Does eBay charge fees on sales tax?
Yes. eBay's final value fee is a percentage of the total amount of the sale, and that total includes the sales tax your buyer pays (eBay selling fees page, checked Oct 14, 2026). On a $25 item with 8% tax, eBay's fees are $4.07 instead of $3.80: $0.27 more, which is 13.6% of the $2.00 tax.
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What eBay's fee page says
eBay charges a final value fee as a percentage of the total amount of the sale, plus a per-order fee: $0.30 for orders of $10.00 or less and $0.40 for orders over $10.00. On what goes into that total, eBay is direct:
"The total amount of the sale includes the item price, … sales tax"
The part left out of that quote covers handling charges, shipping you collect from the buyer (eBay notes some exceptions) and any other applicable fees. So when a buyer pays sales tax, eBay takes its 13.6% (most categories) or 15.3% (books, movies and music) on the tax as well as on the item and shipping.
eBay doesn't say whether the tax also counts toward the $10.00 line for the per-order fee. That only matters for items priced at $10.00 or just under.
eBay fees with sales tax on a $10, $25, $50 and $100 sale
Total eBay fees (final value fee + per-order fee) at example tax rates of 6%, 8%, 10%. These are examples, not averages. The smaller figure is the extra fee caused by the tax. No shipping charged.
| Item price | No tax | 6% tax | 8% tax | 10% tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $1.66 | $1.84*+$0.18 | $1.87*+$0.21 | $1.90*+$0.24 |
| $25 | $3.80 | $4.00+$0.20 | $4.07+$0.27 | $4.14+$0.34 |
| $50 | $7.20 | $7.61+$0.41 | $7.74+$0.54 | $7.88+$0.68 |
| $100 | $14.00 | $14.82+$0.82 | $15.09+$1.09 | $15.36+$1.36 |
| Item price | No tax | 6% tax | 8% tax | 10% tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $1.83 | $2.02*+$0.19 | $2.05*+$0.22 | $2.08*+$0.25 |
| $25 | $4.23 | $4.45+$0.22 | $4.53+$0.30 | $4.61+$0.38 |
| $50 | $8.05 | $8.51+$0.46 | $8.66+$0.61 | $8.82+$0.77 |
| $100 | $15.70 | $16.62+$0.92 | $16.92+$1.22 | $17.23+$1.53 |
* The $10 rows: eBay doesn't say whether sales tax counts toward its "$10.00 or less" per-order line. These tables assume it does, so a $10 item plus tax pays the $0.40 per-order fee. If tax doesn't count, the per-order fee is $0.30 and those fees are $0.10 lower: $1.74 / $1.77 / $1.80 in most categories and $1.92 / $1.95 / $1.98 for media.
Worked examples: $10 at 6%, $25 at 8%, $50 at 10%
Most categories, free shipping, no other fees. The tax rates are examples, not averages: your buyer's rate depends on where the item ships.
| Step | $10 item, 6% tax | $25 item, 8% tax | $50 item, 10% tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item price | $10.00 | $25.00 | $50.00 |
| Sales tax the buyer pays | $0.60 | $2.00 | $5.00 |
| Total eBay charges its fee on | $10.60 | $27.00 | $55.00 |
| Final value fee (13.6% of the total) | $1.44 | $3.67 | $7.48 |
| Per-order fee | $0.40* | $0.40 | $0.40 |
| eBay fees | $1.84 | $4.07 | $7.88 |
| Same sale with no tax | $1.66 | $3.80 | $7.20 |
| Extra fee because of the tax | $0.18 | $0.27 | $0.68 |
| You keep from the item price | $8.16 | $20.93 | $42.12 |
The tax doesn't add to your earnings, but the fee on it comes out of them. On the $25 sale, 13.6% of the $2.00 tax is $0.27, and that is the whole difference.
The $10 sale is the odd one. Of its $0.18 extra, $0.08 is 13.6% of the tax and $0.10 is the per-order fee stepping up from $0.30 to $0.40, because $10 plus $0.60 tax is over $10.00. That step only happens if eBay counts the tax toward its per-order line, which its fee page doesn't say (see the note above).
eBay's own $400 example, rebuilt
eBay's fee page has a worked example: a phone sells for a $400 Buy It Now price with free shipping, 6% sales tax, and a $0.35 insertion fee because the seller's free listings are used up (eBay, "Examples of fee calculations"). Here it is again with the fee on the tax split out.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Buy It Now price | $400.00 |
| Sales tax (6%) | $24.00 |
| Total amount of the sale | $424.00 |
| Final value fee (13.6% of $424.00 + $0.40) | $58.06 |
| Of that, the fee on the tax (13.6% of $24.00) | $3.26 |
| Insertion fee | $0.35 |
| Total fees | $58.41 |
| You make (price minus fees) | $341.59 |
So $3.26 of eBay's $58.06 fee, about 5.6%, is the fee on the $24.00 of tax. Without the tax the fee would be $54.80. eBay's "You make" figure starts from the $400 price, not the $424.00 total.
How much to budget
The fee on the tax is the fee rate times the tax rate, applied to item + shipping. In most categories that's 13.6% × your buyers' tax rate: at 8% tax, about 1.1% of item + shipping, or $1.09 per $100.
| Buyer's tax rate | Most categories (13.6%) | Books, movies, music (15.3%) |
|---|---|---|
| 6% | $0.82 | $0.92 |
| 8% | $1.09 | $1.22 |
| 10% | $1.36 | $1.53 |
To see it on your own numbers, put your buyers' typical rate in the Buyer's sales tax field of the eBay fee calculator. It applies the rate to item + shipping. If your buyer's state doesn't tax shipping charges, the real tax and the fee on it are a little lower; check with a tax pro for your situation.
How to build sales tax into a floor price
A floor price (the lowest price you'll take) has to cover the fee on the tax too. Because eBay's percentage applies to price × (1 + tax rate), divide by that larger share instead of the plain fee rate:
Floor = (per-order fee + postage + packaging + target profit) ÷ (1 − fee rate × (1 + tax rate))
Example: a book (the 15.3% media rate) with free shipping, a 1 lb Media Mail label at $4.39 (USPS Notice 123, prices since Oct 4, 2026), no packaging cost entered and a $5.00 target profit. The profit target is an example, not a recommendation. At 8% tax: ($0.40 + $4.39 + $5.00) ÷ (1 − 16.52%) = $11.73, against $11.56 with no tax.
| Buyer's tax rate | Fee as a share of your price | Floor price | eBay fees at the floor | Left after fees and postage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No tax | 15.3% | $11.56 | $2.17 | $5.00 |
| 6% | 16.22% | $11.69 | $2.30 | $5.00 |
| 8% | 16.52% | $11.73 | $2.34 | $5.00 |
| 10% | 16.83% | $11.77 | $2.38 | $5.00 |
You won't know a buyer's tax rate when you list. A floor built at a higher rate than the buyer actually pays leaves you a few cents over your target; one built at no tax leaves you short whenever tax applies.
The minimum-price builder uses the same formula. For this example, enter 16.52% as the referral rate (15.3% × 1.08), $0.40 as the fixed fee, 1 lb Media Mail, $0.00 packaging and $5.00 target profit. Every floor here is over $10.00, so the $0.40 per-order fee applies; for a floor where price plus the buyer's tax comes to $10.00 or less, use $0.30 (eBay doesn't say whether tax counts; see the note above).
Do other platforms charge fees on sales tax?
Etsy, Depop and Whatnot charge their payment processing fee on the tax, but processing is 2.9% to 3.3% of the total, so the cost is small. Of these platforms, eBay is the only one whose fee page says its main percentage fee applies to the tax. The dollar columns show the extra fee from 8% tax on a $10, $25 and $50 item, with no shipping charged.
| Platform | Fee on the tax? | What the fee page says | $10 | $25 | $50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eBay | Yes: final value fee (13.6%; 15.3% for media) | Sales tax is part of the "total amount of the sale" (fee page). | $0.21 | $0.27 | $0.54 |
| Etsy | Yes: payment processing (3% + $0.25) | Etsy takes processing from the total sale price "including its shipping fees, and any applicable sales tax." Its 6.5% transaction fee covers item, shipping and gift wrap, with no mention of tax. (fee page) | $0.02 | $0.06 | $0.12 |
| Depop | Yes: payment processing (3.3% + $0.45) | Depop charges processing on item price, shipping "and any applicable taxes." Its Boosted Listings fee is on the item price excluding taxes. (fee page) | $0.03 | $0.06 | $0.13 |
| Whatnot | Yes: payment processing (2.9% + $0.30) | Whatnot charges processing on item, buyer-paid shipping and taxes. Its commission is on the item price only: shipping and tax are left out. (fee page) | $0.02 | $0.05 | $0.12 |
| TikTok Shop | No | TikTok's referral fee formula subtracts tax: rate × (customer payment + platform discount − tax). TikTok says the referral fee covers all its fees except shipping and tax. (fee page) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Mercari | Not stated | Mercari's fee page gives the selling-fee base as item price + buyer-paid shipping (10%); sales tax isn't in that base. (fee page) | n/a | ||
| Poshmark | Not stated | Poshmark takes its fee from the "final order price" and its fee policy doesn't say whether that includes tax. (fee page) | n/a | ||
| Amazon (media, you ship) | Not stated | Amazon's referral fee is on the total price: list price, shipping and gift wrap. Sales tax isn't on that list. (fee page) | n/a | ||
Compare all of them on one item with the where-to-sell calculator.
Fee math, not tax advice; check with a tax pro about sales-tax questions. This page shows what each platform's published fee rules charge; it doesn't cover who collects or reports the tax.
Related fee changes on the tracker
- eBay raises its seller currency conversion charge to 3.25% (effective Oct 14, 2026)
- Whatnot moves to volume tiers: commission falls as four-week sales grow (effective Sep 21, 2026)
- eBay raises its penalty fees for sellers who stay Below Standard or keep a high 'not as described' rate (effective Jul 1, 2026)
- Depop: 12% boosting fee for new US listings from March 23, 2026 (effective Mar 23, 2026)
All eBay entries: eBay changes.
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- eBay: Selling fees (US)
- Etsy: What are payment processing fees?
- Etsy: What are the fees and taxes for selling on Etsy?
- Depop: Seller fees and charges
- Whatnot: Seller fees
- TikTok Shop Academy: TikTok Shop Referral Fees in 2024 by Category (dated 10/08/2026)
- TikTok Shop: Referral Fee Updates - 2024 (dated May 8, 2025)
- Mercari: Fees on Mercari
- Poshmark: Fee Policy (v1.7, current, effective Nov 25, 2024)
- Amazon: Selling on Amazon fees (sell.amazon.com/pricing)
- USPS Notice 123 (effective Oct 4, 2026)
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