eBay Profit Calculator
Add what the item cost you and what you pay to ship it, and see your profit after eBay's fees, your margin, your return on cost and the lowest price that reaches your goal.
| Fee | Paid by | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Final value fee | You | $13.60 |
| Fixed fee per order | You | $0.40 |
| You keep (after platform fees) | $86.00 |
Free · runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded
How to use the eBay Profit Calculator
- Type the sale price into Item price and what you charge for postage into Shipping you charge the buyer.
- Set Sales tax rate collected by eBay (%), then pick Category and Store subscription.
- If they apply, set Seller level surcharge and Promoted Listings ad rate (%), and tick the international or free-listings box.
- Under Your costs (for profit), fill in What the item cost you, Your own postage or label cost and Packaging and other costs.
- Read You keep (after platform fees), then Profit and the line with margin and return on cost.
- To work backwards, open Price you need, choose A profit amount, A profit margin (%) or A return on cost (ROI %) in I want to reach, and type the number into Target (amount or %). The line Lowest price that reaches your target appears with what you keep and your profit at that price.
Copy link to this result stores your entries in the page address. Download CSV saves the lines, and Add to my ledger (this browser) keeps the sale in this browser’s ledger. The same item on other platforms lists nine US platforms at default options. With a value in Your own postage or label cost, the last column becomes You keep after your postage; Poshmark has none taken off, as its flat buyer shipping pays the label.
How do I calculate my eBay profit?
Profit is what you keep after eBay’s fees, minus what the item cost you, your postage and your packaging. Margin divides profit by the item price plus the shipping you charge, without sales tax. Return on cost divides profit by the costs you entered. The tool does all three as you type.
Take a $100 item with free shipping, no tax, most categories and no Store. Fees are $13.60 plus $0.40, so you keep $86.00. If the item cost you $60, profit is $26.00, margin is 26.0% and return on cost is 43.3%.
A second case adds shipping. A $50 item with $8 shipping charged, a $20 item cost, an $8 label and $1 packaging has fees of $8.29, so you keep $49.71. The costs total $29.00, profit is $20.71, margin is 35.7% of the $58.00 collected, and return on cost is 71.4%. Because you collected the $8 shipping, it counts on the income side while the label sits in your costs.
What price do I need to reach my profit goal?
Lowest price that reaches your target is the smallest item price at which profit, margin or return on cost meets the number you set. The shipping you charge, the category and every other option stay as entered. With a $30 item, an $8 label, $1 packaging, free shipping and no Store, a $20 profit needs a price of $68.75.
At $68.75 fees are $9.75, you keep $59.00, costs are $39.00 and profit is exactly $20.00. A penny less, $68.74, leaves $19.99. The same costs need $69.86 for a 30% margin and $68.17 for a 50% return on cost. With a Basic, Premium, Anchor or Enterprise Store the $20 profit needs $68.04, and a seller on the 6% Below Standard surcharge needs $73.88.
How are eBay fees calculated?
eBay’s final value fee is a percentage of the total amount of the sale: item price, shipping you charge and sales tax. Most categories without a Store pay 13.6% up to $7,500 per item and 2.35% above. A Basic or higher Store lowers most categories to 12.7% up to $2,500. A Starter Store pays the same as no Store. Every order also pays $0.30 when the total is $10.00 or less and $0.40 above that.
| Category in the tool | No Store or Starter | Basic or higher Store |
|---|---|---|
| Most categories | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| Books, movies, music (not vinyl records) | 15.3% | 15.3% |
| Cameras, phones, electronics | 13.6% | 9.35% |
| Desktops, laptops, consoles | 13.6% | 7.35% |
| Trading cards, comics | 13.25% | 12.35% |
| Guitars and basses | 6.7% | 6.7% |
| Motors parts and accessories | 13.6% | 11.5% (to $1,000) |
| Stamps | 13.6% | 9.7% |
| Musical instruments other than guitars | 13.6% | 10.35% |
Sales tax is part of the fee base but not part of what you keep. A $50 item with $8 shipping and 8% tax pays fees of $8.92, not $8.29, and the same costs give a profit of $20.08. Other lines you can add are a 1.65% international fee, a Promoted Listings rate, a Below Standard surcharge of 6% (7% after four or more months in a row), and a listing fee of $0.35 without a Store. The tool uses $0.30 for a Starter Store and $0.25 for the higher Store option, which is the Basic amount; eBay’s page lists lower listing fees for Premium and above, so those sellers pay a little less than shown. Motors parts, stamps and other instruments have their own rows in the Category list, and vinyl records are not part of the media row.
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
Profit is what you receive after eBay’s fees (final value fee, per-order fee and the options you choose) minus what the item cost you, your own postage and packaging. Margin is profit divided by what the buyer pays you for the item and shipping; return on cost is profit divided by your costs. The lowest price that reaches a goal is found by searching for the smallest price, to the cent, at which the fee engine leaves the goal after your costs.
Sources
- eBay US: selling fees (final value fees, per-order fee, insertion fees) (no date shown on the page) · checked
- eBay US: fees for Store subscribers (no date shown on the page) · checked
- eBay US: Promoted Listings (no date shown on the page) · checked
Frequently asked questions
What is an eBay profit margin?
It is profit as a share of what the buyer pays you for the item and shipping, excluding sales tax. The tool shows it beside Profit and return on cost. Return on cost divides by your costs instead, so it can be larger or smaller than margin depending on how your costs compare with the sale.
What percentage does eBay take?
For most categories without a Store, 13.6% of the total amount of the sale up to $7,500 per item, plus the fixed fee of $0.30 or $0.40. A Basic or higher Store brings most categories to 12.7%.
Does eBay charge fees on shipping?
Yes. eBay works the final value fee on the total amount of the sale, which includes the shipping you charge and the sales tax. Your own postage cost is separate: enter it under Your own postage or label cost.
Does the profit figure include Promoted Listings?
Yes, if you enter an ad rate. The tool charges it on the total amount of the sale and subtracts it before Profit. eBay charges it only when the promoted item sells within 30 days of a click.
Can I price a lot or several items at once?
Not here. This page works on one order. For a lot, use the Reseller Profit Calculator for Lots.
Related tools
- eBay Fee Calculator: use it when you only need the fees on an eBay sale.
- eBay vs Poshmark Fees: see which of nine platforms leaves you the most for one price.
- Selling Price Calculator: find the listing price that reaches a profit goal on each platform.
- Reseller Profit Calculator for Lots: spread one lot price over several items.
- COGS Calculator for Resellers: work out cost of goods sold for the year.
- Reseller Ledger in Your Browser: keep sold items in this browser.
- How much does eBay take from a $100 sale?: the $100 example by category.
- Does eBay charge fees on shipping?: what shipping adds to the fee.