Exactly what eBay takes at every price point
Real numbers, not estimates: fees and net payout for $10 through $1,000 sales in every category, computed from eBay's official 2026 fee schedule — including the per-order fee and the sales-tax rule most tables miss.
✓ Computed from fee schedule verified Oct 27, 2026 · Run your own numbers →
The quick answer: a $100 sale
In most categories eBay takes $14.00 on a $100 sale — 13.6% final value fee ($13.60) plus the $0.40 per-order fee — and pays out $86.00. Jewelry, watches and media categories take a little more (15% or 15.3%), which is why the table below matters if you sell across categories.
Fee base = total amount of the sale: item price + shipping + handling + sales tax. Tables below assume no shipping/tax so you can see the pure category math; the calculator handles the full case.
Fees & net payout at every price point
Take % = total fees ÷ sale price. Green = cheapest category at that price point.
$10 sale
| Category | Fees | You keep | Take % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coins & Paper Money | $1.63 | $8.38 | 16.3% |
| Trading Cards & Collectibles | $1.63 | $8.38 | 16.3% |
| Most categories (13.6%) | $1.66 | $8.34 | 16.6% |
| Jewelry / Watches / Bags | $1.80 | $8.20 | 18.0% |
| Books, Movies, Music (media) | $1.83 | $8.17 | 18.3% |
| NFTs (5% flat) | $0.80 | $9.20 | 8.0% |
See the effect of the fixed per-order fee: at $10 it adds ~3.4 points to the take rate. Small sales are taxed hardest.
$25 sale
| Category | Fees | You keep | Take % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coins & Paper Money | $3.71 | $21.29 | 14.8% |
| Trading Cards & Collectibles | $3.71 | $21.29 | 14.8% |
| Most categories (13.6%) | $3.80 | $21.20 | 15.2% |
| Jewelry / Watches / Bags | $4.15 | $20.85 | 16.6% |
| Books, Movies, Music (media) | $4.22 | $20.77 | 16.9% |
| NFTs (5% flat) | $1.65 | $23.35 | 6.6% |
$50 sale
| Category | Fees | You keep | Take % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coins & Paper Money | $7.03 | $42.98 | 14.1% |
| Trading Cards & Collectibles | $7.03 | $42.98 | 14.1% |
| Most categories (13.6%) | $7.20 | $42.80 | 14.4% |
| Jewelry / Watches / Bags | $7.90 | $42.10 | 15.8% |
| Books, Movies, Music (media) | $8.05 | $41.95 | 16.1% |
| NFTs (5% flat) | $2.90 | $47.10 | 5.8% |
The $100 sale — every category
| Category | Fees | You keep | Take % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coins & Paper Money | $13.65 | $86.35 | 13.7% |
| Trading Cards & Collectibles | $13.65 | $86.35 | 13.7% |
| Most categories (13.6%) | $14.00 | $86.00 | 14.0% |
| Jewelry / Watches / Bags | $15.40 | $84.60 | 15.4% |
| Books, Movies, Music (media) | $15.70 | $84.30 | 15.7% |
| NFTs (5% flat) | $5.40 | $94.60 | 5.4% |
$250 sale
| Category | Fees | You keep | Take % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coins & Paper Money | $33.52 | $216.47 | 13.4% |
| Trading Cards & Collectibles | $33.52 | $216.47 | 13.4% |
| Most categories (13.6%) | $34.40 | $215.60 | 13.8% |
| Jewelry / Watches / Bags | $37.90 | $212.10 | 15.2% |
| Books, Movies, Music (media) | $38.65 | $211.35 | 15.5% |
| NFTs (5% flat) | $12.90 | $237.10 | 5.2% |
$500 sale
| Category | Fees | You keep | Take % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most categories (13.6%) | $68.40 | $431.60 | 13.7% |
| Coins & Paper Money | $66.65 | $433.35 | 13.3% |
| Trading Cards & Collectibles | $66.65 | $433.35 | 13.3% |
| Jewelry / Watches / Bags | $75.40 | $424.60 | 15.1% |
| Books, Movies, Music (media) | $76.90 | $423.10 | 15.4% |
| NFTs (5% flat) | $25.40 | $474.60 | 5.1% |
$1,000 sale
| Category | Fees | You keep | Take % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most categories (13.6%) | $136.40 | $863.60 | 13.6% |
| Coins & Paper Money | $132.90 | $867.10 | 13.3% |
| Trading Cards & Collectibles | $132.90 | $867.10 | 13.3% |
| Jewelry / Watches / Bags | $150.40 | $849.60 | 15.0% |
| Books, Movies, Music (media) | $153.40 | $846.60 | 15.3% |
| NFTs (5% flat) | $50.40 | $949.60 | 5.0% |
The athletic-shoe exception
Athletic shoes over $150 are their own regime: an 8% final value fee replaces the standard one, and the per-order fee is waived. A $200 pair of sneakers costs $16.00 total in fees — 8.0% — versus $27.60 at standard rates. That's the single biggest fee cliff on eBay; if you flip shoes, always run the athletic category in the calculator before pricing.
Why the take rate isn't a single number
- Category rates differ (13.25%–15.3% before breakpoints, plus special regimes for watches, bullion and heavy equipment).
- The fixed per-order fee ($0.30/$0.40) weighs heaviest on cheap items — the $10 take rate is ~17% while the $1,000 take rate settles at ~13.6%.
- Breakpoints are cliffs, not ramps, in some categories: jewelry's rate drops from 15% to 9% in one step when the total passes $5,000 — a $4,999 jewelry sale pays ~$750, a $5,001 sale pays ~$450. (Full breakdown of the fee structure →)
- Sales tax is in the fee base. eBay charges its percentage on the tax it collected from your buyer, too.
Check your exact sale
These tables assume a clean sale: no shipping, no tax, no Promoted Listings ad rate, domestic buyer. Real sales have all of those. The MarginGauge calculator computes your exact payout — including the sales-tax detail most calculators miss — and solves break-even and target-profit prices.
FAQ
- How much does eBay take on a $100 sale?
- $14.00 in most categories ($13.60 final value fee + $0.40 per-order fee), leaving $86.00. Jewelry/watch/bag categories take $15.40; media takes $15.70.
- How much does eBay take on a $1,000 sale?
- $136.40 in most categories ($863.60 payout). Watches and bullion drop to much lower rates on the portion above their breakpoints — a $10,000 watch sale costs far less proportionally than a $1,000 one.
- What percentage does eBay take overall?
- Between roughly 8% (athletic shoes over $150) and 18.3% (cheap media items), depending on category and price point. The full spectrum is in the tables above.
Numbers computed programmatically from eBay's official selling-fees schedule (verified Oct 27, 2026). eBay occasionally revises rates — always confirm against eBay's fee page before big listings. MarginGauge is not affiliated with eBay Inc.