The short answer
In the US, eBay takes less from a general sale than Amazon does when you ship it yourself. Amazon's referral fee applies to the item and the shipping, and the Individual plan adds a charge for every item.
The table runs one sale through each. The item sells for $25.00 with $4.99 shipping, you ship it yourself, and the figures use the default category on each site.
| Amazon (you ship) | eBay | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer pays | $29.99 | $29.99 |
| Referral fee | $4.50 | n/a |
| Plan fee (Individual) | $0.99 | n/a |
| Final value fee | n/a | $4.08 |
| Per-order fee | n/a | $0.40 |
| Total fees | $5.49 | $4.48 |
| Fees as a share of the sale | 18.3% | 14.9% |
| You keep after $10.50 of costs | $14.00 | $15.01 |
Computed by the Amazon and eBay calculators. eBay listing fees are not in the receipt: 250 listings a month are free, then $0.35 each.
How each marketplace charges you
Amazon charges a referral fee as a percentage of the total sale price, with a minimum per item, plus a selling plan fee. The Individual plan is $0.99 an item. The Professional plan is $39.99 a month, which spreads to $0.40 an item at 100 sales a month.
eBay takes one final value fee on the total of item, shipping and sales tax, and adds a per-order fee of $0.30 on orders of $10 or less and $0.40 above that.
The same item at three prices
Fixed charges weigh more on cheap items. At $10, Amazon takes 21.6% of the buyer's total and eBay takes 16.3%. At $100 the shares are 15.9% and 14%.
| Item price | Amazon fees | eBay fees | You keep on Amazon | You keep on eBay | Lower fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $3.24 | $2.44 | $1.25 | $2.05 | eBay |
| $25 | $5.49 | $4.48 | $14.00 | $15.01 | eBay |
| $100 | $16.74 | $14.68 | $77.75 | $79.81 | eBay |
Amazon Individual plan, you ship. Item cost 6.00 and label 4.50 in every row.
Categories change the answer
Both sites set different rates by category, so a general-goods comparison can mislead. This table pairs the closest categories on each site, on the same sale.
| Category | Amazon fees | eBay fees | Lower fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| General goods | $5.49 | $4.48 | eBay |
| Consumer electronics | $3.39 | $4.48 | Amazon |
| Clothing and accessories | $6.09 | $4.48 | eBay |
| Jewelry | $6.99 | $4.90 | eBay |
| Books, movies and music | $7.29 | $4.99 | eBay |
Amazon clothing uses whole-sale steps by price, not bands. The eBay clothing, shoes and accessories rate is the general rate.
Amazon takes less in consumer electronics on a sale like ours, so the cheaper site depends on what you sell.
Amazon vs eBay in the UK
In the UK a private seller pays eBay no selling fee, and the buyer pays a separate Buyer Protection fee. A business seller pays a final value fee, a per-order fee and a regulatory fee. Amazon UK charges 15% of the sale plus £0.75 an item on the Individual plan, excluding VAT.
| Item price | Amazon UK, Individual | eBay UK, private seller | eBay UK, business (Clothes, shoes, accessories) |
|---|---|---|---|
| £10 | £3.00 | £0.00 | £2.23 |
| £25 | £5.25 | £0.00 | £4.07 |
| £100 | £16.50 | £0.00 | £13.26 |
Amazon and eBay business figures exclude VAT. Private eBay sellers pay no final value fee, but the Buyer Protection fee is paid by the buyer.
On a £25.00 item, Amazon takes £5.25, a business eBay seller £4.07 and a private eBay seller £0.00.
FBA is a separate cost
If Amazon stores and ships for you, you pay a fulfilment fee on top of the referral and plan fees. Amazon publishes two US schedules, and the current one in our data is holiday peak. Holiday peak runs 15 Oct to 14 Jan, and the non-peak schedule resumes after it unless Amazon changes it.
The FBA columns use a 16 oz large standard unit with no shipping charged. Since 17 Apr 2026 Amazon also adds a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge that its published tables do not include.
| eBay | Amazon (you ship) | FBA, non-peak | FBA, holiday peak | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer pays | $29.99 | $29.99 | $25.00 | $25.00 |
| Referral fee | n/a | $4.50 | $3.75 | $3.75 |
| Plan fee (Individual) | n/a | $0.99 | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| FBA fulfilment fee | n/a | n/a | $4.60 | $4.89 |
| Fuel and logistics surcharge | n/a | n/a | $0.16 | $0.17 |
| eBay final value and per-order fees | $4.48 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Total fees | $4.48 | $5.49 | $9.50 | $9.80 |
| You keep | $15.01 | $14.00 | $9.50 | $9.20 |
The FBA columns charge no shipping and have no label cost, so the buyer pays less and you ship nothing. Storage, inbound and low-stock fees are not included.
What this comparison leaves out
- Sales tax and VAT. eBay charges its final value fee on sales tax in the US, and the figures here assume none.
- Advertising such as eBay Promoted Listings and Amazon Sponsored Products.
- Shop and plan choices. eBay Store plans lower some rates, and the Amazon Professional plan changes the per-item cost.
- Returns, storage and any shipping label difference between the two sites.