You've got a wool jacket you picked up for $10, and you're pretty sure it'll sell for about $40. You open eBay in one tab and Poshmark in the other. eBay's fee is around 13.6%. Poshmark's is 20%. Easy call, right?
Not quite. When you compare eBay vs Poshmark fees by the headline rate, you're comparing the wrong number. What matters is what lands in your account after the platform's cut and after shipping. On some sales eBay leaves you more. On others Poshmark does, even though its rate is higher.
This guide walks through how each platform charges, then puts the same three items through both so you can see what you keep.
How eBay charges sellers
For most categories on eBay US, the final value fee is a percentage of the total amount of the sale plus a small per-order fee:
- 13.6% of the total sale, up to $7,500 per item
- $0.40 per order if the total is over $10, or $0.30 if it's $10 or less
- Up to 250 free listings a month before insertion fees apply
The key phrase is "total amount of the sale." eBay's fee applies to the item price plus any shipping the buyer paid, plus sales tax. So if you charge a buyer $8 for shipping, you pay 13.6% on that $8 too, even though every cent of it goes to the carrier.
A few categories use different rates. Athletic shoes selling for $150 or more drop to 8% with no per-order fee, and handbags have their own tiers. If you sell in those categories, check eBay's fee page for your exact rate.
How Poshmark charges sellers
Poshmark's fee is simpler:
- $2.95 flat on sales under $15
- 20% on sales of $15 or more
Poshmark's fee is taken from the item price only. The buyer pays for a prepaid shipping label on top of the price, and you print it and drop the package off. That's the trade-off: a higher percentage, but in the standard case you don't pay shipping and you don't pay a fee on shipping.
The exception is when you choose to discount shipping to close a sale. That discount comes out of your earnings, so record it as a cost.
eBay vs Poshmark fees at three price points
Here's the same item on both platforms at three sale prices. For eBay, there are two scenarios, because how you handle shipping changes the answer:
- Buyer pays shipping: you charge the buyer the label cost, and eBay's fee applies to it.
- Free shipping: you absorb the label to make the listing more attractive.
Shipping costs below are example label prices, not quotes. Your real cost depends on weight, size and distance. Sales tax is left out to keep the comparison clean (more on that below).
| Sale price | Example label | Poshmark: you keep | eBay, buyer pays shipping: you keep | eBay, free shipping: you keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12 | $5.00 | $9.05 | $9.29 | $4.97 |
| $40 | $8.00 | $32.00 | $33.07 | $26.16 |
| $120 | $12.00 | $96.00 | $101.65 | $91.28 |
"You keep" here means sale price minus platform fees minus any shipping you paid. It's before the cost of the item itself, which is the same on either platform.
Poshmark
- Sale price: $40.00
- Fee: 20% of $40.00 = $8.00
- Shipping: paid by the buyer
- You keep: $40.00 − $8.00 = $32.00
eBay, buyer pays $8 shipping
- Total sale: $40.00 + $8.00 = $48.00
- Fee: 13.6% of $48.00 = $6.53, plus $0.40 = $6.93
- You receive $48.00, then pay $8.00 for the label
- You keep: $48.00 − $6.93 − $8.00 = $33.07
eBay, free shipping
- Total sale: $40.00
- Fee: 13.6% of $40.00 = $5.44, plus $0.40 = $5.84
- You pay $8.00 for the label
- You keep: $40.00 − $5.84 − $8.00 = $26.16
The jacket cost you $10, so your profit is $22.00 on Poshmark, $23.07 on eBay with buyer-paid shipping, and $16.16 on eBay with free shipping.
What the comparison tells you
When buyers pay shipping on both, eBay usually leaves you more. Its 13.6% rate is low enough that even after paying the fee on shipping, you come out ahead at every price point in the table. The gap grows with price: about $1 on the jacket, over $5 on the boots.
Offering free shipping on eBay flips the result. Absorbing an $8 label on a $40 sale costs you far more than the fee difference. At $12, free shipping cuts your payout nearly in half. If you plan to offer free shipping, either price it in or expect Poshmark to win.
Poshmark's flat fee is steep on cheap items. $2.95 on a $12 sale is almost 25% of the price. Items under $15 are where Poshmark's fee structure hurts most, so bundling low-priced pieces can help.
The fee isn't the only variable. The same item may sell for a different price, or at a different speed, on each platform. A Poshmark buyer who sends an offer 20% below your list price changes the result more than any fee difference. Compare what you keep on the price you actually expect to get, not your list price.
Check your own numbers with a fee calculator
The table uses round example numbers. Before you list, run your actual price and shipping through a calculator. These free tools are useful:
- Poshmark: Poshwatch's Poshmark fee calculator shows your net after the 20% or flat fee.
- eBay: try the eBay US fee calculator from eBayFeesCalculator.com, FinalFeeCalc's eBay final value fee calculator, or Easync's eBay fees calculator. Each lets you enter item price and shipping to see the fee.
- Both side by side: Poshwatch also has an eBay fee calculator, so you can run the same item through both platforms in one place.
Whichever you use, make sure it includes buyer-paid shipping in eBay's fee base. That's the detail most quick estimates miss.
Common questions
Is it better to sell on eBay or Poshmark?
For fees alone, eBay usually leaves you more when the buyer pays shipping, and Poshmark usually leaves you more when you'd otherwise offer free shipping on eBay. Beyond fees, Poshmark is built around clothing, shoes and accessories, while eBay covers nearly every category. Many resellers use both and choose per item.
Does eBay charge fees on shipping?
Yes. eBay's final value fee is calculated on the total amount of the sale, which includes shipping the buyer paid and sales tax. On a $40 item with 7% sales tax, the tax alone adds about $0.38 to the fee.
Does Poshmark take a fee on shipping?
No. Poshmark's fee is based on the item price. The buyer pays for the shipping label separately. If you offer a shipping discount, you pay that discount out of your earnings.
What does Poshmark take on a sale under $15?
A flat $2.95, regardless of the exact price. On a $10 sale you'd keep $7.05.
A calculator tells you what one sale should pay. Upcyclist shows you what your sales actually paid. Record the platform, sale price, fees and shipping on each sold item, and you can see your real profit on eBay versus Poshmark across everything you've sold, not just one estimate.
Next: know what makes an item worth buying
Knowing which platform keeps more of the sale is half the equation. The other half happens before you list: deciding whether an item is worth buying at all. In an upcoming guide, we'll build a profit-first checklist for sourcing, so you can run the numbers before you pay, not after you sell.