eBay Fee Calculator UK 2026

Calculate exactly what eBay takes from your sale and what profit you keep. Updated with the February 2026 per-order fee changes. For the full fee breakdown, see our eBay selling fees UK 2026 guide.

Why this matters: fees catch people off guard

One of the most upvoted posts on r/eBaySellerAdvice is titled “Learned a hard lesson today.” The seller listed a book for $4 and didn’t realise eBay charges fees on the total transaction including shipping — not just the item price. The fees ate roughly 50% of the sale price, and they couldn’t even afford a box to ship it in.

Another popular post: someone bought a golf bag at a charity shop for $15 and sold it on eBay for $68. Sounds like a great flip. But after shipping ($111 — it was big and heavy, going cross-country), the transaction fee ($26), and a promoted listing fee ($20), they made $6 profit. On a $68 sale.

These are US examples (UK private sellers now pay zero fees — see below), but the lesson is universal: if you don’t calculate your fees and postage before listing, your “profit” can evaporate. That’s what the calculator above is for.

How eBay fees work

Since October 2024, UK private sellers pay no final value fees on eBay, with 300 free listings per month (source: eBay’s official UK fee page). If you exceed 300 listings, you pay 35p per additional listing. If you’re selling items you already own (not buying to resell), you’re a private seller.

If you’re regularly buying items specifically to resell, eBay (and HMRC) may consider you a business seller. The line isn’t always clear — see our HMRC trading allowance guide for more on this.

Business sellers pay three fees on every sale (per eBay’s fee schedule):

• Final value fee: A percentage of the total sale (item + postage), varying by category from 2% to 12.9%
• Per-order fee: 30p on orders under £10, 40p on orders over £10 (increased February 2026)
• Regulatory operating fee: 0.35% of the total sale

VAT at 20% is added on top of all three fees. The calculator above includes VAT in the total.

For more detail including international fees and Shop subscriptions, see our complete eBay fee breakdown.

Frequently asked questions

How much does eBay take from a sale UK?

Private sellers: nothing. Business sellers: typically 13–15% of the total sale when you include the final value fee, per-order fee, regulatory fee, and VAT on fees.

How do I calculate eBay fees?

Total fee = (sale price + postage) × category fee % + per-order fee + (sale price + postage) × 0.35%. Then add 20% VAT on all fees. Or just use the calculator above.

About the author

Oleksandr Prudnikov builds FlipperHelper, a profit-tracking app for UK resellers. Fee data in this calculator is sourced from eBay’s official UK seller fees page and verified against actual eBay invoices.