To sell on eBay, create a seller account — personal or business — confirm your phone number, add a bank account for payouts and list your first item. On eBay.com the first 250 listings a month are free. When an item sells, eBay takes 13.6% of the total amount of the sale (item, shipping and sales tax) in most categories plus $0.40 per order. Private sellers based in the UK pay no final value fee on eBay.co.uk.
Beginners usually work out 13.6% of the item price. eBay actually charges it on everything the buyer pays, sales tax included, and adds the per-order fee on top. Below: the sign-up steps, every fee with its source, US and UK tax rules, and one order worked through — a $45 item with $15 shipping leaves you $21.79, and eBay takes $9.21 rather than the $6.12 most people expect.
When people ask how to sell on eBay
Usually there is already something to sell: a closet of clothes, collectibles, parts, or a small product line that sells on a website or at markets. Then the questions follow: «does it cost money to sell on eBay», «how much does eBay take from a $100 sale», «what happens if I sell more than $600 on eBay» and, in the UK, «how much can I sell before telling HMRC».
«Is it worth selling on eBay» has no general answer. eBay shows what identical items actually sold for, and the fee rules are public, so you can work out your own margin before you list. That is the order this guide follows: account, fees, the numbers, then taxes.
How to start selling on eBay: 5 steps
Signing up as a seller is free and starts with your first listing: eBay asks for seller details the first time you list an item.
- Account. Open My eBay, choose Selling and create an account, or sign in with Google, Facebook or Apple.
- Personal or business. A personal account is for selling as an individual. A business account is for a registered business — sole proprietor, LLC, corporation or partnership; eBay asks for the business name, type and address and the names of owners or officers. You can switch the type later.
- Phone. Click List an item, enter the item name, fill in the form and save — the listing becomes a draft and eBay opens seller registration. Confirm your phone number with a one-time code.
- Bank account. Add the checking account for payouts. The name, address and business details on it must match your eBay account. eBay also asks for a payment method on file for fees your sales do not cover.
- First listing. Title, photos, category, condition, price and shipping. New accounts have selling limits until eBay confirms your details and you build a sales history. Do not try to get around them: that can get the account suspended.
How much eBay charges sellers in the US
Three fees apply to most sales on eBay.com: 13.6% of the total amount of the sale in most categories, $0.40 per order, and an insertion fee once you go past 250 listings a month. The rest depend on what you do.
| Fee | Rate | When and on what |
|---|---|---|
| Insertion fee | $0.35 | Per listing after the first 250 free listings a month |
| Final value fee | 13.6% | Of the total amount of the sale (item, shipping, sales tax) up to $7,500, most categories |
| Per-order fee | $0.40 | $0.30 for orders of $10 or less |
| International fee | 1.65% | Buyer or delivery address outside the US, unless you ship with eBay International Shipping |
| Currency conversion | 3.25% | Only when you list on another eBay site and eBay converts your funds |
| Promoted Listings | — | You set the ad rate and pay only when a promoted item sells |
| Listing upgrades | — | Subtitle, reserve price and other extras, charged whether or not the item sells |
Rates differ by category: books, movies and music are 15.3%, guitars 6.7%. Sellers below eBay's performance standards pay an additional final value fee.
eBay UK: private and business sellers
Private sellers based in the UK pay no final value fee and no regulatory operating fee on eBay.co.uk. They pay only for optional upgrades, for listings over 300 a month (35p each) and a 3% international fee when the delivery address is outside the UK. Business sellers pay a final value fee by category plus 30p per order up to £10 and 40p above, and a regulatory operating fee of 0.35% of the total amount of the sale; eBay lists these fees excluding VAT. A £50 dress with £4 postage sold by a business seller costs £7.02 in fees: 11.9% × £54 + 40p + 0.35% × £54, or £8.42 with VAT.
How much you keep: a worked example
You keep: the item price and shipping − 13.6% of the total including sales tax − $0.40 − your shipping cost − the item cost. The buyer pays the sales tax and eBay passes it on, but the percentage fee is charged on it too.
A hypothetical example for the arithmetic, not market prices. A $45 item plus $15 shipping is $60. A buyer in a state with 8% sales tax pays $64.80. The item costs you $14 and shipping it costs $15.
| Line | Calculation | Amount, $ |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer pays | 45 + 15 shipping + 8% tax | 64.80 |
| Sales tax | passed on by eBay | −4.80 |
| Final value fee | 64.80 × 13.6% | −8.81 |
| Per-order fee | fixed | −0.40 |
| Shipping | your cost | −15.00 |
| Item cost | item and packaging | −14.00 |
| You keep | 21.79 |
eBay took $9.21 — 15.35% of the $60 you charged. To set a price from the profit you want, turn the formula around: price with shipping = (item cost + shipping cost + profit + 0.40) ÷ (1 − 0.136 × (1 + sales tax rate)). Check: (14 + 15 + 21.79 + 0.40) ÷ (1 − 0.136 × 1.08) = 60. Sales tax varies by state, so use the highest rate among the states you sell to. If the buyer is abroad and you ship yourself, add 1.65% to the 13.6%. Run your own prices and categories through the eBay fee calculator; for markup across a whole catalog see how to calculate markup.
How you get paid
eBay deducts fees from each sale and sends the rest to your checking account daily, weekly, every two weeks or monthly — you choose. Payouts are started within 2 business days after the buyer's payment is confirmed. If a refund or fees exceed what you have earned, eBay charges the difference to your payment method on file.
Taxes: 1099-K in the US, HMRC reporting in the UK
- Sales tax (US). eBay adds sales tax at checkout and passes it on, so it never reaches your payout — but the 13.6% is still calculated on it.
- Form 1099-K (US). Marketplaces send a 1099-K when your payments exceed $20,000 in more than 200 transactions, according to the IRS. The form reports payments; whether you owe tax depends on your profit, so keep records of what you paid for the items.
- HMRC reporting (UK). eBay reports your details and income to HMRC unless you make fewer than 30 sales of goods in a calendar year and receive less than €2,000 (about £1,700) for them. A report does not automatically mean you owe tax.
- Trading allowance (UK). If your annual gross trading income is £1,000 or less, you may not have to tell HMRC.
Where new eBay sellers lose money
- Working out the fee on the item price. 13.6% is charged on the total, shipping and sales tax included, plus $0.40. In the example eBay takes $9.21, not $6.12.
- Free shipping without a price for it. Shipping you pay for comes out of your margin, and the fee is still charged on the full order.
- Shipping abroad yourself without pricing in 1.65%. On eBay.com the international fee applies to every buyer outside the US unless you use eBay International Shipping; for UK private sellers it is 3%.
- Ignoring performance standards. Late shipping and cancellations push an account below standard, and eBay then adds to the final value fee.
- Selling the same stock on a website or other marketplaces with separate records. The last unit sells twice, one order has to be cancelled, and the cancellation counts against you.
When eBay is not your only sales channel
While you sell a few dozen items and only on eBay, Seller Hub is enough. Once the same catalog also goes to a website, social media or other marketplaces, stock has to live in one place. Elbuz connects to your eBay account with a binding code: active listings and variations become product cards with price, stock, category, item specifics and photos, eBay orders arrive as sales orders next to orders from other channels, and price and stock go back to eBay on a schedule. The export template calculates the eBay price from your base price by formula, so the fee is built in without changing your website price.
Elbuz also publishes new products from the catalog to eBay — on any of the 19 eBay sites (eBay.com, eBay.co.uk, eBay.de, eBay.com.au and others): you pick the site in the export template, map your categories to that site’s category tree and your attributes to the category’s item specifics, also per site, and listings are created once your eBay account has an inventory location and shipping, payment and return policies and the category’s required item specifics are filled. A product family goes out as one listing with variations — a T-shirt in S/M/L or in several colors: the variants differ by attributes marked “Product option”, and Elbuz then updates the price and stock of each variant by itself. Variation listings created in Seller Hub are picked up and kept updated as well. How it works in detail — on the eBay integration page.
eBay integration in ElbuzOne catalog, shared stock and orders from every channel, 14 days free
Frequently asked questions
Does it cost money to sell on eBay?
Listing is free for the first 250 items a month on eBay.com; you pay mainly when an item sells — 13.6% of the total plus $0.40 per order in most categories. UK-based private sellers pay no final value fee on eBay.co.uk.
How much does eBay take from a $100 sale?
$14.00 in most eBay.com categories with free shipping and no sales tax: 13.6% × $100 plus $0.40. With 8% sales tax it is $15.09, because the fee is charged on the tax too.
What happens if I sell more than $600 on eBay?
Nothing changes at $600 for the federal form: eBay sends a 1099-K when your payments exceed $20,000 in more than 200 transactions. Profit from selling is taxable either way, so keep records of your costs.
How much can I sell on eBay before telling HMRC?
eBay reports you to HMRC once you make 30 or more sales of goods a year or receive €2,000 (about £1,700) or more. Separately, with gross trading income of £1,000 or less you may not have to tell HMRC.
Is it free to sell on eBay UK?
Yes for UK-based private sellers: no final value fee and no regulatory operating fee. You pay for optional upgrades, for more than 300 listings a month (35p each) and 3% when the item goes abroad.
What is the downside of selling on eBay?
Fees take more than the headline rate — 15.35% of the order in our example — and you handle shipping, returns and buyer questions yourself. Price from the full calculation, not from 13.6% of the item price.
Sources
- eBay Help, «Selling fees» — 250 free listings, $0.35, 13.6%, $0.40 / $0.30, total amount of the sale, 1.65% international fee, 3.25% currency conversion — ebay.com.
- eBay UK Help, «Fees for private sellers» and «Fees for business sellers» — free selling for private sellers, 300 listings, 35p, 3%, business rates and regulatory operating fee — ebay.co.uk.
- eBay, «How to create a seller account» — sign-up steps, personal and business accounts — export.ebay.com.
- eBay, «eBay is managing payments» — payout schedule, 2 business days, matching bank details, payment method on file — export.ebay.com.
- eBay, «Seller fees» — listing upgrades, Promoted Listings, additional fee below performance standards — export.ebay.com.
- IRS, «Understanding your Form 1099-K» — $20,000 in more than 200 transactions — irs.gov.
- GOV.UK, «Selling goods or services on a digital platform» — 30 sales, €2,000 (about £1,700) — gov.uk.
- GOV.UK, «Tax-free allowances on property and trading income» — £1,000 trading allowance — gov.uk.
Checked 1 November 2026.
