Calculators / Where to sell / eBay vs Mercari
eBay vs Mercari fees: what you keep on each sale
On a $25 sale you keep $21.20 on eBay and $22.50 on Mercari, $1.30 more on Mercari. You keep more on Mercari at every price Mercari allows ($1 to $2,000; up to $5,000 for Authenticate items). Fees from eBay's and Mercari's own fee pages, and Mercari's price limits from its help center, checked ; item price only, before shipping, tax and your costs.
Rates verified on
What you keep at $5 to $100
Item price only: no shipping charged, no sales tax, no item or postage costs. eBay: most categories.
| Sale price | eBay fees | You keep on eBay | Mercari fees | You keep on Mercari | You keep more on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5.00 | $0.98 (19.6%) | $4.02 | $0.50 (10%) | $4.50 | Mercari +$0.48 |
| $10.00 | $1.66 (16.6%) | $8.34 | $1.00 (10%) | $9.00 | Mercari +$0.66 |
| $15.00 | $2.44 (16.3%) | $12.56 | $1.50 (10%) | $13.50 | Mercari +$0.94 |
| $25.00 | $3.80 (15.2%) | $21.20 | $2.50 (10%) | $22.50 | Mercari +$1.30 |
| $50.00 | $7.20 (14.4%) | $42.80 | $5.00 (10%) | $45.00 | Mercari +$2.20 |
| $100.00 | $14.00 (14%) | $86.00 | $10.00 (10%) | $90.00 | Mercari +$4.00 |
With $5 buyer-paid shipping and 8% sales tax
Here the fee bases split apart. The buyer pays $5 for shipping and you spend the same $5 on the label, so what's left is the item price minus fees. 8% is an example tax rate, not an average; rates vary by place.
| Item price | eBay fees | You keep on eBay | Mercari fees | You keep on Mercari | You keep more on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5.00 | $1.87 | $3.13 | $1.00 | $4.00 | Mercari +$0.87 |
| $10.00 | $2.60 | $7.40 | $1.50 | $8.50 | Mercari +$1.10 |
| $15.00 | $3.34 | $11.66 | $2.00 | $13.00 | Mercari +$1.34 |
| $25.00 | $4.81 | $20.19 | $3.00 | $22.00 | Mercari +$1.81 |
| $50.00 | $8.48 | $41.52 | $5.50 | $44.50 | Mercari +$2.98 |
| $100.00 | $15.82 | $84.18 | $10.50 | $89.50 | Mercari +$5.32 |
Does the winner ever flip?
We ran both fee schedules at every price from $1 to $5,000, one cent at a time. Mercari lets you price a listing from $1 to $2,000. Items verified with Authenticate (certain designer shoes, handbags and wallets) can go up to $5,000 after an extra identity check (Mercari's price limit and creating a listing, checked ). So the scan stops at $5,000.
- Item price only: You keep more on Mercari at every price Mercari allows ($1 to $2,000; up to $5,000 for Authenticate items).
- With $5 shipping and 8% tax: You keep more on Mercari at every price Mercari allows ($1 to $2,000; up to $5,000 for Authenticate items).
eBay's rate drops to 2.35% only on the part of a total above $7,500 (in every eBay category on this page). Even at $5,000, the most Mercari allows, an item with $5 shipping and 8% tax comes to $5,405.40 on eBay, so that lower rate never applies at a price Mercari allows.
Selling books, movies or music (not vinyl): eBay charges 15.3%
eBay's rate for Books & Magazines, Movies & TV, Music (not vinyl records) is 15.3% of the total instead of 13.6% (eBay's fee page); vinyl records aren't in that group and pay 13.6%. Mercari's 10% is the same for every category (Mercari's fees).
| Sale price | eBay fees | You keep on eBay | Mercari fees | You keep on Mercari | You keep more on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $1.83 | $8.17 | $1.00 | $9.00 | Mercari +$0.83 |
| $25.00 | $4.23 | $20.77 | $2.50 | $22.50 | Mercari +$1.73 |
| $50.00 | $8.05 | $41.95 | $5.00 | $45.00 | Mercari +$3.05 |
| $100.00 | $15.70 | $84.30 | $10.00 | $90.00 | Mercari +$5.70 |
What each platform charges on shipping and tax
| Fee rule | eBay | Mercari |
|---|---|---|
| Headline fee | 13.6% of the total (15.3% for books, movies and music) + $0.30 or $0.40 per order | 10% of item price + buyer-paid shipping; no payment processing fee |
| What the fee is figured on | Final value fee is a percentage of the total amount of the sale: item price, handling, shipping charged to the buyer, and sales tax. | 10% selling fee on the item price plus buyer-paid shipping (listings created or updated on or after January 6, 2025). Buyers pay a separate 3.6% Buyer Protection fee that does not come out of your payout. |
| Fee on shipping? | Yes: $0.68 more in fees on $5 of shipping ($25 sale), from the final value fee | Yes: $0.50 more in fees on $5 of shipping ($25 sale), from the selling fee |
| Fee on sales tax? | Yes: $0.27 more in fees on 8% tax ($25 sale), from the final value fee | No |
| Shipping label | You set the shipping charge (or offer free shipping) and buy the label, through eBay Labels or elsewhere. | The buyer or you pay shipping, and Mercari sells prepaid labels. |
| Other fees and rules |
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2026 fee and shipping changes on eBay and Mercari
From our change tracker, newest first. Each entry has the source and the dates; 8 of these 9 also show the effect on a $10, $25 and $50 sale.
eBay
- eBay raises its seller currency conversion charge to 3.25% Fees · effective
- eBay Labels skip most of the USPS holiday increase Postage · effective
- eBay Labels: Ground Advantage 0-2 lb up $0.10, Flat Rate up $0.30 Postage · effective
- eBay Labels: Ground Advantage 3-5 lb up $1 to Zone 5, $2 to Zones 6-8 Postage · effective
- eBay Labels: Ground Advantage 3-5 lb up $0.10 Postage · effective
- eBay raises its penalty fees for sellers who stay Below Standard or keep a high 'not as described' rate Fees · effective
Mercari
- Mercari Ground Advantage labels go up: 1 lb $7.48 to $7.99 Postage · effective
- Mercari Media Mail labels get cheaper: 1 lb $4.99 to $4.47 Postage · effective
- Mercari splits USPS's $50 hazmat fee: sellers pay $25 Postage · effective
Common questions
Is eBay or Mercari cheaper to sell on?
On a $25 sale you keep $21.20 on eBay and $22.50 on Mercari, $1.30 more on Mercari. Item price only, fees checked Oct 14, 2026. You keep more on Mercari at every price Mercari allows ($1 to $2,000; up to $5,000 for Authenticate items). eBay's rate drops to 2.35% only on the part of a total above $7,500 (in every eBay category on this page). Even at $5,000, the most Mercari allows, an item with $5 shipping and 8% tax comes to $5,405.40 on eBay, so that lower rate never applies at a price Mercari allows.
Do eBay and Mercari take a fee on shipping?
On a $25 sale with $5 of buyer-paid shipping: eBay: yes, $0.68 more on $5 of shipping, from the final value fee. Mercari: yes, $0.50 more on $5 of shipping, from the selling fee.
Do eBay and Mercari figure their fees on sales tax?
On a $25 sale with an example 8% sales tax: eBay: yes, $0.27 more on 8% tax, from the final value fee. Mercari: no. The tax itself isn't yours to keep on either platform. General information, not tax advice.
How we compared
- Fees come from each platform's own US fee page as checked on Oct 14, 2026, run through the same code as our calculators. Each fee line is rounded to the cent, the way the platforms show it.
- Selling at the same price on both platforms is a simplification. Buyers, prices, how fast items sell, and shipping differ from one platform to the other.
- No optional ads, boosts or promotions unless a section says so. eBay sellers rated Below Standard pay more (see the table above).
- Sales tax appears only to show whether a fee is figured on it. General information, not tax advice: check with a tax pro about your own situation.
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
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