What percentage does eBay take from a sale?

13.6% of the total sale for most categories, plus a $0.40 per-order fee on orders over $10 ($0.30 on orders of $10 or less). Exceptions include 15.3% for books and media, 8% for authenticated sneakers $150+, 6.7% for guitars and basses, and 15% for jewelry and handbags up to their thresholds. Rates current as of October 2026.

Is eBay's fee 13.25% or 13.6%?

13.6% is the current standard rate for most categories. Older fee guides still quote 13.25%, which was the rate before eBay's early-2025 increase of up to 0.35 percentage points. Trading cards are one category where several 2026 references still list 13.25%.

What percentage does eBay take for shipping?

The same 13.6% final value fee applies to the shipping you charge the buyer, because the fee is calculated on the total sale amount. Charging shipping does not add a separate fee, but inflating shipping to lower the item price does not reduce fees either.

Does Top Rated Plus really save money on fees?

Yes. Top Rated Plus gives a 10% discount on the variable final value fee, turning 13.6% into 12.24% on most categories. On a $100 item with $8 shipping that saves $1.47 per sale. You must meet the handling-time and returns requirements to qualify.

Why is eBay's fee percentage higher than it used to be?

Two reasons. First, eBay raised final value fees by up to 0.35 percentage points in early 2025. Second, since the move to managed payments, payment processing is folded into the final value fee, so the single published rate replaced two separate charges.

What Percentage Does eBay Take? (2026 Fee Rates by Category)

eBay takes 13.6% for most categories, but the rate runs from 3% to 15.3% depending on category, plus a $0.40 per-order fee. High-value sales tier down above $7,500. Rates current as of October 2026.

The headline number

For most categories, eBay takes 13.6% of the total sale, plus a $0.40 per-order fee on orders over $10 ($0.30 on orders of $10 or less). That 13.6% is the rate for clothing, electronics, home and garden, sporting goods, collectibles, motors parts, health and beauty, and toys. It has been the standard rate since the early-2025 increase from 13.25%. Rates current as of October 2026.

Fee rates by category (2026)

Your category at listing time decides your rate. The main exceptions to 13.6%:

Books, DVDs, movies, music: 15.3%. The highest common rate. On a $30 book with $5 buyer-paid shipping: $35 x 0.153 = $5.36, plus $0.40 = $5.76 total. That is roughly 16.5% of the $35 changing hands. Media sellers feel this one first.

Guitars and basses: 6.7%. The lowest common rate. eBay wants instrument listings; the fee reflects it. Insertion fees are unlimited and free in this category too.

Athletic shoes listed at $150 or more: 8%, and no per-order fee. On a $200 pair of sneakers: $200 x 0.08 = $16.00 flat, nothing extra. The per-order fee is waived entirely in this category, which is rare.

Jewelry and watches: 15% up to $5,000, then 9% above. On an $8,000 watch: $5,000 x 0.15 = $750, plus $3,000 x 0.09 = $270, plus $0.40 = $1,020.40. High-end jewelry gets meaningful relief above the threshold.

Women's handbags: 15% up to $2,000, then 9% above. On a $3,000 handbag: $2,000 x 0.15 = $300, plus $1,000 x 0.09 = $90, plus $0.40 = $390.40.

Heavy equipment: 3% up to $15,000, then 0.5% above. Commercial machinery territory, not consumer goods.

Trading cards, comics, coins: 13.25% per several 2026 fee references, which is slightly below the standard 13.6%. Check your Seller Hub for the exact rate eBay assigns your listings.

The high-value tier: 2.35% above $7,500

In most categories, the fee drops to 2.35% on the portion of the sale above $7,500. On a $10,000 sale: $7,500 x 0.136 = $1,020, plus $2,500 x 0.0235 = $58.75, plus $0.40 = $1,079.15 total. Without the tier, that sale would cost $1,360.40 in final value fees, so the tier saves almost $300. This is why selling one $10,000 item costs far less in fees than selling one hundred $100 items ($1,400 in fees, no tiering at that level).

Adjustments that change your rate

Top Rated Plus: 10% off the final value fee. Requires same-day or 1-day handling and 30-day free returns. On a $100 item with $8 shipping: 13.6% becomes 12.24%, so $108 x 0.1224 = $13.22 plus $0.40 = $13.62, saving $1.47 versus the standard $15.09. Read how the final value fee works for more worked examples.

Below Standard: 6% surcharge on the final value fee. 13.6% becomes 14.416%. On that same $108 sale: $108 x 0.14416 = $15.57 plus $0.40 = $15.97. The gap between Top Rated Plus and Below Standard on one $108 sale is $2.35, which compounds fast across hundreds of orders.

eBay Store subscriptions: lower category rates. A Basic Store or higher drops most categories to about 12.7% and adds free listings. The monthly subscription cost has to be weighed against the savings. See whether an eBay store is worth it for the breakeven math.

The number behind the number

Since eBay moved all sellers to managed payments, payment processing is folded into the final value fee. There is no separate PayPal cut. If you remember the old days of a PayPal fee stacked on top of eBay's fee, those two numbers are now one number, which is why the rate looks high at first glance.

Quick sanity check

Fees = (price + buyer-paid shipping) x your category rate + $0.30/$0.40. If your mental math lands within a dollar of the free eBay fee calculator, you understand the structure. If it does not, you are probably forgetting that shipping and sales tax are inside the total.