eBay vs Poshmark vs Mercari fees in 2026: what you actually keep
Short answer: in 2026 Mercari takes 10% of the item price plus the shipping the buyer pays, and Poshmark takes 20% (or a flat $2.95 under $15) with the buyer paying shipping. eBay takes 13.6% in most categories, worked out on the item, shipping and the buyer’s sales tax, plus $0.40 an order. On a $40 item, Mercari usually leaves you the most of the three and Poshmark the least. Under $15 the gap gets bigger, because Poshmark’s flat $2.95 is about a quarter of a cheap sale.
US seller fees last checked Oct 3, 2026. Sources are at the bottom of this page.
The fee rules, side by side
| Platform | Fee | Charged on | Who pays shipping |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay (most categories) | 13.6% up to $7,500 (2.35% above), plus $0.40 per order ($0.30 if the order is $10 or less) | Item + shipping + sales tax | Buyer pays you; you buy the label |
| Poshmark | 20% at $15 and up; flat $2.95 under $15 | Item price | Buyer pays Poshmark; the label is prepaid |
| Mercari | 10% selling fee, no payment processing fee | Item + shipping the buyer pays | Buyer or seller, your choice |
Two details catch people out. First, eBay charges its percentage on the sales tax too. One seller wrote, “Recently paid a 24% fee because the buyer was from a high sales tax state” (r/Mercari). Second, Mercari’s 10% includes the shipping the buyer pays: “Seriously Mercari, why am I paying 10% on the shipping the buyer is paying?” (r/Mercari). Neither is a hidden fee, but both mean the headline percentage understates what comes off.
Some categories on eBay are different: women’s bags and jewelry are 15%, books and media 15.3%, sneakers at $150 or more 8% with no per-order fee. The compare calculator has a category drop-down.
Worked example: $40 jeans
A pair of jeans sells for $40. Where you ship it, the buyer pays $8 shipping and you buy a $7.50 label. Packaging costs $0.40 and you paid $6 for the jeans. No sales tax, no ads.
| Platform | Fees | What you keep |
|---|---|---|
| Mercari | 10% × ($40 + $8) = $4.80 | $29.30 |
| eBay | 13.6% × $48 = $6.53, + $0.40 = $6.93 | $27.17 |
| Poshmark | 20% × $40 = $8.00 | $25.60 |
“What you keep” is the price plus any shipping the buyer paid you, minus fees, label, packaging and the $6 you paid. On Poshmark the buyer pays for shipping separately, so there’s no label cost, but the 20% still leaves the least.
The same jeans with 8% buyer sales tax only changes eBay. The tax is $3.84, eBay’s 13.6% now applies to $51.84, and you keep $26.65 instead of $27.17. Mercari and Poshmark don’t charge on tax, so they stay the same.
Cheap items: under $15
A $12 T-shirt. On eBay and Mercari the buyer pays $5 shipping and you pay a $5 label, plus $0.30 packaging and $2 for the shirt.
| Platform | Fees | Fee as % of the $12 price | What you keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercari | $1.70 | 14.2% | $8.00 |
| eBay | $2.71 | 22.6% | $6.99 |
| Poshmark | $2.95 flat | 24.6% | $6.75 |
Under $15, Poshmark’s flat fee is the most expensive of the three. Note the jump at the line: a $14.99 sale pays $2.95, and a $15 sale pays 20%, which is $3.00.
Expensive items: a $150 jacket
A $150 jacket, $12 shipping paid by the buyer, a $12 label, $0.50 packaging and $20 cost.
| Platform | Fees | What you keep |
|---|---|---|
| Mercari | $16.20 | $113.30 |
| eBay | $22.43 | $107.07 |
| Poshmark | $30.00 | $99.50 |
The 20% hurts more as the price goes up: Poshmark’s fee here is almost double Mercari’s. If you offer free shipping on eBay or Mercari instead, the label comes out of your side and the fee is charged on the item price only. You’d keep $96.70 on eBay and $102.50 on Mercari, so on this jacket Poshmark ($99.50) ends up ahead of eBay.
Fees aren’t the only thing that matters
- The sale price isn’t the same everywhere. An item that sells for $40 on Poshmark might sell for $32 on Mercari, or not at all. Use sold prices from each platform, not one number for all three.
- Buyers pay fees too. Mercari buyers pay a 3.6% Buyer Protection fee, which can make your price look higher to them.
- Ads cost extra. eBay promoted listings are charged on the same total as the final value fee, tax and shipping included. Add your ad rate in the calculator.
- Not included here: eBay’s below-standard surcharge, international fees, insertion fees after your free listings, and Mercari instant-pay fees.
Turn it around: what can you pay for it?
The same maths tells you the most to pay at the thrift store. For the $40 jeans, if you want $10 profit after everything, the most you can pay is $25.30 if you’ll sell on Mercari, $23.17 on eBay or $21.60 on Poshmark. If you want to double your money (100% return), it’s $17.65, $16.59 and $15.80. The max buy price calculator does this for any item, platform and target.
To run your own items through all of this, including Depop and Facebook Marketplace, use the free compare calculator. It shows fees, payout and profit for one item on every platform side by side.
Questions people ask
Is Poshmark or Mercari cheaper to sell on?
On fees alone, Mercari. It takes 10% of the item plus buyer-paid shipping, and Poshmark takes 20% at $15 and up or $2.95 under $15. On a $40 item with $8 shipping, that’s $4.80 against $8.00.
Does eBay charge fees on sales tax?
Yes. eBay’s final value fee is a percentage of the total amount of the sale, which includes shipping and sales tax. With 8% tax on a $40 item with $8 shipping, the fee rises from $6.93 to $7.45.
Does Mercari charge fees on shipping?
Yes. Mercari’s 10% selling fee is charged on the item price plus any shipping the buyer pays. Since January 2025 there is no separate payment processing fee.
What is Poshmark’s fee under $15?
A flat $2.95. At $15 and up it’s 20%. On cheap items the flat fee is a large share: $2.95 is 24.6% of a $12 sale.
Which platform pays the most overall?
It depends on what the item sells for on each one. Mercari’s fee is usually the lowest of the three, but if an item sells for more on Poshmark or eBay, that can outweigh the fee difference. Compare with your own sold prices.
Sources
- eBay: Selling fees and Promoted Listings. Checked Oct 3, 2026.
- Poshmark: Fee Policy (version effective Nov 25, 2024). Checked Oct 3, 2026.
- Mercari: Selling fees. Checked Oct 3, 2026.
- Seller quotes: public Reddit threads in r/Mercari (eBay fee on tax, 10% on shipping).
Fees change. Check each platform’s page before relying on a number. Estimates only, not tax or financial advice. This page and the calculators were made with AI assistance, and the figures were checked against the official pages above. If you want one place to track every item’s cost and profit, the Reseller Inventory & Profit Tracker ($4 spreadsheet, sold on Payhip) is from the same maker.