If you use a credit card payment service such as PayPal, that service also charges you a fee.
Insertion (listing) fees
Your insertion fee is based on the higher dollar amount of your minimum opening bid or your reserve price. If you start your auction at $0.99 and have no reserve, the listing fee is free (for the first 100 items per month), if you don't have an eBay Store. (If you start your listing at $1.00, your fee is $0.50.) But if you start your auction at $0.99 and set an undisclosed reserve price of $50.00, your auction costs $2.00 to post. When you place a reserve on your item, you're charged an insertion fee based on the amount of the reserve, plus the reserve price charge.Fixed-price listing fees are pretty clear-cut. If your Buy It Now price is $0.99 or higher, you pay eBay $0.50 per listing.
Here's a summary of eBay insertion fees.
| Opening Bid or Reserve Price | Insertion Fee | Basic Store Subscriber Insertion Fee |
|---|---|---|
| $0.01 to $0.99 | Free* | $0.10 |
| $1.00 to $9.99 | $0.25 | $0.25 |
| $10.00 to $24.99 | $0.50 | $0.50 |
| $25.00 to $49.99 | $0.75 | $0.75 |
| $50.00 to $199.99 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| $200.00 or more | $2.00 | $2.00 |
What if it doesn't sell?
If your item doesn't sell, don't think you can get your insertion fees back. They aren't refundable. You do have the option of relisting your unsuccessful item without being charged a second listing fee, but only if your item sells with the second listing. If it doesn't sell the second time, the charge for the second listing will stand. Writing a better title, starting with a lower opening bid, and adding a snappier description can help in selling the item. Consider changing the category, too.
eBay listing options are recapped here:| Option | Fee: Auction or Fixed Price 3, 5, 7, 10 days | Fee: Fixed Price 30 days |
|---|---|---|
| Subtitle | $0.50 | $1.50 |
| Bold | $2.00 | $4.00 |
| Listing Designer | $0.10 | $0.30 |
| Gallery Plus | $0.35 | $1.00 |
| Scheduled listing | $0.10 | $0.10 |
| List in two categories | Double fees | Double fees |
| Additional pictures | $0.15 | $0.15 |
| Picture Pack 1–6 pictures | $0.75 | $0.75 |
| Picture Pack 7–12 pictures | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| eBay Final Value fees |
What if it does?
eBay gets a cut when your auction sells. After your auction or fixed-price listing ends, eBay charges the Final Value fee to your account in a matter of minutes.Final Value fees on auctions are pretty easy to figure out. If your item sells, you pay eBay 9% of the selling price to a maximum of $50.00.
Even a rocket scientist would have trouble figuring out exactly how much eBay receives at the end of fixed-price listings. Its Final Value fees are based on the category you listed your item in, as well as how much the item sold for. To help you calculate Final Value fees, see the following table:
| If Your Item Sells for | Electronics* | Clothing, Shoes & Accessories; Motors, Parts & Accessories | Books, DVDs & Movies, Music, Video Games | All Other Categories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item not sold | No fee | No fee | No fee | No fee |
| $0.99 – $50.00 | 8% of the final sale price | 12% of the final sale price | 15% of the final sale price | 12% of the final sale price |
| $50.01 – $1,000.00 | 8% of the initial $50.00, plus 5% of the remaining final sale price balance ($50.01 to $1,000.00) | 12% of the initial $50.00, plus 9% of the remaining final sale price balance ($50.01 to $1,000.00) | 15% of the initial $50.00, plus 5% of the remaining final sale price balance ($50.01 to $1,000.00) | 12% of the initial $50.00, plus 6% of the remaining final sale price balance ($50.01 to $1,000.00) |
| $1000.01 or more | 8% of the initial $50.00, plus 5% of the next $50.01 to $1,000.00, plus 2% of the remaining final sale price balance ($1,000.01 to final sale price) | 12% of the initial $50.00, plus 9% of the next $50.01 to $1,000.00, plus 2% of the remaining final sale price balance ($1,000.01 to final sale price) | 15% of the initial $50.00, plus 5% of the next $50.01 to $1,000.00, plus 2% of the remaining final sale price balance ($1,000.01 to final sale price) | 12% of the initial $50.00, plus 6% of the next $50.01 to $1,000.00, plus 2% of the remaining final sale price balance ($1,000.01 to final sale price) |
| Selling Price | Final Value Fees |
|---|---|
| Item not sold | No fee |
| $0.01 to $50.00 | 8.75% of the final selling price |
| $50.01 to $1,000.00 | 8.75% of the initial $50.00, plus 4% of the remaining final selling price ($50.01 to $1,000.00) |
| Equal to or over $1,000.01 | 8.75% of the initial $50.00, plus 4% of the next $50.01 to $1,000.00, plus 2% of the remaining final selling price ($1,000.01 to final price) |
To avoid draining your brain, use an eBay fee calculator to check your fees before you set prices.