Businesses selling on eBay.de pay a category-based final value fee and a fixed charge per order. Store subscriptions, listings, advertising and international fees can add to the bill. This guide covers seller accounts based in Germany and includes two calculations from customer price to contribution margin. Private sellers have different terms.
Sources and worked examples checked on 17 September 2026.
What does an eBay.de business sale cost?
The final value fee combines a percentage with EUR 0.35 per order up to and including EUR 10, or EUR 0.45 above EUR 10. The percentage applies to the buyer’s total payment, including shipping and VAT. eBay quotes its fees excluding VAT.
Net sales revenue and the fee calculation base are therefore different amounts. The fixed charge applies once to a multi-item order; eBay defines this using the same buyer and selected shipping method. Do not automatically add a separate third-party payment-processing charge to this fee.
Sources: eBay.de: business seller fee schedule (German)
Related: Final value fee in the glossary
Final value fees for selected categories
The table applies to Top Rated and Above Standard sellers and shows the rate for new goods. For certain used and refurbished conditions eBay lists 5% in some categories (third column). In other categories the rate drops to 3% for the share of the selling price above €990. Subcategory, condition and price tier determine the rate, so check the category ID on your actual listing.
Sources: eBay.de: business seller fee schedule (German)
| Category / ID | Final value fee | Certain conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Home & Living / 11700 | 14% | 5% |
| Garden & Patio / 159912 | 13% | 5% |
| DIY / 3187 | 13% | 5% |
| Business & Industrial / 12576 | 14% | 5% |
| Office & Stationery / 9815 | 14% | 5% |
| Sport / 888 | 14% | 5% |
| Baby / 2984 | 14% | 5% |
| Pet Supplies / 1281 | 14% | 5% |
| Musical Instruments / 619 | 11% | 5% |
| Computers, Tablets & Networking / 58058 | 7% | 5% |
| Home Appliances / 20710 | 7% | 5% |
| TV, Video & Audio / 293 | 7% | 5% |
| Mobile Phone Accessories / 9394 | 12% | 5% |
| Laptop & Desktop Accessories / 31530 | 12% | 5% |
| Clothing & Accessories / 11450 | 12% up to €990, 3% above | – |
| Health & Beauty / 26395 | 12% up to €990, 3% above | – |
| Toys / 220 | 12% up to €990, 3% above | – |
| Vehicle Parts / 131090 | 12% up to €990, 3% above | – |
| Wheels, Complete Wheels, Tyres / 179679, 179681, 179680 | 6.5% up to €990, 3% above | – |
| Jewellery & Watches / 281 | 16% up to €990 (€500 with a store), 3% above | – |
Store subscriptions and insertion fees
A store subscription is a monthly fixed cost. Without a store, standard insertion fees are EUR 0.35 for fixed-price listings and EUR 0.50 for auctions. Good ’Til Cancelled listings renew their insertion charges monthly. A subscription includes listing allowances but does not replace final value fees.
Sources: eBay.de: business seller fee schedule (German)
- Selling limits and fair-use rules still apply to unlimited allowances. Check auction allowances and optional listing upgrades separately.
- Compare the monthly saving on insertion fees with the additional subscription cost. More included listings alone do not establish that a higher plan pays off.
- You can allocate subscriptions to items for analysis. Do not then deduct the same invoice again in your period-level result.
| German plan | Monthly subscription | Fixed-price listings | Extra listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basis | EUR 39.95 | 400 | EUR 0.10 |
| Top | EUR 79.95 | 2,500 | EUR 0.05 |
| Premium | EUR 299.95 | Unlimited | Free |
| Platin | EUR 4,999.95 | Unlimited | Free |
Advertising: a charge per sale or per click
General-strategy ads (“Basis” in Germany) charge a percentage on an attributed sale. Under eBay’s current rules, a click by any buyer in the previous 30 days can qualify. Priority-strategy ads (“Premium”) charge per valid click even without a sale. Both strategies can incur charges in parallel.
Include booked advertising costs alongside final value fees. A budget is not actual spend, and attributed sales do not prove that advertising caused every purchase. If you allocate click costs to products, make the allocation method clear.
Sources: eBay.de: advertising strategies and charges (German)
Related: ROAS and break-even ROAS
International selling and currency conversion
For a German seller account, the international fee depends on the delivery address: eurozone and Sweden 0%, UK 1.2%, the rest of eBay’s defined Europe region plus the US/Canada 1.6%, other destinations 3.3%. Check eBay’s country list. Eligible sales using eBay International Shipping are exempt from this international fee.
Currency conversion performed by eBay may add another charge; the published rate for German accounts is 3%. International fees, conversion, your shipping costs and any import charges are distinct items. Listings on other national eBay sites are also subject to those sites’ fee rules.
Example 1: what remains from a EUR 59.50 sale?
Assume one new Home & Living item, a German buyer and one order with no separately charged shipping or return. At an assumed 19% VAT, EUR 59.50 paid by the customer means EUR 50.00 net revenue. The 14% fee follows the standard category above; no account discounts or additional account charges are assumed.
Product cost, fulfilment and allocated advertising below are illustrative net business expenses, not customer data. Recoverable input VAT is excluded; non-recoverable tax would be an additional cost. Fees are rounded to cents.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Net revenue | EUR 59.50 ÷ 1.19 | EUR 50.00 |
| Final value fee including fixed charge | EUR 59.50 × 14% + EUR 0.45 | −EUR 8.78 |
| Cost of goods | Assumed | −EUR 20.00 |
| Shipping and packaging | Assumed | −EUR 4.00 |
| Allocated advertising | Assumed | −EUR 3.00 |
| Contribution before fixed costs | 50.00 − 8.78 − 20.00 − 4.00 − 3.00 | EUR 14.22 |
Example 2: an order below EUR 10
Use the same category and VAT assumption, but a customer payment of EUR 9.52 with no separate shipping charge. The fixed fee is EUR 0.35 because the total is no more than EUR 10. Other expenses are assumptions. There is no return, international fee or additional listing cost in this example.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Net revenue | EUR 9.52 ÷ 1.19 | EUR 8.00 |
| Final value fee including fixed charge | EUR 9.52 × 14% + EUR 0.35, rounded | −EUR 1.68 |
| Cost of goods | Assumed | −EUR 2.50 |
| Shipping and packaging | Assumed | −EUR 2.00 |
| Allocated advertising | Assumed | −EUR 0.50 |
| Contribution before fixed costs | 8.00 − 1.68 − 2.50 − 2.00 − 0.50 | EUR 1.32 |
What do these contributions tell you?
The first order contributes 28.44% of net revenue and the second 16.5%. These amounts still need to cover costs such as the store subscription, employees and warehouse overhead. Neither figure is business profit after all expenses and taxes.
The small order contributes only EUR 1.32. Another euro of shipping or advertising expense reduces that to EUR 0.32. Start by reviewing high-volume products with small contributions. The fixed order charge, packaging and fulfilment weigh more heavily on small baskets.
Treat refunds and fee credits as separate entries
A customer refund and an eBay fee credit are separate transactions. Eligibility depends on the reason and refund process. The fixed order charge may also be credited in some cases: neither “never refunded” nor “all fees always refunded” is accurate.
For a return, compare refunds and credits with the costs left behind: outward and return shipping, packaging, handling, advertising and any loss in item value. If a resalable item returns to stock, do not automatically leave its full purchase cost recorded as a permanent loss.
Sources: eBay.de: fee credits and refund conditions (German)
Related: How to calculate the return rate
Reconcile your own records in five steps
Start with a completed order, then expand to a reporting period. Use payouts as a reconciliation check. They already include deductions and other adjustments, so they are not the revenue starting point.
- Record the order ID, category, item condition, tax basis and buyer-paid shipping.
- Match the percentage and fixed order charge to booked fees, allowing for account discounts or service-level surcharges.
- Identify advertising, international fees, conversion and later credits separately.
- Add the purchase cost applicable at the sale date and your shipping and packaging costs. Count the fixed fee only once in a multi-item order.
- Include store and listing costs in the period-level result. Do not deduct a fee again from a payout that already excludes it.
Related: Reconcile your eBay payout
Use the calculation to make a decision
If contribution is weak, check the cost inputs first. Then model a change to selling price, purchasing, shipping or advertising. For a channel comparison, align the tax basis, period and scope of costs. The lowest headline commission rate is not enough to decide.
From a worked example to ongoing analysis
The profitkonsole eBay page explains the order and fee data used in analysis and the business costs you add. It shows how to take the worked example into an ongoing review of your assortment.
What is contribution margin? · German online marketplaces compared