NFT sales can be programmed to pay a creator fee each time the NFT is sold, allowing creators to be rewarded for their work. When respected by web3 marketplaces, these creator earnings are paid every time an NFT moves from wallet to wallet after a purchase.
We believe creators should have the choice about whether or not to set creator fees and should have the tools they need to enforce these fees if they choose to set them. For new EVM collections created after 12 pm ET on November 8, 2022, OpenSea will only honor creator fees for collections that have on-chain creator fee enforcement. This means that the mechanism for enforcing creator fee payments happens directly on the blockchain, not on individual marketplaces.
We will continue to honor off-chain enforcement of creators fees for existing collections created before 12 pm ET on November 8, 2022. We will also continue to enforce creator fees for all collections created using OpenSea’s shared storefront smart contract (the “Create” button on OpenSea), both new and existing.
Enforcing creator fees on-chain
For new collections launched on or after 12 pm ET on November 8, 2022, you’ll need to implement an on-chain enforcement method in order to set creator fees on OpenSea.
We’ve created a tool to help with this—a code snippet you can add to new and upgradeable NFT contracts. The code restricts NFT sales to marketplaces that enforce creator fees. This is the first version of this tool, and we will provide information about additional solutions as they become available.
To set creator fees for sales using OpenSea, you’ll need to add code to enforce your creator fees on-chain, or implement another method of blocking creator fee-evading marketplaces.
You can follow these instructions in GitHub to learn how to add the code to a new contract or an upgradeable contract. Please reach out to us at support.opensea.io if you run into any issues.
Adjusting & setting creator fees on OpenSea
For any collection created before November 8, 2022, at 12 pm ET, all collections created using OpenSea’s shared storefront smart contract (the “Create” button on OpenSea), and new collections created after November 8, 2022, at 12 pm ET with on-chain creator fee enforcement, you’ll also need to adjust creator fees percentages directly on OpenSea..
If you're the collection owner, follow the steps below to edit the creator fees percentage and payout addresses. New collections created on or after November 8, 2022, at 12 pm ET that don’t enforce creator fees on-chain won’t see the Creator earnings field. The creator earnings you set using the OpenSea UI will only apply to sales of your NFTs using OpenSea. You'll also need to set your creator fees on other marketplaces.
If you're the collection owner, you can follow these steps to edit the creator earnings and payout addresses:
- On OpenSea, navigate to the upper right corner and click the Profile icon.
- Select My Collections.
- On the collection you'd like to edit, click the three-dot menu and select Edit.
- Under the Creator earnings heading, enter the earnings wallet address or ENS domain.
5. Set a percentage of up to 10% total. You can split the creator fee between multiple addresses and you can change the percentages at any time. Changes will only apply to new listings.
6. If you’re entering multiple addresses, you’ll also need to specify the creator fee each address will receive. For example, you can set Wallet A to receive a 2.5% creator fee, and Wallet B to receive an additional 3% creator fee.
7. Scroll down and click Submit changes.
Viewing your creator fees on OpenSea
To view your creator earnings payouts, navigate to your collection page, click the three-dot menu on the top right, and select Creator earnings.
Creator earnings will always be paid out in the cryptocurrency of the sale. You can learn more about the cryptocurrencies that can be used on OpenSea in our Help Center guide.
Error 401
Only the owner of a collection can edit creator fee percentages. If you're seeing an error message when editing creator fees, you'll need to ask the collection owner to make the change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why does it say my collection isn’t eligible for creator fees?
If your collection was launched after 12 pm ET on 11/8/22 and doesn’t include on-chain enforcement, you won’t be able to edit your creator fees on OpenSea.
Q: Can I update my smart contract with the enforcement tool after I start selling NFTs?
Yes, if you have an upgradeable smart contract, you can add on-chain enforcement to your smart contract’s code.
Please follow the instructions in GitHub.
Q: Can I edit the creator fees of an upgradable contract that was previously deployed without on-chain enforcement, but now has been upgraded to enforce creator fees on-chain?
Yes! Simply click on the “Refresh Eligibility” button in your collection settings:
Q: How do I enforce creator fees if I created my collection’s smart contract using Manifold?
At this time, creators using Manifold are unable to set creator fees on OpenSea. We're actively working on a solution and hope to provide updates soon.
Q: Do I need to add anything to get creator fees if I use the OpenSea “Create” button to create my collection?
No. Creator fees will continue to be enforced for creators who use the “Create” button on OpenSea to build their collection, regardless of creation date.
You can edit your creator fees percentages and payout addresses directly in your collection settings using the steps above.
Q: What should I do if my contract isn’t upgradeable, but I want creator fees?
If you deployed a contract without on-chain enforcement and your contract is not upgradeable, you will be unable to set creator fees on OpenSea. There are a number of potential solutions you could choose to take in this case, but you’ll need to deploy a new contract with the code included. For example, you can airdrop the tokens from the new contract to any item holders.
Other potential solutions for existing non-upgradeable contracts include deploying a new contract and asking your item holders to “wrap” their existing items, or deploying a new contract and asking your item holders to burn their existing tokens to redeem a token on a new contract.
We cannot directly advise you on whether or how to implement any of these potential solutions.
Q: Is the Creator Fee Enforcement available on Polygon and other chains?
Currently, OpenSea only requires creator fee enforcement on Ethereum Mainnet and Goerli for collections to be eligible for creator fees. However, starting January 2, 2023, OpenSea will begin validating creator fee enforcement on all supported EVM chains.
Q: If I use the on-chain enforcement tool, do I still need to set my creator fees on OpenSea?
Yes, you’ll still need to edit creator fee payout addresses and percentages in your collection settings. The code snippet only provides for on-chain enforcement.
Q: Is the creator fee policy enforced in Testnets? If it works on my smart contract in Testnets, will it work in mainnet?
Yes, our updated approach to creator fees is live in the Ethereum Testnets environment. If you add on-chain enforcement to your test collection, you can also expect it to work in mainnet when you launch your collection.