How to use this calculator
The page has two calculators, so you can compare selling on your own Shopify store with selling on eBay. Enter the same product on both to see which one leaves you more profit at your volume.
- Shopify: choose your plan and whether you pay monthly or yearly. Enter a typical order total and your cost, and roughly how many orders you get a month. The monthly plan fee is shared across those orders, which shows how much the subscription really costs per sale when you are small.
- If you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, enter that provider's rate. The default 3.49% + 0.49 is only an assumption, so replace it with your provider's real price. Shopify then adds its own third-party transaction fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
- eBay: pick the category, then enter the item price, the shipping you charge, the buyer's sales tax rate and your costs. eBay calculates its final value fee on the total amount of the sale, including shipping and sales tax, which surprises many new sellers.
How Shopify fees work
Shopify charges a monthly subscription plus card processing on each order. With Shopify Payments on US plans, online card rates are 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow and 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced. International cards add 1%, and premium cards cost more. Plan prices on Shopify's US pricing page were USD 39, 105 and 399 a month on monthly billing, or 29, 89 and 359 a month on yearly billing. Rates differ by country and change from time to time, so check the pricing page for your region. Apps, themes and your domain are extra costs that this calculator does not include.
How eBay fees work
For most categories on eBay.com, the final value fee is 13.6% of the total amount of the sale up to USD 7,500 per item, and 2.35% on any amount above that. A per-order fee of USD 0.40 is added, or USD 0.30 if the order total is USD 10 or less. Some categories have different rates. Women's handbags and jewelry are 15% up to a set threshold, and books and media are 15.3%. Sellers get up to 250 listings a month with no insertion fee, after which each listing has a small charge. eBay's own example is a USD 150 item with USD 50 shipping and USD 10.50 sales tax. That gives a USD 210.50 total and USD 29.03 in fees, and this calculator gives the same result.
Assumptions and limits
- The eBay figures are for US sellers on eBay.com without a Store subscription. Store subscribers, other eBay country sites, vehicles and sellers rated Below Standard pay different rates.
- Promoted Listings fees are estimated as your ad rate times the total sale. Check the ad fee rules for your campaign type.
- Shopify figures use US Shopify Payments rates for standard online cards. Premium cards, other countries, PayPal and local payment methods have different rates.
- Currency conversion, chargebacks, refunds and taxes on fees are not included.
More guides on this topic:
Frequently asked questions
What are Shopify's transaction fees?
With Shopify Payments you only pay the card rate, for example 2.9% + 30¢ for online cards on the US Basic plan. With a third-party provider, Shopify adds a fee of 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow) or 0.6% (Advanced) on top of that provider's own fees.
What percentage does eBay take?
For most categories on eBay.com, 13.6% of the total sale, including shipping and sales tax, plus USD 0.40 per order (USD 0.30 for orders of USD 10 or less). Some categories have different rates.
Does eBay charge fees on sales tax?
Yes. eBay calculates the final value fee on the total amount of the sale, which includes item price, shipping and sales tax.
Which is cheaper, Shopify or eBay?
It depends on how many orders you get. eBay brings its own shoppers but takes a larger cut of each sale. Shopify has lower fees per order, but you pay a monthly plan and have to bring in your own traffic. Use both calculators with your own numbers.
Are these fees the same outside the United States?
No. Both platforms charge different rates in different countries. This calculator uses US rates. Check the official pricing pages for your country and edit the inputs if needed.
Sources and last check
Fee figures were last checked on October 22, 2026 against these official pages. Platforms change fees, so confirm in your own seller account before making decisions.