Marketplaces
eBay Selling Fees Explained (2026)
For most categories, eBay charges a final value fee of 13.25% of the total amount of the sale — item price plus postage — plus $0.30 per order, and that single fee now includes payment processing. On a $100 sale it takes $13.55 and you keep $86.45. This guide explains what the fee is charged on (postage included), the per-order rule, the cheaper rate above $7,500, the optional costs that sit around the main fee, and how eBay’s take compares with Etsy’s.
The final value fee — 13.25% + $0.30
Since eBay moved every seller onto its own managed payments, selling fees have simplified into one main charge. The final value fee is 13.25% of the total amount of the sale, plus $0.30 per order, for most categories. “Total amount” means the item price plus the postage the buyer pays — and the same fee already includes payment processing, so there is no separate PayPal percentage on top any more. Guides that add one are describing the pre-2021 system and overstate your costs by about 3%.
Final value fee = 13.25% × (item price + postage) + $0.30 per orderYou receive = (item price + postage) − final value feeWhat that costs at real amounts
| Sale total (price + postage) | Final value fee | You receive | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25 | $3.61 | $21.39 | 14.5% |
| $80 (free postage) | $10.90 | $69.10 | 13.6% |
| $100 | $13.55 | $86.45 | 13.6% |
| $262 ($250 item + $12 postage) | $35.02 | $226.98 | 13.4% |
| $1,500 | $199.05 | $1,300.95 | 13.3% |
Source: eBay’s selling fees pages (ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoicing), standard rate for most categories. Last verified: November 2026
Note the fee on the $262 row: it is calculated on the full $262 the buyer paid, not the $250 item price. Postage is not fee-free money on eBay — a fact built into every row of the table, and the reason “free postage” offers (where the postage sits inside the price instead) cost exactly the same in fees.
The details that change the bill
Per order, not per item. The fixed $0.30 is charged once per order however many items it contains, so a buyer who purchases three items together saves you two fixed fees compared with three separate orders. It is also why a single $10 sale is so expensive proportionally — an effective rate of about 16.3%.
Expensive items get a cheaper tail. In most categories the 13.25% applies to the portion of a sale up to $7,500; the portion above that is charged at a much lower 2.35%. For ordinary selling this never bites, but on a car-priced or equipment-priced sale it softens the fee considerably.
Categories genuinely differ. The 13.25% covers the majority of everyday categories, but some categories carry their own percentages — higher or lower, sometimes with their own thresholds. Before listing anything valuable, confirm the rate for its exact category in eBay’s fee table; a high-value listing in a differently-priced category is the classic expensive surprise. The eBay fee calculator applies the standard rate to any total while you check.
The other costs around the main fee
Around the final value fee sit optional and conditional costs. Most sellers receive a monthly allowance of free-insertion listings; beyond it, a per-listing insertion fee applies, and listing upgrades — bold titles, subtitles, international visibility — cost extra each. Promoted listings are a separate advertising charge you set yourself, stacked on top of the final value fee when an ad makes the sale. Shop subscriptions change insertion allowances and some fees in exchange for a monthly cost. And sellers whose performance drops below standard can be charged an additional percentage surcharge on the final value fee — the one “optional” cost here that is not really optional.
How eBay compares with Etsy
On a $100 sale eBay keeps $13.55 against Etsy’s roughly $9.95 — but the comparison is not like-for-like. eBay’s single fee buys access to a vast general marketplace and includes payment processing; Etsy’s stack of smaller fees serves a handmade, vintage and craft audience. Sellers with products that fit both usually list in both and price per platform. Our Etsy fees guide breaks down the other side of that comparison fee by fee.
How to pay less
The percentage itself is not negotiable, but the bill is manageable: keep your seller performance at Top Rated standard (qualifying Top Rated Plus listings receive a discount on the final value fee); stay inside your free-insertion allowance rather than paying insertion fees; skip listing upgrades that do not demonstrably help the item sell; and use promoted listings deliberately, remembering their ad rate stacks on top of the 13.25%. The biggest lever is simply knowing the real number before you set the price.
Do the maths in seconds
Enter the total your buyer pays — price plus postage — and see the final value fee and exactly what you keep, including reverse mode for pricing to a target amount.
Frequently asked questions
How much does eBay take from a $100 sale?
In most categories, $13.55: 13.25% of $100 is $13.25, plus the $0.30 per-order fee — leaving you $86.45. If the buyer also pays $10 postage, the fee is worked out on $110 instead, because postage counts as part of the sale total.
Does eBay charge its fee on postage too?
Yes. The final value fee percentage is calculated on the total amount of the sale, which is the item price plus the postage you charge the buyer. Offering free postage does not avoid it — the postage cost is then inside the item price, where the percentage applies to it anyway.
Is there still a separate PayPal fee on eBay sales?
No. eBay completed its move to managed payments, so eBay itself processes the buyer’s payment and the final value fee is the single main deduction. Older guides that add a PayPal percentage on top of eBay’s fee describe the pre-2021 system and will overstate your costs by roughly 3%.
How can I lower my eBay fees?
Keep seller performance at Top Rated standard — qualifying Top Rated Plus listings receive a discount on the final value fee. Use your free-insertion allowance instead of paying insertion fees, skip listing upgrades that do not help the item sell, and be sparing with promoted listings, whose ad rate stacks on top of the final value fee.