Fees — as one part of the decode
Let us be plain about what this page is: not a fee calculator. The internet has a fleet of those, and they all stop at the same place — the dollar. A first sale has two more lines that matter as much: the extra fee that lands if an account slips Below Standard, and the hold that decides when the money is yours at all. This page computes the stack and the date, together.
Tell it about the first thing you plan to sell. It answers with the three numbers that decide your first month: what you keep, what fits under your new-account limits, and the date your money lands. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
The stack, line by line
| Line | What it is | Amount (US, checked October 21, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Insertion fee | Listing the item | $0 for your first 250 listings each month; $0.35 each after that |
| Final value fee | A percentage of the total amount of the sale — item price + shipping charged to the buyer | 13.6% in most categories (books/movies/music 15.3%; coins & select collectibles 13.25%; guitars 6.7%; full table on the rules page) |
| Per-order fee | Charged once per order, on top of the percentage | $0.30 on orders of $10 or less; $0.40 above $10 |
| Below Standard extra | The line the fee guides bury: accounts evaluated Below Standard pay an additional 6% of the total on top of the final value fee (7% if it persists four months) | +6% — a new seller's real risk is service, not price |
| “Item not as described” extra | A Very High not-as-described rate in a category adds its own fee (only the higher of this and Below Standard applies) | +5% in that category |
| Promoted Listings | Optional. Charged at the rate you set, only when a promoted click leads to the sale | Your rate — the decoder shows it as its own line. Worth it for a new seller? |
| International fee | Only when a sale ships outside the US without eBay International Shipping | 1.65% of the total |
And the line that is not a fee at all: time. A new seller's proceeds sit on hold until delivery is confirmed — about 2 more days if tracked, up to 21 if not, up to about 30 over $1,000. A calculator that shows you $36.40 and not the three weeks is telling you half the sale.
The First 30 Days Kit turns one decode into the whole month: the day-by-day calendar (limits, holds, when cash actually arrives), the First-10 listing worksheets, the hold-avoidance checklist, the limit-raise playbook for days 30/60/90, and the fee-proof pricing sheet for the common categories.
Included in the $39 First 30 Days Kit
Because eBay's percentage applies to the total amount of the sale, which includes the shipping you charge the buyer. Offer 'free shipping' and the fee applies to the whole price instead — the total is what matters, not how you split it. Price with the fee already in mind; the kit's pricing sheet does exactly that.
13.6% for most categories, per eBay's own fee page as checked on October 21, 2026. The 13.25% figure ranking all over the web is the old standard rate, still correct today only for coins & paper money and select collectibles. Guides disagree because half of them never re-checked.
At the standard rate: $7.20 in eBay fees (13.6% + $0.40), so $42.80 reaches you — minus your label. The full worked example, with dates: eBay fees on a $50 sale.
Fees & hold rules checked October 21, 2026 — from eBay's own help pages