eBay profit calculator (UK): what you really make per sale
eBay UK fees are a stack, not a single percentage — category final value fee, a per-order fee and a regulatory fee, all charged on what the buyer pays including postage and VAT. Here's how to work out true profit, with every number computed by a real fee engine.
Published 29 July 2026 · Rates last checked 18 August 2026 · Worked examples computed by the live calculation engine
The problem
Most sellers price with "price minus cost minus a bit for eBay". But the final value fee depends on your category, the per-order fee depends on order size, the regulatory fee is easy to forget entirely, and all of them are charged on the gross amount — including the postage you charge and the VAT you'll owe HMRC. Guessing "about 10%" is how listings that look £5 profitable lose money.
A worked example
A home & DIY item listed at £34.99 with free postage, bought for £14.00, posted for £3.35, sold by a VAT-registered business seller:
- eBay fees (total)
- £4.69
- VAT set aside on the sale
- £5.83
- True profit
- £9.61
- Real margin
- 33.0%
The fee line breaks down as £4.16 final value fee, £0.40 per-order fee and £0.12 regulatory fee. Naive maths (£34.99 − £14.00 − £3.35) says £17.64 — the true figure is £9.61.
The formula
profit = revenue(ex VAT)
− product cost (ex VAT)
− postage − packaging (ex VAT)
− final value fee − per-order fee − regulatory fee
− promoted listings ad spend (if used)Assumptions in this example
- Business seller, VAT-registered, domestic UK sale, no eBay Store discounts.
- Home, Furniture & DIY category rate from the verified UK rate card.
- No Promoted Listings — see the promoted listings guide for what ads do to margin.
- Supplier charges reclaimable UK VAT; postage cost includes reclaimable VAT.
Frequently asked
- What percentage does eBay UK take?
- There is no single percentage. Business sellers pay a final value fee that varies by category (roughly 6.9%–14.9%), plus a per-order fee (30p or 40p depending on order size) and a 0.35% regulatory fee on the total sale. Promoted Listings ads come on top if you use them.
- Do private sellers pay eBay fees in the UK?
- Private sellers currently pay no selling fees on domestic UK sales, and 3% on international sales. Buyers pay eBay's Buyer Protection fee on top of your price, which affects what buyers see, not what you receive.
- Are eBay fees charged on postage too?
- Yes — final value fees are calculated on the total the buyer pays, including postage. Charging £5 postage doesn't dodge the fee; it moves it.
- Is the fee taken before or after VAT?
- Fees are charged on the full buyer-paid amount, which includes VAT if you charge it. That's one reason margins calculated on 'price minus cost' are wrong — the fee base and your revenue base are different numbers.
Every rate used on this page is public: see the Rate Centre for the exact cards and verification dates, and how we keep the numbers honest.
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