On eBay.com, eBay fees for most categories come to 13.6% of the total sale plus $0.40 per order, as of October 2026. The total includes shipping and the sales tax the buyer pays. So a $100 item with no shipping or tax costs you $14.00 in fees, and you keep $86.00. A Basic Store or higher lowers the rate to 12.7% in most categories. Ads, international buyers and a Below Standard rating add more.
Every fee rate below comes from eBay’s own fee pages, checked on October 18, 2026. Our eBay fee calculator uses the same data, so you can work out your exact fees there.
In short
- eBay.com: 13.6% of the item price, shipping and sales tax, plus $0.30 (orders of $10 or less) or $0.40 per order.
- With a Basic, Premium, Anchor or Enterprise Store, most categories pay 12.7% up to $2,500 per item.
- Promoted Listings, the 1.65% international fee and the Below Standard surcharge come on top.
- Private sellers in the UK, Germany, France and Italy pay no final value fee at home, with some exceptions.
- In Australia, sellers without a Pro plan and with A$25,000 or less in yearly sales pay no final value fee, except on vehicles and classifieds.
How much does eBay take from a sale in 2026?
eBay takes a final value fee and a per-order fee from every sale. On eBay.com the final value fee is a percentage of the total amount of the sale. eBay’s selling fees page says that total includes the item price, handling, shipping the buyer pays, sales tax and other fees.
eBay collects sales tax and pays it to the states, so you never keep it. You still pay the final value fee on it.
For most categories without a Store, the rate is 13.6% on up to $7,500 per item and 2.35% on any part above that. Rates differ by category, from 2.5% to 15.3%. Books, movies and music pay 15.3%, for example, and guitars pay 6.7%. Payment processing is part of the fee, so there is no separate card charge.
Worked examples: $100, $1,200 and $2,500 on eBay.com
These use the most common eBay.com rate, with no shipping or sales tax unless a row says otherwise.
| Sale | No Store | Basic Store or higher |
|---|---|---|
| $100 item | $13.60 + $0.40 = $14.00 | $12.70 + $0.40 = $13.10 |
| $100 item + $10 shipping + 8% sales tax ($118.80 total) | $16.16 + $0.40 = $16.56 | $15.09 + $0.40 = $15.49 |
| $1,000 item | $136.00 + $0.40 = $136.40 | $127.00 + $0.40 = $127.40 |
| $1,200 item | $163.20 + $0.40 = $163.60 | $152.40 + $0.40 = $152.80 |
| $2,500 item | $340.00 + $0.40 = $340.40 | $317.50 + $0.40 = $317.90 |
| $5,000 item | $680.00 + $0.40 = $680.40 | $317.50 + $58.75 + $0.40 = $376.65 |
The arithmetic for the row with shipping and tax: $100 + $10 = $110, and 8% tax makes $118.80. Then 13.6% of $118.80 is $16.16, and the per-order fee brings it to $16.56. You receive $110 minus $16.56, which is $93.44. The tax goes to the state.
Tiers apply per item, so a big sale can cross a threshold. Car and truck parts in a Store pay 11.5% on up to $1,000 and 2.35% above it. A $1,200 part costs $115.00 + $4.70 + $0.40 = $120.10. A $2,500 part costs $115.00 + $35.25 + $0.40 = $150.65.
Small orders pay a smaller per-order fee. An $8 item without a Store costs 13.6% of $8, which is $1.09, plus $0.30, for $1.39 in total.
Does eBay take 20%?
Not on a normal sale. A $100 item on eBay.com costs $14.00, or 14%. The total gets to about 20% only when other charges stack on top:
- Promoted Listings at a 5% ad rate: $14.00 + $5.00 = $19.00.
- The same ad, with a buyer outside the US: add the 1.65% international fee, $1.65, for $20.65.
- A Below Standard rating: add 6 points of the sale (our reading of eBay’s “additional 6%”), $6.00, for $20.00 with no ad at all.
Each route to a 20% total has a fix in the list of ways to pay less below.
eBay fees in Canada, the UK, Germany and Australia compared
This is the same sale of 100 in each site’s currency, with no postage.
| Site and seller | Fees on a 100 sale | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| eBay.com, no Store | $14.00 | 13.6% + $0.40 |
| eBay Canada, no Store | C$14.00 | 13.6% + C$0.40, plus GST/HST on fees by province |
| eBay UK, business seller (Collectables, Toys, Antiques) | £11.65, or £13.98 with VAT | 10.9% + 40p + 0.35% regulatory fee |
| eBay UK, private seller | £0.00 | The buyer pays a £4.70 Buyer Protection fee |
| eBay Germany, business, new item | €14.45, or €17.20 with VAT | 14% + €0.45 |
| eBay Germany, business, used item | €5.45, or €6.49 with VAT | 5% + €0.45 |
| eBay Germany, private seller | €0.00 | Within Germany |
| eBay Australia, no Pro plan | A$0.00 | Sales of A$25,000 or less a year, not vehicles; the buyer pays A$6.70 |
| eBay Australia, Pro Starter | A$13.70 | 13.4% + A$0.30, GST included |
| eBay Australia, Pro Basic | A$11.77 | 11.44% + A$0.33, plus the A$27.45 monthly plan |
UK business sellers: £100
eBay UK charges business sellers a final value fee on the item price, postage and taxes. Collectables, Toys & Games and Antiques pay 10.9%. The per-order fee is 30p up to £10 and 40p above, plus a regulatory operating fee of 0.35%. The UK business fees page lists fees without VAT, so 20% VAT goes on top.
For a £100 item: £10.90 + £0.40 + £0.35 = £11.65, then £2.33 VAT, for £13.98. A UK Shop changes listing fees only, not the final value fee.
Germany business sellers: €100
Business sellers on eBay.de pay a flat 14% in standard categories such as Sport and Furniture & home, plus €0.35 per order up to €10 and €0.45 above. Used and refurbished items in those categories pay 5%. Fees are quoted without VAT; at Germany’s 19% standard rate, €14.45 becomes €17.20.
Australia: A$100
On eBay Australia, sellers without a Pro plan and with A$25,000 or less in sales over the past 12 months pay no final value fee. Above that limit, the Pro Starter plan charges 13.4% up to A$4,000 per item, plus A$0.30 per order. Paid Pro plans charge lower rates and A$0.33 per order. Australian fees include 10% GST.
Each eBay fee explained
Final value fee
This is the main fee. On eBay.com it is a percentage of the whole amount the buyer pays, including shipping and sales tax. If you offer a cheaper domestic shipping option next to 1-day or international shipping, eBay uses the cheapest domestic option for the fee.
Per-order fee
The per-order fee is $0.30 when the order total is $10.00 or less and $0.40 above that. An order is everything one buyer pays for at checkout with the same shipping method, so a buyer who takes three items in one order pays one per-order fee. Athletic shoes that sell for $150 or more pay no per-order fee.
Listing fees and upgrades
Without a Store you get 250 free listings a month, then $0.35 per listing. Upgrades cost extra: Bold is $4.00 on a fixed price listing, Gallery Plus $1.00, and a subtitle $2.00 or $6.00.
Promoted Listings
eBay’s Promoted Listings rules say the general strategy charges an ad rate you choose, from 2% to 100% of the total sale, including shipping and taxes. It comes on top of the final value fee. Since January 13, 2026, on ebay.com and ebay.ca, eBay charges the ad fee when the item sells and any buyer clicked its ad in the last 30 days. The buyer who purchases doesn’t have to be the one who clicked. The item must be promoted at the click and at the sale, and the rate in effect at the sale applies.
With the priority strategy you pay for each click from a daily budget, whether or not the item sells.
International fee and eBay International Shipping
eBay’s selling fees page says US sellers pay 1.65% of the total sale when the delivery address or the buyer’s registered address is outside the US. The fee isn’t charged on eligible listings sent with eBay International Shipping. With that service, the final value fee on shipping is based on your cost to ship to eBay’s US hub. If your domestic shipping is free, there is no fee on shipping at all.
UK business sellers pay 1.05% for the eurozone and Northern Europe, 1.8% for the US and Canada, and 2.0% elsewhere. If eBay converts your money into another currency, a separate 3.25% conversion charge applies for US sellers.
Below Standard surcharge
eBay’s seller performance rules rate your account on the 20th of each month. If you are Below Standard, you pay an additional 6% on final value fees for the next calendar month, and 7% after four or more months in a row. A Very High “item not as described” rate adds 5%, or 6% after four months. If both apply, eBay charges only the Below Standard surcharge. Above Standard and Top Rated sellers never pay it. Our calculator reads the surcharge as 6 points of the sale total, which is how eBay UK words its own: $6.00 on a $100 sale.
Top Rated Plus discount
Top Rated Sellers get 10% off the final value fee on listings that offer same-day or 1-business-day handling and free returns for 30 days or longer. On a $100 sale, $13.60 becomes $12.24, so you pay $12.64 in total. The discount doesn’t apply to the per-order fee. Our older guide on how to reach Top Rated Seller status covers the habits behind the rating. eBay UK gives the same 10% on its Premium Service listings, while eBay Germany and eBay Australia have no such discount.
eBay Stores in short
On eBay.com the Starter Store ($7.95 a month, or $4.95 a month on a yearly plan) pays the same rates as no Store. Basic and higher pay the lower Store rates. In most categories that is 0.9 points less, so a yearly Basic Store at $21.95 a month pays for itself at about $2,440 of monthly sales there, before its 1,000 free listings. A Store is also a storefront, so read up on how a store’s look differs from a listing template.
eBay fees for private sellers
On eBay.com, private sellers pay the same fees as anyone without a Store. Four European sites and eBay Australia treat them differently.
- UK: since October 1, 2024, UK-based private sellers pay no final value fee or regulatory fee, except on cars, motorcycles and other vehicles. They still pay 35p a listing above 300 a month, for upgrades, and 3% on overseas deliveries. Buyers pay a Buyer Protection fee of £0.10 plus 7% of the price up to £20, 4% to £300 and 2% to £4,000: £4.70 on a £100 item.
- Germany: since March 1, 2023, private selling on eBay.de within Germany is free. A 5% fee applies when the buyer’s address is outside Germany and you ship it yourself, without eBay International Shipping. The German private-seller page lists 320 free listings a month, then €0.50 each.
- France and Italy: since September 1, 2026, private sellers with a registered address in the European Economic Area pay no final value fee, per-order fee or regulatory fee. The eBay France private-seller page charges its international fee when the buyer’s address is outside the eurozone and Sweden. Buyers pay a Buyer Protection fee on items from French and Italian private sellers.
- Australia: there is no private or business split. Free selling for sellers without a Pro plan and with A$25,000 or less a year started in late April 2026; vehicles and classifieds are excluded. They move to Pro Starter once they pass A$25,000. Buyers pay A$0.30 plus 8% of the price up to A$20, 6% to A$500 and 4% to A$5,000: A$6.70 on an A$100 item.
Private sellers on these sites still pay on overseas sales, paid upgrades, listings above the free allowance, vehicles in the UK, and vehicles and classifieds in Australia.
How to avoid or lower eBay fees: seven legitimate ways
On eBay.com you can’t avoid the final value fee, but you can lower what you pay around it.
- Stay Above Standard. On our reading of eBay’s rules, the Below Standard surcharge adds 6 points of the sale on eBay.com.
- Earn Top Rated Plus. Same-day or 1-business-day handling and 30-day free returns take 10% off the final value fee on qualifying listings.
- Ship abroad with eBay International Shipping. Eligible listings skip the 1.65% international fee, and the fee on shipping drops to the cost of reaching the US hub.
- Promote with a plan. Any buyer’s click in the last 30 days triggers the ad fee, so an ad on an item that would sell anyway costs you its rate on that sale. Set rates per item and check your ad fees each month.
- Do the Store math first. On eBay.com a Basic Store pays off from about $2,440 a month in most categories. In the UK a Shop doesn’t change the final value fee at all.
- List once, without extras. A second category charges the listing and upgrade fees again, and the higher final value fee applies. Skip Bold and subtitles unless they earn their cost.
- Settle disputes you would lose. eBay.com’s $20 dispute fee is waived when you accept the dispute and refund the buyer.
Frequently asked questions
Do you pay eBay fees if an item doesn’t sell?
Only listing fees. Within your 250 free listings a month there is nothing to pay. Above that, the $0.35 listing fee isn’t refunded, and Good ‘Til Cancelled listings are charged again each month they renew.
Are eBay fees going up in 2026?
On eBay.com we found no category rate increase announced for 2026 as of October 2026. The currency conversion charge for US sellers did rise, from 3% to 3.25% on October 14, 2026. eBay UK and eBay Germany raised several rates on February 12, 2026. The dated list of rate changes for each site sits in the rate-update log of our fee calculator page.
If you sell enough to need a Store, a custom eBay store design gives it your brand and a matching listing template.
