eBay seller fees in 2026, in one line: for most categories eBay charges a final value fee of 13.6% of the sale's total amount (up to $7,500 per item), plus a per-order fee of $0.30 on orders of $10 or less or $0.40 on orders over $10. The "total amount" includes more than the item price, so your real cost is a bit higher than 13.6% of what you listed. All figures below come from eBay's own selling fees page, checked on October 27, 2026. Fees change, so recheck before you buy inventory.
This guide is the math behind selling on eBay. It's not a promise of what you'll keep: prices move, items come back and some inventory doesn't sell.
The fee formula, step by step
For a typical sale, eBay's fee has two parts:
- Final value fee. A percentage of the sale's total amount.
- Per-order fee. A flat amount per order: $0.30 if the order is $10.00 or less, $0.40 if it's over $10.00.
What counts as the "total amount"? eBay's page says it includes the item price, any handling charges, any shipping costs collected from the buyer, and sales tax, with some shipping exceptions. That's why a $100 item with shipping and tax is charged on more than $100.
Listing fees (insertion fees). eBay says you get up to 250 zero insertion fee listings per month, or more if you have an eBay Store. After that, the insertion fee in most categories is $0.35 per listing. Most casual sellers never pass the free allowance.
Large sales. In most categories, the 13.6% applies to the sale total up to $7,500 per item, and 2.35% applies to the portion above $7,500.
Fee rates by category (checked October 27, 2026)
| Category | Final value fee |
|---|---|
| Most categories | 13.6% up to $7,500 per item, then 2.35% |
| Trading cards (non-sport, sports) and collectible card games | 13.25% up to $7,500 per item, then 2.35% |
| Books & Magazines, Movies & TV, Music | 15.3% up to $7,500, then 2.35% |
| Comic books and memorabilia | 13.25% up to $7,500, then 2.35% |
| Guitars & Basses | 6.7% up to $7,500, then 2.35% |
eBay lists more special rows (jewelry, watches, handbags, coins, select business categories and more) with their own rates, so open the full table if you sell outside this list.
Worked examples: four price points
These are illustrations with made-up inputs. Assumptions: most-categories rate of 13.6%, the buyer pays the shipping shown, and no sales tax (we add tax in a moment). The fee is 13.6% of (item price + shipping) plus the per-order fee.
| Item price | Shipping buyer pays | Sale total | 13.6% fee | Per-order fee | Total fee | Fee as % of item price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | $5 | $25 | $3.40 | $0.40 | $3.80 | 19.0% |
| $50 | $6 | $56 | $7.62 | $0.40 | $8.02 | 16.0% |
| $100 | $8 | $108 | $14.69 | $0.40 | $15.09 | 15.1% |
| $250 | $12 | $262 | $35.63 | $0.40 | $36.03 | 14.4% |
Two things stand out. First, the fee as a share of the item price is always higher than 13.6%, because shipping is in the base and the flat per-order fee is spread over a smaller price on cheap items. Second, the cheaper the item, the heavier the flat fee weighs. A $20 item loses about 19% of its price to fees in this example.
What sales tax does
Sales tax is part of the total amount. Take the $100 item with $8 shipping again, and assume an 8% sales tax on the $108 (that's $8.64, an illustrative rate, yours will differ by state). The sale total becomes $116.64, so 13.6% is $15.86 and the fee with the per-order fee is $16.26 instead of $15.09. The buyer pays the tax to the state, but the fee is calculated on it, so don't forget it when you check a payout.
What's left after your costs
The fee is only one line. Here is the $50 example carried through to what you keep. All inputs are assumptions:
- Buyer pays: $50 item + $6 shipping = $56
- eBay fee: $8.02
- What you receive before costs: $47.98
- What you paid for the item: $30.00
- Your shipping label: $6.00
- Supplies (mailer, tape): $1.00
- Left: about $10.98
Change one input and it moves a lot. If the label was $9 because the box was heavier, you'd keep about $7.98. If you bought the item for $38, you'd keep about $2.98. That's why we say to run the math before you buy, not after. Our guide to how we find products that resell covers the research side.
Trading cards: the lower row
eBay's page puts Non-Sport Trading Cards, Sports Trading Cards and Collectible Card Games at 13.25% up to $7,500 per item, a little under the standard rate. Using the same method, a $50 card with $5 shipping is a $55 sale. At 13.25% that's $7.29, plus $0.40, so $7.69. At the standard 13.6% it would be $7.88. The difference is small, about 19 cents here, but it adds up across many sales.
eBay's page also lists a separate 5% rate for trading card NFTs, which is a different product from the physical cards.
Vinyl records: what eBay's page actually says
eBay's Music row (15.3%) is written to exclude Vinyl Records. The page doesn't give vinyl a separate rate, so records appear to fall under the standard rate, but we can't confirm that from the page alone, and eBay doesn't spell it out. Treat the rate as unconfirmed and check the fee shown in your Seller Hub for your exact category before you list.
If records do fall under the standard rate, a $40 record with $6 shipping is a $46 sale: 13.6% is $6.26, plus $0.40, so $6.66. If you wrongly assumed the Music rate of 15.3%, you'd estimate $7.44, so the check matters on thin margins. For where records tend to sell, see where to sell vinyl records, and the vinyl resell group page for how our vinyl channel works.
Video games: no separate row on the page
We looked for a Video Games & Consoles row on eBay's selling fees page. The words "video games" and "consoles" don't appear on the page we read. We can't tell you a special rate for the category, and we won't guess. Because the page lists exceptions and says the "most categories" rate covers the rest, the standard 13.6% is the likely base, but confirm the exact rate in Seller Hub before you rely on it. We cover this category in our Lowkey Flips posts.
Do eBay Stores change the fees?
eBay's page says sellers with a Store get more free listings than the 250 allowance, and that Store fees and benefits vary by subscription type. We only quote what the page says: it points to a separate "Store selling fees" page for plan details, and we haven't included plan prices here. If you list in volume, read that page yourself and compare the monthly subscription to what you'd save.
Five habits that protect your margin
- Calculate on the whole total. Item price plus shipping plus tax, not just the price.
- Watch cheap items. The flat per-order fee and shipping make low-price flips thin. Check the fee as a share of your item price.
- Use sold prices, not asking prices. See our pillar guide for how to check what items actually sold for.
- Count returns. A return can cost you shipping both ways, so keep a cushion in your margin.
- Compare marketplaces. Our reseller fees guide puts the major platforms side by side.
Sources (checked October 27, 2026)
- eBay: Selling fees
All worked examples are our own arithmetic on labeled assumptions, not eBay figures. Results vary by item, shipping cost and tax.
eBay is a trademark of eBay Inc. Friends & Family is an independent reselling community and isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by eBay. This is educational, not financial or tax advice, and resale prices aren't guaranteed.