eBay vs Poshmark Fees: Compare U.S. Seller Costs

For a typical U.S. sale, eBay vs Poshmark fees depend on the item category, order amount, shipping, tax, and seller account. Poshmark's current fee policy lists a $2.95 seller fee below $15 and 20% at $15 or more. eBay's no-Store schedule lists 13.6% for most categories up to $7,500 per item, plus $0.30 per order at $10 or less or $0.40 above $10. eBay's percentage applies to a broader base that generally includes buyer-paid shipping and sales tax. These are not interchangeable percentages.

This guide compares baseline marketplace charges for one U.S. item, not the entire cost of operating either business. eBay category exceptions, Store subscriptions, promoted listings, optional upgrades, and shipping costs can change its result. Poshmark seller-funded shipping discounts, overweight labels, and promotions can change earnings too. The official policies linked below were checked September 29, 2026. Use each platform's fee preview and the actual statement before making a listing decision.

Which platform has lower selling fees, eBay or Poshmark?

For an ordinary $50 item in eBay's most-categories schedule, eBay's headline 13.6% plus $0.40 is lower than Poshmark's 20% of $50. But eBay applies its percentage to the total amount of the sale, normally including buyer-paid shipping and sales tax, not just the item price. That difference narrows the gap when those amounts are high. Poshmark's current policy expresses its seller fee against the final order price and cautions that seller discounts, taxes, and other charges affect actual earnings.

At a low sale price, the comparison can flip. A $10 Poshmark sale has a $2.95 fee; an eBay $10 order with no shipping or tax in a 13.6% category has $1.36 plus $0.30, or $1.66. The $1.29 baseline gap is meaningful on a small item. It is not a promise about final profit: postage, item cost, packaging, shipping discounts, and advertising still need separate lines. Both marketplaces can be worthwhile for different items and audiences.

What exactly enters each marketplace's fee base?

eBay says its final value fee is a category percentage of the total amount of the sale plus a per-order fee. Its definition includes item price, handling, buyer-paid shipping, sales tax, and other applicable fees, subject to stated shipping exceptions. An eBay seller cannot safely multiply 13.6% by item price alone when a buyer also pays shipping and tax. The percentage tier above $7,500 is calculated per item, while the fixed charge is per order.

Poshmark's current U.S. Fee Policy says it deducts $2.95 on sales under $15 and 20% on sales of $15 and above from the final order price. Its policy does not provide an eBay-style published formula that expressly adds buyer-paid shipping and tax to the percentage base. This guide therefore applies the published Poshmark tier to the item sale price in simple examples and treats seller-paid shipping discounts as separate costs. Check the earnings preview for a bundle, promotion, discounted label, or unusual order instead of extending the simple formula by assumption.

How much does eBay charge a U.S. seller?

Under eBay's current basic no-Store schedule, most categories have a 13.6% final value fee on the total amount of the sale up to $7,500 per item and 2.35% on the portion over $7,500. eBay also charges $0.30 per order when the order is $10 or less, or $0.40 if it exceeds $10. An order can contain several items bought by the same buyer at checkout with the same shipping method. Do not add the fixed charge to every item in such an order.

eBay lists up to 250 zero-insertion-fee listings each month for eligible no-Store sellers, then generally $0.35 per listing in its most-categories table. The final value fee still applies after a free listing. Clothing is not one uniform fee category: eBay lists a distinct 15% rule for Women's Bags & Handbags at $2,000 or less and 9% above $2,000 in that category. Store subscribers, vehicles, eBay Live, international sales, optional listing upgrades, and below-standard seller performance have separate rules. Select your exact eBay category before copying any example.

How much does Poshmark charge a U.S. seller?

Poshmark's current Fee Policy, version 1.7 effective November 25, 2024, says listing is free. For a sale under $15 it deducts $2.95. At $15 and above it deducts 20% and the seller keeps 80% of the modeled item sale price before any other seller costs. That means $14.99 yields a $2.95 fee, while $15.00 yields $3.00. The exact $15 boundary matters if you are considering a small offer or a bundle price.

The policy also says displayed estimated earnings can vary with the final order price, seller discounts, fees, taxes, and discounts. Poshmark provides a buyer-paid flat-rate shipping program with stated exceptions, but a seller who offers a shipping discount bears that cost. Overweight or multi-label shipping and promotions may also change the result. Keep platform fee, seller-funded shipping, inventory, and packaging separate rather than describing all of them as a single 20% fee.

Worked example: a $10 item

Assume a single $10 item, no buyer-paid shipping amount or sales tax in the eBay calculation, no Store, no insertion fee, and a category in eBay's 13.6% most-categories schedule. eBay's percentage fee is $1.36. Because the order is $10 or less, add $0.30. The total eBay marketplace fee is $1.66, leaving $8.34 before the seller's own costs.

At Poshmark, $10 is below $15, so the published flat seller fee is $2.95 and modeled earnings are $7.05 before seller costs. If the item originally cost $3 and the seller has no other direct costs, the simple contribution is $5.34 on eBay and $4.05 on Poshmark. Those figures do not assume that Poshmark postage and eBay postage cost the same. Add the actual label or shipping discount before calling either number profit.

Worked example: a $50 item with shipping and tax

Assume a $50 item, $8 buyer-paid shipping and $3 of sales tax on eBay, with the same no-Store, most-categories conditions and one order over $10. eBay's published fee base is $61. At 13.6%, the percentage component is $8.296, modeled as $8.30 after cent rounding. The $0.40 per-order charge produces an $8.70 fee. Seller revenue before costs is $58, not $61, because the $3 tax is not treated as seller revenue in this example.

A $50 Poshmark item has a modeled $10.00 seller fee under its 20% tier, leaving $40.00 before direct costs. If the seller paid $15 for the item and funds a $4 shipping discount, the simple Poshmark profit is $21.00. For the eBay order, if the item cost $15 and seller-paid postage and packaging total $7, profit is $58.00 minus $8.70 minus $15 minus $7, or $27.30. These are deliberately different shipping arrangements; compare an equivalent service level and actual delivery cost before deciding which platform is better.

Worked example: the $15 Poshmark breakpoint

At $14.99, Poshmark's flat fee is $2.95 and modeled earnings are $12.04 before costs. At $15.00, 20% is $3.00 and modeled earnings are $12.00. A one-cent higher sale price can therefore leave four cents less in modeled earnings at the exact tier change. That small discontinuity is worth checking when setting an offer floor, though buyer demand should matter more than a few cents.

For a $15.00 eBay order with no shipping or tax in the fee base and a 13.6% category, the percentage component is $2.04 and the over-$10 order charge is $0.40, totaling $2.44. If a buyer pays shipping or tax, calculate the percentage on that larger published base instead. A different category, Store rate, or promotion can replace this narrow comparison.

How do shipping and advertising change the comparison?

On eBay, buyer-paid shipping is generally included in the final value fee base, while seller-paid postage and packaging reduce profit. Sales tax can increase the fee even though it is not seller revenue. A seller who advertises through Promoted Listings must add the campaign charge according to that product's current attribution and fee rules; it is not part of the baseline 13.6% rate. Optional listing upgrades and Store subscriptions also need their own allocation.

On Poshmark, use the order's earnings preview to see the result after any seller-funded shipping discount. A discounted shipping offer can move a seemingly profitable sale below your target margin. The same item may require different photos, packaging, handling, return expectations, or promotion effort on each platform. A fair comparison uses a realistic sale probability and operational burden, not just the lower fee line. Avoid assuming either platform's buyer audience is identical.

How should you compare actual profit before listing?

Start with one real item. Record the likely item sale price, buyer-paid shipping, tax, your acquisition cost, packaging, postage, seller-paid shipping discount, and expected advertising charge. On eBay, verify the exact category and account fee schedule, then apply the percentage to eBay's stated fee base and add the correct per-order charge. On Poshmark, apply the current $2.95 or 20% tier to the item price, then reconcile with its earnings preview. Keep any uncertain charge visible instead of silently treating it as zero.

Payout is seller revenue minus marketplace deductions. Profit also subtracts inventory, fulfillment, advertising, and other direct costs. Divide profit by seller revenue for margin, and by direct costs for return on cost when that measure is useful. Compare two realistic offers, not two list prices that may never sell. When an order closes, match the estimate to each platform's transaction statement, and update your own cost assumptions for the next listing. Marketplace Math is independent of eBay and Poshmark.

Sources

• eBay: official U.S. selling fees ↗
• Poshmark: official U.S. Fee Policy, version 1.7 ↗
• Poshmark: official Seller Policy ↗

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