eBay For Seniors For Dummies
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In traditional situations where you pay sales commission on a big purchase (such as a house), you usually pay a fixed percentage on the entire amount. eBay’s Final Value Fee (EVF) structure for auctions is different: It’s set up as a three-tiered system where you pay

  • 8.75 percent of the closing bid amount for the first $25.00.

  • 3.5 percent of the closing bid amount from $25.01 to $1,000.00

  • 1.5 percent of the closing bid amount over $1,000.00

This table covers the calculation of final value fees for auctions.

Because of the sliding percentages, the higher the final selling price, the lower the percentage of commission eBay charges.

Auction Final Value Fees
Closing Bid To Find Your Final Value Fee
$0.01–$25.00 Multiply the closing bid by 8.75 percent.
For a closing bid of $25.00, you owe eBay $2.19.
$25.00 x .0875 = $2.19
$25.01–$1,000.00 Multiply the first $25.00 of the closing bid by 8.75 percent. Subtract $25.00 from your closing bid and then multiply this difference by 3.5 percent. Add these two amounts.
For a closing bid of $1,000.00, you owe eBay $36.32.
$25.00 x .0875 = $2.19
($1,000.00 – $25.00) x .035 = $34.13
$2.19 + $34.13 = $36.32
$1,000.01 and over Multiply the first $25.00 of the closing bid by 8.75 percent. Multiply ($1,000.00 – $25.00) by 3.5 percent. Subtract $1,000.00 from your closing bid and then multiply this difference by 1.5 percent. Add these three amounts.
For a final sale price of $3,000.00, you owe eBay $66.32.
$25.00 x .0875 = $2.19
($1,000.00 – $25.00) x .035 = $34.13
($3,000.00 – $1,000.00) x .015 = $30.00
$2.19 + $34.13 + $30.00 = $66.32

eBay doesn’t charge a final value fee on an auction in the Real Estate/Timeshares category as they do in other categories; instead, they charge a flat notice fee of $35.00.

Instead of FVFs in the Automotive category, you pay a flat successful listing fee of $125.00 for passenger vehicles (the first four listings in a12-month period; $100.00 for the fifth and subsequent) and $100.00 for motorcycles (the first four listings in a 12-month period; $80.00 for the fifth and subsequent), if your auction ends with a winning bidder (and the reserve has been met).

Things get tricky when you’re dealing with final value fees for fixed-price items; the FVFs differ by category. Checking out the costs involved in the individual categories may help you decide which type of items you choose to sell. This table helps clarify the tiers.

Fixed-Price Final Value Fees
eBay Category Selling Price To Find Your Final Value Fee
Consumer Electronics Video Game Systems, Cameras & Photo $0.01–$50.00
$50.01–$1,000.00
$1,000.01 and over
8% of the selling price
8% of the first $50.00, plus 4.5% of the remaining selling price ($50.01–$1,000.00)
8% of the first $50.00, plus 4.5% of the amount up to $1,000.00, plus 1% of the remaining selling price ($1,000.01 to the final sale amount)
Computers & Networking $0.01–$50.00.00
$50.01–$1,000.00
$1,000.01 and over
6% of the selling price
6% of the first $50.00, plus 3.75% of the remaining selling price ($50.01–$1,000.00)
6% of the first $50.00, plus 3.75% of the amount up to $1,000, plus 1% of the remaining selling price ($1,000.01 to the final sale amount)
Clothing, Shoes & Accessories $0.01–$50.00
$50.01–$1,000.00
$1,000.01 and over
12% of the selling price
12% of the first $50.00, plus 9% of the remaining selling price ($50.01–$1,000.00)
12% of the first $50.00, plus 9% of the amount up to $1,000.00 and then 2% of the remaining selling price ($1,000.01 to the final sale amount)
Media (Books, Music, DVDs & Movies, Video Games) $0.01–$50.00
$50.01–$1,000.00
$1,000.01 and over
15% of the selling price
15.00% of the first $50.00, plus 5% of the remaining selling price ($50.01–$1,000.00)
15.00% of the first $50.00, plus 5% of the amount up to $1,000.00, plus 2% of the remaining selling price ($1,000.01 to the final sale amount)
All Other Categories $0.01–$50.00
$50.01–$1,000.00
$1,000.01 and over
12% of the selling price
12.00% of the first $50.00, plus 6% of the remaining selling price ($50.01–$1,000.00)
12.00% of the first $50.00, plus 6% of the amount up to $1,000.00, plus 2% of the remaining selling price ($1,000.01 to the final sale amount)

If you try to work out your own final value fees, you may get an extreme headache — and come up with fractional cents. Know that eBay rounds up fees of $0.005 and more — and drops any fees that are less than $0.005. These roundings are done on a per-transaction basis, and generally even out over time.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Marsha Collier is a renowned social media strategist and bestselling author. She authored all editions of eBay For Dummies and co-hosts Computer and Technology Radio. Marsha even made headlines in 2014 when her husband proposed to her over Twitter—the first social media engagement on record!

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