One sale, three fee stacks
Sellers often ask which marketplace “takes less.” The honest answer is: it depends on the price, shipping charged, category (for eBay), whether an Etsy order is Offsite Ads–attributed, and your item cost. A platform that looks cheaper at $25 can rank differently at $150. Comparing memory-based percentages is how bad listing decisions get made.
The Marketplace Fee Comparison runs the same sale through HustleNumbers’ verified eBay, Etsy, and Mercari fee calculators, then ranks platforms by estimated net profit. Each row shows fees, effective fee percent, and net after your item cost. Rates come from the verified marketplace fee tables (sourced from each platform’s official seller documentation), with a verification stamp on the results. Those schedules change. Confirm on each marketplace before you rely on a ranking for inventory you already bought.
What is compared (and what is left out)
Included in the side-by-side:
- eBay: category final-value and per-order style fees from the verified table, using your selected eBay category
- Etsy: listing, transaction, and processing layers from the verified table, plus optional Offsite Ads when you enable that checkbox
- Mercari: selling fee on the order total from the verified table
Not in this comparison table:
- Amazon: referral categories and FBA do not fit this compose path; use the Amazon Referral Fee Calculator (referral only; FBA excluded by design)
- Shopify and other storefronts: subscription tiers and app stacks are a different model
- Promoted listings, eBay store plans, international add-ons, and promotions outside each child calculator’s scope
Scope notes carry over from the dedicated tools: the eBay fee base here is item price + shipping + buyer sales tax (tax is fee-bearing but never counted as revenue), high-dollar tier breaks may not be fully modeled, and specialty tables beyond the category menu are out of scope. Drill into the eBay Fee Calculator FAQ when you sell expensive single items.
How to use the Marketplace Fee Comparison
- Sale price: use chips ($25, $50, $75, $150) or type your real ask.
- Shipping charged: what the buyer pays for shipping; often fee-bearing on these platforms.
- Item cost: COGS so rankings reflect net profit, not fee dollars alone.
- eBay category: match how you would list on eBay; it can change eBay’s row materially.
- Etsy Offsite Ads: enable only when you want the Etsy row to assume an Offsite Ads–attributed order.
Read the ranked table: lowest fees are not always highest net if models differ, but with the same item cost across rows, net profit is the fair headline. Re-run at multiple price points. Effective fee percent can shift when fixed pieces (like listing fees) meet different order sizes.
How to read “effective fee %”
Effective fee percent is estimated fees divided by the fee-bearing gross (sale + shipping in this compose). It helps you compare stacks that mix percentages and fixed amounts. Still decide on net profit dollars: a slightly higher effective rate on a platform where you actually sell faster can beat a cheaper-looking row that never converts.
Key ideas for multi-channel sellers
Fees are not traffic. The cheapest row does not ship your product. Use the comparison to avoid listing where net is unacceptable, then pick among acceptable nets based on audience fit, returns risk, and your willingness to manage another channel.
Toggle stress tests matter. An Etsy organic order and an Offsite Ads order are different economics. An eBay “most categories” listing and a jewelry listing are different too. Change one control at a time so you know what moved the ranking.
Amazon and processors are separate decisions. Amazon referral (and separately FBA) belongs in the Amazon Referral Fee Calculator. Direct invoices and checkout belong in the Payment Processor Comparison for Stripe, PayPal, and Square. Cross-shopping those tools with this marketplace table is how you decide “list it” vs “sell it yourself.”
Deep dives beat the summary when stakes are high. Open the Etsy Fee Calculator for full Offsite Ads / high-volume controls, the Mercari Fee Calculator for a focused selling-fee view, and the eBay Fee Calculator when you need the eBay-only breakdown (final-value vs per-order).
A simple example
You have an item that cost $20. You are considering a $50 sale price with $0 shipping charged. Enter those values, leave eBay on Most categories, leave Etsy Offsite Ads off, and read which platform ranks #1 on net. Then enable Etsy Offsite Ads and see whether Etsy’s rank collapses. Next, set shipping charged to $8 and watch effective fees and nets move on every row that treats shipping as fee-bearing. Finally, try the $150 chip with a sneakers-oriented eBay category if that matches your item. Category can reorder the table. None of those steps invent rates; they reuse the same verified tables as the dedicated calculators.
Next steps checklist
- Run your real price, shipping, and cost through the Marketplace Fee Comparison.
- Stress-test eBay category and Etsy Offsite Ads one change at a time.
- Open the winning platform’s dedicated calculator for a line-item fee breakdown.
- If Amazon or direct checkout is on the table, use the Amazon Referral Fee Calculator or Payment Processor Comparison.
- Confirm live fees on each platform’s official seller docs before you buy inventory to flip.
Related tools on HustleNumbers
- eBay Fee Calculator: eBay-only net and fee breakdown by category.
- Etsy Fee Calculator: listing, transaction, processing, Offsite Ads options.
- Mercari Fee Calculator: Mercari selling fee and net.
- Amazon Referral Fee Calculator: Amazon referral only; FBA excluded.
- Payment Processor Comparison: Stripe vs PayPal vs Square for direct charges.
Estimates only. This guide is educational and is not financial, tax, investment, or legal advice. Marketplace rankings use HustleNumbers’ verified fee tables composed from official seller documentation; rates and program rules change. Confirm on each platform before listing or purchasing decisions.