eBay fees 2026: final value fees, insertion fees and store subscriptions
eBay gives you 250 free listings every month, but the final value fee on each sale also covers shipping and tax. We cover the fees, store subscriptions and the real math for a t-shirt.
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TikTok ShopsoonFor POD sellers, eBay is one of the most natural second channels after Etsy. You reach a different buyer audience and can list a set number of items for free every month. But eBay's fee structure has details that are easy to miss: what the selling fee is calculated on, the fixed per-order fee and performance-based surcharges.
In this post we cover the fees listed on eBay's official help pages as of September 2026, separately for sellers with and without a store subscription.
1. Insertion fee: the listing fee
eBay does not charge an insertion fee for up to 250 listings per month. After that limit, most categories charge $0.35 per listing. With an eBay Store subscription, your number of free listings goes up.
2. Final value fee: the selling fee
When an item sells, eBay charges a final value fee. Apparel such as t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies falls under eBay's “most categories” fee structure:
| Item | Without a store subscription (most categories) |
|---|---|
| Final value fee | 13.6% of the total amount of the sale (up to $7,500, calculated per item) |
| Portion over $7,500 | 2.35% |
| Per-order fee | $0.30 if the order is $10 or less, $0.40 if over $10 |
The exceptions in clothing are women's bags and sneakers above a certain price; POD t-shirts and sweatshirts don't fall under these exceptions.
What's included in the total amount of the sale?
Under eBay's definition, the total amount of the sale includes the item price, shipping and handling charged to the buyer, sales tax and other fees. So the final value fee is calculated on the total the buyer pays, not just the item price. Ignoring this difference when pricing leaves your margin lower than you expect.
3. eBay Store subscriptions
An eBay Store subscription increases your free listings and lowers the final value fee in some categories. Subscription fees listed on eBay's help page in September 2026:
| Store | Monthly renewal | Yearly renewal (per month) | Free fixed-price listings per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $7.95 | $4.95 | 250 |
| Basic | $27.95 | $21.95 | 1,000 |
| Premium | $74.95 | $59.95 | 10,000 |
| Anchor | $349.95 | $299.95 | 25,000 |
| Enterprise | Yearly only | $2,999.95 | 100,000 |
For Basic and higher store subscribers, the final value fee in most of the clothing category is 12.7% on the portion of the sale total up to $2,500; the per-order fee is still $0.30 or $0.40. On a Starter store, the rate is the same as for non-subscribers (13.6%).
4. Example: a $19.99 t-shirt
Assumptions: sale price $19.99, $4.99 shipping charged to the buyer, shown without sales tax. Product: Gildan 64000; starting price on Custombull with printing included: $6.50. Add your shipping cost separately.
| Item | No store | Basic store |
|---|---|---|
| Sale total (item + shipping) | $24.98 | $24.98 |
| Final value fee | 13.6% = $3.40 | 12.7% = $3.17 |
| Per-order fee | $0.40 | $0.40 |
| Total eBay fees | $3.80 | $3.57 |
| Product (printing included) | $6.50 | $6.50 |
| Remaining (excluding shipping cost and subscription) | $14.68 | $14.91 |
Because sales tax is also part of the sale total, the real fee comes out slightly higher than this table depending on the buyer's state. A Basic store subscription saves 23 cents per sale; for that saving to cover the $27.95 monthly subscription, you need more than 120 sales a month. Raising your free listings from 250 to 1,000 is a separate gain for stores with many products.
5. Performance-based surcharge
eBay also reflects seller performance in its fees. In the US, if your account is rated “Below Standard”, an extra 6% is added to the final value fee on sales in the following calendar month; if this lasts four months in a row, the surcharge rises to 7%. Late shipments, cancellations and item-not-as-described complaints affect this rating.
In the POD model, performance comes down to the producer's speed and quality. On Custombull, over the last 60 days, half of all orders shipped in under 2.8 days (median, from order to shipment). Custombull checks and guarantees the quality of every product: if a defective item ships, you get a no-questions-asked refund or a free reprint.
6. International fee
If the buyer's registered address or shipping address is outside the country and eBay International Shipping isn't used, an international fee of 1.65% of the sale total is added. If your POD products are printed in the US and shipped to buyers in the US, this fee usually doesn't apply.
7. Pricing checklist
- Add the shipping charge you'll collect from the buyer to the item price to get the sale total.
- Calculate the final value fee on the sale total; remember that sales tax is included.
- Add the $0.30 or $0.40 per-order fee.
- Subtract product cost (printing included) and your shipping cost.
- If you use Promoted Listings, add the ad rate.
- If your monthly listing count exceeds 250, factor in insertion fees or a store subscription.
Frequently asked questions
Do I pay for listings that don't sell?
Not if you're within your monthly free listing allowance. Once you exceed it, most categories charge a $0.35 insertion fee per listing, and that fee applies even if the item doesn't sell.
Do fees change when I move products from Etsy to eBay?
Yes. The two platforms have different fee structures, so you need to calculate the eBay price of the same product separately. On Custombull, products are transferred from Etsy to eBay in bulk: draft first, published on your approval, SKUs preserved.