What Are eBay’s Selling Fees in The UK
In 2025, eBay UK will undergo new changes regarding their selling fees for both private and commercial sellers which have previously been in Integrated with the selling strategy and evolving market trends on the platform.
Private Sellers: New Buyer Fees & Sell Without Fees
In 2024, eBay UK removed selling fees to private sellers to motivate more selling initiatives by individual sellers. This allows sellers to list and sell items without incurring listing and final value fees, excluding a few categories like vehicles.
eBay had a different thought on revenue generation and as of February 2025, implemented a Buyer Protection Fee. This fee charged to buyers at the time of checkout can be described in the following way:
Standard Rate: 75p plus 4 percent of the item’s price.
High-Value Items: Items priced above £300 attract lower charges but subject to a cap on the total fee.
This shift reflects the buyer-centric policies implemented by Vinted and Depop where users pay extra for better coverage and services provided by the platform.
Business Sellers: Comprehensive Fees
eBay, as a marketplace platform, also focuses on business sellers who have a more specialized and comprehensive profile.
- Final Value Fees (FVF): These are the most popular on eBay. They are charged as a percentage of the total sale amount that includes the item’s price, shipping, and tax. Different categories have different rates.
- Fixed Transaction Fee: Set fee of 30p per order.
- Regulatory Operating Fee: This is an extra charge of 0.35% of the total sale amount.
In particular, eBay has increases starting from February 14, 2025, where they inflat the FVFs in the most categories by 0.35% to improve the platform’s services. To be sure, check your fees on this calculator.
Illustrations of Final Value Fees by Category:
- Clothing, Shoes & Accessories:
11.9% for items valued at or below £800 and 7% for the remainder.
- Electronics: 6.9% for the first £1,000 and 3% thereafter.
- Books, Comics & Magazines 9.9% flat rate.
Business sellers are also burdened with added VAT which applies to the cost eBay charges. It can legally be claimed but it means more work for those countering.
Expenses and Other Factors to Consider
- Insertion Fees: Based on the seller’s subscription level, business sellers receive a set number of free listings for the month. Each additional listing beyond this allotment incurs a 35p fee.
- Promoted Listings: To enhance item visibility, optional advertising is available and will incur a charge as a percentage of the item’s sale price after the item sells.
- International Fees: Selling to customers outside the UK incurs extra costs, generally between 1.05% to 2% depending on the customer’s location.
Payment and Shipment Modifications
eBay has modified policies concerning the payment payout, delivery, and shipping policies:
- Payment Hold for Private Sellers: eBay restricts payment release until the client acknowledges receipt of the goods or after a specific period from shipment, particularly in the case of untracked shipments.
- Enforced Use of eBay’s Shipping Services: Private sellers must use eBay’s managed shipping program known as “Simple Delivery”, which offers low pricing and tracking built into the system.
Impact on Sellers
As a seller, every major policy update is geared towards lowering fees and enabling easier navigation and eBay maintaining a competitive edge in regards to functionality for the users.
- Private Sellers: Have no selling fees but need to account how the buyer’s fees influence sales volumes.
A seller is advised about the fee structure concerning enhanced features and raised fees for the selling business tools.
Sellers, in particular, must understand the selling business and the associated fees concerning their sales strategies and policies on the specified platforms.
