On a $50 item with no shipping in the price, Mercari leaves you $45.00, eBay leaves $42.80 and Poshmark leaves $40.00. Mercari takes a 10% selling fee, eBay takes 13.6% plus a per-order fee in most categories, and Poshmark takes a flat $2.95 under $15 and 20% from $15 up. The headline percentage is only the start, though. Category, shipping, sales tax and who pays for postage all change what lands in your account. This guide shows the fees as each marketplace states them, runs the same sales through all three, and then shows how to turn the numbers into a listing price.
TL;DR
- Mercari has the lowest headline fee of the three at 10% of the item price plus buyer-paid shipping, with no separate payment processing fee.
- eBay charges 13.6% of the total sale (item, shipping and sales tax) in most categories, plus $0.30 or $0.40 per order, but some categories run far lower or higher.
- Poshmark charges 20% from $15 up and a flat $2.95 below that, which includes a prepaid shipping label for the buyer-paid model.
- The cheapest fee is not always the best result. Price each platform separately, based on real sold listings, so the fee does not eat your margin.
Table of Contents
- The fees, as each marketplace states them
- What you keep: the table
- The arithmetic behind eBay's number
- Why Poshmark's 20% is not all lost margin
- What changes the fee on a given sale
- Perspective: fees are one input, price is the other
- Turn fees into a listing price
- Which platform fits which seller
- Price your items with real sold data
- FAQ
- Sources
The fees, as each marketplace states them
Here is what each platform charges a typical US seller. Fees change, so treat the official pages as the final word.
eBay
For most casual sellers, listing is free. After 250 free listings a month, additional listings cost $0.35 each, with some category exclusions. The cost that matters is the final value fee. Per eBay's Seller Center, it ranges from 2.5% to 15.3% by category, plus $0.30 per order of $10 or less or $0.40 per order over $10. For most categories the rate is 13.6% of the total sale amount up to $7,500, then 2.35% on the portion above that.
The rate of 13.6% has applied to items sold since February 14, 2025. Before that change, the common baseline was 13.25%.
eBay also sells promoted listings and optional listing upgrades. Those are extras you choose, so they are not in the comparisons below.
Poshmark
Poshmark's model is simple. According to a 2026 fee comparison that checked the policy, it charges $2.95 flat for sales under $15 and 20% of the item price for sales of $15 or more. There is no separate payment processing fee.
Mercari
Mercari's Help Center fee page states a 10% selling fee on the item price plus buyer-paid shipping for new and updated listings, with no separate seller payment processing fee. If a seller has frequent cancellations, Mercari may also charge a cancellation fee of 5% of the item price, with a maximum of $25.
What you keep: the table
These figures assume no shipping in the price, the default eBay category and no store subscription. The $50 row follows ResaleOS's calculation, and the other rows apply the same published rates.
| Sale price | eBay fees | eBay keeps | Poshmark fees | Poshmark keeps | Mercari fees | Mercari keeps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $1.66 | $8.34 | $2.95 | $7.05 | $1.00 | $9.00 |
| $25 | $3.80 | $21.20 | $5.00 | $20.00 | $2.50 | $22.50 |
| $50 | $7.20 | $42.80 | $10.00 | $40.00 | $5.00 | $45.00 |
| $100 | $14.00 | $86.00 | $20.00 | $80.00 | $10.00 | $90.00 |
| $500 | $68.40 | $431.60 | $100.00 | $400.00 | $50.00 | $450.00 |
A few patterns stand out:
- Poshmark's flat fee stings on cheap items. On a $10 sale you give up $2.95, nearly 30%. One analysis finds no price at which Poshmark's 20% beats eBay's 13.6% in the default category. On an $8 sale, eBay's total is $1.39 against Poshmark's $2.95.
- eBay's per-order fee matters most on small sales. Flat fees look harmless until you sell low-priced inventory. A $0.40 fee barely registers at $500 but weighs much more on a $12 item.
- Mercari is the lowest on fees at every price in the table. That is fees only. It says nothing yet about whether the item sells, or for how much.
The arithmetic behind eBay's number
The line that surprises new sellers is that eBay's fee is charged on the total sale amount, not on the item price. That includes the shipping the buyer pays and the sales tax eBay collects.
ThriftProfit's example: on a $40 item with $9 shipping, the 13.6% applies to $49, not $40. That adds about $1.22 per order.
Mercari also counts buyer-paid shipping in its fee base. FLUF's worked example uses a $30 item with $7.48 buyer-paid shipping:
- Mercari's fee base is $37.48, so the 10% fee is $3.75 and the seller keeps $26.25.
- On eBay (clothing, no store), 13.6% is $4.08, plus the $0.40 order fee, leaving $25.52.
- The gap is 73 cents, much narrower than the gap on an item with no shipping.
Note also that TallyVane's run of a $50 item with $8 buyer-paid shipping gives these results:
| Platform | Fee | Payout | After a $7.50 label |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay | $8.29 | $49.71 | $42.21 |
| Poshmark | $10.00 | $40.00 | No label to pay |
| Mercari | $5.80 | $52.20 | $44.70 |
Once shipping enters the picture, the real contest is between $42.21, $40.00 and $44.70. The ranking is the same, but the gaps shrink.
Why Poshmark's 20% is not all lost margin
Poshmark's fee looks heavy, but it is not pure cost. Shopfront points out that the 20% effectively covers a shipping label. If you would otherwise pay for postage yourself, part of the fee offsets a real expense. The true gap between platforms shifts with who pays for postage.
That is why the right comparison is profit after the label, not fee percentage alone. In a $45 wool coat example that subtracted fees, a $9 label and a $7 cost of goods, Poshmark netted $29.00, Mercari $24.50 and eBay $22.48. Poshmark came out on top there because the seller did not pay for the label separately.
If you want to price for Poshmark specifically, our guide to Poshmark pricing strategy walks through it.
What changes the fee on a given sale
The three-way table is a baseline. Your own number can move for these reasons.
Category
eBay's final value fee varies a lot. According to its official fee page:
- Books & Magazines, Movies & TV, and Music (except vinyl): 15.3%
- Trading Cards: 13.25%
- Guitars & Basses: 6.7%
- Women's Bags & Handbags: 15% up to $2,000, then 9% above
- Sneakers over $150: 8% with no per-order fee
- Heavy Equipment: 3% up to $15,000, then 0.5% above
If you sell guitars or sneakers, eBay may beat the platforms that look cheaper in a generic table. If you sell books, it may cost more than expected.
Store subscription and listing volume
On eBay, fees depend on the number of listings, the category and whether you have a Store subscription. Past 250 free monthly listings, each extra listing costs $0.35. A seller with a high volume of cheap items feels this more than someone with a few listings.
International sales
eBay adds a 1.65% international fee for sales outside the seller's registered country. Fees are also different outside the US. For example, Poshmark Canada charges a flat C$3.95 under C$20 and 20% from C$20, with GST or HST on top, so the real cost exceeds 20% depending on province. This guide's figures are for US sellers.
Payout speed
All three offer instant payout for a fee, according to a 2026 comparison: $2 on eBay, $2 on Poshmark (up to $1,000) and $3 on Mercari (up to $600). If you need cash quickly, add this to the fee total. Standard payouts arrive on their own schedules, and Mercari funds become available after the buyer rates the order.
Perspective: fees are one input, price is the other
We built PricexPoint because we kept seeing the same mistake. Sellers compare fee percentages, pick the lowest, then list at a number they guessed. The fee is only half the equation. The other half is the price the item actually sells for.
An item that sells for $60 on one platform and $45 on another can leave more money in your pocket on the platform with the higher fee. ThriftProfit makes the same point: the cheapest platform on fees is not always the one with the most profit per item, because selling price matters as much.
That is why our app is designed around evidence. You snap a photo or type the item name, and we show sold, asking and new listings across several marketplaces, with links to the sales behind each figure. We name every data source and we do not publish a figure without supporting evidence. If we identify your item wrongly, you can correct it and the estimate updates.
Our view is simple: look up what it sold for first, then run the fee math for each platform, then decide where to list.
PricexPoint
Turn fees into a listing price
Work backward from the amount you want to net. Say you want $40 from an item and no shipping is in the price.
- Poshmark: list at $50. After the 20% fee, you keep $40.
- Mercari: list at about $45. After 10%, you keep about $40.50.
- eBay: list at about $47. After 13.6% plus $0.40, you keep about $40.
Those are the same target-net numbers a reseller guide uses to show why one price across every platform is a mistake. On a $50 sale, the gap between a platform with no fee and one with 20% is $10. Over 100 sales that is $1,000.
Then follow this order:
- Find the real market price. Check what the item actually sold for, not what sellers are asking. One high sale can mislead, so read our guide on checking sold prices.
- Subtract your costs. Cost of goods, platform fees, shipping and packaging. Set a minimum profit you will accept.
- Adjust per platform. Use the formulas above, or raise the price on high-fee platforms only if sold data supports it.
- Check demand. A low fee does not help if the item sits unsold. Our piece on eBay sell-through rate shows how to read it from sold data.
If you track margins beyond a single sale, these ecommerce profit margin benchmarks give a reference for what healthy margins look like across selling channels.
Other venues have their own fee logic. If you sell on Etsy, see our Etsy pricing playbook, and for local sales see our guide to Facebook Marketplace pricing.
Which platform fits which seller
No platform wins every case. Use the numbers to match the seller.
| If you sell | Lean toward | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-priced clothing and household goods | Mercari | Lowest headline fee, no separate processing fee |
| Items where you want no label cost | Poshmark | The 20% includes shipping, so the gap narrows |
| Sneakers over $150, guitars, trading cards | eBay | Category rates can be lower than the default |
| Very cheap items under $15 | Mercari or eBay | Poshmark's flat $2.95 takes a large share |
| Items with high sold prices on one site | Wherever sold data is strongest | Price beats fee percentage |
The table is a starting point. The sold data for your specific item should make the final call.
Price your items with real sold data
We designed PricexPoint to give you the price side of the equation in seconds. Snap a photo or type a name, and you see sold, asking and new listings across several marketplaces, with links to the sales. For a whole inventory, you can price in bulk using a CSV or multi-item photos, and save your scan history with export options.
Plans are Basic at $4.99 per month, Pro at $9.99 per month and Power at $24.99 per month. If you prefer one-off packs, 100 tokens cost $5.99, 300 tokens cost $12.99 and 1000 tokens cost $34.99. See the details on our pricing page.
Curious what an item is worth before you try it? Browse real sold prices for used items, or read how AI for resellers works with sold listings.
FAQ
Which is cheaper to sell on, eBay, Poshmark or Mercari?
On fees alone, Mercari is cheapest in the default case at 10%, then eBay at 13.6% plus $0.30 or $0.40 per order, then Poshmark at 20% from $15 up. Category rates on eBay can change that order. Compare what you keep after shipping and your item cost.
How do eBay and Poshmark fees compare on a $50 sale?
On a $50 item with no shipping in the price, eBay's fee is $7.20 (13.6% plus $0.40), so you keep $42.80. Poshmark's fee is $10.00, so you keep $40.00. Poshmark's fee covers a shipping label, which narrows the gap if you would otherwise pay for postage.
Does eBay charge fees on shipping and sales tax?
Yes. eBay calculates the final value fee on the total sale amount, which includes the item price, the shipping the buyer pays and the sales tax eBay collects. On a $40 item with $9 shipping, the 13.6% applies to $49.
Are Mercari fees different from eBay fees on cheap items?
Mercari charges 10% of the item price plus buyer-paid shipping, with no separate processing fee. eBay adds a per-order fee of $0.30 on orders of $10 or less and $0.40 above, which weighs more on cheap items. On a $10 sale, eBay's fees are $1.66.
Do marketplace fees change over time?
Yes. eBay raised its common rate to 13.6% for items sold since February 14, 2025, and Mercari's current 10% applies to listings created or updated since January 6, 2025. Check each platform's official fee page before you price a large batch.
Sources
- eBay Seller Center: Seller fees
- Mercari Help: Fees on Mercari
- Seller Fees Compared: eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Depop
- Poshmark vs eBay Fees Compared in 2026
- Marketplace seller fees comparison 2026
- Reseller fees explained
- eBay vs Poshmark vs Mercari Fees 2026: Side by Side
- eBay vs Poshmark vs Mercari: Lowest Seller Fees 2026
- Mercari vs eBay: Which Is Better for Sellers?
- eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Mercari: Which marketplace wins?
- How to Price Items for Reselling Across Platforms
- Ecommerce Profit Margins: Benchmarks