eBay Fees for Beginners: What to Expect

August 26, 20266 min read

eBay consolidated most of its fees into a single "final value fee" after moving to managed payments. Here's what you'll actually pay.

Standard US seller fees

Fee typeAmountWhen
Insertion fee$0.00Free for first 250 listings/month
Final value fee13.25% + $0.30On total sale amount (including shipping)
Payment processingIncludedPart of the final value fee

What counts as the "total sale amount"?

eBay charges the final value fee on the total amount the buyer pays, including the item price, shipping cost, sales tax, and any handling fees. If you charge $25 for an item and $5 for shipping, the fee is on $30.

Real example: $40 item with free shipping

  • Sale price: $40 (you absorb $5 shipping cost)
  • Final value fee: $40 × 13.25% + $0.30 = $5.60
  • Your net: $40 - $5.60 - $5 (shipping) = $29.40
  • Effective fee rate: 14%

When insertion fees kick in

You get 250 free listings per month. After that, it's $0.35 per listing. Most casual sellers never hit this limit, but power sellers should factor it in.

Promoted listings

eBay's Promoted Listings charge an extra 2–20% (you choose the rate) on sales that come from the ad. This is on top of the final value fee. Only pay for promotion if the extra visibility is worth the cost.

Calculate your exact fees with our eBay fee calculator. See also our full eBay fee guide.