An eBay Promoted Listings fee calculator must begin with the campaign strategy. Under the General strategy, eBay charges an advertising fee when the promoted item sells within 30 days of a qualifying click and the item is promoted at the time of both the click and sale. The fee is the ad rate in effect at sale multiplied by the item's total sale amount, including item price, shipping, taxes, and other applicable amounts. A $100 item with $10 buyer shipping and $8 tax has a $118 ad-fee base. At 5%, the General campaign fee is $5.90.
Priority is different. It uses a cost-per-click model. Each valid click can create a charge whether the clicked item sells or not, and eBay says the price is determined through a second-price auction influenced by the bid, competition, relevance, listing quality, and a reserve price. Because no public percentage can predict those click charges, this calculator estimates General campaign fees only. It was reviewed against eBay's official U.S. help pages on August 25, 2026.
How is an eBay Promoted Listings General fee calculated?
Use this formula: General ad fee = total sale amount multiplied by the ad rate in effect at sale. Convert the percentage to decimal form before multiplying. A 5% rate becomes 0.05. The total sale amount includes the item price, buyer-paid shipping, taxes, and other applicable fees. This is broader than seller revenue because marketplace-collected tax enters the advertising fee base even though the seller does not keep it.
For example, a $60 item with $8 shipping and $5.44 tax creates a $73.44 base. At 4%, the fee is $2.94 after rounding to cents. At 8%, it is $5.88. These are advertising charges only. Standard final value fees, insertion fees, listing upgrades, seller postage, inventory cost, and returns remain separate.
- General ad fee = (item price + buyer shipping + tax + applicable amounts) × ad rate
- Proceeds after ad fee = item price + buyer shipping - General ad fee
- Profit after modeled ad = proceeds after ad fee - item cost - seller postage - other entered costs
- Effective advertising rate on seller revenue can exceed the entered rate when tax is included in the fee base
When does eBay charge the General campaign fee?
eBay says the promoted item must sell within 30 days of a click on its General ad. A click can include interactions such as opening the listing, adding it to a watchlist or cart, or using other interactive ad functions. The item must be promoted at the time of the click and at the time of sale. The fee uses the ad rate active when the sale occurs, not necessarily the rate that existed when the click happened.
The current attribution rule is broader than a same-buyer last click. eBay's overview says a General fee can apply when any buyer clicked the promoted item during the most recent 30 days and a buyer then purchases that promoted item. eBay's General campaign help also describes an external-placement exception after opt-out: an eligible sale from a prior external ad may use the ad rate that was in effect when the external ad was clicked. Sellers should therefore reconcile the completed order against the Advertising dashboard and Payments transaction detail.
What ad rate can a seller use for General campaigns?
eBay's official General campaign page currently states that sellers choose an ad rate from 2% to 100% of total sale amount. A fixed strategy holds the selected rate until the seller edits it. A dynamic strategy updates daily to eBay's suggested rate. Suggested rates can reflect item attributes, seasonality, performance, and competition, so they are not a universal fee schedule.
The calculator defaults to 5% only as an editable example. It does not claim that 5% is appropriate or profitable. Enter the actual fixed rate or the dynamic rate shown for the modeled sale. Test more than one scenario and compare incremental sales and contribution profit rather than assuming that a higher rate automatically produces a better outcome.
How do General and Priority campaign charges differ?
General is a cost-per-sale strategy. A qualifying attributed sale triggers a percentage charge based on total sale amount. Priority is a cost-per-click strategy. Valid clicks incur charges even when no purchase follows. eBay describes Priority pricing as a second-price auction, which means the actual charge depends on auction conditions and cannot be derived from the item's sale price alone.
A listing can appear in both strategies. eBay says Priority uses direct attribution for the exact clicked item and halo attribution when the same buyer purchases another item from the store. General uses its attributed-sale definition. Reporting can show activity under both strategies, and Priority clicks can cost money alongside a General attributed-sale fee. Use actual Priority click cost, click count, attributed sales, and revenue from the campaign report for ROAS analysis.
How should promoted fees be included in profit?
Keep the advertising fee separate from eBay's final value fee. Start with seller revenue, meaning item price plus buyer shipping. Subtract the General campaign fee and all ordinary marketplace charges to reach payout. Then subtract inventory, seller-paid shipping, packaging, return reserves, and other direct costs to reach profit. Margin divides profit by seller revenue; return on cost divides profit by invested costs.
Consider the $118 fee-base example with $110 of seller revenue. A 5% General fee is $5.90. If inventory, postage, and packaging total $47, profit before standard eBay fees is $57.10. That is not the final order profit because the example has not subtracted the final value fee or other applicable charges. Use the main eBay fee calculator at /calculators/ebay-fee-calculator for the full marketplace baseline and this dedicated calculator to audit the advertising component.
What should a seller verify before relying on the estimate?
Verify the eBay site and seller country, campaign strategy, attribution status, rate in effect at sale, total sale amount, taxes, shipping, returns, credits, and any tax charged on seller fees. Public help pages describe standard campaign mechanics, while account notices and Seller Hub provide the evidence for an actual transaction. Campaign metrics can take time to reconcile, so a recent dashboard number may not be final.
Save the official policy URL and review date with important pricing decisions. Recheck after eBay updates advertising names, attribution definitions, rate limits, or billing rules. If Seller Hub shows a different charge, use the transaction record and contact eBay about unexplained discrepancies rather than adjusting the calculator to force a match. Marketplace Math is independent of and not endorsed by eBay. eBay is a trademark of its owner.
Sources
- eBay: official General campaign strategy ↗
- eBay: official Promoted Listings overview ↗
- eBay Developers: Promoted Listings overview ↗
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum eBay Promoted Listings General ad rate?
eBay's current U.S. General campaign help page states that sellers can choose an ad rate from 2% to 100% of total sale amount.
Does eBay include shipping and tax in the promoted listing fee?
Yes. For General campaigns, eBay says total sale amount includes item price, shipping, taxes, and other applicable fees.
Do I pay a General promoted fee if the item does not sell?
No General attributed-sale fee is charged without a qualifying sale. Priority is different because valid clicks can be charged whether or not the item sells.
Which ad rate does eBay use after I change it?
eBay generally uses the General ad rate in effect at sale. Its help page describes an exception for eligible external-placement sales after opt-out, which may use the rate in effect when the external ad was clicked.
Does this calculator include the normal eBay final value fee?
No. It isolates the General campaign advertising fee so sellers can audit that component separately.