Short answer: $2.44 — that is 16.3% of the sale. You keep $12.56 before your product cost and shipping.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Final value fee (13.6%) | $2.04 |
| Per-order fee | $0.40 |
| Total eBay fees | $2.44 |
| You receive | $12.56 |
Assumes the standard 13.6% final value fee category and no eBay Store subscription. The per-order fee is $0.40 on orders of $10 or more and $0.30 below that. Store subscribers pay roughly 1.3 points less.
$12.56 is not profit — it is what lands in your account before you pay for the item itself. Here is the real number at four common cost levels on a $15 sale:
| Your unit cost | Net profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| $3.00 | $9.56 | 63.7% |
| $4.50 | $8.06 | 53.7% |
| $6.00 | $6.56 | 43.7% |
| $7.50 | $5.06 | 33.7% |
Margin is net profit divided by the $15 sale price. It excludes inbound shipping, storage, returns and ad spend — all of which come out of the profit column above.
If your unit cost is $6.00, you need to charge at least $7.29 on eBay just to break even, and $9.49 to clear a 20% margin. Anything under $7.29 loses money on every single order — which is exactly the kind of SKU that hides in a big catalog.
Change the price and cost in the calculator →
Is $2.44 the whole cost of selling at $15?
No. It is the whole of eBay's fees. Your own costs — the unit cost, inbound freight, packaging, returns, and any advertising — come out of the $12.56 you receive.
Does the buyer's shipping charge change the fees?
Yes on all three marketplaces. eBay charges its percentage fee on the total the buyer pays, shipping included, so a $15 item with $6 shipping is charged fees on $21, not $15.
How do I check this against my own catalog?
Paste your SKUs, prices and costs into the free calculator, or send a CSV for the $9 bulk audit and get every SKU's fees, margin and break-even price back within 24 hours.