eBay selling fees for UK sellers, explained (2026)
Private sellers now pay no eBay selling fees at all — but business sellers pay three separate charges on every sale. Here's how each one works and what they add up to.
eBay UK made a big change to its fees: private sellers now pay no selling fees at all — buyers pay a Buyer Protection fee instead. But the moment you sell as a business (and if you make items to sell, HMRC and eBay both consider you one), a different rate card applies. Here's what business sellers actually pay, verified against eBay's own rate card.
The final value fee — typically 11.9%
eBay's main fee is a percentage of the total sale amount, including postage. It varies by category — roughly 7% up to 14.9% — but 11.9% is the most common mainstream rate, and it's what most handmade and craft categories pay. On higher-value items some categories tier down, so it's worth checking the rate card for yours.
The per-order fee — 30p or 40p
On top of the percentage, every order carries a fixed fee: £0.30 for orders of £10 or less, £0.40 above £10 (rates since February 2026). On a £5 sale that fixed fee is an extra 6% by itself, which is why low-priced items are hit proportionally hardest.
The regulatory operating fee — 0.35%
UK business sellers also pay 0.35% of the total sale amount. It's small, but like the others it's charged on item price plus postage.
What's NOT charged
Unlike Etsy, eBay's fees generally include payment processing — there's no separate payment fee on top. Listing is also free for the vast majority of business sellers' listings within their allowance.
Don't forget the VAT
If you're not VAT-registered, 20% VAT is added to eBay's fees and you can't claim it back — so the headline 11.9% is effectively about 14.3% once VAT is included. (VAT-registered sellers reclaim it, so for them the headline rates are the real cost.)
What it adds up to
- On a typical £30 sale with £3.50 postage, a business seller in a standard category pays about £5.41 in fees including VAT — around 16% of what the buyer paid.
- The same sale as a private seller: £0 in selling fees.
The gap between the two matters if you're just getting started: selling your own unwanted things is private, but making things to sell is trading, and trading on a private account risks eBay reclassifying you (and HMRC taking an interest) — so build the business fees into your prices from day one.
You can put your own numbers into the free eBay fee calculator on this site to see every fee line and your actual profit, or compare the same product across Etsy, TikTok Shop, Amazon, Shopify and Folksy side by side with the marketplace comparison tool. Spotted a number that doesn't match your real eBay statement? Use the "report a wrong fee" link on the calculator and it'll be checked against the official rate card.