---
title: "eBay fees for guitars and basses (2026): 6.7% + $0.30/$0.40"
description: "eBay charges 6.7% of the total (2.35% above $7,500) + $0.30/$0.40 per order to sell guitars and basses. A $400 guitar costs $27.20. Examples and edge cases."
canonical: https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/guitars-and-basses/
last_updated: 2026-10-19
publisher: "The Reseller Index"
---

# How much does eBay charge to sell guitars and basses?

**eBay's final value fee for guitars and basses is 6.7% of the total up to $7,500 and 2.35% on any part above $7,500, plus $0.30 per order ($0.40 on orders over $10.00).** On a $400 guitar with no shipping charged and no sales tax, the fees come to $27.20 (6.8% of the price), so you keep $372.80. Listing is free: eBay's table puts the insertion fee for Guitars & Basses at "Free".

"Total" is what the buyer pays: item, shipping, handling and sales tax. Checked Oct 14, 2026 from [eBay's Selling fees page](https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822); we re-check it monthly, and eBay can change its rates.

Rates verified on Oct 14, 2026

- **Final value fee**
  6.7% up to $7,500
- **Per-order fee**
  $0.30 / $0.40
- **Fees on a $400 guitar, no shipping or tax**
  $27.20
- **Insertion fee**
  Free

## eBay's rule, word for word

From the "Basic fees for most categories" table on [eBay's Selling fees page](https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822) (US), checked Oct 14, 2026:

Musical Instruments & Gear > Guitars & Basses

> "6.7% on total amount of the sale up to $7,500 calculated per item"
>
> "2.35% on the portion of the sale over $7,500"

Insertion fee column: "Free"

The page also says the fee "is calculated as a percentage of the total amount of the sale, plus a per order fee", and: "For orders $10.00 or less the per order fee is $0.30, for orders over $10.00 the per order fee is $0.40."

## eBay fees on guitars and basses at real prices

*eBay fees by sale price, guitars and basses: item price only, no shipping charged. The last column is the same sale when the buyer pays 8% sales tax (an example rate), which eBay counts in the total. Computed with our calculator's code from eBay's fee table, checked Oct 14, 2026.*

| Sale price | Final value fee | Per-order fee | Total fees | Share of price | You keep | Fees with 8% sales tax |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| $150 | $10.05 | $0.40 | $10.45 | 7% | $139.55 | $11.25 (+$0.80) |
| $400 | $26.80 | $0.40 | $27.20 | 6.8% | $372.80 | $29.34 (+$2.14) |
| $1,000 | $67.00 | $0.40 | $67.40 | 6.7% | $932.60 | $72.76 (+$5.36) |
| $3,000 | $201.00 | $0.40 | $201.40 | 6.7% | $2,798.60 | $217.48 (+$16.08) |
| $7,500 | $502.50 | $0.40 | $502.90 | 6.7% | $6,997.10 | $517.00 (+$14.10) |
| $12,000 | $608.25 | $0.40 | $608.65 | 5.1% | $11,391.35 | $631.21 (+$22.56) |

"You keep" is the sale price minus eBay's fees, before postage, the item's cost, insertion fees and any optional upgrades. Any amount: [eBay fee calculator](https://resellerindex.com/calculators/ebay-fee-calculator/) (choose the category) · [eBay fees on sales tax](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees-on-sales-tax/)

## Above $7,500: how the 2.35% tier works

Only the part of one item's total above $7,500 pays 2.35%. The overall rate falls slowly as the price rises.

*Final value fee on one item's total, guitars and basses, before the per-order fee. "Next dollar" is the rate on the next dollar of the total.*

| Total | How it's figured | Final value fee | Overall rate | Next dollar |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| $7,500 | 6.7% of $7,500.00 | $502.50 | 6.7% | 2.35% |
| $10,000 | 6.7% of $7,500.00 + 2.35% of $2,500.00 | $561.25 | 5.6% | 2.35% |
| $25,000 | 6.7% of $7,500.00 + 2.35% of $17,500.00 | $913.75 | 3.7% | 2.35% |

**It's per item, not per order.** eBay's wording is "calculated per item", so two $5,000 items in one order each pay 6.7% on their own total: $670.40 in fees, against $561.65 for one $10,000 item ($108.75 more).

## Worked example: $650 guitar, $45.00 shipping, 8% sales tax

1. Total amount of the sale: $650.00 item + $45.00 shipping + $55.60 sales tax (8% of $695.00, an example rate) = **$750.60**.
2. Final value fee: 6.7% of $750.60 = **$50.29**.
3. Per-order fee: $0.40 (the order total is over $10.00).
4. Total eBay fees: **$50.69**, 7.3% of the $695.00 you collect for item and shipping. $6.74 of it comes from charging fees on the shipping and tax.
5. You keep $644.31 before postage and the item's cost.

## Edge cases

- Only Guitars & Basses is named. Other Musical Instruments & Gear categories pay the most-categories rate.
- **Other gear pays the most-categories rate.** A $400 item elsewhere in Musical Instruments & Gear costs $54.80 in fees against $27.20 for a $400 guitar; at $1,000, $136.40 against $67.40.

## What to do

1. **Pick the category before you set the price.** The rate follows the category the listing is in, and listing in two categories charges the higher final value fee if the item sells.
2. **Expect the lower rate only on the part above $7,500.** The break is figured per item, not per order.
3. **Set your minimum on the total.** eBay takes its percentage from shipping and tax too, so a price that clears your costs at the item price alone can fall short once those are added. The [eBay fee calculator](https://resellerindex.com/calculators/ebay-fee-calculator/) takes all three.

## Other eBay fees that can apply

- **Insertion fee:** "Free" for this row, in eBay's insertion fee column. Good 'Til Cancelled listings are charged again each time they renew.
- **Two categories:** a second insertion fee, and "The higher of the two final value fees is charged, if your item sells."
- **Reserve price (auctions):** "$5.00 or 7.5% of reserve price, whichever is greater (maximum fee $250)", charged whether or not the item sells. A $400 reserve costs $30.00; 7.5% reaches the $250 cap at a reserve of about $3,333.33, and a reserve up to about $66.67 pays the $5.00 minimum.
- **Subtitle:** $3.00 on an auction and $6.00 on a fixed price listing at a $400 price (the price break is $150). Bold: $2.00 auction, $4.00 fixed price.
- **International fee:** 1.65% of the total when the delivery address or the buyer's registered address is outside the US, unless you're US-registered and use eBay International Shipping: $6.60 on a $400 sale.
- **Seller performance:** Below Standard sellers pay an extra 6% of the total (7% after four or more consecutive months): $24.00 more on a $400 sale. A Very High rate of "item not as described" return requests adds 5% in the affected categories (6% after four or more consecutive months).
- **Store subscribers, vehicles and eBay Live:** "Fees are different for Store subscribers, vehicle sales, and eBay Live sales." This page uses the basic rates.

## Questions

### How much does eBay charge to sell guitars and basses?

eBay's final value fee for guitars and basses is 6.7% of the total up to $7,500 and 2.35% on any part above $7,500, plus $0.30 per order ($0.40 on orders over $10.00). On a $400 guitar with no shipping charged and no sales tax, the fees come to $27.20 (6.8% of the price), so you keep $372.80. Listing is free: eBay's table puts the insertion fee for Guitars & Basses at "Free".

### Does eBay take its fee on shipping and sales tax?

Yes. eBay says "The total amount of the sale includes the item price, any handling charges, any shipping costs collected from the buyer (some exceptions apply), sales tax, and any other applicable fees." A $650 guitar with $45.00 shipping and 8% sales tax totals $750.60, and the fees come to $50.69 instead of $43.95 on the price alone.

### How does eBay's fee work above $7,500?

Only the part of one item's total above $7,500 pays 2.35%. On a $25,000 total the final value fee is $913.75, an overall 3.7%. The break is "calculated per item", so it doesn't apply to an order of several cheaper items.

### Does all musical gear get eBay's guitar rate?

No. Only Musical Instruments & Gear > Guitars & Basses is named in eBay's table, at 6.7%. Other categories under Musical Instruments & Gear pay the most-categories 13.6%.

## Related questions

- [How much does eBay charge to sell vinyl records?](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/vinyl-records/)
- [How much does eBay charge to sell heavy equipment?](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/heavy-equipment/)
- [How much does eBay charge to sell watches?](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/watches/)
- [Every eBay category and its fee](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees-by-category/)
- [Does eBay charge fees on sales tax?](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees-on-sales-tax/)
- [What has eBay changed lately? (eBay change tracker)](https://resellerindex.com/changes/ebay/)

## Sources

Each official page below was checked on the date given with it. The eBay pages are read from copies saved on Oct 14, 2026; this site doesn't fetch them.

- [eBay: Selling fees (US), "Basic fees for most categories" table (saved copy, checked Oct 14, 2026)](https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822)

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## eBay fees for other categories

- [All categories](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees-by-category/)
- [Books](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/books/)
- [DVDs, Blu-rays and CDs](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/movies-and-music/)
- [Vinyl records](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/vinyl-records/)
- [Trading cards](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/trading-cards/)
- [Comic books](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/comic-books/)
- [Coins and paper money](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/coins-and-paper-money/)
- [Bullion](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/bullion/)
- [Handbags](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/handbags/)
- [Jewelry](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/jewelry/)
- [Watches](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/watches/)
- [Sneakers (athletic shoes)](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/sneakers/)
- [Clothing](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/clothing/)
- [Heavy equipment, printing presses and food trucks](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/heavy-equipment/)
- [Auto parts](https://resellerindex.com/guides/ebay-fees/auto-parts/)

---

The Reseller Index

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