How the OSRS Grand Exchange tax works
Updated
Since 2021 the Grand Exchange charges a tax on items you sell. It removes gp from the game and directly reduces every flip's profit, so understanding it is essential before you flip.
The tax formula
The GE tax is 2% of the sale price per item, rounded down to the nearest gp. It is capped at 5,000,000 gp per item, and items that sell for under 50 gp are not taxed at all. A handful of items (such as the Old School Bond and certain tools) are fully exempt.
Worked example: selling a Dragon claws at 1,200,000 gp incurs floor(1,200,000 × 0.02) = 24,000 gp tax, so you net 1,176,000 gp before subtracting what you paid to buy it.
How tax changes your margin
Net margin = sell price − buy price − GE tax, and ROI = net margin ÷ buy price. Because tax scales with the sale price, low-margin/high-price flips can flip from profitable to negative once tax is applied. OSRS Flip Finder always subtracts the exact tax when ranking flips, so the margins you see are the margins you keep.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is the GE tax in OSRS?
- 2% of the sale price per item, rounded down, capped at 5,000,000 gp per item. Items selling under 50 gp are exempt.
- Is the buyer or the seller taxed on the GE?
- Only the seller pays the GE tax. The buyer pays exactly their offer price.
- Which items are exempt from GE tax?
- Items under 50 gp, plus a specific exemption list that includes the Old School Bond and some tools and consumables.
Ready to flip? Open the live flip finder for the top ranked flips right now, or browse the best flips, best F2P flips and best members flips.