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 compares the same hypothetical item at three accepted sale prices 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
These are ordinary domestic US No Store/Starter assumptions, not every category or seller's rate. The examples use Upcyclist's eBay preset version us-domestic-2026-10-07, reviewed October 7, 2026 and rechecked against eBay's official selling fees on October 9. A review date is not a fee-policy effective date.
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
The US examples use Upcyclist's us-fee-policy-1.7-2026-10-09 configuration, reviewed October 9, 2026 against the current Poshmark Fee Policy and its version 1.7 document. That policy is effective November 25, 2024. Percentage fees in these estimates round half-up to cents; the policy does not specify rounding.
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
For a live-auction alternative, our Whatnot fees guide separates commission, payment processing and the risk of a low final bid.
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.
All amounts are USD. The eBay preset is ordinary clothing, excluding special footwear and handbag rates. Accepted item prices are identical across platforms, and each comparison assumes the same acquisition cost; the jacket below costs $10. The $5/$8/$12 labels are hypothetical eBay postage, not Poshmark label quotes. Your actual postage depends on weight, size and distance.
Buyer tax is explicitly $0 in this comparison; real sales may differ. eBay counts shipping collected as seller revenue, then deducts postage. Poshmark buyer shipping and buyer tax are pass-through amounts, not seller revenue; seller shipping contribution is $0 here. Advertising, supplies, additional charges and overhead are also $0 in these simplified examples. Time, returns and income tax are not modeled.
| 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.
For your own eBay scenario, use the eBay calculator described below and enter your item price, shipping collected, postage and acquisition cost. Buyer tax is excluded from this table, not guaranteed to be zero on a real sale; the calculator lets you state that assumption explicitly.
For the Poshmark side, the Poshmark calculator described below uses the accepted item price, acquisition cost, your shipping contribution and other entered costs. It can compare an alternative accepted offer; it does not quote shipping or predict what a buyer will pay.
What the comparison tells you
When buyers pay shipping on both, eBay leaves more in these examples. At this category rate and these prices, even after the fee on shipping, eBay comes out ahead at every price point in the table. The gap is $1.07 at $40 and $5.65 at $120. Different category fees, buyer tax, discounts or costs can change the result.
Offering free shipping on eBay flips these examples. Absorbing an $8 label on a $40 sale costs more than the fee difference. At $12, free shipping cuts the amount left before acquisition nearly in half compared with Poshmark. Price postage into your own scenario rather than assuming either platform always wins.
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
Before you list, run your actual price and shipping through Upcyclist's free calculators:
- The eBay fee calculator supports selected resale categories and Store tiers, buyer tax assumptions and advertising. Add your costs for profit, or switch to a profit goal to check a minimum selling price. It includes buyer-paid shipping in eBay's fee base. Special transactions are outside its automatic coverage; check the official fee schedule.
- The Poshmark fee calculator covers ordinary single-item US sales, including your seller-funded shipping contribution.
If you have actual fee totals or are comparing another marketplace, use the general reseller profit calculator with those fees and the shipping actually credited to you. Its manual fee settings are assumptions, not a live marketplace schedule.
Common questions
Is it better to sell on eBay or Poshmark?
Neither always earns more. In the matched examples above, eBay leaves more with buyer-paid shipping and Poshmark leaves more against eBay free shipping. Your accepted price, category, buyer tax and seller shipping contribution can change that answer. 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.
Our guide explains who pays Poshmark shipping, including seller-funded discounts and overweight upgrades.
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. Our guide on best items to flip walks through a profit-first checklist for sourcing, so you can run the numbers before you pay, not after you sell.
