eBay Fees Explained: How Much Does eBay Take From a Sale?

If you're pricing your first items on eBay, the fees are probably the part that feels murkiest. There's a percentage, a fixed charge, listing fees, optional extras, and a Store plan you may or may not need. It adds up quickly if you don't know where to look.

Here's how eBay fees work for US sellers on eBay.com, using eBay's own published rates.

Quick answer: In most US categories, eBay takes a 13.6% final value fee on the total sale amount (item price plus shipping and sales tax), plus $0.40 per order over $10 or $0.30 for orders of $10 or less. On a typical $40 item with $5 shipping, that's roughly $6.95, or about 15% of what you charge.

What fees does eBay charge sellers?

There are two fees almost every seller pays, and a handful that depend on how you sell.

• Final value fee. A percentage of the total sale amount, charged only when an item sells. This is the big one.
• Per-order fee. A small fixed charge on each order.
• Insertion fees. A charge for creating a listing, but only after your free monthly allowance runs out.
• Optional costs. Store subscriptions, listing upgrades and promoted listings.

You don't pay a separate fee to list most items if you stay within your free allowance, and you don't pay a final value fee if nothing sells.

How much does eBay take from a sale?

According to eBay's selling fees page, most categories carry a 13.6% final value fee on the total sale amount up to $7,500 per item, and 2.35% on any portion above $7,500. On top of that comes the per-order fee: $0.30 for orders of $10 or less, and $0.40 for orders over $10.

The detail that catches people out is the phrase "total sale amount." eBay calculates the fee on the item price plus handling, buyer-paid shipping, sales tax and other applicable fees. So the 13.6% is not just on your item price.

Some categories use different rates. A few examples from eBay's US fee tables:

Category	Final value fee
Most categories	13.6% up to $7,500, 2.35% above
Books, Movies & TV, Music	15.3% up to $7,500, 2.35% above
Jewelry & Watches	15% up to $5,000, 9% above
Guitars & Basses	6.7% up to $7,500, 2.35% above
Athletic shoes $150 and up	8%, no per-order fee

Always check the table for your exact category before you set prices.

A worked example: a $40 sale

Let's say you sell an item for $40, charge $5 for shipping, and the buyer pays $3.15 in sales tax. This is an example to show the math, not a prediction of results.

Line	Amount
Item price	$40.00
Shipping charged	$5.00
Sales tax collected	$3.15
Total sale amount	$48.15
Final value fee (13.6% of $48.15)	$6.55
Per-order fee	$0.40
Total eBay fees	$6.95

So eBay keeps about $6.95, which is roughly 15.4% of the $45 you actually charged for the item and shipping. If you priced the item assuming a flat 13.6% of $40, you'd be about $1.50 short per sale. Across a few hundred orders a month, that's real money.

If you also run promoted listings at a 3% ad rate and the sale comes through an ad, add about $1.44 more.

Do insertion fees and listing upgrades matter?

For most small sellers, insertion fees barely register. Every US seller gets 250 zero insertion fee listings a month. After that, each new listing costs $0.35 in most categories, and the fee isn't refunded if the item doesn't sell. Good 'Til Cancelled listings renew monthly, and insertion fees apply again at each renewal once you're over your allowance.

Listing upgrades are optional. Bold, subtitles and Gallery Plus all cost extra, and in our experience most fixed-price sellers don't need them. Good photos and a clear title usually do more.

Is an eBay Store subscription worth it for lower fees?

A Store changes two things: you get more free listings, and from the Basic tier up, the final value fee drops in many categories. Here's what eBay lists on its Store fees page:

Store tier	Monthly plan	Free fixed-price listings	Final value fee (most categories)
Starter	$7.95	250	13.6% up to $7,500
Basic	$27.95	1,000	12.7% up to $2,500
Premium	$74.95	10,000	12.7% up to $2,500

On our $48.15 sale, the Basic rate saves about $0.43. Basic costs $20 a month more than Starter, so you'd need roughly 47 similar sales a month before the lower rate pays for itself, before counting the extra listings. That's the simple test: run your own numbers. We go through the full startup budget in how much money you need to start an eBay store.

What extra fees can surprise you?

A few costs only show up in certain situations:

• International fee. 1.65% of the total sale if the buyer or delivery address is outside the US. eBay says US sellers using eBay International Shipping don't pay it on eligible items.
• Below Standard surcharge. If your seller rating drops to Below Standard, eBay adds 6% to applicable final value fees for the following month. It doesn't apply to Above Standard or Top Rated sellers.
• Promoted listings. You choose an ad rate between 2% and 100%, and according to eBay's promoted listings help page, you're charged only if the item sells within 30 days of a click on your ad. Like the final value fee, it's based on the total sale amount.

Keeping your account healthy is the cheapest fee strategy there is. Late shipments and "not as described" claims cost you twice: once in refunds and again in higher fees.

Do you get eBay fees back on returns and cancellations?

Partly. eBay's fee credit rules say the category final value fee is credited when you fully refund a buyer for a return or an item not received. Partial refunds get a proportional credit.

The per-order fee is different. It's credited when a buyer changes their mind or cancels for reasons outside your control, but not when you cancel because an item is out of stock or the refund is for a damaged or defective item. And if you refund a buyer outside eBay, you get no fee credit at all.

FAQ

What percentage does eBay take from sellers?

In most US categories, eBay takes 13.6% of the total sale amount, including shipping and sales tax, plus a $0.40 per-order fee on orders over $10. Some categories, like books and jewelry, have higher rates.

Does eBay charge fees on shipping?

Yes. The final value fee is calculated on the total sale amount, which includes buyer-paid shipping and handling, as well as sales tax.

Is it free to list on eBay?

Every US seller gets 250 free listings a month. After that, insertion fees are $0.35 per listing in most categories, or less with a Store subscription.

Does eBay refund fees when a buyer returns an item?

eBay credits the category final value fee when you issue a full refund through eBay. The per-order fee is only credited in some cases, such as when the buyer changed their mind.

The takeaway

The simplest way to think about eBay fees: plan for about 15% of your item price plus shipping on a typical sale, then check your category's exact rate. Price with that number in mind and the margins you see on paper will match the money you actually keep. If you want to see how fees fit into profit sharing on a managed store, our 50/50 profit split breakdown walks through it.

To check the fees and profit on a single item, use our free eBay fee calculator. Want to see what a store could earn after fees at different sales levels? Try our profit calculator.