Good to know
- You get 250 free listings a month, then $0.35 each. That charge is not included here because most sellers stay under it.
- Falling below eBay's seller standards adds a surcharge of 6% or more to the final value fee.
- General campaigns charge the rate you choose, only if the item sells within 30 days of a click on the ad.
How eBay fees work
eBay charges a final value fee when an item sells, plus a per-order fee of $0.30 on orders of $10 or less and $0.40 above that. Payment processing is included, so there is no separate line for it.
The part sellers most often miss is what the percentage applies to. eBay charges it on the total sale, which means the item price, the shipping the buyer pays, and the sales tax. Tax is not your money, but you still pay fees on it. That is why the calculator asks for a tax rate, and why a $50 item costs more in fees than 13.6% of $50.
Without a Store, most categories pay 13.6% up to $7,500 and 2.35% on anything above. Some categories differ. Books, movies and music pay 15.3%. Trading cards and comics pay 13.25%. A few work differently: handbags and jewelry use one rate for the whole sale, so the fee on a $2,000.01 handbag is lower than the fee on a $2,000 one.
Athletic shoes have the sharpest line. At $150 or more, counting tax, the rate drops to 8% and the per-order fee disappears. Under $150 you pay 13.6% plus the per-order fee, so a pair at $145 can net less than a pair at $150.
A Basic Store or above lowers most rates, to 12.7% for most categories and 9.35% for most electronics, in exchange for a monthly subscription. It lowers the top threshold too, from $7,500 to $2,500 in most categories. A Starter Store pays the same percentages as no Store.
Promoted Listings are optional. A general campaign charges a percentage you choose on the total sale, only if the buyer clicked your ad and bought within 30 days. Enter your rate as the ad rate to see what it does to your profit.
A worked example
Say you sell an item you paid $10.00 for at $50.00, with free shipping to the buyer and 7% sales tax, you pay $8.00 for the label. On eBay that comes to Final value fee $7.28, Per-order fee $0.40, $7.68 in total. You keep $24.32, a 48.6% margin. That uses most categories, including clothing and the first ebay store option above.
Common questions
Does eBay charge fees on sales tax?
Yes. eBay's final value fee is calculated on the total sale, including the sales tax the buyer pays. eBay's own worked examples add tax before applying the percentage.
Is a Basic Store worth it?
Compare the rate difference against the subscription. Switch the Store setting above and see how much each sale saves, then work out how many sales a month cover the fee. The answer depends heavily on your category.
Are there any eBay fees for listing an item?
Most sellers get 250 free listings a month. After that, a listing costs $0.35 per category, and Good 'Til Cancelled listings count again each time they renew.