Want your own numbers? The eBay calculator shows every fee and your profit as you type.

Open the eBay US fee calculator

Pricing on eBay usually starts with sold listings, which is right, but it should end with your own costs. A price that looks competitive can lose money once fees, postage and ads come out. Here is a method that works for any item, with the maths done by the eBay fee calculator.

Step 1: Find the market range

Search for your item and filter by Sold items. Ignore the highest and lowest outliers and note the range where most sales happen. That is the price buyers accept. Active listings tell you what sellers hope for; sold listings tell you what buyers pay.

Step 2: Add up your real costs

Include the item cost, the postage you pay (not what you charge), packaging, and any ad rate you plan to use. Enter them in the calculator’s cost section.

Step 3: Find your break-even price

The receipt shows a break-even price, the lowest sold price where fees and costs are covered. If the market range sits below this number, the item is not worth listing as it is. Consider selling it in a bundle or on a platform with lower fees.

Step 4: Set a target and read the answer

Type the profit you want into the target field. The calculator works back through every fee and shows the price that gives you that profit. Here is an item costing $12, posted for $5, with a 3% ad rate.

Profit on an item costing $12 with $5 postage and a 3% ad rate. Calculated with the default rates in our calculators.
PriceTotal feesPayoutFees %Profit
$20.00$3.72$16.2818.60%−$0.72
$25.00$4.55$20.4518.20%$3.45
$30.00$5.38$24.6217.93%$7.62
$35.00$6.21$28.7917.74%$11.79
$40.00$7.04$32.9617.60%$15.96
$50.00$8.70$41.3017.40%$24.30

At $20 it makes very little. At $30 it makes about $7.62, and at $40 over $15. If sold listings sit around $35, you know a $35 price leaves roughly $11.79.

Free shipping or charged shipping?

Because eBay’s fee is on the total including shipping, charging $5 shipping and listing at $30 costs almost exactly the same in fees as listing at $35 with free shipping. Free shipping often helps with search placement and conversion, so many sellers build it into the price.

Reprice with care

When you drop a price to sell faster, check the new profit first. A $5 reduction on a $35 item cuts profit by more than $4, not $5, because fees shrink a little too. Small moves add up across dozens of listings.

For ad strategy, read what Promoted Listings really cost. If you also use PayPal for private sales, see how its fees compare in the PayPal fee calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I mark up items on eBay?

There is no single markup. Start from sold prices, then check that the price covers your costs and about 14% to 17% in fees, plus any ad rate.

Is it better to offer free shipping on eBay?

Fees are almost the same either way. Free shipping can help conversion, so building postage into the price is often worth testing.

Run your next sale through the calculator before you commit.

Open the eBay US fee calculator