How this calculation works
Estimate sale proceeds and item profit using your entered eBay fee percentages, tier threshold, fixed fee, postage and acquisition cost. Fee base = item + shipping + buyer tax; profit = item + shipping − tiered fees − fixed fee − promotion − other fees − postage − item cost
Fee base = item + shipping + buyer tax; profit = item + shipping − tiered fees − fixed fee − promotion − other fees − postage − item costA worked example
An item at 100 plus shipping of 10 and buyer tax of 8 has a fee base of 118. At an entered 10% fee plus 0.40, with postage 7 and item cost 40, profit is 50.80.
Good to know
Independent entered-rate estimate, not affiliated with eBay. Demonstration rates are not a marketplace fee schedule. Two tiers per order; no category lookup, refund logic, account discounts or live fees. Buyer tax is remitted by the marketplace and excluded from seller revenue. Promotion uses the entered full-sale basis only; verify the actual fee basis and rules.
Reference: eBay selling fees and fee bases (opens in a new tab) ↗
A fee base can be larger than your revenue
A buyer can pay item price, shipping and sales tax. If the marketplace remits the tax, that tax is not seller income, even when a percentage fee is calculated on a total that includes it.
This ledger keeps those two bases separate. Revenue is item price plus shipping charged; the percentage-fee base adds the buyer tax. Counting the tax as both revenue and a cost would make the ledger harder to interpret.
Replace every sample fee with your own schedule
The default ten percent is a simple demonstration, not a current eBay rate. Marketplace, category, account status, order size and optional services can change a real fee. Read the official schedule for the actual listing.
The first-tier percentage applies up to the entered total-sale threshold. The second percentage applies only above it. A threshold of zero applies the upper rate to the whole base; a sufficiently high threshold keeps everything in the first tier.
Shipping charged is different from postage paid
Charging a buyer ten for shipping does not establish that postage costs ten. Packaging, label costs and any subsidy can make the actual expense different. Enter the actual cost in the postage field.
Item acquisition cost is another separate expense. The model can show positive seller proceeds but a loss after stock and shipping costs. A payout notification is therefore not a profit statement.
Treat promoted fees and unusual charges explicitly
The promotion field applies the supplied percentage to the full entered sale base. That is a modeling convention, not a claim that every advertising product uses the same basis. If yours differs, put the already-computed charge in other fees instead.
Likewise, currency conversion, international selling, refunds, account surcharges and per-item exceptions are not guessed. Including one known charge in two fields would double count it.
Compare margin with cash left over
Profit divided by item-and-shipping revenue is the margin shown here. It is undefined at zero revenue, rather than reported as a misleading zero percent. Negative profit is possible and preserved.
The break even calculator examines a broader business cost structure, while the percentage calculator helps check an individual fee. The profit margin calculator is useful when reviewing several already-completed sales together.
A few questions, answered
Are the default eBay rates official?
No. They are deliberately simple entered examples. Replace them with the correct marketplace, category and account schedule.
Why include buyer tax in fees but not revenue?
The model assumes tax is remitted by the marketplace. It can still be part of the entered percentage-fee base.
Can I model a different promotion fee basis?
Compute that charge separately, put it in other fees and leave the promotion percentage at zero.