eBay vs Etsy fees (2026)
Both marketplaces take a percentage of each sale plus smaller fixed fees, but the sizes are very different: Etsy's combined rate sits near 10% of the order, while eBay's final value fee runs 13.6% before its per-order charge. Here is the full breakdown.
The fee structures side by side
| Etsy | eBay (no store) | |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage fee | 6.5% transaction — item price plus shipping | 13.6% final value fee — item price plus shipping charged (2.35% on the portion above $7,500) |
| Payment processing | 3% + $0.25 (US) | None — included in the final value fee |
| Per-order / fixed sale fee | — | $0.30 on orders of $10.00 or less, $0.40 above |
| Listing cost | $0.20 per listing (4 months or until sold) | Free — first 250/month, then $0.35 per listing |
| Offsite advertising | Offsite Ads 15% (opt-out-able under $10k/yr); 12% and mandatory above, capped at $100 per order | Promoted Listings — optional, you set the ad rate |
| International buyer | — (payment processing varies by country) | +1.65% when the buyer is registered outside the US |
US seller rates as of 2026. Store-subscription tiers and category exceptions not shown — see the calculators for details.
What each takes at real prices
Approximate platform take on a completed sale (US buyer; Etsy includes its $0.20 listing fee in the sale figures, eBay includes the per-order fee):
| Sale | Etsy takes | eBay takes |
|---|---|---|
| $12 item | ~$1.59 | ~$2.03 |
| $25 item (+$5 ship) | ~$3.30 | ~$4.48 |
| $100 item (+$5 ship) | ~$10.42 | ~$14.68 |
The bottom line
- Etsy is cheaper at almost every price. Its combined cut — 6.5% + 3% + $0.25 + a $$0.20 listing fee — comes to roughly 10% of an order, against eBay's 13.6% plus the per-order charge. The percentage gap is wide enough that fixed fees never close it.
- Only very small orders flip the result. Under about a $$3.66 order total, eBay's low-tier $0.30 per-order fee undercuts Etsy's fixed floor — a pennies-level edge that rarely matters in practice.
- Listing volume changes the upfront math. Etsy charges $0.20 per listing; eBay's first 250 listings each month are free. A seller relisting dozens of items monthly pays Etsy more before anything sells — but on completed sales, Etsy still comes out ahead per dollar.
- Audience still beats fees. Etsy buyers come for handmade, craft and vintage; eBay is a general resale marketplace. The fee gap is real, but category fit decides what you can actually sell.
Frequently asked questions
Which charges less, eBay or Etsy?
Etsy, at almost every sale size. Etsy's combined cut is 9.5% of the order (transaction + processing) plus $0.45 in fixed fees including the listing fee, while eBay takes 13.6% plus a per-order fee of $0.30–$0.40. The percentage gap is so wide that the fixed fees never catch up: on a $12 sale Etsy takes about $1.59 against eBay's $2.03, and the gap only grows from there. Rates as of 2026 — confirm on etsy.com and ebay.com.
Is there any sale size where eBay is cheaper than Etsy?
Only tiny ones. Below roughly a $3.66 order total (item plus shipping), eBay's 13.6% + $0.30 undercuts Etsy's fixed-fee floor — but a sale that small is rare in practice, and the difference is pennies. From about $3.66 upward, Etsy's fee is lower at every price point, and the dollar gap widens linearly with the sale size.
What about the other differences — listing fees, ads, and audience?
Etsy charges $0.20 to list each item (covering 4 months or until it sells); eBay gives you 250 free listings a month, then $0.35 each — so heavy listers may pay Etsy more upfront. Both platforms charge optional advertising fees: Etsy's Offsite Ads take 15% (or 12% above $10k/yr in sales, where it becomes mandatory), while eBay's Promoted Listings are always optional and you pick the rate. Beyond fees, the audiences differ — Etsy is a craft-and-vintage marketplace with intent-rich buyers; eBay is a general resale marketplace — so the cheaper platform isn't automatically the better one for your products.
Run your exact numbers: Etsy fee calculator · eBay fee calculator. Rates as of 2026 — confirm on etsy.com and ebay.com.