eBay Fee Calculator

eBay is Germany’s largest online marketplace. For business sellers it charges a final value fee (selling commission) that, depending on the product category, is usually between 6.5% and 16% (tech devices 7%, standard categories 14%). On top of that there is a fixed fee of €0.45 per order over €10 (€0.35 below that). All fees for business sellers are quoted excluding VAT. Private sellers pay no selling commission on sales within Germany.

How does eBay calculate the commission?

The commission is charged on the total amount the buyer pays – that is, including shipping costs and VAT (per eBay.de's fee page). eBay's own fees are then quoted net, plus 19% VAT. In the example the prices are gross, i.e. already include any VAT: for an item at €50 plus €6 shipping (= €56 total amount) in a standard category (14%), you pay €7.84 + €0.45 = €8.29 net (plus VAT) to eBay. The calculator works with this total amount, so enter your gross prices. In some categories (e.g. clothing, books, car parts) the percentage applies only to the portion up to €990; 3% is charged on the rest.

Listing fees and Shop subscriptions

Business sellers without a Shop pay a listing fee per listing of €0.35 (fixed price) or €0.50 (auction). A Shop subscription includes a monthly allowance of listings: Basic €39.95/month (400 fixed-price listings), Top €79.95 (2,500), Premium €299.95 (unlimited), each net. Private sellers can list 320 items a month without a listing fee; after that each one costs €0.50.

International selling: 0 to 3.3% extra fee

No international fee applies to deliveries within the eurozone and to Sweden. For other destinations eBay charges 1.2% to 3.3% of the total amount, depending on the region (3.3% for “all other countries”). If you use the eBay International Shipping programme, you pay no international fee on eligible items. If eBay converts amounts into another currency, a currency conversion fee is added (3%, rising to 3.25% from 2 December 2026).

Worked examples from different categories

An item in a standard category at €50 with €6 shipping gives a total of €56. The commission is €7.84 (14%), plus the €0.45 fixed fee, making €8.29 or 14.8%. For an item of only €8 including shipping it is €1.12 plus €0.35, i.e. €1.47 (18.4%), because the lower fixed fee applies under €10 but weighs more heavily in percentage terms. Small amounts are therefore disproportionately expensive on eBay.

A smartphone in the tech devices category at €480 plus €20 shipping costs, at 7% on €500, exactly €35.00 plus €0.45, i.e. €35.45 (7.1%). A set of tyres at €400 at 6.5% costs €26.00 plus €0.45. The tiering is especially revealing: for clothing worth €1,200, the 12% applies only to the first €990 (€118.80), and the remaining €210 are charged at only 3% (€6.30). With the fixed fee that is €125.55, or about 10.5% instead of the 12% you might first assume.

Net, gross and VAT on eBay's fees

All the fees quoted are net amounts. On the €8.29 from the first example, 19% VAT is added, so you are actually charged €9.87. As a VAT-registered trader you can normally reclaim this as input tax; small businesses cannot, and so effectively bear the fees gross. The calculator shows the net fees, that is, the values without VAT, as they are also stated on eBay's fee page.

It is particularly important that the commission is charged on the total amount the buyer pays. That includes shipping costs and, where applicable, VAT. If you charge a gross price of €119, you therefore pay commission on the VAT portion contained in it too. This is one reason why your pricing should always start from gross prices, as the calculator expects.

Private or commercial: which rules apply?

Private sellers pay no selling commission on sales within Germany. The line to a business is blurred, however: anyone who sells regularly, on a larger scale, with new goods or with goods bought for resale counts as a trader, even if they see themselves as a private person. The consequences include the duty to publish a legal notice under section 5 DDG, the consumer right of withdrawal under section 355 BGB, the statutory two-year warranty (for used goods it can be shortened to one year by agreement, section 476 BGB) and tax obligations.

Under the Platform Tax Transparency Act, the platform must report seller data to the Federal Central Tax Office once more than 30 sales or more than €2,000 in proceeds are reached in a year. This is not proof of a business, but it can prompt queries from the tax office. Anyone commercially placing electrical and electronic equipment or packaged goods on the market must also observe the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act and the Packaging Act.

When does a Shop subscription pay off?

A Shop subscription changes the calculation in two places: it includes an allowance of listings, and in some categories it lowers the tier threshold, in the calculator for example to €500 for watches and jewellery. On a piece of jewellery at €600 you pay with a Shop €80.00 (16% on €500) plus €3.00 (3% on €100), and without a Shop 16% on €600, i.e. €96.00. Against that comes the subscription of €39.95 a month (Basic). A Shop mainly pays off with many listings or with items that benefit from the tiering. Weigh your average number of new listings per month against the base fee before you commit.