Marketplace Fees Compared: Listing Cost, Platform Cut & Shipping
The three costs that decide your profit are what it costs to list, what the platform takes, and what shipping costs — and who pays it. Here are all three side by side for the seven marketplaces resellers actually use.
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| Marketplace | Listing cost | Platform cut | Typical shipping | Who pays shipping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eBay | Free for the first 250 listings/month, then $0.35 each | ~13.25% final value fee on the total order + ~$0.30 per order | $5–$12 domestic for a 1–3 lb parcel with discounted labels | Usually the seller (free shipping is priced into the item) |
| Etsy | $0.20 per listing, renewed every 4 months or on each sale | 6.5% transaction fee + ~3% + $0.25 payment processing | $5–$12 domestic; Etsy-purchased USPS labels are discounted | Buyer, unless you offer free shipping |
| Depop | Free to list | 10% selling fee + ~3.3% + $0.45 processing | $4.50–$9 for a 1 lb poly mailer on a Depop or own label | Buyer on most domestic sales |
| Poshmark | Free to list | Flat $2.95 under $15; 20% on $15+ (processing included) | Flat $8.27 USPS Priority label, supplied by Poshmark | Buyer, unless you fund a shipping discount |
| Mercari | Free to list | No seller selling fee on current listings (buyer pays a Buyer Protection fee) | $4.50–$12 on Mercari prepaid labels by weight | Your choice per listing — buyer-paid protects margin |
| Whatnot | Free to list; you need an approved seller account | 8% commission + ~2.9% + $0.30 processing | $4–$9 typical; card and small-collectible parcels are light | Buyer on most live sales |
| Facebook Marketplace | Free to list | $0 on local cash sales; 10% (min $0.80) on checkout/shipped orders | $0 local pickup; $5–$12 if you ship with a Marketplace label | Nobody on local pickup; buyer or seller on shipped orders |
Rates are published US seller rates, last verified August 30, 2026. Shipping ranges assume a 1–3 lb parcel with platform-discounted labels. See methodology and sources for where each number came from.
Same $50 sale, seven platforms
Take one item that sells for $50 and cost you $6, shipped in a 1 lb mailer:
- eBay: ~$6.93 fees + ~$8 label you absorb → about $29 net.
- Etsy: ~$5.02 fees + $0.20 listing, buyer pays shipping → about $38.78 net.
- Depop: ~$6.90 fees, buyer pays shipping → about $37.10 net.
- Poshmark: $10.00 flat 20%, buyer pays the label → about $34 net.
- Mercari: no seller fee, buyer-paid shipping → about $44 net.
- Whatnot: ~$5.95 fees, buyer pays shipping → about $38.05 net.
- Facebook Marketplace (local): no fee, no label → $44 net.
Fees are only half the story: the same item does not sell for $50 on all seven. Depop and Poshmark pay more for vintage and streetwear, eBay wins on electronics and parts, Whatnot on sealed card product. Compare the realistic sold price per platform first, then the fee table above.
Shipping is the cost most sellers underestimate
On a $25 item, a $9 label is a 36% hit — bigger than any platform's commission. Two rules cover most of it: weigh and price the parcel before you list, and prefer buyer-paid shipping wherever the platform allows it. Poshmark's flat Priority label is expensive in absolute terms but the buyer pays it, which is why its 20% headline rate nets better than it looks against a 13% platform where you absorb postage.
Per-platform fee calculators
Each platform gets its own page with the exact rate breakdown, a worked example and shipping detail: eBay, Depop, Poshmark, Mercari, Whatnot. For net profit, margin and ROI on a specific sale, use the free profit calculator or the eBay profit calculator.
Note on tools like Vendoo or List Perfectly: those are crosslisting subscriptions, not marketplaces, so they are not in this table — they add a monthly cost on top of whichever platform's fees apply. See FlipAI vs Vendoo and FlipAI vs List Perfectly.
Methodology and sources
Every number in the table above is taken from the platform's own published seller-fee or policy page for US sellers, not from third-party blogs or estimates. Shipping figures are the platform's own discounted label pricing for a 1–3 lb domestic parcel, except Poshmark, which publishes a single flat Priority rate. Percentages are standard-category rates: category exceptions, Store subscriptions, promoted-listing ad rates and seller-level discounts can all move the real number, so treat the table as the baseline and check your own category before pricing a large batch.
Last verified: August 30, 2026. Marketplaces change fees several times a year — Mercari's move to a buyer-paid model is a recent example — so we re-check each source page on a recurring basis and update this date when the figures are confirmed or changed. If you spot a stale rate, the official page linked below is always authoritative over this table.
Standard US final value fee band and per-order fee; free listing allowance from eBay's published store/insertion-fee table.
Verified August 30, 2026
Listing fee, transaction fee and Etsy Payments processing rate for US sellers.
Verified August 30, 2026
Depop selling fee plus Depop Payments processing rate for US sellers; shipping range from Depop Ship USPS label pricing.
Verified August 30, 2026
Flat commission under $15, percentage commission at $15+, and the flat buyer-paid USPS Priority label rate.
Verified August 30, 2026
Current buyer-paid Buyer Protection model plus the legacy seller-fee structure that still applies to older listings; label pricing from Mercari's prepaid label table.
Verified August 30, 2026
Commission percentage and payment processing rate for US sellers.
Verified August 30, 2026
Facebook Marketplace
Meta Business Help — selling fees ↗Selling fee and minimum per shipped/checkout order; local pickup sales carry no fee.
Verified August 30, 2026
Know the sold price before you pick a platform
FlipAI lets you take a photo of any item or scan its barcode to instantly see real sold prices from eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Amazon and more — so you can pick the platform with the best net, not just the lowest fee. Start with what's it worth, or browse all reseller tools and the FlipAI reseller app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which marketplace has the lowest selling fees?
For shipped online orders, Mercari is currently cheapest for sellers because buyers pay the Buyer Protection fee, followed by Whatnot at roughly 11% all-in and Depop at roughly 13%. Facebook Marketplace is free if the sale is local cash and pickup.
Which platform is cheapest once shipping is included?
Local Facebook Marketplace sales, because there is no fee and no label. Among shipping platforms, Poshmark often nets out better than its 20% headline suggests since the buyer pays the flat $8.27 Priority label and processing is included.
Does it cost money to list an item?
Only on eBay past 250 listings a month ($0.35 each) and on Etsy ($0.20 per listing, renewed every four months). Depop, Poshmark, Mercari, Whatnot and Facebook Marketplace are all free to list.
Who pays shipping on each marketplace?
Buyers normally pay on Etsy, Depop, Poshmark and Whatnot. eBay sellers usually absorb it inside a free-shipping price. Mercari lets you choose per listing, and Facebook Marketplace local sales involve no shipping at all.
How do I compare net profit across platforms?
Take the same sale price, subtract each platform's cut, its listing cost and the shipping you would pay, then compare what is left. The free FlipAI profit calculator does this per platform in one screen.
Are these fees current?
They reflect published US rates as of 2026 and platforms do change them — verify on the marketplace's own fee page before pricing a large batch. Each platform's dedicated fee-calculator page here explains its structure in detail.