0.10%
20¢1.00%0.20%
50¢1.00%0.50%
80¢0.25%0.20%
90¢0.11%0.10%
Buying Fees
  • At prices ≤ 50¢: You pay the full base rate (e.g., 1%).
  • At prices > 50¢: Fees decrease as the outcome becomes more certain.
  • Lowest fees when buying near 100¢ (outcome nearly decided).
Selling Fees
  • Peak at 50¢ (maximum uncertainty).
  • Decrease symmetrically toward both 0¢ and 100¢.
  • Lowest fees when selling near the extremes (outcome nearly decided).

​
How Fees Are Paid

Buy Orders
  • Fees are deducted from the shares you receive.
  • You receive slightly fewer shares than the order size.
Sell Orders
  • Fees are deducted from the USDC you receive.
  • You receive slightly less USDC than the value of the shares.

​
Example: Buying at 20¢

Market: 1% base fee, price = 20¢
Order: Buy $100 worth of YES shares

Without fees: 500 shares
Fee: 1% × 100 = \$1 in value ≈ 5 shares
Net result: ~495 shares

​
Multiple Price Levels

If your order fills at multiple prices (common with market orders), each portion is charged at its own price level. The final fee is the sum across all fills. The trading ticket shows an estimated fee before you confirm. The actual fee is calculated based on your final fill prices.

​
Fee Transparency

All fees are shown on the trading ticket before you place any order:
  1. Base fee rate for the market.
  2. Estimated final fee based on your order.
  3. Net shares or proceeds after fees.
No fill, no fee: orders that don’t execute don’t incur any fees.

​
Fee Strategy

Want to minimize fees?
  • Use limit orders that sit in the order book (makers typically pay 0%).
  • Avoid trading at 50% where uncertainty and fees are highest.
Need immediate execution?
  • Market orders execute instantly but incur taker fees.
  • The fee is shown before you confirm.