In the eBay vs Etsy fee comparison, Etsy costs less on a normal sale. Sell a $50 item with free shipping and Etsy takes $5.20, leaving you $44.80. eBay takes $7.20 and leaves you $42.80. Etsy has more separate fees, but together they add up to less than eBay's single 13.6% plus $0.40. The exception is a sale from an Etsy Offsite Ad, which flips the result.
Enter your own price in the calculator above. Add your item cost and any postage you pay to see profit on both, plus what the buyer pays.
Etsy vs eBay selling fees, side by side
- Etsy (US): $0.20 to list each item, a 6.5% transaction fee on the item price plus shipping, and payment processing of 3% of the order total plus $0.25. If the sale came from an Offsite Ad, add 15% (or 12% if your shop made over $10,000 in the past year), capped at $100 per order.
- eBay (US): a final value fee of 13.6% in most categories, on the full order total including shipping and sales tax, plus $0.40 per order ($0.30 on orders of $10 or less). Most sellers get 250 free listings a month.
- What buyers pay: on both, the price, shipping and sales tax. Neither adds a buyer fee.
Here's what each pays you at common prices, with free shipping, no tax and no ads:
| Sale price | eBay fee | eBay pays you | Etsy fee | Etsy pays you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $1.66 | $8.34 | $1.40 | $8.60 |
| $25.00 | $3.80 | $21.20 | $2.83 | $22.18 |
| $50.00 | $7.20 | $42.80 | $5.20 | $44.80 |
| $100.00 | $14.00 | $86.00 | $9.95 | $90.05 |
| $250.00 | $34.40 | $215.60 | $24.20 | $225.80 |
Standard settings, free shipping to the buyer, no sales tax.
The gap grows with the price. On a $100 sale Etsy's fees come to $9.95 and eBay's to $14.00, so Etsy pays you $90.05 and eBay $86.00. Etsy's percentages add up to 9.5%, against eBay's 13.6%, and the fixed parts are close: $0.45 on Etsy, $0.40 on eBay.
Offsite Ads: when Etsy costs more
Etsy advertises listings on Google, social media and other sites. If a buyer clicks one of those ads and buys within 30 days, you pay an extra fee. At 15%, a $50 sale costs $12.70 in total on Etsy and you keep $37.30. eBay's $7.20 suddenly looks cheap.
Shops under $10,000 a year can opt out of Offsite Ads. Shops over that line can't, but they pay the lower 12% rate. eBay has its own ads, Promoted Listings, but you choose whether to use them and set the rate yourself. Tick the Offsite Ads option in the calculator to see the difference on your price.
Is it better to sell on Etsy or eBay?
That depends less on fees than on what you sell, because each site only lets certain things in, and buyers go to each for different reasons.
Etsy is for handmade items, vintage pieces (20 years or older) and craft supplies. Buyers come looking for gifts, personalised items and one-offs, and they'll often pay more for them. You can't list new mass-produced goods or ordinary used items on Etsy.
eBay takes almost everything. Electronics, car parts, clothes, collectibles, used items of any age. It has a much bigger audience, and auctions help when you're unsure of a price.
So is Etsy better than eBay? For handmade work and true vintage, usually yes: lower fees on a normal sale and buyers who value what you make. For anything else, eBay is the only one of the two you can use. Vintage sellers often list on both.
Shipping and tax change both fees
Both sites charge on shipping, just not the same way. With $8 buyer-paid shipping on a $50 item, eBay's fee is $8.29 and Etsy's is $5.96. eBay charges its whole 13.6% on sales tax as well. Etsy only charges the 3% processing part on tax, so tax adds very little to an Etsy fee.
If you offer free shipping on either site, put the label cost into "Your postage cost" so the profit line takes it off.
eBay vs Etsy in the UK
The picture changes for UK sellers. Private sellers on eBay UK pay no final value fee at all on domestic sales; the buyer pays a Buyer Protection fee instead. Etsy UK shops pay the 6.5% transaction fee, 4% plus 20p processing and a 0.48% regulatory operating fee, with VAT on fees if Etsy has no VAT number for you. Business sellers on eBay UK do pay fees, from 9.9% to 12.9% by category. The eBay UK fee calculator and the Etsy UK fee calculator have the full rates.
Common questions
Which has lower selling fees, Etsy or eBay?
Etsy, on a normal sale. A $25 item costs $3.80 on eBay and $2.83 on Etsy. A sale that comes from an Etsy Offsite Ad costs more on Etsy.
Does Etsy or eBay charge to list?
Etsy charges $0.20 per listing, again when it renews every four months or sells another unit. eBay gives most sellers 250 free listings a month, then charges $0.35 each.
Can I sell the same item on Etsy and eBay?
Yes, as long as it's allowed on Etsy (handmade, vintage or a craft supply). Remove it from the other site as soon as it sells, so you don't sell it twice.
Is eBay or Etsy better for vintage?
Etsy's fees are lower and its buyers search for vintage on purpose. eBay has more buyers overall and accepts items under 20 years old, which Etsy won't count as vintage.
Sources
Fees last checked against these official pages: eBay (US) on 2026-10-14; Etsy (US) on 2026-10-11. We re-check every source daily and update the calculators when a platform changes its fees.
- eBay Help: Selling fees
- eBay: Top Rated Seller program
- eBay Developers: Promoted Listings
- Etsy Fees & Payments Policy
- Etsy Payments Policy