Short answer: $5.84 — that is 14.6% of the sale. You keep $34.16 before your product cost and shipping.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Final value fee (13.6%) | $5.44 |
| Per-order fee | $0.40 |
| Total eBay fees | $5.84 |
| You receive | $34.16 |
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.
$34.16 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 $40 sale:
| Your unit cost | Net profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| $8.00 | $26.16 | 65.4% |
| $12.00 | $22.16 | 55.4% |
| $16.00 | $18.16 | 45.4% |
| $20.00 | $14.16 | 35.4% |
Margin is net profit divided by the $40 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 $16.00, you need to charge at least $18.98 on eBay just to break even, and $24.70 to clear a 20% margin. Anything under $18.98 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 $5.84 the whole cost of selling at $40?
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 $34.16 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 $40 item with $6 shipping is charged fees on $46, not $40.
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.