Weekly NFT sales fell off a cliff in dollar terms — and yet more people bought NFTs than the week before. That contradiction is the real story of the November 3 CryptoSlam tally: global NFT sales totalled about $37.69 million for the week, down roughly 44% from the prior week, while transactions rose about 4.5% to 895,258, buyers jumped about 37% to 243,994, and sellers climbed about 36% to 219,788. Fewer dollars, more participants, smaller average tickets — the market is getting broader and cheaper at the same time.
The chain leaderboard reshuffled underneath the headline. Ethereum still led with about $13.13 million, down roughly 14%, while Polygon followed near $9.38 million, up about 4%. The dramatic mover was Bitcoin Ordinals, collapsing to about $4.46 million after an roughly 85% week-over-week drop. When the most speculative rail loses 85% of its volume in a week, it drags the whole dollar total down with it — even while activity on other chains holds up.
The collections that held up
At collection level, the week belonged to the steady names. Courtyard topped CryptoSlam's collections near $8.54 million for the week, up about 4.4%, ahead of $8888 BRC-20 NFTs near $2.82 million and CryptoPunks near $1.81 million, down about 24%. Courtyard's resilience matters: it is a real-world-asset-style collectible, not a pure profile-picture bet, and its strength while the broader market fell suggests buyers are rotating toward items with something behind them rather than leaving the market entirely.
The sector snapshot agrees that NFTs are not the market's weakest corner right now. In a 24-hour snapshot at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 1, the NFT sector actually gained 2.21% — the strongest gain among sectors with at least $2 billion in market cap — reaching a $4.72 billion market capitalisation on $518.1 million in volume. A weekly sales slump and a daily sector gain can both be true: one measures how much changed hands, the other measures what the market thinks the assets are worth.
What this means for gaming NFTs
For Web3 gaming, the week's numbers land in a moment of consolidation. October's industry report showed the gaming token index closing down 1.14% month-over-month, while Igloo Inc. announced it was winding down its Abstract chain to refocus on Pudgy Penguins, with Abstract going dark on December 15 and players given until November 15 to migrate wallets and items. The 2026 gaming-NFT resurgence — Layer-2 scaling, gasless minting, optional interoperable items rather than gated gameplay — is real, but it is being built by fewer, more focused teams than the 2021 wave.
The buyer surge is the hopeful signal inside a weak headline. Nearly 244,000 buyers in a week, up 37%, means new wallets are still entering even as dollar volume compresses — consistent with cheaper mints, lower-priced collections and gaming items rather than six-figure avatar trades. The risk is the mirror image: if those buyers are mostly chasing low-priced mints with no resale depth, the breadth could fade as fast as it arrived. Watch whether buyer growth survives a second week, and whether Ethereum's lead narrows further against Polygon.
The takeaway for collectors
A market where sales fall 44% while buyers rise 37% is not dying — it is repricing. The expensive, speculative end is deflating (Ordinals down 85%, CryptoPunks down 24%), while the accessible end is growing (transactions and buyers both up sharply). For collectors, the lesson is the same one this column keeps returning to: check depth, recent sales and unique buyers before trusting any floor price, and treat royalty promises as requests, not guarantees. Discuss the weekly numbers in the Zimbuck Market News group and follow NFT coverage on the Zimbuck News page. Join the conversation on Zimbuck to discuss where NFTs go from here.
FAQ
How much did NFT sales fall? Global weekly NFT sales totalled about $37.69 million as of November 3, 2026, down about 44% from the prior week, per CryptoSlam.
Did fewer people buy NFTs? No — transactions rose about 4.5% to 895,258, buyers jumped about 37% to 243,994, and sellers rose about 36% to 219,788.
Which chains led? Ethereum led near $13.13 million (down about 14%), Polygon followed near $9.38 million (up about 4%), and Bitcoin Ordinals collapsed to about $4.46 million (down about 85%).
Which collections topped the week? Courtyard near $8.54 million (up about 4.4%), $8888 BRC-20 NFTs near $2.82 million, and CryptoPunks near $1.81 million (down about 24%).
Is the NFT sector still falling? Not on every measure: in a November 1 snapshot the NFT sector gained 2.21%, the strongest among large sectors, with a $4.72 billion market capitalisation.
This article is market news and general information only, not financial advice.
References: Zimbuck News page | Zimbuck Market News group | Related: What Are NFT Royalties | Related: Robin Guards KOL | External source | Zimbuck
