Guides / Marketplace fee comparison
eBay vs Mercari vs Poshmark fees
The three marketplaces charge sellers in completely different ways — a percentage plus a fixed fee, a flat commission, and a buyer-pays model — so the "cheapest" one changes with the item price and how fast you need it to sell. Here is how each works in 2026, with the trade-offs the headline rate hides.
eBay: percentage + per-order fee
In most categories eBay takes a 13.6% final value fee plus a fixed $0.30–$0.40per-order fee, charged on the item price, shipping, and tax combined. A Store subscription lowers the percentage to about 12.7%, and Top Rated Plus trims another 10% off the percentage on eligible listings. eBay's strengths are reach and category breadth; its fee is moderate but applies to shipping and tax too. See the full eBay fee breakdown for the per-category rates.
Poshmark: flat fee, then 20%
Poshmark uses the simplest structure: a flat $2.95 on sales under $15, and 20% of the sale price on items $15 and up. The buyer pays a separate flat shipping fee, so the seller's cut is just the sale price minus that commission. It is the easiest to predict and usually the largest seller cut of the three — but Poshmark's social, fashion-focused audience can support higher prices that offset it.
Mercari: a buyer-pays model
Mercari restructured its fees so that buyers pay service fees at checkout rather than the seller surrendering a selling fee. In practice that means a seller generally keeps the full sale price, aside from optional costs like an instant-payout fee. That is the highest take-home of the three on the same list price — but the fees buyers see can affect how quickly items sell, so it is not a free lunch. Because Mercari has changed this model before, confirm the current terms before you rely on a number.
A $50 sale, side by side
Same $50 item, ignoring shipping and tax, to show only the seller-fee difference:
| Marketplace | Seller fee | Approx. take-home |
|---|---|---|
| eBay (most categories) | 13.6% + $0.40 ≈ $7.20 | ≈ $42.80 |
| Poshmark | 20% = $10.00 | ≈ $40.00 |
| Mercari (buyer-pays) | No standard selling fee | ≈ $50.00 |
Illustrative only. Excludes shipping, tax, optional payout fees, and any platform changes since publication. Confirm each platform's current fees before pricing.
Which should you sell on?
Take-home is only half the decision — the other half is who is shopping. eBay reaches the widest range of categories and buyers; Poshmark's flat 20% is the simplest to plan around and its fashion audience supports higher prices; Mercari's seller-friendly model maximizes your cut on a given price but pushes fees onto buyers. Many resellers list the same inventory across all three and let demand decide. For the platform we model in full, run your exact numbers through the eBay fee calculator.
Common questions
Which marketplace has the lowest seller fees: eBay, Mercari, or Poshmark?
It depends on the item price. Mercari shifted to a buyer-pays model, so sellers generally owe no selling fee, which makes a seller's take-home the highest of the three on the same list price — but buyers pay more, which can affect how quickly things sell. eBay's 13.6% plus per-order fee tends to land between the others, and Poshmark's flat 20% commission on items $15 and up is usually the largest seller cut of the three.
How much does Poshmark take per sale?
Poshmark charges a flat $2.95 on sales under $15, and 20% of the sale price on items $15 and above. The buyer pays a separate flat shipping fee, so the seller's cut is simply the sale price minus that commission. Always confirm the current rate on Poshmark, as fee structures change.
Does Mercari charge sellers a fee in 2026?
Mercari restructured its fees to charge buyers service fees at checkout rather than deducting a selling fee from sellers, so in most cases sellers keep the full sale price minus any optional cost such as an instant-payout fee. Because the model has changed before, confirm Mercari's current fee page before relying on a specific number.
eBay fees verified against eBay's published schedule; Mercari and Poshmark structures summarized for comparison and subject to change. Estimates only — confirm against each platform. Page last updated June 5, 2026.