Short answer: $3.12 — that is 15.6% of the sale. You keep $16.88 before your product cost and shipping.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Final value fee (13.6%) | $2.72 |
| Per-order fee | $0.40 |
| Total eBay fees | $3.12 |
| You receive | $16.88 |
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.
$16.88 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 $20 sale:
| Your unit cost | Net profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| $4.00 | $12.88 | 64.4% |
| $6.00 | $10.88 | 54.4% |
| $8.00 | $8.88 | 44.4% |
| $10.00 | $6.88 | 34.4% |
Margin is net profit divided by the $20 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 $8.00, you need to charge at least $9.61 on eBay just to break even, and $12.65 to clear a 20% margin. Anything under $9.61 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 $3.12 the whole cost of selling at $20?
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 $16.88 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 $20 item with $6 shipping is charged fees on $26, not $20.
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.