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Marginory

eBay Promoted Listings Calculator

See whether a Promoted Listings General ad rate still leaves profit. The calculator compares an organic sale with an attributed sale, shows profit at 2–15% ad rates, and works out the highest rate you can pay before a promoted sale loses money.

By Content reviewed

eBay category (US, no Store)

$
%
$
$
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0 = free shipping

%

Without promotion

Revenue$49.99
FVF + per-order-$7.20
Profit$21.79
Margin43.6%

With promotion

Revenue$49.99
Ad fee (5%)-$2.50
Profit$19.29
Margin38.6%

Decision numbers

Maximum profitable ad rate43.6%
Break-even price, organic$24.77
Break-even price at 5% ad rate$26.29

Profit per attributed sale by ad rate

Ad rateAd feeProfitMargin
2%$1.00$20.7941.6%
5%$2.50$19.2938.6%
8%$4.00$17.7935.6%
10%$5.00$16.7933.6%
12%$6.00$15.7931.6%
15%$7.50$14.2928.6%

How many extra sales does the ad need to pay for itself?

%

Buyers who click the ad and would have bought anyway still trigger the fee. 100% is the cautious case.

Ad fees on sales you already get: $49.99 per month. Promotion needs at least 3 additional sales per month at $19.29 profit each to beat not promoting.

How this is calculated

Ad fee = Ad rate × (Item price + Shipping charged + Buyer tax)
Profit = Revenue − FVF − Per-order fee − Ad fee − Item cost − Postage
Maximum profitable ad rate = Organic profit ÷ Ad fee base
Extra sales needed = Ad fees on existing attributed sales ÷ Profit per promoted sale

Assumptions

  • Promoted Listings General (cost per sale); Priority/cost-per-click campaigns are not modeled
  • The ad fee base follows eBay's total-sale-amount definition, including shipping and tax
  • US non-Store FVF; the FVF is still charged on promoted sales
  • Attributed share and extra sales are your own estimates, not eBay data

Source: ebay.com/help/selling/listings/listing-t… · Last verified: 2026-10-23

Worked example: what each ad rate leaves you

A $60 sale (item plus shipping) with $24 cost and $8 postage earns $19.44 before ads. The General ad fee is charged on the total sale amount.

2%5%10%15%
Ad fee−$1.20−$3−$6−$9
Profit after ad$18.24$16.44$13.44$10.44

The highest ad rate this item can carry before it loses money is 32.4%. Ad fees only apply to attributed sales, so the real cost is the rate × the share of sales the ad brings.

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.

Related Tools

eBay Profit CalculatoreBay Break-Even CalculatoreBay Promoted Listings guideeBay UK fees

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the eBay Promoted Listings General fee calculated?
You choose an ad rate. When a sale is attributed to your promoted listing, eBay charges that rate on the total sale amount — item price, shipping and applicable taxes — in addition to the Final Value Fee. Sales that are not attributed pay no ad fee.
What is the maximum ad rate I can afford?
Divide your profit on an organic sale by the ad fee base (item + shipping + tax). If a $49.99 free-shipping sale with $21 of item and postage cost earns $21.79 before ads (most categories, no tax), any rate above about 43.6% makes an attributed sale lose money. The calculator shows this number for your inputs.
Is eBay Promoted Listings worth it?
Only if the extra sales it brings outweigh the ad fees you also pay on buyers who would have bought anyway. Enter your current monthly sales and the share you expect eBay to attribute; the calculator shows how many additional sales the ad must create. If you cannot measure that lift, test a low rate on a few listings and compare sales before and after.
Does the ad rate change my break-even price?
Yes. Each percentage point of ad rate is charged on the whole order, so your minimum price rises. The decision panel shows break-even with and without promotion.