Why eBay fees are higher than they look
A 13.6% fee sounds like 13.6% of your item price, but the final value fee is calculated on the order total: item, shipping and sales tax. On a low-priced item with significant postage, the fee on the shipping alone can wipe out a large part of your profit. The fixed per-order fee matters most on cheap items.
The calculator charges the fee on the total including shipping and, if you enter a sales tax rate, on tax as well. It applies the lower rate to any part of the total above $7,500 when you use the typical US fees.
Illustrative inputs, not a quote from any platform. Calculated with the same engine as the calculator above.
- Item cost
- $11.00
- Packaging
- $0.70
- Postage paid
- $5.20
- Shipping charged to buyer
- $5.20
- Final value fee
- 13.6%
- Per-order fee
- $0.40
- Target margin
- 20%
| List price | $20.86 |
| Shipping charged to customer | $5.20 |
| Customer pays (incl. tax) | $26.06 |
| Indirect tax collected for authorities VAT / GST / sales tax — not seller revenue | $0.00 |
| Net revenue | $26.06 |
| Final value fee Marketplace / referral · marginal tiers on order total incl. tax (26.06) | −$3.54 |
| Per-order fee Marketplace / referral · fixed per order | −$0.40 |
| Product cost 11.00 USD per unit | −$11.00 |
| Packaging 0.70 USD per unit | −$0.70 |
| Outbound shipping 5.20 USD per unit | −$5.20 |
| Contribution profit Contribution margin 20.01% | $5.22 |
| Profit after allocated overhead | $5.22 |
| Margin | 20.01% |
| Markup on total cost | 25.02% |
Checking your category
Rates vary by category, and some categories have different thresholds or per-order fees. Below-standard seller performance adds a surcharge, and promoted listings add an ad rate on the sale. Look up your category on eBay's fee page, enter the rate, and add promoted listing rates as an advertising percentage. To see how your price compares with similar listings, use the competitor price comparison.