Finance
eBay Fees on a $20 Sale
What eBay charges on a $20 sale: the final value fee, the per-order fee, and what reaches your payout.
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eBay fees on a $20 sale
$3.12
$2.72 final value fee plus a $0.40 per-order fee, leaving $16.88 before your own costs.
Selling an item for $20 on eBay costs $3.12 in fees and leaves $16.88 — an effective rate of 15.60%. That assumes free shipping, most categories, and no Store subscription.
The fee is two parts: 13.6% of the total amount of the sale, and a flat $0.40 per order. Change the sale price, add buyer-paid shipping or switch category in the calculator above to match your own listing.
The formula
$20.00 × 13.6% + $0.40 = $3.12
The percentage applies to the total amount of the sale — item price, handling, shipping charged to the buyer and sales tax — not to the item price alone. The per-order fee is charged once per order, not per item.
Fees on a $20 sale
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sale price | $20.00 |
| Final value fee (13.6%) | − $2.72 |
| Per-order fee | − $0.40 |
| Total eBay fees | − $3.12 |
| You keep | $16.88 |
| Effective rate | 15.60% |
eBay's published rates for most categories, United States, sellers without a Store subscription. Reviewed 27 July 2026.
What buyer-paid shipping does to the fee on $20
| Shipping charged | Fee base | Total fees | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free shipping | $20.00 | $3.12 | $16.88 |
| $5.00 | $25.00 | $3.80 | $21.20 |
| $10.00 | $30.00 | $4.48 | $25.52 |
| $15.00 | $35.00 | $5.16 | $29.84 |
eBay charges its percentage on the total amount of the sale, shipping included. Raising the shipping charge raises the fee.
The same $20 sale in other categories
| Category | Rate | Total fees | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most categories | 13.6% | $3.12 | $16.88 |
| Books, Movies & TV, Music | 15.3% | $3.46 | $16.54 |
| Coins & Paper Money | 13.25% | $3.05 | $16.95 |
eBay publishes a different final value rate for some categories. The per-order fee does not change.
Fees on nearby sale amounts
| Sale price | Total fees | You keep | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | $0.98 | $4.02 | 19.60% |
| $10 | $1.66 | $8.34 | 16.60% |
| $15 | $2.44 | $12.56 | 16.27% |
| $25 | $3.80 | $21.20 | 15.20% |
| $30 | $4.48 | $25.52 | 14.93% |
The same calculation at the amounts sellers look up most often.
What $20 actually costs you to sell
eBay takes $3.12 of a $20 sale — $2.72 as the 13.6% final value fee and $0.40 as the per-order fee — leaving $16.88. That is an effective 15.60%, higher than the headline rate because the flat per-order fee does not scale.
This sale is above the $10.00 breakpoint and below the $7,500 tier, so one rate and one per-order fee apply to the whole amount.
What this figure does not include
These are eBay's selling fees only. Store subscription fees, from $7.95 per month on monthly renewal; Promoted Listings and other optional upgrades; International and currency-conversion fees. Your own product and postage costs come out of the $16.88 above, not out of eBay's share.
Assumptions behind these numbers
- eBay's published United States rates for sellers without a Store subscription: 13.6% on the total amount of the sale up to $7,500 per item, 2.35% above it.
- Per-order fee of $0.30 on orders of $10.00 or less and $0.40 above, selected here for this amount.
- Free shipping and no promoted-listing, international, or below-standard-performance surcharges. Your own product and postage costs are excluded.
- An estimate for planning a listing, not an invoice. Check your own category and account.
eBay's published United States rates, reviewed 27 July 2026.
Primary sources
See every value in this series on the eBay Fees by Sale Amount.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does eBay take from a $20 sale?
$3.12 in most categories: $2.72 as the 13.6% final value fee plus a $0.40 per-order fee. You keep $16.88 before your own product and postage costs.
Does eBay charge a fee on the shipping the buyer pays?
Yes. The final value fee applies to the total amount of the sale, which includes shipping charged to the buyer. Adding $10.00 of shipping to this $20 sale raises the fees to $4.48.
Why is the per-order fee $0.40?
Because the order total is above $10.00. eBay charges $0.30 on orders at or below $10.00 and $0.40 above it.
Is the effective rate really 15.60%?
On this amount, yes. The flat per-order fee does not scale with the sale, so it weighs more on small sales and less on large ones.
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