eBay vs Amazon Fees: Referral Fee Against Final Value Fee
Two fee models priced on the same sale — and the selling plan and fulfilment choice can outweigh the commission itself.
Short answer
On a $50 sale, eBay US takes about $7.20 (14.4%) and Amazon about $8.49 (17.0%) on the Individual plan in a general category. Add FBA fulfilment at $5.20 and Amazon takes $10.12 on a $25 sale — 40.5% of the sale, against $3.80 on eBay.
Your numbers
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The same sale, six marketplaces
| Platform | Total fees | Effective fee rate | Net profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay (US) | $7.20 | 14.4% | $21.30 |
| Amazon (US) | $8.49 | 17.0% | $20.01 |
Two fee models side by side
eBay charges a final value fee of 13.6% in a standard category, applied to the item price plus the shipping the buyer pays, plus $0.40 per order. One percentage and one fixed charge.
Amazon charges a referral fee that depends entirely on the category, running from 5% to 45% with a $0.30 minimum. On top of that sits a selling plan: $0.99 per item, or $39.99 a month.
The selling plan is a volume decision
The Individual plan costs $0.99 for every item sold. The Professional plan costs $39.99 a month whether you sell anything or not. The two break even at about 41 items a month.
Below that, Individual is cheaper. Above it, Professional pulls ahead, and the further above, the less the subscription adds to each individual sale.
The category rate matters more than the platform
At $50 on the Individual plan, the total Amazon charge ranges from $4.99 in consumer electronics to $23.49 in Amazon device accessories — 10.0% of the sale against 47.0%. That 37-point span is far wider than the gap between Amazon and eBay inside any single category.
eBay spans 6.7% to 15.3%. Neither platform has a single rate — both have a rate card, and your category picks the number.
FBA is a fulfilment fee, not a commission
The referral fee is what Amazon charges to sell. The FBA fee is what Amazon charges to store, pick, pack and ship, and on cheap items it is the larger of the two.
On a $25 sale with a $5.20 fulfilment fee the total charge reaches 40.5% of the sale. eBay charges nothing equivalent, which is why the two rows are not directly comparable until a label cost is placed on the eBay side too.
Where each one wins
Amazon buyers arrive with purchase intent and a payment method already on file, and conversion reflects that. It is what the higher fees buy.
eBay is stronger for used goods, one-off items, collectables and parts, and it lets you sell a single unit without creating a catalogue entry first.
eBay (US) 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 | 13.25% up to $7,500.00, then 2.35% |
| Jewelry & watches | 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% |
| 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
Amazon (US) rate table
| Most categories | 15% |
|---|---|
| Home & kitchen | 15% |
| Consumer electronics & computers | 8% |
| Electronics accessories | 15% up to $100.00, then 8% |
| Clothing & accessories | 5% up to $15.00, 10% to $20.00, then 17% |
| Beauty, health & personal care | 8% up to $10.00, then 15% |
| Baby products | 8% up to $10.00, then 15% |
| Grocery & gourmet food | 8% up to $15.00, then 15% |
| Toys & games | 15% |
| Sports & outdoors | 15% |
| Pet supplies | 15% |
| Books | 15% |
| Jewelry | 20% up to $250.00, then 5% |
| Compact appliances | 15% up to $300.00, then 8% |
| Full-size appliances | 8% |
| Automotive & powersports | 12% |
| Amazon device accessories | 45% |
| Minimum referral feeper item — charged whenever the category percentage rounds below it | $0.30 |
| Individual selling planno monthly fee; no Buy Box or advertising access | $0.99 per item sold |
| Professional selling planbecomes the cheaper plan at roughly 40 sales a month | $39.99 per month |
| FBA fulfilmentthe fee you actually pay is the one in your Seller Central fee preview | by size tier and weight |
| FBA fuel & logistics surchargein effect since 17 April 2026 | 3.5% of the fulfilment fee |
| FBA storageroughly $0.87 per cubic foot in Jan–Sep, $2.40 in Oct–Dec | monthly, by volume |
| AdvertisingSponsored Products is a budget you set; many sellers spend 10–15% of revenue on it | not a published fee |
- Rates last verified
Formula
effective rate = total platform fees ÷ total the buyer paysWhat each term means
eBay US- 13.6% of item price plus buyer-paid shipping, plus $0.40 per order, in a standard category
Amazon referral fee- category rate from 5% to 45%, with a $0.30 minimum per item
Amazon selling plan- $0.99 per item on Individual, or $39.99 per month on Professional
Amazon FBA- the fulfilment fee you enter, plus a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on that fee
Assumptions
- US marketplaces, USD, identical sale inputs on both rows.
- eBay is modelled as a store-free account in a standard category. Its rate card runs from 6.7% to 15.3% by category.
- Amazon is modelled at its 15% general category rate. Because the referral fee runs from 5% to 45%, check your own category before trusting the figure.
- The FBA fee is entered by you rather than estimated: it depends on size tier and weight, and Amazon publishes a separate fee schedule for it.
- A 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge is applied on top of the FBA fee.
- Amazon storage fees, long-term storage surcharges and advertising are excluded.
Worked examples
A $50 sale on the Individual plan with a $6.50 label
- Buyer pays
- $50.00
- Total fees
- $7.20
- Effective rate
- 14.4%
- Net profit
- $21.30
Fee breakdown
- Final value fee · Most categories
13.60% × $50.00−$6.80 - Per-order fee
$0.40−$0.40
The 2.6-point gap is $1.29 in fees, or about $52 across forty sales a month.
A $100 sale on the Professional plan at 500 orders a month
- Buyer pays
- $100.00
- Total fees
- $14.00
- Effective rate
- 14.0%
- Net profit
- $42.00
Fee breakdown
- Final value fee · Most categories
13.60% × $100.00−$13.60 - Per-order fee
$0.40−$0.40
The $39.99 subscription spreads to $0.08 per sale at that volume, and Amazon comes out at 15.1% against the eBay 14.0%. At high volume the plan fee almost stops mattering.
A $25 sale fulfilled through FBA at $5.20
- Buyer pays
- $25.00
- Total fees
- $3.80
- Effective rate
- 15.2%
- Net profit
- $8.70
Fee breakdown
- Final value fee · Most categories
13.60% × $25.00−$3.40 - Per-order fee
$0.40−$0.40
Fulfilment takes Amazon to $10.12 against $3.80 on eBay — 40.5% against 15.2%. The rows are not like for like until the eBay side also carries a label cost.
A $12 sale in a low-priced category
- Buyer pays
- $12.00
- Total fees
- $2.03
- Effective rate
- 16.9%
- Net profit
- $2.97
Fee breakdown
- Final value fee · Most categories
13.60% × $12.00−$1.63 - Per-order fee
$0.40−$0.40
The $0.99 per-item charge is 8.25% of this sale on its own, before any referral fee. On cheap items the selling plan matters as much as the commission.
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
Comparing one platform rate to the other
Neither platform has a single rate. The Amazon referral fee runs 5% to 45% by category and the eBay rate card 6.7% to 15.3%. The category, not the platform, sets the number.
Forgetting the selling plan
The Individual plan adds $0.99 to every sale; on a $12 item that is 8.25% on its own. The Professional plan only pays off above roughly 41 sales a month.
Treating FBA as part of the commission
It is a fulfilment cost. It appears in the fee total because it comes out of the same payout, but it replaces a shipping label you would otherwise be buying.
Comparing a self-shipped eBay sale to an FBA Amazon sale
One row includes a label and the other does not. Put the label cost on the eBay side before drawing a conclusion from the totals.
Assuming FBA is always cheaper than shipping yourself
It depends on size tier and volume. On heavy or bulky items the per-unit fulfilment fee can exceed a negotiated carrier rate.
Ignoring storage fees
FBA charges for storage over time, with long-term surcharges on slow-moving inventory. Neither appears in this comparison, and both hit sellers who hold stock.
Questions
- Is Amazon more expensive than eBay?
- On a like-for-like sale, usually yes: $8.49 against $7.20 on a $50 sale in a general category with the Individual plan. The gap widens sharply once FBA is involved.
- What is the difference between a referral fee and a final value fee?
- They are the same idea under different names — a percentage of the sale taken by the marketplace. Amazon calls it a referral fee and varies it strictly by category; eBay calls it a final value fee.
- When is the Amazon Professional plan worth it?
- Above roughly 41 sales a month. Below that, $0.99 per item is cheaper than $39.99 a month.
- Does the referral fee include FBA?
- No. The referral fee is the Amazon commission. FBA is a separate fulfilment charge on top, plus a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge applied to the FBA fee itself.
- Why is there a $0.30 minimum referral fee?
- On very cheap items a percentage would round to almost nothing. Amazon sets a floor of $0.30 per item so that low-priced sales still carry a charge.
- Which platform is better for used goods?
- eBay, generally. It is built around one-off listings, while Amazon expects catalogue entries and is stricter about condition and category approval.
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. Amazon (US) — 5%–45% referral fee by category. Rates last verified: .