Marketplace Math

Amazon vs eBay fee guide

Amazon Seller Fees vs eBay: A Current U.S. Cost Comparison

Compare current Amazon seller fees vs eBay for U.S. sales, including category rates, fee bases, plan costs, listing fees, and worked examples.

Reviewed September 12, 2026

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Amazon seller fees vs eBay cannot be reduced to one universal percentage. For a U.S. seller, Amazon charges a category referral fee and either $0.99 per item on the Individual plan or $39.99 per month on the Professional plan. eBay charges a category-based final value fee plus a $0.30 per-order charge on orders of $10 or less or $0.40 on orders over $10. eBay also includes sales tax in its fee base, while Amazon's public referral-fee definition lists item price, shipping, and gift wrapping.

For a common category, Amazon often uses a 15% referral rate and eBay currently uses 13.6% up to $7,500 per item for most categories. That headline suggests eBay may cost less, but category exceptions can reverse the result. Amazon lists 8% referral rates for computers and consumer electronics, while eBay's general most-categories rate remains 13.6%. Fulfillment, advertising, subscriptions, listing upgrades, returns, account performance, international sales, and tax on seller fees can also change the final cost. This guide uses official U.S. policies reviewed September 12, 2026.

Which is cheaper for sellers, Amazon or eBay?

eBay is often cheaper for a self-fulfilled item in an Amazon category with a 15% referral fee, but it is not cheaper in every category or transaction. Amazon's public U.S. pricing table includes a 5% Clothing and Accessories price tier through $15 and a 45% Amazon Device Accessories category rate, with many other flat and tiered formulas between them. eBay's no-Store schedule lists 13.6% for most categories, 13.25% for selected collectibles, 15.3% for books and several media categories, and separate rates for other categories.

The right comparison uses the same product, sale price, shipping charge, buyer location, fulfillment promise, return assumptions, and advertising choice. Compare marketplace fees first, then add the costs required to deliver the same customer experience. An Amazon FBA fee should not be compared with an eBay final value fee alone because FBA includes fulfillment services. Similarly, an eBay seller's postage and handling labor do not disappear merely because eBay does not charge an FBA fee.

How do Amazon and eBay calculate the fee base?

Amazon says its referral fee is the greater of the category percentage of total price or the applicable minimum. Its public pricing page defines an item's total price as list price plus shipping and gift-wrapping charges. The table does not include sales tax in that definition. A $100 item with $10 of buyer-paid shipping therefore has a $110 Amazon referral-fee base under a simple flat-rate category.

eBay defines the total amount of the sale more broadly. It includes item price, handling, buyer-paid shipping, sales tax, and other applicable fees, subject to stated shipping exceptions. eBay then applies the category percentage and adds the per-order charge. Two platforms can therefore publish similar percentages yet produce different dollar fees on the same buyer checkout. Never multiply both rates by item price alone unless each official policy says that is the complete base for the scenario.

What are the current Amazon selling plan and referral fees?

Amazon's Individual plan is $0.99 for each item sold. The Professional plan is $39.99 per month. Based only on those plan charges, 40 Individual-plan sales cost $39.60 and 41 cost $40.59, so the Professional monthly price becomes lower at 41 items. That arithmetic does not value Professional tools, eligibility requirements, taxes on the subscription, or periods with uneven sales volume.

Referral rates depend on the product's Amazon fee category. Current public examples include 15% for Home and Kitchen, Sports and Outdoors, and Toys and Games; 8% for Computers and Consumer Electronics; and tiered rates for Clothing and Accessories. Many categories have a $0.30 minimum. Media items also incur a $1.80 closing fee. The category Amazon assigns to a product controls the fee, and that fee category may differ from the category shoppers see.

What are the current eBay final value and listing fees?

For a U.S. seller without an eBay Store, eBay currently lists 13.6% on the total amount of the sale up to $7,500 per item in most categories, then 2.35% on the portion above $7,500. The per-order fee is $0.30 when the order is $10 or less and $0.40 when it is over $10. An order can contain multiple items purchased by the same buyer at checkout with the same shipping method, so the flat charge is not always a per-item charge.

eBay provides up to 250 zero-insertion-fee listings per month for the general no-Store schedule, then generally charges $0.35 per listing in the listed most-categories schedule. Store subscribers, vehicles, eBay Live, optional upgrades, international transactions, and selected categories use other rules. Seller performance can also cause additional final value fees. Use the account's Fee details when a subscription, category exception, or performance status applies.

Worked example: a $100 item with buyer-paid shipping

Assume a $100 item, $10 of buyer-paid shipping, and $6.60 of sales tax. Also assume a common 15% Amazon category, the Amazon Individual plan, eBay's 13.6% most-categories rate, no Store, no insertion fee, and an order over $10. Amazon's referral base is $110, so the referral fee is $16.50. Adding the $0.99 Individual-plan charge produces $17.49 before fulfillment, advertising, refunds, and other costs.

eBay's fee base is $116.60 because this example includes item price, shipping, and sales tax. Thirteen point six percent is $15.8576, which rounds to $15.86, and the $0.40 per-order charge produces a $16.26 final value fee. Under only these assumptions, eBay's baseline is $1.23 lower. A different tax amount, Amazon plan, category, eBay Store, shipping exception, or optional service changes the comparison.

For a third check, assume a $10 item with no shipping or sales tax under the same categories and plans. Amazon charges $1.50 of referral fee plus $0.99 for Individual, or $2.49 total. eBay charges $1.36 plus the $0.30 fee for an order of $10 or less, or $1.66 total. The $0.83 difference applies only to this narrow baseline.

Worked example: a $500 consumer electronics sale

Assume a $500 consumer electronics item with free shipping in a jurisdiction where the modeled checkout has no sales tax. Amazon's current public rate for Consumer Electronics is 8%, producing a $40 referral fee. The Individual plan brings the baseline to $40.99. A Professional seller would instead allocate some or all of the $39.99 monthly plan cost across that month's sales.

At eBay's 13.6% most-categories rate, the percentage fee is $68.00 and the per-order charge makes the baseline $68.40. Under these limited assumptions, Amazon Individual is $27.41 lower before fulfillment and other costs. The example shows why the exact category matters more than a broad claim that one marketplace is always cheaper. Confirm the eBay category because a specialized schedule can replace the most-categories rate.

How should fulfillment costs be compared?

Amazon sellers can fulfill orders themselves or use Fulfillment by Amazon. Amazon says FBA fulfillment costs include picking, packing, shipping, customer service, and returns and are based on product price, weight, and dimensions. Monthly storage depends on occupied space. Other listed FBA costs include aged inventory, returns processing, removal or liquidation, and inbound placement. Those services and charges belong beside the cost of providing equivalent storage and delivery for an eBay order.

For eBay, include the label cost, packaging, insurance, signature service, storage, handling labor, return losses, and any shipping subsidy paid by the seller. Buyer-paid shipping is seller revenue for profit analysis but also enters eBay's final value fee base under the general rule. On Amazon, buyer-paid shipping enters the referral base. Keep seller revenue, marketplace fee base, and seller-paid delivery cost as separate lines so payout is not mistaken for profit.

When do subscriptions, listings, and advertising change the answer?

Amazon's Professional plan can lower the selling-plan cost per unit for a seller consistently above 40 monthly item sales, but the exact benefit depends on sales volume and needed tools. eBay's first 250 eligible listings are generally free under the no-Store schedule, while extra listings and monthly Good 'Til Cancelled renewals can consume the allowance or create insertion fees. An eBay Store adds a subscription and changes category rates and listing allowances.

Advertising must be compared separately. Amazon Ads and eBay Promoted Listings use campaign settings, attribution rules, and charge bases that are not part of the standard referral or final value fee. A seller who needs paid placement to produce the same sale on one platform should include the expected ad cost, but should not quietly add an assumed percentage to every sale. Use actual campaign data and the current official advertising policy.

How can a seller make a fair Amazon vs eBay profit comparison?

Start with one SKU and a realistic order. Record item price, buyer-paid shipping, expected sales tax, product cost, packaging, seller-paid postage, handling, and return allowance. Then select the official fee category and account type on each platform. Calculate marketplace charges from each platform's own fee base. Add subscriptions on a per-unit basis only when that allocation reflects the seller's real monthly volume.

Compare both net payout and profit. Net payout is seller revenue minus marketplace deductions. Profit goes further by subtracting inventory, fulfillment, packaging, advertising, allocated subscriptions, and other direct costs. Divide profit by seller revenue for margin and by direct cost for ROI. Recheck the live policies and account fee previews before listing because category assignments, rates, minimums, and promotions can change after this review date.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Amazon or eBay take a higher percentage?

It depends on category and fee base. Amazon lists 15% in many categories but 8% in categories such as computers and consumer electronics. eBay lists 13.6% for most categories without a Store, plus a per-order fee, and uses different rates for selected categories.

Does eBay charge its fee on sales tax?

Yes. eBay's current U.S. policy says the total amount of the sale includes sales tax, along with item price, handling, buyer-paid shipping, and other applicable fees, subject to stated shipping exceptions.

Does Amazon charge a referral fee on shipping?

Amazon's public U.S. pricing page defines total price to include list price, shipping, and gift-wrapping charges, so buyer-paid shipping enters the referral-fee base under that definition.

When is Amazon Professional cheaper than Individual?

Based only on $0.99 per-item Individual charges versus the $39.99 monthly Professional price, Professional becomes lower at 41 items in a month. Tools, eligibility, taxes, and uneven sales volume can affect the decision.

Are Amazon FBA fees comparable to eBay seller fees?

Not by themselves. FBA charges include fulfillment services. Compare FBA with the full cost of storing, packing, shipping, handling, and returning an equivalent eBay order, then add each platform's marketplace fees.