The short answer
Take a $25.00 item sold with $4.99 shipping, so the buyer pays $29.99. After the $10.50 you spent on the item and the label, a US Etsy shop keeps $16.19 and a US eBay seller in a default category keeps $15.01.
Etsy's percentages add up to 9.5%, plus $0.20 to list and $0.25 per order. eBay's headline rate for most categories is 13.6% of the sale, plus $0.30 per order. The table lines up every fee.
| Etsy | eBay | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer pays | $29.99 | $29.99 |
| Listing fee | $0.20 | n/a |
| Transaction fee | $1.95 | n/a |
| Payment processing | $1.15 | n/a |
| Final value fee | n/a | $4.08 |
| Per-order fee | n/a | $0.40 |
| Total fees | $3.30 | $4.48 |
| Fees as a share of the sale | 11% | 14.9% |
| You keep after $10.50 of costs | $16.19 | $15.01 |
Computed by the Etsy and eBay calculators on this site. eBay listing fees are not in the receipt: 250 listings a month are free, then $0.35 each.
How each marketplace charges you
Etsy splits its fee into three parts. The listing fee is charged when you create or renew a listing, whether or not it sells. The 6.5% transaction fee and the payment processing both apply to the item price plus the shipping you charge.
eBay takes one percentage, the final value fee, on the total amount of the sale. eBay defines that total as the item price, handling, shipping charged to the buyer and sales tax. A small per-order fee is added: $0.30 on orders of $10 or less and $0.40 above that.
That difference matters for cheap items and for sellers who list a lot. Etsy charges per listing even when nothing sells, while eBay gives you a monthly allowance of free listings. If most of your listings sit unsold for months, add up the listing fees as well as the sale fees.
The same item at three prices
Fixed fees weigh more on cheap items. At $10, Etsy takes 12.5% of the buyer's total and eBay takes 16.3%. At $100 the shares fall to 9.9% and 14%.
| Item price | Buyer pays | Etsy fees | eBay fees | eBay costs more by | Share of the sale (Etsy and eBay) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $14.99 | $1.87 | $2.44 | $0.57 | 12.5% and 16.3% |
| $25 | $29.99 | $3.30 | $4.48 | $1.18 | 11% and 14.9% |
| $100 | $104.99 | $10.42 | $14.68 | $4.26 | 9.9% and 14% |
eBay uses the default category. Shipping is the same in every row.
The gap in dollars grows with the price, from $0.57 to $4.26, because eBay's percentage is higher than Etsy's combined percentage. Etsy's fixed costs are the $0.20 listing fee and the $0.25 processing charge.
When the answer flips
Offsite Ads is the big one. If a buyer clicks an Etsy ad on another site and buys from you, Etsy charges 15% of the order, or 12% for shops that made $10,000 or more. On our sale that adds $4.50 and takes Etsy's total to $7.80, against $4.48 on eBay.
Etsy's help page says shops below that revenue level can opt out of Offsite Ads, and shops at or above it cannot. Check your own shop settings before you count on avoiding the fee.
eBay's rate also depends on the category. This table keeps the sale the same and changes only the eBay category.
| eBay category | eBay fees | Etsy fees | Lower fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most categories | $4.48 | $3.30 | Etsy |
| Books, movies, music | $4.99 | $3.30 | Etsy |
| Guitars and basses | $2.41 | $3.30 | eBay |
| Women's handbags | $4.90 | $3.30 | Etsy |
| Jewelry | $4.90 | $3.30 | Etsy |
Only a selection of categories is shown. The eBay calculator has the full list.
Outside the US
The answer changes with your country. The table uses the same sale in local currency, with each shop's own listing fee, processing rate and regulatory fee.
| Country | Etsy fees | eBay fees | eBay case |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $3.30 | $4.48 | Default eBay category |
| United Kingdom | £3.64 | £0.00 | eBay private seller; the buyer pays a separate fee |
| Canada | C$3.53 | C$4.48 | Default eBay category |
| Australia | A$3.39 | A$0.00 | eBay private seller without a Pro plan |
Etsy converts its US dollar listing fee at an approximate rate, so that part can differ by a cent or two.
In the UK, private eBay sellers pay no final value fee. A business seller on eBay UK in the clothes category would pay £4.07 on the same sale, before VAT. See our guide to eBay UK private selling for how the buyer's fee works.
In Australia the free rate applies to private sellers without a Pro plan whose sales are A$25,000 or less over 12 months. Above that, eBay upgrades sellers to a Pro plan that charges final value fees. Our calculator does not price Pro plans yet.
What this comparison leaves out
- Sales tax and VAT. Etsy charges payment processing on the order total including sales tax, and eBay includes sales tax in its sale total. Both read a little higher on taxed orders.
- Your shipping label. It is a cost to you on both sites, so it sits in the "costs" figure, not in the fees.
- Advertising you choose, such as eBay Promoted Listings. The rate is your decision, so it is not in the totals.
- Subscriptions such as eBay Stores. They change eBay rates in some categories, and the calculator covers the US Store rates.