How Much are NFTs

Non-fungible tokens are digital assets that are as unique as the owner of the token. Each digital file is designed to be used on the Ethereum blockchain and unlike fungible tokens, such as Ether, each NFT is unique. Think of non-fungible tokens as collectibles in a digital world. And like any collectibles, the value of NFTs can vary based on their scarcity, utility, and other factors.

Many of the most expensive NFTs are incredibly valuable because they are rare and can’t be duplicated. As a result, their price will depend on the popularity of an asset and how much supply is in existence. Rare and highly sought-after NFTs remain the most valuable. However, because of their one-of-a-kind nature, they might not be the best assets to buy initially — as you may have to wait a while.

When it comes to figuring out how much NFTs cost, there are several factors we must look at.

Buying NFTs

NFTs are an exciting addition to blockchain technology. While they may be geared towards being collectibles, they can potentially increase in value over time — especially those with a limited number of copies. In the future, NFTs could be used to purchase goods and services directly from other businesses around the globe, expanding their use case even further.

The best NFT choice depends on your needs and goals. Common types of NFTs include collectibles, artwork, badges, and more. Some tokens are designed to be scarce, with the belief that they’ll rise in value over time — similar to long-term investments. It’s important to consider your personal goal when buying an NFT: Do you want it for display or appreciation? Are you starting a collection?

Not all NFTs are created equal they’re each a little bit different. Some NFTs are designed as collectibles, while others are strictly for utility purposes. Some even exist as part of a game or interaction. Each NFT is designed to serve a specific purpose and achieve it well.

Steps to buying NFTS:

1. Set Up a Crypto wallet
2. Choose an NFT Marketplace
3. Connect Your Digital Wallet to the Marketplace
4. Find an NFT You Like
5. Place a Bid
6. Complete the Transaction

Ways to Sell Your NFT

Selling NFTs can be a daunting task: when selling an item, the seller has to decide between an auction or a price-fixed listing. It is difficult to tell which method will bring in more money: while auctions are certainly easier to set up and manage, fixed-price listings require a lot of work.

Cost to Create An NFT

As a result of the consistently expanding NFT market, creators are jumping at the opportunity to monetize their art by turning it into NFTs but alongside the creation process lingers the question; how much does it cost to create an NFT? Well, there are a few expenses to consider.

NFTs can be created for a variety of purposes, but all come with certain costs. First and foremost among these is the gas fee, which can range from $70 to $100 on the Ethereum blockchain.

NFTs can be expensive and with specific platforms, you may be required to pay site fees of up to $900 in an extreme situation. However, there are also many free options available. It all depends on what you’re looking for and how much you’re willing to spend.

Costs Associated With Creating NFTs

Gas fees – A transaction on the blockchain is verified and secured by miners, who are compensated for their work with gas fees. Gas fees are paid in Ether (ETH), the native currency of the Ethereum network.

Site fees – NFTs can be bought and sold on many different online marketplaces. Some of these platforms charge transaction fees, while others do not. Site fees vary depending on the NFT marketplace you use.

Listing fee – Some platforms allow you to create your own NFTs for free but may charge a listing fee if you want to sell them.

Minting NFTs

The NFT minting process is a straightforward one. Designing an NFT takes a little direction but if you’re able to use programs like Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects, you’ll be able to create an NFT.

Some collectible art pieces can be created on the blockchain, with each piece uniquely identified using distinct characteristics. By storing them on the blockchain as a digital file, every aspect of their existence is recorded in code for everyone to see.

As a result, every piece of art or collectible becomes an NFT on a smart contract blockchain, such as Ethereum, Solana, or another NFT-compatible chain. The transaction fees are paid using the blockchain’s native currency, which is stored in a wallet on the blockchain. To verify and add your transaction to the blockchain, you must first pay gas fees to register your transaction.

One way to conceptualize the NFT process is as being comparable to the action of uploading a profile picture to a social media website.

Minting Fees

Because the processes involved in using each blockchain are unique, the associated fees are also unique. Even if they are both stored on the same blockchain, the prices of individual NFTs may vary. The cost can be affected by factors such as the amount of data, the quality of the project, the pace of transactions, the time of minting, and gas fees.

The fees that are charged for transactions on a blockchain are determined by the supply and demand of the network. When there is an increase in demand, the price of petrol goes up. In addition, those that develop NFTs need to take into account the variable price of cryptocurrencies, as this factor is also a factor in determining the costs connected with NFTs.

The cost of minting a new NFT can range anywhere from one dollar to five hundred dollars and could go even higher.

Regular NFT Minting vs. Lazy Minting

As a creator minting fees can tap into your budget. Luckily there is another option that may alleviate some of those costs. With Lazy minting, the creator has the opportunity to create an NFT, and list it for sale for free. The purchaser will of course incur costs but this option will at least minimize a few of the risks associated with creating an NFT.

With regular minting, if you want to mint your own NFTs, you’ll need to find a smart contract that is capable of doing so. There are many marketplace services like Rarible or OpenSea that have their smart contracts for minting NFTs. To mint your NFT, you’ll need to pay a gas fee. Once your NFT is minted, somebody can then buy it from you. Another option is to mint an NFT backed by a blockchain that doesn’t have any fees.

In lazy minting, the process is a bit different; NFT creation happens later reducing the need for computational power. You need to have an even smarter contract that is capable of lazy-minting (e.g. Rarible). You would create a signature for the NFT, signed with your private key. Someone then buys it and pays the minting fee as well as the buying price; the minting fee can also be included in the price.

Blockchain Transactions

Ethereum

Ethereum is the most popular network for minting NFTs. It’s also the first platform to support them, and most NFT investors turn to Ethereum by default. However, there are dozens of other NFT blockchains available now, each with its strengths and weaknesses and its particular audience.

If you’re looking to create an NFT, you might be wondering how much it costs to do so on the Ethereum blockchain. In the past, transaction fees for minting an NFT could be quite high – sometimes upwards of $50 or $100. However, thanks to some creative thinking from popular NFT marketplaces, creators can now mint their NFT collection backed by a specific blockchain completely free of charge.

If you want to create an NFT on Ethereum, there are a few different options you can choose from. The most popular marketplaces for NFTs are OpenSea, Rarible, and Mintable. After you’ve connected your wallet to one of these platforms, you can start the process of creating a new NFT. One important choice you’ll have to make is between regular and lazy minting. Regular minting costs more in terms of gas fees, but it’s the faster option. Lazy minting is a cheaper option, but it takes longer for the NFT to be created. Ultimately, the decision of which minting option to choose depends on your budget and how quickly you want your NFT to be created.

Polygon

OpenSea is the most popular NFT marketplace and it offers minting capabilities on the Polygon blockchain. If you decide to use the Polygon network to create your NFT on OpenSea, doing so is free of charge.

Polygon offers free NFT mining to anyone who wants to mint their tokens. The platform uses a “lazy minting” option by default, which means there are no upfront costs for users. However, Polygon does charge a 2.5% service fee on all NFT sales. This fee is deducted from the selling price of the NFT after it’s first sold. Keep in mind that all prices on Polygon are listed in ether (ETH), even though the platform itself is based on the Polygon network.

Solana

NFTs are all the rage these days, and Solana is one of the most popular blockchain platforms for minting them. With its low gas fees, Solana is a great alternative to Ethereum for NFT projects. There are many different NFT marketplaces out there that you can use to mint your own NFTs. Some popular options include SolSea, SolanaArt, and Magic Eden. If you want to mint NFTs on the Solana blockchain, you’ll need to use a wallet that supports the Solana network. A Phantom Wallet is a great option.

How much does it cost to create an NFT on the Solana blockchain? The good news is that the costs are relatively low, and you will only need to pay transaction fees to the Solana network for each on-chain activity. Keep in mind that minting an NFT will incur three different blockchain transactions – two for approval and one for setting the price when listing the NFT. However, each transaction only costs about 0.00045 SOL, which is very reasonable considering that 1 SOL is currently worth $95. This means that the total cost of minting an NFT on the Solana blockchain would be around $0.12.

Average NFT Prices

Several factors determine the price of a non-fungible token; the quality of the project, that is, how well a team can deliver their vision, the amount and type of data stored on an NFT, and the speed per transaction. Minting an NFT costs anywhere from $1 to a staggering $900, with rarer tokens costing even more.

Other factors that affect NFT prices include the number of transactions you can make with a particular token and the requirement of fees.

NFT Market Value

Physical art appreciates as time passes and the quality maintains. In the digital space, value can be a bit more complicated. As has been seen in the last few years, NFTs can get pricey. When preparing to invest in an NFT collection and asking how much does it cost, the buyer is wanting to understand the value it holds. In the NFT market, the below characteristics are highly considered when determining what makes NFTs so valuable.

Being First

In sales, you are taught to be a high-value contender your product or idea must either be the first, the best or the only. It is safe to say that as the NFT world continues to be an exclusive club, the most expensive NFTs will fall into each category simultaneously.

Being first though holds an extreme value to the likes of the consumer or collector. There’s nothing like saying I got the first one.

Unique and Rare

Consumers buy expensive and luxurious items because they know that they will be rare seeing that not everyone can afford them. The perceived value increases, even more, when brands guarantee their customers that they are buying a unique product. There is a significant ego boost involved in purchasing something that no one else could have. A single NFT can hold enough rarity that it alone can outvalue even an entire collection.

Utility

Although a current debate amongst the non-art and NFT art world, utility is one of the most important value drivers when selling NFTs. A physical benefit attached to a digital product heightens the allure. For example, a Bored Ape that is simply just a profile picture and product may attract a few collectors but having exclusive access to the “club” with merch, meet-ups, governance, etc. separates the buyers from just social media influencers to investors.

Ownership History

Passionate collectors are willing to pay top dollar for rare items — whether it’s a previously owned, or an old and priceless artifact. In the same way, some items have value beyond their ownership. An item might be worth keeping if it has a greater significance than just its monetary value.

With NFTs, brands can engage fans in interesting ways by making their products a part of pop culture. Fans who appreciate their favorite celebrity’s taste will want to purchase the same product the celebrity once used — even if the famous personality is no longer around. Products that are closely associated with celebrities in any way (e.g., worn or owned by an actor) can potentially be extremely valuable — especially considering how rare they are.

The Most Expensive NFTs Sold

“The Merge,” $91.8 million

— Artist: Pak. Year created: 2021.

“Everydays: the First 5000 Days,” $69.3 million

— Artist: Beeple. Year created: 2021. (1st NFT sold at a major auction house)

“HUMAN ONE,” $29 million

— Artist: Beeple. Year created: 2021.

“CryptoPunk 7523,” $11.8 million

— Artist: Larva Labs. Year created: 2017.

“CryptoPunk 3100,” $7.7 million

— Artist: Larva Labs. Year created: 2017.

The Most Valuable NFT Collections

Bored Ape Yacht Club

— Market capitalization: $2.95 billion

CryptoPunks

— Market capitalization: $2.04 billion

Mutant Ape Yacht Club

— Market capitalization: $1.14 billion

CLONE X – X TAKASHI MURA

— Market capitalization: $801.87 million

Cool Cats

— Market capitalization: $376.31 million

The Least Expensive NFTs to Invest Into

Axie Infinity

Axie Infinity is a game in which you become a trainer that catches, battles, and trains Axies. At first glance, Axie Infinity’s gameplay appears to center around collecting and battling Axies in a Pokemon-esque fashion. But don’t be fooled — the game combines the fun of collecting Pokemon with the excitement of playing a game of poker or completing a sudoku puzzle.

By playing Axie Infinity, you’ll earn two types of tokens: the AXS token and the SLP token. You can use both of these in-game tokens to get items and unlock new features. The economy in Axie Infinity is simple: you can exchange your in-game pets on the marketplace. At the time of writing, the cheapest pet was $1.27, while the most affordable item cost $0.03.

Secret Society of Whales

The Secret Society of Whales is an NFT collection of crypto-art NFTs from a crypto-art studio called Rare Carp. The pieces are meant to make fun of crypto culture — one whale wears a solid gold dollar sign that says I’m here for the money while another sports a pair of glasses and a fedora, drawn over the word ‘dApp’ to read ‘App’ as in application.

The Secret Society of Whales is one of the cheapest NFTs on the market. At the time of writing, the most affordable item costs just $0.28. This makes it the perfect way to get into NFT collecting — and a great gift option!

Loopy Donuts

The Bored Ape NFTs are not the only game in town. There are plenty of other options out there for those looking for something a little bit different. Take Loopy Donuts for example. These are cute donut creatures that come in different flavors, hairstyles, and accessories. Also, they cost almost as much as a dozen of the real sweet pastry! At the time of writing, the OpenSea NFT marketplace lists the cheapest Loopy Donut at 0.0149 ETH. That’s $41.80.

Lost Souls Sanctuary

Looking for a unique and spooky NFT? Look no further than the Lost Souls Sanctuary! These cute ghosts are made up of a floating white cloth with googly eyes and come in all sorts of different styles. You can even find them holding items, rocking different hairstyles, or showing all sorts of emotions. At the time of writing, the Lost Souls NFT with the lowest price was 0.031 ETH or $86.96.

Genzee

The Genzee NFT lineup is quite similar to the Bored Ape collection, but instead of using an animal for the template, they use a human. Each art piece simply depicts the cartoon person wearing different outfits or accessories. At the time of writing, the OpenSea NFT Marketplace lists the cheapest option at 0.0662 ETH or $185.71. This may be slightly more expensive than some of the other options out there, but it’s still relatively inexpensive as far as NFTs go.

Where Can I Buy NFTs?

NFTs have become increasingly popular in recent years, with a variety of NFT marketplaces now available. Many platforms focus on specific categories, while others sell and promote a range of NFTs. Below, we’ve listed some of the most popular NFT marketplaces currently available.

OpenSea

OpenSea is the world’s largest marketplace for NFTs. With over two million users, OpenSea is the go-to destination for buying, selling, and managing your digital collectibles. Whether you’re a seasoned crypto collector or just getting started, OpenSea has everything you need to dive into the exciting world of NFTs.

Rarible

The NFT marketplace Raible is a great place to buy art, video gaming items, collectibles, and domain names. It’s easy to find what you’re looking for on Raible, and the prices are reasonable. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just getting started, Raible is a great place to buy and sell NFTs.

Nifty Gateway

Nifty Gateway is a popular marketplace that allows artists like Grimes and Steve Aoki to release artwork and receive payments in cryptocurrency. Gemini, the cryptocurrency exchange owned by the Winklevoss twins, operates Nifty.

Is NFTs Worth It?

As with all things, the value of an NFT is up to the buyer. Certain implementations of NFTs have a weak value, whereas some give great utility for collectors. That being said, there’s no question that NFTs are an incredible way to increase engagement and retention amongst users.

The value of an item is subjective to the owner. For some people, value is measured in monetary terms. Others say it comes from knowledge. Still, others say it’s about the experience. Some people believe that digital assets have no value or that collecting digital items is pointless, but to collectors and investors, digital assets are a golden goose.

Not all arts are created equal — some works of art can be displayed in museums, while others would be better off stored until a future monetary value has been accumulated. However, NFTs face a different kind of competition than physical works of art: digital art. Although it is technically possible to print out a JPG and hang it on the wall, there’s not much point.

Digital art becomes much more valuable when it can be experienced by multiple people at once. It makes sense to buy digital art that you can enjoy with your friends, rather than a physical piece of art that they can view only once. A digital file is perfect for sharing with the entire world, and it’s immortal — it will never fade away or lose its value.

Whether or not investing in NFTs is worth a few expenses, is completely up to the buyer but understanding how much NFTs are will give both the collector and creator a deeper comprehension of the NFT market and where they should land.