- Most categories: 13.6% of the total sale up to $7,500, plus $0.40 per order ($0.30 if the order is $10 or less).
- The 13.6% is charged on shipping the buyer pays and on sales tax, so budget about 17–18% of your item price.
- Books, movies and music cost more (15.3%). Guitars (6.7%) and sneakers at $150 and up (8%, no per-order fee) cost less.
- Bad seller metrics add 5–7% on top. Accurate listings are the cheapest fee cut there is.
- From October 14, 2026, eBay's currency conversion charge for US sellers rises from 3% to 3.25%.
The short answer
If you sell in most categories and don't have an eBay Store, you pay:
- 13.6% of the total sale, up to $7,500 per item, then 2.35% on anything above that.
- $0.40 per order over $10, or $0.30 per order of $10 or less.
- Nothing to list for your first 250 listings each month, then $0.35 per listing.
There's no separate payment processing fee on top. eBay folded that into the final value fee years ago.
That's the headline number. The catch is what the 13.6% is charged on.
The 13.6% isn't 13.6% of your price
eBay calculates the final value fee on the total amount of the sale: item price, shipping the buyer pays, handling, sales tax and any other fees. Your cut is the item price. Their cut includes the tax.
Here's a normal thrift flip: a jacket that sells for $48, the buyer pays $7.50 shipping, and 7% sales tax.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Total amount of the sale ($55.50 + 7% tax) | $59.39 |
| Final value fee (13.6%) | $8.08 |
| Per-order fee | $0.40 |
| Total eBay fees | $8.48 |
| Fees as a share of your $48 item price | 17.7% |
So when you price, use 17–18% of the item price as your fee estimate in most categories, not 13.6%. The exact number moves with the buyer's tax rate and what you charge for shipping.
eBay's own example lands in the same place: a phone that sells for $400 with free shipping costs $58.41 in fees, and the seller keeps about 85%.
Cheap items get hit hardest
The per-order fee is flat, so it eats a bigger slice of small sales. An $8 item with free shipping and 7% tax:
- Total sale: $8.56
- Final value fee: $1.16
- Per-order fee: $0.30
- Total: $1.46, or 18.3% of your price, before you've paid a cent of postage.
If you also cover shipping, an $8 sale can easily net you less than the cost of a sandwich. Bundle cheap stuff into lots, or leave it at the thrift store.
Categories that cost more, or less
Not everything is 13.6%. These are the exceptions resellers run into most, straight from eBay's fee table:
| Category | Final value fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Most categories | 13.6% up to $7,500, then 2.35% | Plus per-order fee |
| Books & Magazines, Movies & TV, Music (except vinyl) | 15.3% up to $7,500, then 2.35% | The bread-and-butter media flip costs more |
| Vinyl records | 13.6% | Vinyl is excluded from the music rate |
| Coins & Paper Money (except bullion) | 13.25% up to $7,500, then 2.35% | |
| Bullion | 13.6% up to $7,500; 7% if the sale is over $7,500 | Rate applies to the whole item |
| Trading cards (sports, non-sport, CCG), comics | 13.25% up to $7,500, then 2.35% | |
| Guitars & Basses | 6.7% up to $7,500, then 2.35% | Free to list |
| Athletic shoes (men's and women's) | 8% if the sale is $150 or more, no per-order fee; 13.6% below $150 | See the sneaker math below |
| Women's Bags & Handbags | 15% up to $2,000; 9% over $2,000 | Rate applies to the whole item |
| Jewelry & Watches (except watch parts) | 15% up to $5,000; 9% over $5,000 | Rate applies to the whole item |
| Watches, Parts & Accessories | 15% up to $1,000, 6.5% from $1,000 to $7,500, 3% above | Tiered, like a tax bracket |
A few of these flip the usual logic. Two examples worth knowing:
Books cost you more than almost anything else. A $12 paperback with $4.50 shipping and 7% tax costs $3.10 in fees: 25.8% of the price. Media still works, but only at volume or on books worth more than $15.
A pricier sneaker can cost less to sell. A $140 pair (free shipping, 7% tax) costs $20.77 in fees. A $160 pair costs $13.70: 8%, and no per-order fee. eBay applies the 8% rate when the total amount of the sale is $150 or more, so check your fee report on pairs priced close to that line.
Fees that only hit when something goes wrong
These don't show up on a normal sale. They show up when your account slips.
- Below Standard seller level: an extra 6% on final value fees for the following month, rising to 7% if you stay Below Standard four months in a row.
- "Item not as described" returns rated Very High in a category: an extra 5% in that category, rising to 6% after four months. If you're also Below Standard, you pay only the Below Standard surcharge, not both.
- Payment disputes you lose (chargebacks): $20 per dispute.
- Selling outside eBay: if you share contact details to take a deal off-platform, eBay charges the final value fee anyway, even if nothing sells.
An extra 6% on a 13.6% fee is not a rounding error. On the $48 jacket above, Below Standard adds about $3.56 to every sale. Accurate condition notes and honest photos are the cheapest fee cut available.
International sales and currency
- International fee: 1.65% of the total sale when the buyer or delivery address is outside the US, unless you ship with eBay International Shipping, in which case there's no international fee.
- Currency conversion: if eBay converts your money for a listing or sale on another eBay site, it charges 3%, rising to 3.25% from October 14, 2026. This only applies if you list on international eBay sites, not to normal US sales to international buyers.
Optional extras that add up
All optional, and all charged on top:
- Listing upgrades: bold ($2 on auctions, $4 on Good 'Til Cancelled listings), subtitles ($1.50–$6), and reserve prices (the greater of $5 or 7.5% of the reserve, charged even if the item doesn't sell).
- Good 'Til Cancelled renewals: fixed-price listings renew monthly, and each renewal counts against your 250 free listings. A big inventory that sits can quietly start charging $0.35 per listing per month.
- Promoted Listings: eBay's ad program. Its fee is set by the ad rate you choose and comes out of your sale on top of everything above.
How to keep more of each sale
- Price off 18%, not 13.6%. You'll stop being surprised by your payouts.
- Bundle orders. eBay counts an order as everything one buyer checks out with the same shipping method, so a combined order pays one per-order fee instead of several.
- Skip sub-$10 items unless you can lot them up.
- Know your category's rate before you source. A $20 book and a $20 vinyl record cost different amounts to sell.
- Protect your seller level. A Below Standard month costs more than any listing upgrade ever saved you.
- Use eBay International Shipping if you sell abroad, so you skip the 1.65% international fee.
- Run the numbers on a Store once you're listing more than 250 items a month. Stores come with more free listings and their own fee schedule. Compare eBay's store fee page against your monthly volume before you subscribe.
Fees change. We'll update this page when eBay changes its fee table, and the date at the top will tell you when we last checked.
Sources
- eBay: Selling fees (most categories, exceptions, surcharges) checked Oct 10, 2026
- eBay: Store selling fees checked Oct 10, 2026
Numbers change. We list the date we last checked each one. Earnings disclaimer
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