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Marginory

eBay Break-Even Calculator

Your break-even price is the lowest item price where the eBay Final Value Fee, the per-order fee, any Promoted Listings fee, postage and item cost are all covered. Pick a category and enter your costs to see it, plus prices for 10–30% margin.

By Content reviewed

Item and category

eBay category (US, no Store)

$

What you paid for the item (COGS).

$
How you sell it
$

0 = free shipping.

%

0 if you don't promote.

$

We compare it with break-even. 0 to skip.

Advanced settingsPackaging, buyer tax
$
%

Break-even price

$25.35

eBay fees at this price: $3.85

Price for 10% margin
$28.67
Price for 20% margin
$32.99
Price for 30% margin
$38.83
  • At your planned $34.99 you keep $8.33 per sale (23.8% margin), $9.64 above break-even.Compared with your planned price

Where the break-even price goes

Order revenueItem + shipping charged$25.35
Final Value FeeMost categories, includes payment processing−$3.45
Per-order fee$0.30 at $10 or less, $0.40 above−$0.40
Item cost−$15.00
Postage−$6.00
Packaging & other−$0.50
Profit at break-even$0.00

Data sources

Category rates are eBay's published US no-Store schedule. Ad rate, tax rate and costs are yours to set above.

How this is calculated

Revenue = Item price + Shipping charged
Fee base = Revenue + Buyer sales tax
eBay fees = Category FVF(fee base) + Per-order fee + Ad rate × Fee base
Break-even = lowest item price where Revenue − eBay fees − Item cost − Postage − Packaging ≥ 0

Assumptions

  • US eBay account without a Store subscription; Store and UK accounts use different schedules
  • Per-order fee: $0.30 when the order total is $10 or less, $0.40 above $10
  • Category tiers above $7,500 and whole-price jewelry/watches bands are applied
  • Payment processing is included in the Final Value Fee; no separate processing fee is added

Source: ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoi… · Last verified: 2026-10-23

Worked example: break-even and target price with ads

An item costs $22 and $9 to post, with free shipping. The table solves the lowest total price that breaks even, and the price for a 20% margin, at three promoted-listing rates.

No ads3% ad rate8% ad rate
Break-even price$36.35$37.65$40.06
Price for 20% margin$47.29$49.53$53.77

An 8% ad rate raises break-even by $3.71. If your listing only clears break-even without ads, every attributed sale loses money.

Cost inputs are illustrative; fees are calculated with the same rates as the calculator above.

Review the market, fee bases and exclusions shown with this tool. Published rates and illustrative cost inputs have different certainty. Compare your breakdown with an actual order statement. Sources and methodology.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum price I need to charge on eBay?
For most categories: break-even price ≈ (Item cost + Postage + Packaging + $0.40 per-order fee) ÷ (1 − FVF% − Ad rate%). The calculator solves it exactly, including the $0.30 fee on orders of $10 or less, shipping you charge and buyer tax in the fee base. Do not add a separate payment-processing percentage: eBay includes payment processing in the FVF.
Does an eBay Store lower my break-even price?
It can, because Store subscribers get different Final Value Fee rates in many categories, but the subscription is a fixed monthly cost. Compare the Store fee on your average order with the subscription in the Store vs. No Store calculator before assuming it pays off. This calculator uses the US no-Store schedule.
What fees are included in the eBay break-even price?
Two eBay fees plus your own costs. The Final Value Fee is ~13.6% of the total order (item + shipping) for most categories and already includes payment processing. On top of that eBay charges a fixed per-order fee of $0.30 for orders $10 or under and $0.40 above $10. The calculator grosses up your price so that after both fees plus your product and shipping cost, you land exactly at zero profit.
Does the Final Value Fee apply to shipping I charge?
Yes. eBay's Final Value Fee is calculated on the total amount the buyer pays, including any shipping and handling you charge. That's why raising shipping to 'cover costs' doesn't fully work — eBay takes ~13.6% of that shipping too. Your break-even price has to account for the fee on the whole order, which this tool does automatically.
Why does my break-even price change by category?
eBay's Final Value Fee varies by category — most sit around 13.6%, but some differ (for example books ~15.3%, guitars ~6.7%, most jewelry ~15%). A lower FVF category needs a lower break-even price for the same cost, and a higher one needs more. Enter your category's actual FVF rate to get an accurate minimum price.
Should I include promoted listing fees in break-even?
Yes, for any listing you promote. The ad rate is charged on the total sale amount of an attributed sale, on top of the Final Value Fee, so it raises the minimum price. Enter your ad rate above; the Promoted Listings calculator also shows the highest rate you can pay before a sale loses money.