eBay and Paypal Fees

This information comes straight from ebay.com, so it is the most up-to-date information available.

One of the best ways to find out what your margins and profit will be is to use www.Salecalc.com, it's free and will help you determine whether or not you will turn a profit.

The basic cost of selling an item is the insertion fee plus the final value fee, plus fees for any optional features and services you may use:

• When you list an item on eBay, you're charged an insertion fee.
• If the item sells, you're also charged a final value fee. Final value fees are calculated based on the total amount of the sale.*
• You may also be charged fees for any optional features or services you may use.
• PayPal fees may also apply.

*The total amount of the sale equals the cost of the item, shipping charges, and any other amounts you may charge the buyer. Sales tax is not included in the total amount of the sale.

Insertion and final value fees vary based on the category and listing format you use, either auction-style or fixed price.

All fees are in US dollars.

Insertion fees for auction-style format listings

Auction-style format listings Starting or reserve price Insertion fee $0.01–$0.99 Free for 50 listings per month * (exclusions apply) $0.10 $1.00–$9.99 $0.25 $10.00–$24.99 $0.50 $25.00–$49.99 $0.75 $50.00–$199.99 $1.00 $200.00 or more $2.00

Final value fees for auction-style format listings

Auction-style format listings Total amount of the sale(less any sales tax) Final value fee (Based on the total amount of the sale ) Item not sold No fee $0.01 or more 9.0% of the total amount of the sale with a maximum charge of $250.00.

To learn more and see an example of a final value fee calculation, visit ourfinal value fees page.

Insertion fee for fixed price format listings

Buy It Now price	Insertion fee
$0.99 or more	$0.50

Note: The insertion fee applies to each listing, regardless of the quantity of items in the listing.
To learn more, visit our insertion fees page.

Final value fees for fixed price format listings

Fixed price final value fees (Based on the total amount of the sale )
Total amount of the sale	Electronics*	Clothing, Shoes and Accessories	Books, DVDs & Movies, Music, Video Games	All other categories
Item not sold	No fee	No fee	No fee	No fee
$0.99– $50.00	7.0% of the total amount of the sale	10.0% of the total amount of the sale	13.0% of the total amount of the sale	11.0% of the total amount of the sale
$50.01–$1000.00	7.0% of the initial $50.00, plus 5.0% of the remaining balance ($50.01–$1,000.00) of the total amount of the sale	10.0% of the initial $50.00, plus 8.0% of the remaining balance ($50.01–$1,000.00) of the total amount of the sale	13.0% of the initial $50.00, plus 5.0% of the remaining balance ($50.01–$1,000.00) of the total amount of the sale	11.0% of the initial $50.00, plus 6.0% of the remaining balance ($50.01–$1,000.00) of the total amount of the sale
$1000.01 or more	7.0% of the initial $50.00, plus 5.0% of the next $50.01–$1,000.00, plus 2.0% of the remaining balance ($1,000.01–total cost to buyer) of the total amount of the sale	10.0% of the initial $50.00, plus 8.0% of the next $50.01–$1,000.00, plus 2.0% of the remaining balance ($1,000.01–total cost to buyer) of the total amount of the sale	13.0% of the initial $50.00, plus 5.0% of the next $50.01–$1,000.00, plus 2.0% of the remaining balance ($1,000.01–total cost to buyer) of the total amount of the sale	11.0% of the initial $50.00, plus 6.0% of the next $50.01–$1,000.00, plus 2.0% of the remaining balance ($1,000.01–total cost to buyer) of the total amount of the sale

*Includes the following categories and subcategories:

• Cameras & Photo
• Computers/Tablets & Networking
• Consumer Electronics
• Cell Phones & Accessories > Cell Phones & Smartphones
• eBay Motors > Parts & Accessories > Car Electronics
• Musical Instruments & Gear > Pro Audio Equipment
• Specialty Services > Web & Computer Services > Domain Names
• Video Games & Consoles > Video Game Consoles

When a category and subcategory are listed, the fee amount only applies to the subcategory.

Good 'Til Cancelled listings renew automatically every 30 days unless all of the items sell, you end the listing, or the listing violates an eBay policy. Insertion fees and optional feature fees are charged every 30-day period. Fee amounts are based on the terms in effect when the listing goes live, and when it renews.

How to sell on eBay! A few tips on starting your eBay business!

          Selling on eBay is not rocket science, anyone who invests a little bit of time can do it. It will help to be a little savvy in your approach before you quit your day job to sell on eBay full-time. eBay charges you a small fee just to list your item and then a percentage of the final sale price of your item. You will want to look into the ebay fees by clicking here to determine whether or not it will be worth your time to even sell your item. Remember that profits are better than wages. You should be able to start selling on eBay with little or no capital at all. Maybe you have a few old items lying around the house or garage that you don't want anymore. One man's junk is another man's treasure, this holds true on eBay. If you don't have anything to start selling, this is where our next paragraph comes in to play. You can start your eBay business with less than $100 in capital.

First of all, you need to decide what it is that you are wanting to sell. You may want to start by searching some of the items already listed for sell on eBay to get an idea of the prices and margins of the items that will sell. You can use listings and prices that you find as a guide to what you are planning to sell. You can “watch” the items that other eBay members have listed by putting a watch on their items. You will be able to monitor the progress and see what the selling prices usually end up being. Look closely at how the item is described and make sure that when you describe your item, it is done in a way that is professional and clean. It needs to be written in a way that makes you want to buy the item/s. If you specialize in a certain area, you can really start to make a lot of money. Find what works and then stick with it. For example: If you know old paintings, sell old paintings. If you know golf clubs, sell golf clubs, etc. You get the picture- the great thing is that you can learn and grow while making money!

Description: When you are describing an item, do not make things up! It will help you and the people looking at your item if you represent your items clearly and correctly. Do not over-exaggerate or make false claims about what the item is or can do, as many of your potential buyers probably know more about the item than you do! It is better to plead ignorance than to pretend like you know a lot about an item. Less can sometimes be more when describing an item.

Title: The Title of your listing should attract buyers to look at your item. The Title is the most important thing when it comes to selling an item. If you can't get people to look at your item, then they sure aren't going to buy it. Think about it like this, if your title is just as lame as the next guys', chances are the buyer will buy from him. You want to have something that sticks out and attracts! Key words- think about what the person would type in to search for the item you have and then make sure it's in the title. Don't waste space, use all of the alloted spaces you are given. The title does not have to make grammatical sense. For example, “Tennis Shoes Sneakers Pumas Size Sz 6 Med M.”

Pictures: Pictures can make or break your item. Always make sure that your pictures do the item justice and are not misleading. The last thing that you want is for a buyer to be unhappy and leave you negative feedback because you are posting blurry and misleading pictures of items. Use clean and well lit areas to take pictures if possible and provide multiple pictures. People like to see different angles of the things they buy, you wouldn't buy a pair of jeans without looking at the back of them would you? Well I wouldn't, so just be smart about it. Try to make the pictures look as professional as possible.
Make sure that your item gets placed in the right category. Often people don't put items in the right category and they are never seen. If you are trying to sell a pair of shoes in the candles section, you probably won't have much luck.

Pricing: Here is where your research really comes in to play. If you start an item at lower prices, you will have more people who look at your item, that does not always mean that more will bid on it. When people see that others are bidding on the item, they have a “fear of loss.” This means that they don't want to miss out on the highly wanted item, so they too will watch and bid on the item. Do not put up items with outrageous prices, they will for the most part sit online and never sell. Every now and again you might get lucky! But think about it like this, would you rather sell ten items for $20 profit each throughout the week, or would you rather sell one item for $100 profit throughout a month? You will do better by selling multiple items. NEVER start a listing for less than what you're willing to accept, unless you have a reserve price set (minimum you'd let your item sell for, people may bid on your item, but if it doesn't reach your set reserve amount, it will not be sold). Always calculate all costs: all Paypal/eBay fees, shipping/DC/packaging materials, item cost, minimum profit you'll accept, self insurance if applicable. The combined total is good marker for where you will need your starting/selling price to begin.

Shipping: Okay, so potential bidders will look at what you are charging for shipping and make a split second decision on whether or not you are a fair eBayer. People really get put off by shipping charges that are too high and unfair. Free shipping attracts buyers and you will more than likely be able to get more money for your item , which in turn will cover the original shipping cost you thought would be fair. It pays to do good and to give good deals. Don't try and make excess money by charging more for shipping than necessary, that can really hurt your ratings. Very Important: always pay the tiny bit extra for DELIVERY CONFIRMATION when shipping items. Although we would love to believe everyone is honest, there have been a few times that people will report they never received the item that was shipped. Without the tracking confirmation, you will be out the shipping costs, the item, your money and time. Just trust me on this one, it's worth the extra .80 cents! :) For high priced items over $100, I usually get insurance and a signature of buyer on arrival, also a good way to cover your tail. Some buyers will want their item shipped quicker. By offering quicker shipping and other options, people will like that, especially if they need it ASAP!

Remember that your integrity is very important in your eBay business. You are dealing with real people and real money. Do all you can to make sure that you help others, you respond to their questions in a timely manner, and you provide something of value that they want. By helping enough others get what they want, you will automatically get what you want.

I hope that this will help you in starting your eBay business!

What to sell on ebay

If you are like most people wondering what to sell on ebay, the first place to look is within your own home.  You will find that you probably have unopened gifts from birthdays, or Christmas that are just taking up space.  You may have clothing that you have stopped wearing, or clothes that your family has grown out of.  Old books are also great when you start out selling, in fact, I've dedicated an entire post to used books here: Why you might want to sell used books.


From past experience, these items regularly sell well:

• Used Clothing

•  Baby Products
•  Sports Apparel
•  Movies and Gaming (DVDs, Games, etc.)
•  Vintage Audio Equipment (Old stereos, radio's, amplifiers, etc.)
•  Used Books
•  Electronics of all types
•  Jeep Parts and Vehicle Accessories      

Other Suggested Items to Sell on ebay:

•  Watches and Jewelery
•  Rare Coins
•  Vehicle parts of all kinds
•  Housewares
•  Antique Bottles
•  Military Collectibles
•  Television Series on DVD
•  Musical Instruments
•  Sports Memorabilia (Autographed items, Jerseys, Balls, etc.)
•  New and Unused Linens, Blankets, Comforters, or Mattress Pads.

Research Your Item. When looking through your home or garage to find things to sell, check what the items are currently selling for on ebay by clicking here Set up an ebay account.  You can always do an advanced search (right next to the search button on ebay) and click on the completed listings box to see what past sellers have been able to sell the same item/similar item for.

"Auction" or "Buy it Now." You'll want to make sure that you price your items right to help them sell for more money, more often.  If the item you have is unique and not searched for a ton, you'll want to do a "buy it now" listing for your item.  If the item you are planning to sell is a highly searched and wanted item, you'll probably want to do an "auction" listing. 

Do you have a wanted item? Look at the completed or active listings that are selling or have sold the exact item you are planning on selling.  When searching completed listings, items with green prices have sold, and items with red prices did not sell.  If there are multiple bids on an item like yours, you know that it is a good item to sell in the "auction" format. If you see in the completed listings that items have not sold that are similar to yours, use "Buy it Now."

Now go and find some items to sell!  Remember to look at the cost to ship an item as well. "Establishing Shipping Costs"

Weigh your item and check out shipping prices on USPS.COM to calculate the expected shipping.

How to get started on eBay

           I often speak with individuals who would really like to sell on eBay and make money online.  Typically, I hear the same exact thing again and again, "I don't know how to get started."

          Well here are the very most basic steps of getting started on eBay.  I believe that anybody who has even half a brain can sell on eBay.  If you really want to make great money on eBay it will take some time.  The great thing about selling on eBay is that you can learn how to be successful, it's not a lottery favoring a certain few.

eBay. First of all, click here to Set up an ebay account. At the very top left of the page you'll see where you can Set up an ebay account. It's FREE!

PayPal.  You now need a Paypal account to make sure that you can get paid for items you sell and pay for items you buy.  Sign up for a Paypal account here. It's FREE! After clicking the link, look for the sign up button in the top right corner.

If you haven't set up your eBay account or Paypal account, take the time now to do so before continuing on.

       Now that you have set up your accounts, you are ready for the next steps.

Feedback. Because you are new to eBay, you do not have a reputation of being a good member, yet.  You'll need to get your feedback score up to about 5 or 10 before you start selling any items. A feedback score is basically a score given to an eBay member according to buying and selling transactions that he or she has had with other members on eBay.  When members have good experiences, they leave positive feedback.  When members have bad experiences, they leave negative feedback.  YOU DO NOT WANT NEGATIVE FEEDBACK, it will kill your chances of selling any items on eBay. You can find your feedback score next to your user id when logged in to eBay.


Start Buying. Start buying really inexpensive items on eBay.  Buying items between $.01-$.25 cents total (includes shipping) is the fastest and cheapest way to raise your feedback score. (CLICK here for current inexpensive penny auction items on eBay). 

          After you have received some feedback, you are ready to start listing and selling items.  Read the next blog posts by clicking on them here: "what to sell" and "how to list an item.  

        If you are interested in a book about selling on eBay, I've found this one to be really good "The Official Ebay Guide to Buying, Selling and Collecting Just About Anything By Kaiser, Laura Fisher/ Kaiser Laura Fisher/ Kaiser, Michael B.