How eBay works out its fee

eBay doesn’t take its cut from the item price alone. The final value fee is a share of the whole sale total: the item, the shipping the buyer paid and the sales tax eBay collected. Then a per-order fee goes on top.

Add the item price, the shipping charged and the buyer’s sales tax. That is the sale total.
Take the category’s rate on that total. For most categories it is 13.6% up to $7,500.00, then 2.35%.
Add $0.40 per order, or $0.30 when the total is $10.00 or less.
Add any ad fee, international fee or seller-level surcharge. Each is a share of the same sale total.

How much does eBay take from a $100 sale?

With free shipping and no tax, eBay takes $14.00 and pays you $86.00. Add $10.00 shipping and 8% sales tax and the fee rises to $16.56, because the tax is part of the total eBay charges on. You receive $93.44; the tax goes to the state.

Final value fee by category

The left column is for sellers without a Store and for Starter Stores. The right column is for Basic, Premium, Anchor and Enterprise Stores. Pick your category in the calculator to apply it. Only the categories listed here are built in; other categories use “Most categories.”

Category	No Store or Starter	Basic Store or higher
Most categories	13.6% up to $7,500.00, 2.35% above $7,500.00	12.7% up to $2,500.00, 2.35% above $2,500.00
Books, movies and music (not vinyl)	15.3% up to $7,500.00, 2.35% above $7,500.00	15.3% up to $2,500.00, 2.35% above $2,500.00
Trading cards, comics and collectible card games	13.25% up to $7,500.00, 2.35% above $7,500.00	12.35% up to $2,500.00, 2.35% above $2,500.00
Consumer electronics (most)	13.6% up to $7,500.00, 2.35% above $7,500.00	9.35% up to $2,500.00, 2.35% above $2,500.00
Laptops, desktops, tablets and PC components	13.6% up to $7,500.00, 2.35% above $7,500.00	7.35% up to $2,500.00, 2.35% above $2,500.00
Video game consoles	13.6% up to $7,500.00, 2.35% above $7,500.00	7.35% up to $2,500.00, 2.35% above $2,500.00
Stamps	13.6% up to $7,500.00, 2.35% above $7,500.00	9.7% up to $2,500.00, 2.35% above $2,500.00
Coins and paper money (not bullion)	13.25% up to $7,500.00, 2.35% above $7,500.00	9% up to $4,000.00, 2.35% above $4,000.00
Bullion	13.6% on the whole sale if $7,500.00 or less; 7% on the whole sale if over $7,500.00	7.5% on the whole sale if $1,500.00 or less; 5% if over $1,500.00 and up to $10,000.00; 4.5% on the whole sale if over $10,000.00
Women's bags and handbags	15% on the whole sale if $2,000.00 or less; 9% on the whole sale if over $2,000.00	13% on the whole sale if $2,000.00 or less; 7% on the whole sale if over $2,000.00
Jewelry (not watches)	15% on the whole sale if $5,000.00 or less; 9% on the whole sale if over $5,000.00	13% on the whole sale if $5,000.00 or less; 7% on the whole sale if over $5,000.00
Watches, parts and accessories	15% up to $1,000.00, 6.5% from $1,000.00 to $7,500.00, 3% above $7,500.00	12.5% up to $1,000.00, 4% from $1,000.00 to $5,000.00, 3% above $5,000.00
Guitars and basses	6.7% up to $7,500.00, 2.35% above $7,500.00	6.7% up to $2,500.00, 2.35% above $2,500.00
Athletic shoes (select men's and women's)	8% at $150.00 or more with no per-order fee; 13.6% below that	7% at $150.00 or more with no per-order fee; 12.7% below that

Fees people forget

Promoted Listings

The general ad rate is charged on the full sale total, shipping and tax included, not only the item price.

Seller level surcharges

Below Standard sellers pay an extra 6% on the sale total (7% after four months in a row). A very high “item not as described” rate in a category adds 5%. If both apply, eBay charges only the Below Standard one.

International sales

A 1.65% international fee applies when the buyer is outside the US, unless the listing uses eBay International Shipping.

Insertion fees

The first 250 listings a month are free. After that each listing costs $0.35, whether or not it sells.

eBay fee calculator