eBay (US) Fees on a $500 Sale
At $500 the flat charges barely register: $0.40 of $68.40 in total fees — about 1% — so the effective rate (13.7%) sits close to the published percentage. At this price the percentage rate, not the per-order charge, is what sets your margin.
Short answer
On a $500 sale, eBay (US) takes $68.40 — $68.00 (final value fee) + $0.40 (per-order fee) = $68.40 in total. That is a 13.7% effective rate and $431.60 reaches your account.
Your numbers
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Net payout
$431.60
- Total fees
- $68.40
- Effective fee rate
- 13.7%
- Net profit
- $223.60
- Buyer pays
- $500.00
Fee breakdown
- Final value fee · Most categories
13.60% × $500.00−$68.00 - Per-order fee
$0.40−$0.40
What eBay (US) charges on $500
At this price the fees break down as $68.00 (final value fee) + $0.40 (per-order fee) = $68.40 in total. The payout is $431.60, which is 13.7% of the sale going to the platform.
A standard-category item, no store subscription, buyer pays no shipping. Postage and item cost are set to typical reseller figures so the profit line is realistic; neither affects the fee.
Across the other marketplaces at $500, the same sale costs Poshmark $100.00 and Amazon (US) $75.99, a spread of $100.00 to $75.99. The platform choice moves more money than most sellers expect at this price.
The same platform across four price points
Fixed per-order fees matter more the cheaper the item is, because they are a flat charge rather than a percentage. Read the effective rate column, not the headline rate.
Etsy: $20 → 11.8%, $50 → 10.4%, $100 → 9.9%, $500 → 9.6%.
Amazon (US): $20 → 20.0%, $50 → 17.0%, $100 → 16.0%, $500 → 15.2%.
Rate table
| Most categories | 13.6% up to $7,500.00, then 2.35% |
|---|---|
| Books, movies & music | 15.3% up to $7,500.00, then 2.35% |
| Trading cards, collectibles & coins | 13.25% up to $7,500.00, then 2.35% |
| Jewelry & watches | 15% up to $5,000.00, then 9% |
| Watches, parts & accessories | 15% up to $1,000.00, 6.5% to $7,500.00, then 3% |
| Women's bags & handbags | 15% up to $2,000.00, then 9% |
| Athletic shoes $150+ (authenticated)per-order fee waived | 8% |
| Guitars & basses | 6.7% up to $7,500.00, then 2.35% |
| Business & industrial | 3% up to $15,000.00, then 0.5% |
| Motors parts & accessories | 13.6% up to $7,500.00, then 2.35% |
| Per-order fee | $0.30 on orders up to $10.00, $0.40 above |
| Promoted Listings (standard)charged only on sales attributed to the ad | your chosen ad rate, 2%–20% of the sale |
| International sale | about 1.65% of the total transaction |
| Currency conversiontypically 2–3% worse than mid-market, never shown as a fee | embedded in the exchange rate |
- Rates last verified
Formula
13.6% + $0.40 applied to the $500 sale, plus any fixed per-order feeWhat each term means
final value fee- 13.6% × $500.00
per-order fee- $0.40
Assumptions
- US marketplace, USD, a $500 sale, buyer pays no shipping.
- Rates are the current published rates; the verification date is shown at the bottom of this page.
- Postage, item cost and packaging are excluded from the fee calculation and shown only in the profit line.
- Advertising is a budget you set, not a published fee, so it is not included here.
Worked examples
The same item listed at $20
- Buyer pays
- $20.00
- Total fees
- $3.12
- Effective rate
- 15.6%
- Net profit
- $2.38
Fee breakdown
- Final value fee · Most categories
13.60% × $20.00−$2.72 - Per-order fee
$0.40−$0.40
$3.12 in fees — a 15.6% effective rate, higher than at $500 because the fixed fee is spread over a smaller sale.
The same item listed at $50
- Buyer pays
- $50.00
- Total fees
- $7.20
- Effective rate
- 14.4%
- Net profit
- $16.30
Fee breakdown
- Final value fee · Most categories
13.60% × $50.00−$6.80 - Per-order fee
$0.40−$0.40
$7.20 in fees — a 14.4% effective rate, higher than at $500 because the fixed fee is spread over a smaller sale.
The same item listed at $100
- Buyer pays
- $100.00
- Total fees
- $14.00
- Effective rate
- 14.0%
- Net profit
- $38.00
Fee breakdown
- Final value fee · Most categories
13.60% × $100.00−$13.60 - Per-order fee
$0.40−$0.40
$14.00 in fees — a 14.0% effective rate, higher than at $500 because the fixed fee is spread over a smaller sale.
Every figure above is computed from the rate schedule on this page for eBay (US), using the same engine as the calculator — not typed in by hand.
Common mistakes
Pricing from the $500 headline rate
The percentage is only part of it. At $500 the fixed charges are $0.40 — 1% of the total fee. Take that off the top before deciding whether the item is worth listing.
Assuming the fee rate is the same at every price
It is not, because a fixed fee exists. On eBay (US) the effective rate moves between price points: the fixed charge is a flat amount, not a percentage of the sale, so it weighs 1% of the total fee here and less on a larger sale.
Questions
- How much does eBay (US) charge on a $500 sale?
- $68.40, which is 13.7% of the sale. It is made up of $68.00 (final value fee) + $0.40 (per-order fee) = $68.40 in total.
- How do eBay (US) fees change with the sale price?
- They fall as a percentage. Here is the same item at four price points: $20 → 15.6%, $50 → 14.4%, $100 → 14.0%, $500 → 13.7%. The fixed part of the fee is the same amount on every one of them.
- Is selling a $500 item on eBay (US) worth it?
- That depends on your costs, not the fee rate. Subtract $68.40 from $500 and you have $431.60 to cover postage, packaging and what you paid for the item. The calculator above shows that split.
Related calculators
These calculators apply published marketplace fee schedules. They are general information tools, not tax, legal, accounting or financial advice — check your own payout statement and speak to a qualified professional where it matters.
eBay (US) — 13.6% + $0.40. Rates last verified: . the marketplace's own fee page.