What it costs to sell and ship, item by item
Each page below answers one question: what a specific kind of item costs in platform fees on the sites that sell it, and what it costs to ship by USPS. Fees are computed with the same code as our calculators, postage comes from USPS Notice 123, and every rule is quoted from the platform's or USPS's own page with its section.
Media Mail is allowed for textbooks, vinyl records and DVD and Blu-ray box sets, and for some comic books; everything else pays parcel prices. USPS's lithium battery rules apply to watches, cameras and lenses and small electronics.
Rates verified on
USPS and platform rules checked , except Whatnot, Etsy and Depop, whose fees and rules are shown as their help pages read on
14 items at a glance
| Item | Media Mail | eBay category and rate | eBay fee | Typical package | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEGO setseBay, Mercari, Whatnot, TikTok Shop, Etsy | No | Most categories: 13.6% | $8.56on $60 | $10.07mid-size boxed set, 3 lb, Ground Advantage Zone 4 | Toys pay eBay's most-categories rate, and a big carton can bill by size. |
| Funko PopseBay, Mercari, Whatnot, TikTok Shop | No | Most categories: 13.6% | $3.80on $25 | $7.86one boxed Pop, 12 oz, Ground Advantage Zone 4 | A vinyl figure is a toy, not a sound recording: no Media Mail. |
| Comic bookseBay, Mercari, Whatnot, TikTok Shop, Etsy | Some | Coins & paper money (not bullion), comics, trading cards, CCGs: 13.25% | $3.05on $20 | $7.86one comic, bag and board, rigid mailer, 8 oz, Ground Advantage Zone 4 | Single issues with ads aren't Media Mail; ad-free collected editions can be. |
| TextbooksAmazon, eBay, Mercari, TikTok Shop | Allowed | Books & Magazines, Movies & TV, Music (not vinyl records): 15.3% | $6.52on $40 | $5.86a hardcover textbook, 3 lb, Media Mail | Media Mail by weight; insurance is extra because Media Mail includes none. |
| Vintage T-shirts and band teeseBay, Poshmark, Depop, Mercari, Etsy, Whatnot, TikTok Shop | No | Most categories: 13.6% | $5.84on $40 | $7.86one tee in a poly mailer, 8 oz, Ground Advantage Zone 4 | Etsy takes only tees over 20 years old; Poshmark's fee jumps at $15. |
| Designer handbagseBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Depop, Whatnot, TikTok Shop, Etsy | No | Women's bags & handbags: 15% up to $2,000, 9% above | $75.40on $500 | $10.07a medium bag with dust bag, boxed, 3 lb, Ground Advantage Zone 4 | eBay drops to 9% of the whole total above $2,000; Posh Authenticate covers select luxury bags from $500. |
| SneakerseBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Depop, Whatnot, TikTok Shop | No | Athletic shoes (men's and women's): 13.6% under $150, 8% at $150+ | $19.44on $140 | $10.07a boxed pair, 3 lb, Ground Advantage Zone 4 | eBay's 8% starts at a $150 total, shipping included; an oversized carton bills by size. |
| JewelryeBay, Etsy, Poshmark, Mercari, Whatnot, TikTok Shop | No | Jewelry & watches (not watches, parts & accessories): 15% up to $5,000, 9% above | $30.40on $200 | $7.86a ring or earrings, padded mailer, 4 oz, Ground Advantage Zone 4 | eBay drops to 9% of the whole total above $5,000; USPS insurance stops at $5,000. |
| WatcheseBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Whatnot, TikTok Shop, Etsy | No(lithium battery rules apply) | Watches, parts & accessories: 15% to $1,000, then 6.5% and 3% | $45.40on $300 | $8.55a watch in its box, 1 lb, Ground Advantage Zone 4 | eBay's watch rate steps down on the part above $1,000; lithium coin cells have rules. |
| Board gameseBay, Mercari, Whatnot, TikTok Shop, Etsy | No | Most categories: 13.6% | $6.52on $45 | $11.30a family game, 4 lb, Ground Advantage Zone 4 | A printed rulebook doesn't make a game Media Mail; big boxes bill by size. |
| Vinyl recordseBay, Amazon, Mercari, Whatnot, TikTok Shop, Etsy | Allowed | Most categories: 13.6% | $4.48on $30 | $4.39one LP in a mailer, 1 lb, Media Mail | eBay charges vinyl its general rate, not the music rate; Media Mail allowed. |
| Cameras and lenseseBay, Mercari, Poshmark, Whatnot, TikTok Shop, Etsy | No(lithium battery rules apply) | Most categories: 13.6% | $34.40on $250 | $8.91a camera body, boxed, 2 lb, Ground Advantage Zone 4 | A used camera with its battery goes by ground, marked; a lens alone doesn't. |
| Small electronicseBay, Mercari, Poshmark, Whatnot, TikTok Shop | No(lithium battery rules apply) | Most categories: 13.6% | $8.56on $60 | $8.55a phone or handheld, boxed, 1 lb, Ground Advantage Zone 4 | Used devices go by ground, marked and declared; an undeclared one can cost $50. |
| DVD and Blu-ray box setsAmazon, eBay, Mercari, Whatnot, TikTok Shop | Allowed | Books & Magazines, Movies & TV, Music (not vinyl records): 15.3% | $4.23on $25 | $5.13a season box set, 2 lb, Media Mail | Media Mail allowed, unless the set comes with a figure, a game or a gadget. |
How these pages are built
- Fees at three or four realistic prices per item, on the platforms that carry that kind of item, with the category rates in each platform's fee page: eBay's rates for women's bags, jewelry, watches, athletic shoes, comics and media; TikTok Shop's Pre-Owned rates; Whatnot's 0% commission above $1,500 in eligible categories. Each page shows what you keep with and without buyer-paid shipping. eBay's own rule for each category, word for word with worked examples, is on the eBay fees by category pages, and each item page links its match.
- Postage at typical packed weights, from USPS's published commercial and retail prices, with Media Mail only where DMM 173.4.1 allows it, the dimensional-weight math for items that ship in big boxes, and Ground Advantage Cubic prices against weight prices where a dense box can pay less (sneakers, LEGO).
- Rules quoted from USPS (the Domestic Mail Manual and Publication 52) and from each platform's own help or fee pages, with the section and the date checked: authentication programs, price limits, battery marks, insurance and Registered Mail.
- Whatnot, Etsy and Depop: their help centers block automated checks, so their fees and rules are shown as their own pages read on Oct 14, 2026: the line under each page's opening says so, their fee-table rows carry a § mark with a note, and each of their quoted rules is marked "as checked". Etsy's listing and transaction fees, and Depop's lack of a US selling fee, also appear in Etsy, Inc.'s 2025 annual report, filed while Etsy still owned Depop; Etsy sold Depop to eBay Inc. on July 30, 2026, per its Form 8-K.
- Not covered: Discogs (not tracked on this site yet) and Amazon outside its media categories. Each page says where that applies.
Related guides: Selling app fees compared · Cheapest way to ship books · Cheapest way to ship clothes · How to ship trading cards · How to ship video games
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- USPS Notice 123: price list (effective Oct 4, 2026)
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 173: Media Mail prices and eligibility (4.1 qualified items)
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 601.3: packaging standards
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 283: Ground Advantage Cubic prices (1.3) and dimensional weight (1.4)
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 609: when to file a claim (1.4), proof of value (3.2) and nonpayable claims (4.3)
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 503: insurance, Registered Mail and Signature Confirmation
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 101.2: physical standards for large envelopes (flats)
- USPS Customer Support Ruling PS-064: Media Mail, books (workbooks and fill-in textbooks)
- USPS Publication 52, 349: lithium batteries (Class 9)
- USPS Publication 52, 323: mailer responsibility (declaring hazardous materials)
- USPS Publication 52, 327: transportation requirements (air and surface)
- USPS Publication 52, 339: packaging for hazardous materials (USPS-produced packaging, outer packaging)
- USPS: Mail and shipping services (Media Mail eligibility, Ground Advantage)
- USPS: How to send a package (packing steps, lithium batteries)
- USPS: Insurance and extra services
- eBay: Selling fees (US) (saved copy, Oct 14, 2026)
- Amazon: Selling on Amazon fees (sell.amazon.com/pricing) (saved copy, Oct 14, 2026)
- Mercari: What is Mercari Authenticate?
- Mercari: What are Authenticate fees and certificates?
- Mercari: Mercari's price limit
- Poshmark: Posh Authenticate
- Whatnot: Reduced commission on high-value orders (as checked Oct 14, 2026; not re-checked since)
- Whatnot: USPS shipping updates on Whatnot as of July 31 (as checked Oct 14, 2026; not re-checked since)
- Etsy: Does Etsy allow drop shipping or reselling? (as checked Oct 14, 2026; not re-checked since)
- Etsy, Inc.: Form 10-K for 2025, filed Feb 19, 2026 (revenue note: Etsy listing and transaction fees, Depop seller fees)
- Etsy, Inc.: Form 8-K filed Jul 30, 2026 (Item 2.01: sale of Depop to eBay Inc. completed)
- USPS Publication 52, 622: mailable dangerous goods, international and APO/FPO/DPO (622.5 lithium batteries)
- USPS Publication 52, Appendix C: Packaging Instruction 9D (domestic lithium batteries)
- TikTok Shop Academy: TikTok Shop Referral Fees in 2024 by Category (dated Oct 8, 2026)
- Mercari: Fees on Mercari
- Poshmark: Fee Policy (v1.7, current, effective Nov 25, 2024)
- Depop: Seller fees and charges (as checked Oct 14, 2026)
- Whatnot: Seller fees (as checked Oct 14, 2026)
- Etsy: What are the fees and taxes for selling on Etsy? (as checked Oct 14, 2026)
Free 1-page Reseller Cheat Sheet: fees on 8 platforms, Media Mail and stamp prices
What each platform takes from a $10, $25 and $50 sale, Media Mail 1-10 lb, Ground Advantage to Zones 1, 5 and 8, and the Forever stamp, on one printable page. The link appears as soon as you sign up.